I stayed with my parents in Chattanooga this past week. Even though I’m a grown man and my sister and two brothers are grown, my parents are still obsessed with their children. If you have kids, you understand… which should give us a tiny glimpse into the love God has for us. It is not that the universe revolves around us by any means. In fact, if we just look up we have to agree with David, who wrote: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have put into place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?”
But He does care and a case could be made that God is obsessed with us. What else explains his incredible plan to save us? The father, who went out each day to look for his lost son, is the picture Jesus paints of God. And when he saw the broken beggar, who had squandered his inheritance, walking toward home, the father ran to him, embraced his son, and threw a huge party to welcome him home. This father was also obsessed with his other son and tried to bring him into the celebration, though the older brother refused. The father wanted fellowship with both his children, but only one could humbly grasp the true character of his dad.
The more we see this extravagant love and the more we understand the forgiveness we have received, the more obsessed we become with the Father who sacrificed his only Son to bring us into his family. Surely it is the Holy Spirit who brings such realization and surely conviction of sin is a necessity. If the older brother, confident of his own righteousness, had only realized his selfishness and rotten attitude, he would have also asked for forgiveness and entered a setting of joy and peace.
I’ve been obsessed with many things in my lifetime, but what are those things worth? But “to know Christ” is worth everything. How He loves us… and “we love because He first loved us.” Is there any greater purpose in life?
“I am always with You; You have held my hand. You guide me with your advice, and later You will receive me in honor. I have no one in heaven but You; I want nothing on earth besides You. My body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength. He is mine forever.” Psalm 73:23-26 (NCV)