What if there was a perfect lover out there? What if there was one who knew you intimately and loved you passionately for exactly who you are? What if this one would never fail you, never leave you, always have your best interest at heart? Would you want that kind of lover?
The Bible tells us that’s exactly who God is. It says he made you,1 knows you completely,2 and loves you more than you can imagine.3 It also says that God is a completely trustworthy lover.4 He will never pull back or withdraw his love, no matter what. You can be real with him, because there is nothing you can do that will separate you from his love.5 He knows you and you can know him. No hiding, no pretending, no worrying about being something you’re not. There’s nothing you can do to make him love you more, and nothing you can do to make him love you less. It is settled.
The Bible says God wants to be known by you as you are known by him.6 To reveal himself to you and to demonstrate his love for you, he sent his own Son into the world in the person of Jesus.7
The Bible also says that we, as humans, all suffer from the same problem. We have a built-in tendency to try to make our own lives work without God. The Bible calls this sin, which is the same as saying “independence from God.” This independence separates us from God—it creates a gap between us and God. Jesus came to bridge that gap and he did so by taking on himself the penalty of our willful independence by dying on the cross.8 In doing so he opened the way for us to enjoy a restored relationship with God, now and forever.
Our protectors urge us to remain independent of God. They have wooed us with false promises of finding life apart from him. They cannot satisfy what our hearts yearn for. Our selves are hungry for God. As God invites us into relationship with himself, we can ask for forgiveness for allowing our protectors to lead us and for having relinquished control to them.
Entering a relationship with God involves believing in Jesus9 (believe that God sent him, that he died for you, and that God raised him from death), asking for his forgiveness10 (acknowledging that your own efforts to make your life work without God haven’t worked), and receiving him into your heart.11 In so doing, in a mysterious way, Jesus now lives in you.12 To do this, you can simply talk to God in prayer.
When you believe and receive Jesus, you will find yourself to be more open to the love God has for you. You can now live out of your “new creation,”13 the self that is now in Christ. As you grow closer to him through time spent with him in prayer and reading his Word (the Bible), you will find yourself drawn to love him, yourself, your mate, and others more.14 You will have found your true Soul Mate.