How to Stay in God’s Love

Today, our sermon was on the Father's love and the temptation of Christ in Luke 4. It was interesting to look at Jesus' temptation in light of his having just heard the Father tell him that he was well pleased. Jesus was rooted in the truth that the Father had spoken over him.

 

Jesus didn't succumb to temptations to prove himself by what he could do (performance/turning stones to bread). He didn't fall to a temptation of possessions when Satan offered him all of the kingdoms of the world. And he didn't fall for the temptation of popularity. (This thought was inspired by the book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality).

 

It is obvious that Jesus had a deep confidence in his Father's love. He didn't need to prove himself through the 3 P's: performance, possessions, or popularity. Even on my best days, I find myself trying to define myself by these three things and not by a single focus on God's love for me. On my bad days I can be frantic to achieve "success" in those areas. It seems like I can completely forget my identity in Christ. So what are some ways we can stay confident of the Father's love, even during those times when we are tempted to define ourselves by the 3 P's?

I can think of 3 ways.

1. Submit my thoughts/feelings to God's love. It's easy to let the latest problem (arguments/bank statements) or the latest success (approval from friends or family) make us "feel" better or worse. But God's love doesn't change but our feelings do. We need to exercise faith when we aren't feeling
   it and remind ourselves that God's love is constant.
   
2. Seek the face of God. Jesus was regularly going away from the crowds, even the disciples, and spending time alone with the Father. We need to regularly shut off the voices of the world and listen completely to the voice of God. Daily meditation, prayer, bible reading…
   
3. Stay. When we start to get stressed or confused we are conditioned to just "make a change". I find myself often wanting to just buy something to have a change, to have something new. But Jude tells us that this is really a sign we are "devoid of the Spirit". Instead of following our own passions, Jude says to wait for the mercy of Jesus.