The Introverted Evangelist

God Loves Even the Unlovable: "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10) Can you see it? The astounding reality of the God we serve? He loved us first. He set aside His great and authoritative dignity to take on the form of a rejected and hated servant, and He did it all for us. He gave it all for me, and He humbled Himself to the lowest of positions for you as well. Why? Why did Jesus trade His divine Deity for the suppressing subjugation of human flesh? Were we just so righteous and deserving? Certainly not. Had we earned our reconciliation? Preposterous! The answer to the burning question as to why Jesus purposefully brought Himself low and surrendered all for our souls? Self-sacrificing, unconditional Love. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Whilst still sinking in sinfulness, God devised a divi...

Nothing I Could do to Lose You: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you." (Jeremiah 31:3) Everlasting love graces the waves of mercy which crash over my troubled soul. Your love is never ending. From the first moment of conception, You called me out by name and flooded me with love. You'll never stop or withhold Your love. Your love is a relentless rushing river that cannot be tamed or cut off. "God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!" (Jeremiah 31:3 MSG) In the course of my life, many people have walked out on me. Time and time again, humans become angry and perturbed, building up walls of bitter resentment and strife. The fallen condition of our flesh creates fickle feelings of frustration and friction. But You, O Lord, You are patient, pure, and persevering. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not prou...

No Longer Alone: "For he says, ‘In the time of my favour I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2) I find this verse very intriguing. Paul tells us that God has said, "In the time of my FAVOUR I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." The reason I made the word "favour" stand out is because I would like to take a minute to delve into the Greek treasure chest. You can see that the verse uses the word favour twice. In looking, I discovered that this is actually two different words. Now, these words are extremely similar, but they are different nonetheless. Why two different words? I feel as though these words convey two articles of the same idea. The first "favour" is the Greek word δεκτός. This word is an adjective that describes something that is accepted and favoured, but also describes a time in which God is delighted to bl...