Come Thou Long Expected Jesus: Love Dwelling with Us

In the final days of Advent, we're reminded that through the birth of Jesus Christ, love came to dwell with us.

Which is the way God designed humanity, isn't it? To be with Him, to be loved and intimately known by Him.

In fact, the entire epic story of the Bible points to that very fact. From Eden to the Ark, from the Tabernacle to Jesus Christ, the Bible points to one thing: that God wanted to be with us.

And humanity? Humanity fought (and fights) against Him and sought to control and overpower and have things our own way. But God kept pursuing us, kept loving us, until finally He sent His Son to live in human skin and then to die for us so we could be with Him forever.

It's an incredible story.

And its incredible love.

But somehow, I forget.

I forget how much He loved us, how much He loved me. I see those voids in my life and I think, Doesn't God love me? If He loved me, He'd give me this thing I desire. 

I don't believe that I can possibly understand God, in all of His majesty and glory and infinity... He's beyond what my limited human mind can figure out.

But He's also related some of His characteristics to us in a way we can understand... and He often calls Himself our parent, our Father.

As a little one, I had a sweet tooth (well, I still do!), and I really liked to eat sugar. Like, grab a spoon and get a spoonful of sugar. But my dad didn't let me do it. Not because he didn't love me, but because he loved me a whole lot. Would a spoonful of sugar be bad for me? It probably wouldn't hurt... but it wasn't the best thing.

And maybe, just maybe, that's what God's "No," or God's "Not now," is in my life.

The thing I want (right this very minute, in my own timing), may not be the best thing for me right now.

It doesn't mean God doesn't love me.

It doesn't mean that He doesn't care about my feelings or my struggles. God knows what's best for me- even in a fallen world, things still always work for good in His name.

The Challenge: 

I know, I know- its Christmas week! Everyone is so busy, myself included! 

But I wanted to give you just five verses this week- verses that share a little about God's love for us. Take just 5 minutes to read and reflect on these verses. and on how much God loves you!