Untangling the Golden Chain

I knew exactly what necklace I wanted to wear but when I looked at it in my hand it was a tangled golden mess. It was very valuable but useless in the condition it was in.

"Love is patient...love never fails", "God is love" I have been reading through the Bible now for over forty years and this is the message I see. In the beginning the God of love looked at all he had created and behold it was very good. But the serpent full of hatred and lies spoke doubt to God's creation, "He doesn't really love you, you can't trust Him. You can be in control of your own destiny, you can be your own god."  And so the golden chain became a tangled mess.

This could easily have been the end of the story except for the fact that God is love, patient, kind and unfailing. To fully understand the scope of God's redemptive plan it is important to understand that this is not a story of time but of eternity. When the sin of rebellion entered the heart of man the story of God's salvation began.

I never fully understood anger much less wrath until I became a mother. When someone hurt or wounded my child my heart burned with wrath to protect and defend them against anyone or anything that would harm them. I would gladly die in their defense. I believe this is but a dim reflection of the passionate love of God. Part of God's redemptive plan is to restore his creation to a correct relationship with himself. "As I live," declares the Lord God, "surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you." Ezekiel 20:33 He was unwilling to allow what he valued to be discarded or remain useless.

When I read this verse I see Jesus hanging on the cross the sign above his head reading "King of the Jews". All around him are mocking crowds jeering at his suffering. The love of God comes from a God of love. "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world ,so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10 He untangled the mess we made with the tenderness of his love.

When sin was introduced into God's creation sorrow and suffering came as well. When I turn to the to the last chapters of the story of God's redeeming love I find these words. "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."Revelation 21:3-4

Lord Jesus, I praise you because you have made all things new. You have completed the task of redemption. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. You have taken the tangled mess of my life and made into something beautiful for both for time and eternity.