O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. Matthew 23:37
God’s love is unlike any other. And you’re free to reject it.
A young man was sick with love for a young woman. He showed up everywhere she went, asking her to go on a date with him. Each time, she said “no”—the feelings were not mutual. Finally, the young man broke into her home, kidnapped her, and locked her away so he could finally have her forever.
Sometimes we expect God to keep pursuing us with this same desperate determination. But listen to how Jesus described His own longing for us: “How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings but you wouldn’t let me” (Matthew 23:37). He wanted. He longed. But He didn’t force.
God calls, invites, and draws us. He doesn’t force His way in. He doesn’t override our will. In the end, God allows us to choose—even when that choice leads us away from Him. And that’s what makes His invitation so meaningful. It’s real, because it can be refused. It’s love, because it’s freely given and freely received. God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to suffer on our behalf—knowing that some of us would reject that love.
The Bible book of Deuteronomy puts it plainly: “Today,” God says, “I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make … You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 excerpted).
God’s love is real. His invitation is open. Will you choose love—and life—today?
