Boaz married Ruth—not because of what she offered him or could do for him, but because of his love for her.  In the same way, God our Redeemer did not save us and unite Himself to us because of what we could do for Him. God simply wants relationship with us. That’s it. There’s no catch. 

You start and end each day with these promises from God: He will never condemn you and nothing can separate you from His unfailing love. 

God is not keeping a record of our wrongs in order to get us back on judgment day. No, He destroyed the record once and for all. Since God has forgiven us of all our sins, we can be confident on the day of Judgment (1 John 4:17)

Jesus became our sin so that we could become His righteousness and never lose fellowship with God. Christians cannot lose fellowship with God because our sins have been taken away, our punishment for our sins have been poured out on Jesus, and God promises to never leave us. Even “when we are faithless, he remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13).

The good news is that you and I—we—are pure. We’re clean. We’re perfect. Sure, it doesn’t feel that way. But the truth is the truth, no matter what you and I feel.  (see Hebrews 10:14)

What is our worth? God says we’re worth Jesus to Him. He didn’t need us, but He wanted us—so much so that He sent His Son to rescue us and then infuse us with His own life.  We're as valuable to God as Jesus is. 

What About the Violence in the Old Testament? God hasn’t changed. It’s in the Old Testament that we discover that God has engraved us on His hands (Isaiah 49:15-16). Zephaniah 3:17 shows us that God takes great delight in us and Jeremiah 31:20 reveals that God’s heart yearns for us. The overwhelming message throughout the Old Testament is that God is love. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the middle of the fire and were not touched because they had another with them. The theme of this story and Scripture is that God is with you. And through the new covenant, Christ is in you in every circumstance and fire you face. 

God has given you a new heart that longs to love (Romans 5:5). God’s desires are in your heart (Heb. 8). This means you want the same things God wants (Rom. 6:17; Eph. 6:6). 

Believers cannot get the mark of the beast. The Mark of the beast in Revelation is in contrast to the seal and mark believers have and are given by God. It’s a symbol for those who reject Christ. If you’re in Christ you are sealed by the Spirit; the evil one cannot touch you; and you are a people of God’s own possession (Ephesians 1:13; 1 John 5:18; 1 Peter 2:9)!