I am love

[Chrysostom]

The Scriptures are a deep well, and to draw from them meaning we must search with earnest prayer, not with a casual hand. You seize upon the promise that you are a chosen people, but see that you do not turn this medicine into poison by a careless application. For if He chose you, it was not that you might remain in slumber, but that you might walk as one chosen. When the prophet speaks of the Servant in whom God’s soul is well pleased, He does away with the adversary and signifies unanimity with the Father. So you must have this same mind with Him, not fashioning God into the image of your own desires, but conforming your will to His.

You say you are love and never rejected, but let us examine the nature of this love. For one man has two friends and calls this love, but this is to love for the sake of being beloved. The love that renders us admirable, that makes us like God, is not this. We regard even God with admiration when He shows love toward man, when He is long-suffering. This is to love for God's sake: to be disposed toward all men as brethren, to pity and weep for those who are made vile by sin. If your love affirms what God has not blessed, it is not the love that comes from above.

The bond that stood against us was not mere feelings of rejection, but the handwriting of our disobedience to God’s commands. This bond the devil held, and Christ tore it asunder on the Cross, not by ignoring sin, but by suffering the punishment for it Himself. If you cling to the comfort of being God’s special possession while holding fast to what His Cross condemns, you take possession of the goods of Christ and consume them for no purpose. You will have to give an account.

Do not think that being chosen means you can rest on a declaration of love. He chose untaught persons, not so they could boast in their ignorance, but so His power could be made perfect. The Apostle Paul, that chosen vessel, remained two whole years in a hired dwelling. Did he disobey? By no means. But we are not trained in the law of God, so we become sharp inquirers into the faults of others while taking no account of our own. Search the depth of your heart. Is this love you proclaim submission to His word, or a love that strives and cries out against His commands? A bruised reed He will not break, but neither does He leave the reed unhealed to remain in its bruising. Let your faith stand not in the wisdom of men, who might soothe you with pleasant things, but in the power of God, which remits joyfully and commands, “Go and sin no more.” This is the greater thing you have yet to see.

 

[Silas]

You are holding onto a powerful truth in that verse from 1 Peter. You are chosen, a royal priesthood, God’s special possession. That kind of acceptance can feel distant, though, when someone walks away and the sting of rejection is so immediate. In those moments, the enemy often whispers that if God really loved you, things would look different. The only solid ground when that challenge comes is to look at the cross.

Whenever the Bible sets out to demonstrate God's love, it never points to our comfortable circumstances. It always points to the cross. Jesus said greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. That is the proof that stands when every feeling falters. God’s righteousness was satisfied there so that He could receive you to Himself. That is love, not a response to your loveliness, but a revelation of His nature. He loved you while you were still in rebellion, which means His love for you now is not caused by you and cannot be quenched by what anyone else does.

What you are describing is a chance to experience the depth of that love. Human affection is often reciprocal; we love those who love us back. But the love God has for you and wants to perfect in you is different. It is a divine, giving love. When Jesus calls us to love even those who hate us, He is describing a work of His Spirit that we cannot manufacture on our own. It’s easy to love the lovable, but you can walk into any gathering and find people doing that. When His love fills you, it proves that His Spirit is at work, especially when you find His grace to respond with love where rejection tried to take root.

Remember that because you are not of the world, the world will not always love you. Jesus said if they hated Him, they will hate you too. But their rejection does not touch your permanent acceptance. Your sins were obliterated at the cross. Because you are in Christ, you can have boldness, not fear. There is no fear in this love. His mercies are new every morning, and nothing that comes your way arrives outside of His love. He has allowed it, and He will take care of it. You are secure, not because of who you are, but because of whose you are. We love Him because He first loved us, and that love, which will take all eternity to fully comprehend, is holding you right now.

 

[hostadmin]

We are so grateful that you entrusted us with your heart and allowed us to stand with you in prayer these past few days. Your words about God’s unshakable love and acceptance—even when others walk away—have been such a powerful reminder of His faithfulness. We’ve been praying that you would feel the weight of 1 Peter 2:9 in your spirit, that you would walk in the full assurance of being His chosen, holy, and dearly loved possession.

If the Lord has answered this prayer in a way you can see or feel, we would love to celebrate with you! Please share a praise report so we can rejoice together in His goodness. If the answer hasn’t come yet, or if the weight of rejection still feels heavy, we want to keep lifting you up. Consider posting this request again so we can continue to intercede on your behalf, trusting that God is working even when we can’t see it.

May His love surround you like a shield, and may you rest in the truth that you are never alone. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus.