Chapter 24 - Love of God

The first vocation of personality is expression; it is basic. Man is to love; to live; to get out; he is made with potential powers. Out in the world, man has never found the proper avenue through which he can express himself, to really live.—No Christ—no essential element of Life. He came to bring Life.

Oh, the persistency of the love of God in seeking; the social instinct of God! We see it in the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. There is an interchanging, reciprocating, oneness relationship among Them. We see the social God in creation; He is always after us. He is interested; He persists. Note the first question in the Bible: “Adam, where art thou?” He is still asking our lost, broken down, alienated Adam, “Oh, heart, where are you? Oh, soul, where are you?” Oh, the persistency of the love of God! In Genesis He is a seeking God, and in Revelation He is still pursuing, seeking: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock . . .” Oh, the persistency of the heart of God in seeking! God is not defeated, even though man may fail.—He comes and visits Abraham—still comes to him. He comes to Moses; the longing, loving heart of God.

Then He comes to the Tabernacle. The purpose of the Tabernacle in the wilderness was, as God said, “Let them make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” (Ex. 25:8) God gets a little bit nearer; He tries to get just as near to broken humanity as He can. He desires to bring us back to our original purpose, and glorious destiny. We were made for the purpose of glorifying Him, and having communion and fellowship with Him. By and by, there is a temple—a place where God manifests Himself.

Then comes Jesus; the Son from the Father’s bosom—God manifesting Himself in the flesh. “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” (John 1:14) He walks again with man on earth, and comes oh, so near! Again we see the persistency of the love of God.

God, in the power of the Spirit, will come even closer to the heart, and live in the very body of the individual who will let Him. The sweet Spirit of God; the breath of God; the Third Member of the Trinity, has only your body and mine. I had to apologize to Him for it.

Have you ever apologized to Him? Jesus had a body given Him: “A body Thou hast prepared for Me.” But the Holy Spirit has none but ours to live in.

Now it is the Body, the Church, that becomes the spiritual house of God, built of living stones. (Eph. 2:22; 1 Pet. 2:5)—It is the individual heart that is the present dwelling place of God on earth. “He dwelleth not in temples made with hands.”

Oh, the persistency of the love of God to come, and touch a life; to get hold of a man! The love of God comes to this poor, distorted, human being, and says, “I can save; cleanse; fill you, bring you back to coordination, and live in you, if you will let Me.” Think of Him living in our bodies today! Some day the Holy Spirit will have our glorified bodies to live in!