04/17/2023
By Pastor Vinnie Cappetta
"Too Good to Be True?"
He grew up in Asia in a house where he never really felt loved. He immigrated to the U.S. hoping to leave all that behind, but the anger, depression, loneliness and worthlessness followed him here and have reemerged in the context of his relationship with his wife and children. After only a couple of sessions of counseling, we identified one of the main memories that was getting in his way. He worked through that memory very quickly and when he was done, I thought to myself, “I don’t think I have ever seen anyone start out that low and then get lifted to such heights in such a short period of time.”
A few weeks later, the man explained that he wanted to discontinue counseling because he wasn’t sure that it was really working for him. I reminded him that we identified memories that he needed to work through in order for him to get to his goals. I reminded him that one of the oldest and most upsetting memories was no longer upsetting to him. I assured him that if he kept working like this, his life would start to change over time. He already had his mind made up so he quit on the important work that God had started in him.
I have seen this repeat itself over and over again. People come to get help. They get help, but they just can’t believe that it is going to make a difference next week or next month. At the heart of it all, I have come to see that it is a matter of how they see the love of God. For them, it is just too good to be true. They just can’t believe that God loves them and has started a good work in them that He will complete (Philippians 1:6).
Pastor Joe’s recent sermon on Psalm 118 got me thinking about how I might be exhibiting some of these same tendencies.
Here is a recap of what I heard Joe say…
- We are those who have been pursued, purchased, and preserved by a God, who will not let us go, and who has vowed to deliver on every promise he has ever made it to his people.
- God is more committed to us than we are to ourselves.
- God’s steadfast love envelops us like bookends.
- God's steadfast love accomplishes our deliverance.
- In our ignorance, we push God away.
Application Questions/Journal Prompts
- Do I really believe God will not let me go? If I believed that wholeheartedly, how would that change how I live this week? Would I step out in faith more?
- Do I believe that I am enveloped by God’s love? If so, why do I spend so much time worrying about mistakes I’ve made or future things that may never happen?
- Am I pushing God away? Am I missing out on his deliverance in particular areas of my life because I am trying to deliver myself?
- Am I missing out on land that God has allotted for me (Psalm 125:3) or missing out on spiritual blessings set aside for me in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3)? How can I lean into God’s love and accept all that He has for me?
God’s love is not too good to be true; it is too good to eschew. Let God love you this week. Let His love be the bookends of your week.
