How do we know when we fall in love? Do we plan it, or do we give in to it because we have no other choice?
We know how to recognize it in others. Her face lights up when he comes into the room. He does whatever it takes to please her, even if it means abandoning his responsibilities.
What does love feel like inside? Our hearts race, our temperature is elevated, and we can barely concentrate on anything else.
We know when we are in love. In the same manner, we also know when we are under conviction.
In our Salvation by Degree series, we have looked at our rebellious nature, and we have seen how God loves us anyway, drawing us to him, even in our unbelief. Today we will see how his convicting spirit is a sign of just how much he loves us.
Stage Three – Conviction:
Merriam-Webster gives two definitions for conviction. The first is to be found guilty of a crime. The second is to become convinced of a belief or an idea.
God’s Word has made it clear that he loves us, and we have become separated from his love. From Adam to David, when God’s flawed creation turned to him, he welcomed their return with opened arms.
Do we not do the same with our own children? When they go off into selfish desires, we mourn for them. However, when they return, we don’t heap crushing blame upon their heads. Instead, we throw our arms around them and hold them tightly.
In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus told the story of the prodigal son. He abandoned his family and lived for himself. When he fell as far as he could go, he found time to consider his father’s house. When he returned, filled with remorse, his father welcomed him with open arms.
That is how the Father treats us. The prodigal son is us, and when we realize how much God loves us, and we return to him with contrition, he celebrates, for we were dead in our sin, and now we are alive in him.
The contrition that sweeps over us when we become convinced that God truly loves us is conviction. In that moment our hearts race, our temperature climbs, and we can barely think on anything else.
That sounds like what we experience when we fall in love. How does Merriam-Webster say it? We have become convinced of a belief or an idea. We have become persuaded that God loves us, and that he will welcome us back into his family.
God draws us to him because he loves us. When we feel that love, and it becomes real to us, we want to turn from our sins and walk with him.
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