Obligation

READ: PSALM 115:3; EPHESIANS 1:3-10; HEBREWS 12:2

For a long time, I’ve had this nagging thought that God just loves us because He has to. He’s God, so that means He’s obligated to love us, right? But the other day, I was struck by a new thought: Why would God feel obligated to love us? Who would He feel obligated to? He’s God! And that, to me, makes the good news even better. God really doesn’t have to love us or save us…But it pleases Him to do so. Just look at what the Bible says:

Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in heaven and does whatever he pleases.” How often do we forget that God is so high above us? He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things! There is no set of rules or ethical standards that supersedes God. And no one can make God do anything. No one can pressure God into doing something He doesn’t want to do. That means, if it didn’t please God to save us, He wouldn’t have done it.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy that lay before him, he [Jesus] endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus is God the Son, and everything He did, He did out of love for God the Father—and for us. Jesus didn’t endure an excruciating death on a cross because anyone made Him do it. He was willing to face the cross because He knew the joy that would come because of His sacrifice. He was looking forward to the restoration His death and resurrection would bring—not just the restoration of creation at His return, but also the restoration of each person who trusts in Him. It brings Him joy to forgive our sins and bring us near to Himself!

Ephesians 1:4-6 says, “For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him…according to the good pleasure of his will.” Not only does God love us and want to save us, He chose us. It was because of “the good pleasure of his will” that He chose to adopt us as His dearly loved children, to forgive all our sins, to transform us to become more and more like Jesus, and to bless us with every spiritual blessing. Even though we could never do anything to earn His love and kindness, He delights to be extravagantly generous to us—because He delights in us. • Hannah Howe

• Have you ever felt like God had to love you, even though He didn’t really like you or care about you? This is simply not true! Yet, throughout our lives, we often feel like it’s true. Consider taking some time to talk to Him about this as you read today’s Scripture.

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love… 1 John 4:16 (CSB)