Jerry Bridges spoke at the BASICS Conference this past week. He reminded us that we need to preach the gospel to ourselves every day so that we remember the great love of God for us. The love of God constrains and compels us to live His Word and to proclaim His truth to everyone we can. The gospel is what gets us up every morning! Duty is OK, but it is inadequate as a motivation to live for Christ!
Every true believer longs for communion with Christ and John Owen teaches that communion with the Trinity flows from basking in the love of the Triune God.
Bridges encouraged us to remember that the love of God toward believers is a purposeful love! “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” And “God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (John 3:16, Romans 5:8).
When you want to see the love of God, begin and linger long at the cross!
So, “behold, what manner of love the Father has given to us!” (1 John 3:1).
God is for you, beloved saint! If God is for us, who can be against us?
An OT prophet reminds us, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, ESV).
God, the Son, loves us as well! He loves us with an everlasting love. He loved us and gave Himself for us! He loves us exceedingly! His love is that of a bridegroom for his bride. “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5, ESV).
And the Spirit of God loves his own as well. He ministers to us despite of our sins!
These were such encouraging reminders to me and serve to remind me of the gospel and that ” those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:15, ESV).
