written by Daniel Piper, inspired by Brennan Manning
A Letter from Christ
I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I know all the dark places you have gone. I know every moment of sin, shame, failure, dishonesty and degraded love that has darkened your past. Right now, I know your shallow faith, your feeble prayer life, and your inconsistent beliefs.
My word is this: I am still chasing after you. I will meet you, right where you are. If you’re broken, I will hold all the pieces and never let go. If you’re angry, I will listen to every reason why. Allow me to heal your pain. If you’re sad, I’ll hold you in my arms until the tears dry up. I crave you so bad, I will take the nails for you. I will let my body be beaten to a bloody pulp until sin, itself, is exhausted. I satisfied all the debts of sin so I can have free access to your heart and mind. Now you know – once and for all – how much I crave you.
Sin? What sin! Shame? What shame! I have personally removed your sin and shame as far as the east is from the west. Do you not know who you are? You are my brother. My sister. I am the Son of God and you have been adopted into my family. You’re mine. You are just like me, made in my very image. You’re in me and I in you. One heart with room for two.
Do you not know that one day you will sit with me on my throne! Do you not know that I desire to rule the universe alongside you! Do you not know that you are a pillar inside of my Holy Temple! I define who you are. I have a white robe of perfection waiting for you. I have a crown of life waiting for you. I am looking at both of them right now. They have my name and your name on it. We’re a family. I can’t wait until the moment when I get to wash your feet, hold you by the hand and clothe you with a new robe and a holy crown, welcoming you into my kingdom of love.
And it gets better! I cannot wait until then. I want you so bad. The Father and I and my Spirit desire to dwell inside your life right now. Can I please come in? Stop listening to my enemy. Stop! He is a liar. He is a deceiver. I have made an ocean of love for you. So vast you’ll never be able to swim from one side to the other. And it’s all for you! Please jump in.
Listen to my words, keep them and follow them. Only those who keep my words experience this ocean of love. I define who you are. Once you step into this ocean of love, you will not look back. I’ll sweep you off your feet and carry you to places of intimacy, oneness and love you never thought you’d go. Taste and see that I am good! At my right hand are pleasures forevermore! The enemy knows this, that’s why his number one job is to keep you from following my words. He is waging war to keep you out of my ocean of love. Once you have all of me, you will not desire anything from the world. The enemy will lose his grip on you. And you will be free, completely free, to swim all the days in my ocean of love.
I’ve got the swimsuit right here. You just have to follow me and leave everything behind. Are you willing? How much do you love me?
“Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand… In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 17:7, 16:11 ESV
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you…. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will manifest myself to him… If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.” – Jesus (John 14:15-17, 21-23) ESV
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” – 1 John 2:15 ESV