2 Thessalonians 2-Part 7
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. 2 Thess. 2:13
LET IT GLOW
When I was young growing up on our farm, I had cats. I don't mean two cats, but gobs of cats. There was old Tiger, a gray tom cat, which I had forever. (Don't know why I called him that since he was gray and didn't look like a tiger.)
Anyway, there were several momma cats who always had kittens. My parents didn't seem to mind because we raised two chicken houses full of broilers to sell. Now for those of you who don't know, that meant you had chicken feed available, and lots of it, for mice to eat. And the mice population grew faster than cats, so you understand why we liked having cats on our farm. (Feed wasn't the only thing they would eat. They got in our house, too.)
So my cats were my friends. I would tame the young ones, pet and play with the mommas and Tiger. They even let me put dolls' dresses on them. Can you see why one of my favorite books was Wanda Gag's Millions of Cats ?
Do you believe me when I say I loved cats growing up, and still do? Now I have only two cats. One was a stray named Tigger (orange with stripes this time) and Miss Kitty, who has kittens somewhere, but I haven't found them yet. Yes, I love cats. They are an affectionate animal, who lets ya hold 'em, pet 'em, play with 'em. As long as you keep feeding them, they will keep coming around sharing that love. (Update-she has 5 kittens and brought them to our house for me to feed.)
As I thought of my love for cats, I thought of how much more God loves you and me. Paul calls the Thessalonians "beloved of the Lord." So are we.
"The word beloved is in the perfect tense in Greek, agapao, emphasizing the certainty of the fact that God loves them," states Liberty Bible Commentary.
(I wonder if it is related to the agape love, which is the highest form of love.) I may have to dig deeper to find out, because my education isn't from a seminary, so I don't know the answer.
Shall I call you my beloved friend? Be encouraged, we are loved by God. I found some verses:
*Nothing can seperate us from the love of God. ( Romans 8:31-39)
*God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5
*He is with us always, even to the end of the age. (Matt. 28:20)
*He's with us in our stumbling. (Ps. 37:24)
*He's with us in the darkest times in our life. (Ps. 23:4)
*He's with us even in our bitterness. (Ps. 73:21-23)
Oooooboy! That's lifing me up today! I am loved by the God of the universe! You are loved by the God of the universe!
LET IT GROW
Look back at verse 13. When did God choose you and me to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth? From the beginning, that's when He chose us.
Charles Swindoll says, in his book Steadfast Christianity:God has chosen you for salvation; you're still in His family even though you may not feel like it. Second, He has called you. You didn't whistle for help. He did the calling. You are the result of His love, not vice versa. He is on your side. This instruction should produce such a confidence in the midst of suffering that your anxieties will be calmed.
It was before the foundation of the world when He chose us. He predestinated us, adopted us to be children of Jesus Christ, and it was according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, and He made us accepted in the beloved. (paraphrase of Ephesian 1:4-5)
Now if that doesn't get your clapper going, nothing will. Such grace!
Beloved friend, you and I are chosen to be God's children and we are loved as His children. Halleluah!
LET IT GO
Linda is a beloved of the Lord. (Put your name in that sentence.)
Rejoice with me.
Thank you Jesus for providing our salvation before we were born and before you created anything.
Praise His holy name!!!
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