Belonging to God (reprise V)

When I think of belonging to God I think of being valued. He keeps me around. For some reason (will I ever know the reason?) God has chosen not to discard me into the becorpsèd burning trash heaps of Gehenna (the fit place for things beyond all usefulness). He wants me to belong to Him. He wants me, the sinner. Of course, it is a matter of love. He prizes me, and has been at pains to have me in a higher way than mere vassalhood. He has given up His only begotten Son to be born and beaten and spit on and unjustly killed. My heavenly Father turned His eyes away in the darkness of the cross and let the burden of all the world’s sin press down unrelentingly onto the heaving form of His dying Messiah Son. How can I measure this kind of love? It is so far beyond me.

And that isn’t the end of it; it is just the beginning. Out of the tomb there came a risen Savior; and out of my wretchedness there came, in Christ, a new me, a new forgiven creature with life indeed. And this is still not the end. He has given me His Holy Spirit, who indwells all believers in Christ. He is my Counselor and Comforter and Convictor. He even prays for me. I have heard that when my father proposed marriage to my mother he gave her a ring and said something to the effect of “There, now you know who you belong to.” I think that is a good picture of God’s love toward us when He seals us with His Holy Spirit, a glistening engagement ring to be sure, and the pledge of even more to come. It is sheer privilege to belong to God in this way. May our dear heavenly Father teach us more of His deep deep love. We are overwhelmed in His love.