OBJECTS OF HIS AFFECTION

I believe most of us live with a paradigm about God. Consciously or sub-consciously we believe God has an agenda, a motive behind His relationship with us. I hope this helps to clear the air.

Luke 15:16-24
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.

Why did God make us? I have heard and preached sermons declaring that He made us for worship. I have also heard and preached that He made us so that we would love Him. The angels couldn’t do this because they didn’t really have a choice. Let’s hold that question for a moment.

I know that God loves me. However, I have always put His love in the context of love as opposed to judgment. We were lost in our sins so Christ died for us so that we could/would love Him and do His work in the earth. So because of great mercy, He loves us in spite of ourselves. 

He created us to give Him glory, right? I say, “no”!

Why does a parent adopt or have a child? Is it because they want a little human that will love them? Not primarily. Its because a parent has love to give! A child is the recipient of love that is in the heart of the parent. That is how we love our children even before we ever see them. 

We are not a choir created to sing praise. We are the created objects of God’s affection. 

It seems that I often worship to earn God. I worship to conjure up God’s anointing. I worship because of the fact that I am so rotten without His mercy. I sing and pray with the thought of Calvary ever before me. Living life with a debt that I cannot ever repay . If it weren’t for Grace we would be lost. Yes, that is true, but is that where God wants us to dwell. I wonder if the Prodigal’s father reminded him of how much he owed every time he turned around. Did he spend the rest of this life thanking his father, “dad I’m such a loser, thanks for letting me come back”? 

I submit that the ultimate goal is a “no-black-book” love relationship. Calvary is not the object. Calvary was simply a way of allowing us to get back to Eden a place where God could show His love toward man. We were not created to praise, worship, give glory, or even to love. These are all worthwhile endeavors but I believe that our primary created purpose is to BE Loved by God.

I’m not talking about a “name it and claim it” religion of God as our slave. I am not talking about being spoiled children with our dirty little hand expectantly extended from morning to night. I am talking about allowing God to love us. He said it is better to give than to receive. Is that only for us? No! He would rather give love than to receive it. Yet we are so bound in guilt, shame, and sin that we are stuck in a perpetual Prodigal mode. We don’t feel worthy to be sons. We don’t feel worthy to be loved. No, God, I don’t want anything I just want to worship you. No, God. I don’t need anything I just want to give you some penance praise so I can ease my aching conscience. 

That is not what God wants. How would you feel if you could only receive hugs from your kids but you couldn’t ever give one? What if you could only get gifts but could never see their eyes light up as they open the gift you’ve given them. I hate the statement about God being worthy even if He never does another thing for me. Is it true? Yes. But what father goes around with that attitude? God isn’t walking around saying, “Praise Me”. He is saying, “I love you”. 
God always gives more than He asks of us. He asks us to be holy and He is perfect. He asks us to be honest and He has never lied. In the Old Testament He asked for Turtle Doves, and He gave His own life. So, what is the greatest commandment? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I propose to you that the greatest commandment is a revelation of the premise for which God made us. LOVE. 

Satan’s first lie to man was to distort the motive of God. To make his love tainted by a hidden agenda.

“He doesn’t want you to eat because if you do you will be like him.”

The truth be known man was as much like God as any creation could ever be. Yet he believed the lie and instead of being more like God he became like the devil. Full of himself, self-serving, self-indulged, plain old selfish.

From that time on man has been looking over his shoulder trusting little because of his own way of thinking. Surly everyone is after something right?

I have always had a twisted understanding of Love. It seems I loved who loved me, who was kind to me, who befriended me. I always loved to be loved or to gain something in return. Until I had a son. Zion changed everything. I now know the love of a father. I do not love that little guy because he loves me. I just love him. I do not take care of him, feed him, clothe him, change his dirty diapers & protect him because someday he will feed, clothe, protect and change my diapers. There are no strings attached. I do it because I love him.

The reason Leah and I had a child is because we had love to give.
Zion has become the object of our affection.

Phil, a student in my next step discipleship class asked a great question. We had been talking about the fact that God is all knowing, that He knows the end from the beginning and that God knew man would fall out of covenant with him, Phil asked “why did God make man the way that he did.” Why did He create something He would have to save?
I started to go into my spiel about choice and how we were made in a way so we could choose Him and love Him when all of a sudden I realized something I had never realized before.

God made man the way He did with a choice knowing well man would choose to disobey and He also created the rule that sin would be punishable by death and death alone and that the one who died to pay the price for the sin would have to be spotless.
He created a scenario were He himself would be the only one who could pay the price for sin because of His own regulations about sin and the sacrifice that could pay for it.

Why would He do that?

Jesus said there is no greater love than this, than when a man lays down his life for a friend. The greatest expression of true love. The mountaintop of love is dying for someone else.

This God we serve so desired to show His limitless love for us that He created before the foundations of the world a plan so selfless that it will take eternity to truly comprehend. As He hung on mount Calvary He would be fulfilling the perfect love as He died for you and for me. He could have it no other way. It is the clearest picture of His divine nature and His emotions toward us.

Love to spend. We were the objects of His affection.

I want you to understand this. God has no agenda other than your well-being.
Everything He has ever done has always been motivated by love.

This is the greatest mystery of the ages, this is the peak of divine revelation, God loves you. God cares about you.

To every spouse in a marriage that seams to be sinking I want you to know God cares
To every person who’s marriage fell apart
To those who have tried but cannot have children
To the single moms and dads who have to be a mom and dad to their kids
To every person who has to go home to an empty house I want you to know God cares

To those suffering with the lose of a loved one
To the ones who cant seem to make enough to pay the bills
To those who haven’t found their place in the world
To those who have a hard time making friends
To those who were done wrong by your friends
To those who trusted and your trust was broken
To those who suffer from depression
For those who were orphaned
To those who look in the mirror and do not like what you see
To those who have it hard or unfair and you don’t understand why
To those who’s kids no longer serve god
To those who have never known true love
To those who don’t get paid as much as they are worth
To those with cancer, sugar diabetes, heart conditions, and any other sickness or disease
To those who live in daily pain
To those who have done more than your share of sinning
To those who have regrets that keep you up at night
For those of you still struggling with addiction
For us who still make the same mistakes
For those who worry about tomorrow
For those who are still frightened by your past
For the ones the devil is attacking
God loves you, God cares about you

You may have had to buy a spouses love but you don’t have to buy His
You may have had to earn a fathers love but you do not have to earn His

He loves you and always has, yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever
If you turn away from him
If you fail him
If you love others more than him
If you stop loving him
If you blame him
If you disrespect him
If you choose the devil over him
If you hurt him
If you nail him to a cross again if you pluck his beard again if you spit on him again

He will never stop loving you
You are the object of His affection

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