Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 CSB)
My dad has always had a workshop wherever we’ve lived. He spends a lot of time there building cabinets and other wood pieces. Sometimes he’ll find broken pieces of furniture and mend them, making them like new again. As a kid, I spent many hours with him in his workshop, watching him work and pretending to work myself, hammering nails into boards or sawing them in half. I enjoyed being with my dad and watching what he did.
Occasionally, he would invite me into his project to help in the little ways I could—tightening a vise grip, sanding down wood edges, and handing him tools. Once he helped me make my own cabinet to store my collectibles, which became my nightstand. I was interested to learn what he knew and enjoyed spending time getting to know him in one of his favorite places.
I’m sure there were times when I got in his way or slowed down his progress, but I never felt like a hindrance or nuisance. I was always welcome. I had an open invitation into his workshop, and he’d take time to interact with me when I came. My act of joining him in his favorite place was an expression of my love for my dad, and he knew it. His reception of me was likewise an expression of his love for me, and I knew it.
One of the most essential components of our relationship with God is believing that we are his dearly loved children. If we don’t feel seen, loved, and accepted, we lose our desire to reflect God’s love and goodness to others. It’s critical that we know God loves us, delights in us, accepts us, and calls us worthy. Thankfully, we can search the Bible and find all of the wonderful things he calls us and believes us to be.
Once we know how much God loves us, it follows that we would be interested in spending more time with him. We love being around people who think highly of us and encourage us. When we spend time with God, we’ll learn about him and discover his passions, his dislikes, and the way he treats others. Obviously, the person of Christ shows us a great deal about how God loves and what he finds important. He loves people. All of them. No one is beneath him. Every individual, regardless of social status, is worthy of his attention and care. Studying the life of Jesus in the Bible can teach us a lot about God’s heart and how to love like him.
Read the rest at The Glorious Table.
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