Casandra Martin

Do you have any idea how much you are loved?

Seriously. You are wrapped in an infinite embrace of divine delight. You are loved just for who you are right now. Really. The world tells us that we will be loved if…if we do enough, are pretty enough, know enough, have enough, or fit in well enough. The reality is that if always stays just out of arm’s reach. We can’t do enough to earn the love our souls crave.

As Isaiah unfurls heaven’s plan for our redemption, he tells us of the coming of a child who will change the way we see God, think about heaven, and walk on this earth. But it is the force behind this remarkable revelation that should speak most deeply to our hearts.

“The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” – Isaiah 9:7b

Zeal is a funny word. We aren’t quite sure what to do with it. We agree with the ideals behind zeal, but are slightly uncomfortable with the extremes to which zeal is willing to go. Yet our salvation is fueled by the Lord’s zeal. It is His eager desire to show you His love that powers His commitment to come to earth on your behalf. His zeal is unstoppable. There is no force on earth that can diminish His love for you or His desire for you to live in His presence. His zeal makes Jesus in a manger, in the temple, on a boat, feeding a crowd, healing a blind man, speaking in parables, and on a cross the most beautiful truth the world has ever known.

My Jesus Resolution today is to embrace God’s zeal for me. The Lord’s zeal extends to all, but it is also deeply personal. God is zealous about me. Me. He is eager to show me His love. I don’t want to miss or underestimate the lengths to which God will go in order to make me His. A quiet manger holding a newborn and a wooden cross covered in blood stand as exclamation points proclaiming His zeal…for me.