Talk is cheap

For their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant. Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time, He restrained his anger and did not stir up His full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return. Psalm 78:37-39 Over and over, the children of Israel claimed that they would follow God, but then they turned away from Him. The problem was that they followed God with words and not with their hearts; thus, their repentance was empty. Talk is cheap. God wants our conduct to back up our spiritual claims and promises. In spite of our failings, He is ready to forgive. Remember that God's love is unconditional. He places no conditions on our behavior, our attitudes, or anything else. He loves us, regardless. He loves us, in spite of. Once we understand the magnitude of this one thing; the kind of love that a father has for a child, we have no choice but to respond. We act and respond to Him not out of compulsion, but out of love and gratitude. Who are we to expect love like this? Well, that's just the point: we are God's children. We are nobody in and of ourselves, but we are someone very, very special in the eyes of God. We have to remember that we did not choose Him, but that He chose us. Once that fact grows deep into your heart, once you truly believe that what the Bible says is true about the love of God, once you begin to respond to that love of, there is no going back. You will be forever changed. God Bless you, J.H.