Daily Devotional: Day 179
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” (Genesis 6:5-6, NKJV).
If you’ve been living in this world for a while, you’ve most probably had your share of grief. Unless your heart is made of stone – which, hopefully, isn’t the case – you know when something hurts. And, you know that the ability to deal with grief in a timely and effectively manner can go a long way to ensure that you stay joyful, peaceful and sane.
Have you ever wondered that God can suffer grief, too? Yes, He can. And, we will soon find out more from today’s passage. When we think of God, we don’t often think of Him as Someone who can “feel pain” or be hurt. Some think He is shielded from these emotions. But, if we thought of God as a Father who has invested His pure love in us, we would look at Him differently. Consequently, we would behave differently toward Him. If you know that someone loves you, you wouldn’t hurt him.
When God decided to create us, He took a big risk. But it was a risk He gladly took, because He loved us enough to want to create us in His image and likeness. You should notice the excitement in His voice: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness . . . (Genesis 1:26). He was absolutely thrilled by the thought of creating us in His image! Then, by Genesis 6, His heart was “broken.” The Bible says that the wickedness of men was great in the earth. And God was sorry for making man, and He was grieved in His heart. His heart was broken because He loved us. Only a God in love would feel disappointed and grieved over the people He created. The deeper your love, the deeper the grief. And, the purer your love, the purer the grief.
Today, know that God’s love for you is pure and deep. This means you can grieve Him if you meet His love with indifference or rebellion. Think of Him as your Dad, who cares for you, who has emotions like you do. He is in love with you. Reciprocate His love by being obedient and faithful. Don’t give God cause to grieve; give Him cause to rejoice over you.
May the Lord’s face shine upon you today, and may He preserve you from all evil. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
For further study: Ephesians 4:25-32
Higher-Self Realities 