The unstoppable love of God
Have you ever felt that obstacles were put in your way in everyday life when you wanted to achieve a goal? Do you experience situations in which your best intentions fail, either due to external circumstances or your own inner attitude? How often have you found that things do not go according to plan because you or someone else made unexpected decisions?
I can think of many occasions when the weather has disrupted my plans, especially heavy thunderstorms that have delayed a planned trip. In big cities, road closures are a common nuisance that makes getting around difficult. Or think of a spider in the bathtub - especially for people with arachnophobia, it can become a real obstacle to cleaning the bathroom. There are many things that can make our journey difficult. Often enough, we ourselves are also unconsciously an obstacle to others, for example when we prevent someone from getting to an important appointment on time by driving slowly in the fast lane.
But what about God? Is there anything or anyone that can stop him from carrying out his plans? Can our attitude, our stubbornness or our sin block God's will? The clear answer is no, not at all. In the book of Acts, God shows Peter in a vision that his plan includes all people - Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, men and women.
God's goal is to bring all people into a relationship with him: "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1. Timothy 2,3-4).
Peter realized through Jesus Christ that nothing and no one can prevent people from entering into a relationship with God. This realization was revolutionary at the time, because it was not common to believe that Gentiles could also be called by God. Let's look at the report when Peter visited the house of a Roman centurion to proclaim the good news and share what God had revealed to him: "But as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as it had on us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If God has given them the same gift as he has given us who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard this, they kept silent and praised God, saying, 'In the same way God has given to the Gentiles repentance that leads to life!'" (Acts 11,15.
It is and remains God's intention that no one is excluded and that all people have the opportunity to know him and come to him. This is a reason for gratitude for all of us. Nothing and no one can stop the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for you and all people. This certainty is truly good news that changes our lives. Let us trust in it and live in this love. May this article encourage you and refresh your soul as we grow together in the living hope given to us through Jesus Christ.
from Greg Williams
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