Mar 21

God is love and he desires us to love him in return (1 John 4:19). But love, by its very nature, requires the freedom to choose. If it is truly to be love, a person must be truly free to choose to love. There is no love without freedom; you cannot force someone to love you.

So it is that, though God is the only truly unlimited Being who exists, he has, through the voluntary exercise of his own free will (a characteristic of love, which he is), put limits upon himself. God is spirit (John 4:24). Self discipline is one of the fruits of that Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

God has chosen to limit himself to act with the constraints of love and free will co-existing together. God simply cannot do certain things, such as force us to love him, without violating the very nature of who he is.

God has a deep desire within his heart. And what could this divine desire possibly be? It is the desire for a family. God is ourheavenly Father and his deep desire is to have children, a family. Malachi 2:15 says, "What does he desire? Godly offspring" (RSV).

God desires children to whom he can be a Father. But to truly be his offspring, they must be holy, for he is holy.

"It is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" (1 Ptr. 1:16).

That is why Jesus came: to provide for his Father children who are holy and can then be his holy family.

Scripture for today: Malachi 2
Thought for today: God desires to have a family.
Prayer for today: Holy Spirit, I ask you to continue to work in me to sanctify me, so that I can be a holy child in God's holy family.

MAR 21