In Person

Richard Armstrong, in Make Your life Worthwhile, reports the story about a man in Wales who sought to win the affection of a certain lady for 42 years before she finally said, “Yes.”  The couple, both 74, finally became “Mr. and Mrs.”

For more than 40 years, the persistent, but rather shy man slipped a weekly love letter under his neighbor’s door.  But she continually refused to speak and mend the spat that had parted them many years before.

After writing 2,184 love letters without ever getting a spoken or written answer, the single-hearted old man eventually summoned up enough courage to present himself in person.  He knocked on the door of the reluctant lady and asked for her hand.  To his delight and surprise, she accepted.

From the very beginning, God has revealed His love to His human creation, desiring that we respond to Him in loving obedience.  He has demonstrated His love through the CREATION, providing for our physical needs (see Acts 14:17).  
Yet, so many have not acknowledged Him for Who He is and have disregarded Him altogether (see Romans 1:20ff).

He has also expressed His love through His COMMUNICATION to mankind.  
For example, at one time He communicated His will through the prophets of old.  
Yet, most of His prophets were rejected.  Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37).

Imagine God’s dilemma.  Time and time again He tried to get His message of love through to His human creation with little response.  Finally, according to His eternal plan, He wrapped up His message “IN PERSON.”  He revealed His love through the INCARNATION – when “the WORD became FLESH and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) 
in the person of Jesus Christ.

Yet many rejected Jesus and nailed Him to the cross.  But the CRUCIFIXION of 
Jesus would prove to be the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us 
(1 John 4:9-10), for the death of Jesus paid for the sins of the word (1 John 2:2). Jesus, the Son of God, bore our sins upon His own body, that we might have the forgiveness of sins (1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7).

And He will forgive those who respond in loving obedience: believing in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning to Him in repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to forgive those who will continue to follow Him for the rest of their lives (1 John 1:7).

God has revealed His love to us “IN PERSON.”  How can we refuse a love like that?  

Will YOU not respond in loving obedience?

God bless you!

David A. Sargent, Minister 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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