This Wondrous Love - Chapter Four

A Story of God's Love and Grace -

My Hero

It's time to introduce you to the Hero of my story.  

My Hero is Jesus.  

Before Jesus spoke creation into being, the Father planned that I would be a gift to Jesus.  He recorded my name in His Lamb's Book of Life.  I would be included in those who the Father would bring to Jesus.  I would be part of the people of His own possession.  He included me in His redemption plan.  Jesus, the eternal God, shed His blood for my sins.  Jesus agreed to absorb the wrath of His Father - so I could be His and bear His righteousness.  He set His everlasting love upon me and determined from before creation, that I would forever belong to Him.     

Yes, Jesus is my Hero.  With His love and grace, He placed me in a home with a believing mother who, from the time I was born, took me to church every Sunday and prayed for me.  He gave me wonderful, believing grandparents who also prayed for me.  Jesus placed a Good News Club in the neighborhood in which I grew up, where, when I was nine years old, the Holy Spirit opened my heart and understanding to the gospel.  It was at this Good News Club that Jesus took me from the domain of darkness and placed me into His kingdom, and began His good work in me of transforming me into His likeness.  

As infinite as His glory, holiness, and worth, I was totally undeserving of His love, mercy, and grace.  

From the time Tim and I got together at his sister's wedding, until the day of our wedding, we'd only spent about thirty days together.  We'd pretty much carried on a long distance relationship over the phone.  I woke up that July 5th morning with a lot of doubts.  Did I really know Tim?  Did I really love him?  Now I was the one with cold feet.  I wanted to back out, but I didn't.  I was terribly homesick in those first months.  I started to sinfully live by my feelings.  It's a simple truth that transformation takes place as we look to Jesus and as we walk in obedience to His Word.  When we live according to our feelings and not the Word of God, transformation is halted and Jesus is not exalted in our lives.  I took my eyes off of Jesus, placed them on my feelings, and began to only see Tim's flaws.  Marriage is a picture of the relationship Jesus has with His church.  Tim loved me.  Tim put me first.  Tim was Jesus to me but I was not a picture of the church to Jesus.  I did not give him the honor and significance that a wife is called to give to her husband, like the church is called to give to her Savior.  Instead of glorifying my husband and serving his interests, I served my own interests.  I put on a good, hypocritical face at church and around my family, but at home I was mostly quiet and withdrawn from Tim.  With my eyes off of Jesus, I'd let many fears about being a wife take root in my heart.  I had become a hearer of the Word only in the area of my marriage.  Yet Tim continued to love me with forbearance, grace, and patience.  

Jesus loves His own possession with an everlasting love.  His love never stops.  He doesn't withdraw His love, even when we withhold ours to Him.  In reality, not loving Tim the way Jesus wanted me to love him was not loving Jesus.  Jesus was merciful to me.  In His lovingkindness and grace, Jesus brought about circumstances which set me on a path to obedience, joy, and blessing.  He introduced me to James MacDonald's faith definition -  Faith is believing the Word of God, and acting on it, no matter how I feel, because God promises a good result.  When I set my feelings aside and began to act on His Word, the blessings and joy began to cascade into my life...