Day 23

Although a person may be loved, they won’t enjoy that love apart from a reciprocated relationship.

“‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” (JOHN 14:23)

When Paul addressed the Romans, he said ‘To all in Rome who are loved by God...’ That begs the question, aren’t we all loved by God? Yes, He loves everyone, but that love is never known nor enjoyed until it is reciprocated in a relationship context.

A teenager falls in love with a pop star and sticks photographs all over their bedroom wall, but the singer doesn’t have a clue. That love means nothing to the celebrity because it isn’t given in a balanced, reciprocated relationship.

The Church is described in the New Testament as the bride of Christ. It is a love relationship. In a wedding, there’s a wonderful sense of the relationship of the couple throughout the day. The focus is the enjoyment of their love.

Our relationship with Christ is essentially a love relationship. But that love needs nurturing and developing. It is the Holy Spirit who makes us increasingly conscious of being loved, for ‘God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us’ (Romans 5:5b). The more we relate to Him, the more we experience His love.

Are you accepting of Christ’s love and giving it back in a growing relationship?