The Apple of His Eye

For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye (Zechariah 2:8)

It was tough sending my 5 month-old daughter to daycare for the first time ever this month. I already went through it with my first daughter but it was just as hard the second time around. It is still a strange thing to me, sending my precious little child off into the care of others for the day. If you're a parent or love a child like a parent would, then you know what I'm talking about. A parent's love for their child is SO powerful. It hits different. They are the apple of our eye. The Bible uses that phrase several times (as in the Book of Zechariah above) to refer to God's love for His children. But who are God's children? Are we all the apple of His eye? Let's take a closer look...

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus refers to God as His Father (not just because of His virgin birth). Jesus referring to God as Father demonstrates their relationship and the type of love They exchange with one another. It's a love comparable to our relationships with our earthly children, but far greater and perfect in every way. And thanks to the Cross on which Jesus died, the same perfect, loving relationship exists for those that choose repentance and take on Christ as their Savior. So if you're a follower of Christ and have committed yourself fully to Him, you are one of His own. And just like parents expect their children to obey them, God requires the same reverence and obedience from us.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

God's children keep His commandments. We are talking about two very important commandments - 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37) and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39). Jesus said that these two commandments are the greatest of the Ten Commandments given to Israel because they can all be summed up in this way. We see first that God's children are to passionately love Him. The love we feel for God should consume us and overflow into every part of our lives. After all, Jesus is talking about investing your entire heart, soul and mind into your love for God. And the second greatest commandment, loving your neighbor, can only be fulfilled if you are fully committed to God and love Him in such a way.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)

It's easy to erroneously flip-flop the prioritization of these commandments. Many will put loving their neighbor before loving God. This leads to dangerous behavior where our love for people starts to outweigh our love for our Creator. But this cannot be so. If we love people first and God second, we may find ourselves supporting sinful behavior and rather than leading others to repentance, we lead them straight to hell by justifying and supporting their decisions.

We must put our love for God first because His love is an example for us how to love others. And the greatest way He loved us was by sending Jesus. The Father sent Jesus not only to die for our sins but to demonstrate how to love others. If anyone demonstrates how to love people perfectly without compromising truth and righteousness, it's Jesus alone! My favorite display of grace and truth is when Jesus encountered a woman caught in the act of adultery.

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:3-11)

Jesus beautifully steps in to rescue this woman from certain death. But then He tells her to leave behind her life of sin - to go and sin no more. He acknowledges that what she did was wrong, but His first action is to stop the crowd from executing her. My friends reading this, please recognize that God's grace is indeed free but it's not delivered to us without truth attached - truth that should lead to repentance. Would you say that it's good parenting to let your child disobey you over and over without admonishing them with the truth? Imagine your child bullies another kid at school - would you not first try to talk to them gracefully about the situation but still expect them to stop mistreating the other children?

God's children undeniably love Him and as Jesus said, if we love Him we will keep His commandments. I can tell you with full confidence that there is no greater, deeper love than God's love for you. I think about the countless times I have sinned and disobeyed Him, sometimes knowingly. But yet, He rescued me and therefore, I am grieved when I sin against God. Sin may be fun for a season, but it reaps eternal consequences should we choose to make it our master. Think about the weight and magnitude of what God sacrificed to win your soul - His Son! Jesus is the apple of the Father's eye and we are only the same if we live our lives for Christ, putting Him above and before everything else.

And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love. (Psalm 119:47)