A True Happy Ending!

(Titus 3:4) “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared.”

Who is able to actually come to grips with the depths of God’s goodness and His love? Prior to my face to face encounter with Jesus Christ my Saviour, as much as I tried to have a relationship at times (normally when I was in a bind) with the only true and living God, it was a fairly tale, a dream, I wanted it so badly at times, but I think I liked the idea more than the actual commitment I would need to show by loving Him in return. I remember my sister Yvette constantly reading Danielle Steele novels, and when I ask her as a young boy to tell me what they were about, they always seemed to have the same theme; it was a woman finding love or searching for it whether she aware of it or not. A kind of prince Charming idea, where a man would ride into diverse situations but always somehow sweep her of her feet and they would live happily ever after. I cannot say with any accuracy whether this is true or not as I have never read any of her books. But this is the idea I got and it seemed that a lot of woman fantasies about that kind of conclusion to their lives, and why not! All I ever did, when it came to the little bit of reading I did while growing up was read Louis L’amour western novels. These stories where were filled with testosterone and the mucho cowboy defeating the bad guy. The hero always had good sound morals, but to be honest there was almost always a woman in the story, so to be fair even these so called manly works of fiction also often had the touch to "happy ever after endings". I suppose if I am honest, male and female alike all want to find true love! It is a God given tendency we all desire.

The love of God is an amazing story, we are able to witness to what degree the Lord Jesus was willing to go in order to find His bride, the church! He was not only prepared to seek out a bride but He was willing to lay down His life for her and to die on a cruel Roman cross in order to please His Father. The Father’s will was to find a bride for His Son. So man and God could live happily ever after. Have you ever wonder why in the beginning God decided to create man in His own image? This is one of those reasons! “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

He created mankind with many of His attributes until sin entered into the heart of man and He disobeyed God. This is where everything began to go “pear-shaped”. Self gratification was the order of the day, but when we see the Lord Jesus’ example we can clearly see that He disregarded all of His own fleshly wants and desire in order to find a bride, it cost Him His life. No greater love has a man that to lay down His life for His enemies. We where enemies of the cross until God’s shone His love into our hearts and we then realised that we were once doomed for eternity; a pit so treacherous that I shudder to think of that outcome. To witness a man on a particular day cursing the Lord with blasphemous remarks and then the next to see tears streaming down his cheeks as he now blesses the One he once cursed, the picture perfect fairytale ending. I must confess that I was once amongst that number! But now I can see! I now am aware of what it cost the Lord to love me and die in my stead. I am thankful to Him and confess that I do indeed love Him, He is the love of my life and I will make it known to all.

If you also have found His love then remember to be quick to exalt Him when the opportunity presents itself. He wants all his saints to be quick on the draw in confessing His name before men; “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

And again; "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8)

How often I now find tears rolling down my face, in fact it is almost a daily ritual; when I am reminded of what I have been saved from. God is good all the time! Everything that happens to us has a purpose and He is working it out for our good and one day we will have our happy ending. We will live happily ever after with our Saviour and with God as our Father and He will be happy to call us sons. What a hope we now have! This is the hope I have, can you say the same? I pray it is so!

Signing off

Tyrone