loved and called

Today we read from Romans 1:1-17 in the One Year Bible. Paul says that he is writing to "all of you in Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people."

There is alot of theology in that one sentence. We are loved by God. Nothing we do or don't do will change that. He will always love us, and He loves us just as we are, even with our sins. If that's hard to understand, think about how you love your children. Do you want them to stop sinning? Of course. You want the best for them, and they won't have the best if they keep sinning (missing the mark, getting the answer wrong). But will you stop loving them even if they DO keep sinning? Of course you will.

BUT. He is also CALLING us to be His own holy people. So YES, He loves us just as we are and will always love us. But He is ALSO calling us to be holy, like He is. That means laying aside the sins that so easily trip us up, and follow after Him, doing His will, and becoming the amazing people that He created us to be.

Just don't forget - you're both loved AND called.

God, thanks for loving us as we are, and calling us to be perfect.