The psalmist David loved God. He loved just being in the presence of God and when he didn’t feel God, it bothered him to the point of grief. King David made many mistakes but despite his downfall, he held on to a remarkable faith and God honored him. Psalm 27:6, “And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; in His tent I will offer sacrifices and shouting of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.”
Shadrack, Meshak, and Abenigo stood before the fiery furnace and proclaimed in Daniel 3:16-18, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
But even if He does not…
A belief in Jesus Christ does not change with good times and bad times. If that were true, we wouldn’t have the writings of Paul, Peter, James, Luke, Mark, and Matthew. Paul wrote of his belief in Jesus Christ in prison, while waiting to be executed. Peter wrote of trials and hardship. And James stressed standing firm in our belief when we suffer for the end result will bring much reward.
1 Peter 5:10, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
Romans 12:12, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
and my favorite, James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”
I love God for who He is. No other god has ever suffered and died for his children. Therefore, I have no belief in any other god but mine. His heart was so filled with love for me that He endured torture beyond comprehension. There is no other love like that in the universe and beyond. The blessings that come from loving my God; the protection that comes from loving my God; the assurance of an eternal life paid on the cross from loving my God are icing on the cake for even if those things were not given to me, I would love my God for who He is.
God has given to us the best example of unconditional love available. For no matter what we do or what we say, the God of gods, King of kings, Lord of lords, Creator of the universe, loves us anyway.
I love Him even more because of it.
