Laced With Grace – Christian Devotions

Oh How He Loves

By Heather C March 22, 2012 Devotion

Sometimes when I look at other people’s interactions with their family and loved ones, I want to just shake my head. When a son is abused and neglected by his father, he still calls dad his hero. Or when a wife catches her husband in an affair, she stays in the marriage, standing by his side and loving him no matter what. It’s the girl whose boyfriend beats her that always surprises me the most. Why do these people remain so faithful to the people they love, even though their loved ones don’t. How do you love the unlovable? How do you stay clean when you spend time with those who are dirty?
We may never be able to understand or answer the above questions but what can help is a right understanding of God. He chooses to love the unlovable. He chose to spend time with the dirty to demonstrate what being clean looks like. He took on our shame and made it his glory. One of my favorite passages in all of scripture is Zechariah 3:1-6

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “the Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel, the angel said to those who were standing before him, “take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See I have taken away your sin and I will put rich garments on you.” Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him while the angel of the Lord stood by.

I can almost hear the Lord saying to Satan, “Now where is your accusation?” What was once dirty, I have made clean. What was once unworthy, I have made worthy. This is what Jesus Christ does with us day after day after day. He lives to intercede for us on our behalf so that God the Father is able to look at us in spite of our sin.
As my husband and I were discussing this the other day, I reminded him how loyal he remained to his dad despite all of his dad’s failings as a father and husband. He commented that no matter what mistakes his dad had made, his love for his father remained stronger. It surprised me how amazingly strong love can be; how it can cover over offenses and how it colors the way we view those we love.

And it made me realize how God’s love for us sees the best in us, looks beyond our failures and tenderly seeks for who we really were meant to be. What amazing love!

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