You are unique. You are one of a kind. You are beautiful. You stand out from the crowd. You are the beloved.

We all have a desire to know, in the depths of us, that we are unabashedly loved. That we are loved for who we are, that for no other reason than there is no one else on this earth like us. And if we feel this way, I can guarantee the One who made us does too.

God wants to feel the joy of His children loving Him without restrictions and standards. We were made for this, to love and be loved.

I recently had a conversation with a Greek woman who told me, “I want to believe what you tell me but at the same time I hear all these other scriptures in my head that say otherwise.” That is the danger of religion. That is the danger of years of so-called biblical teaching void of relationship, never knowing intimacy with the God who made her.

Jesus was reclining at a table with a religious leader. Maybe they were discussing theology. Maybe the man wanted answers on some difficulty in his life and Jesus seemed to possess wisdom beyond this world.

Unexpectedly, a woman, who had a reputation as a sinner, walked into the Pharisee’s house. Clutching a vial of perfume she hid behind Jesus. She must have had a thousand reasons to not go into that man’s house. I’m sure her mind was filled with all the things she hadn’t done right, the sin she was trapped in, shame. And I’m sure she felt the man, religion, staring right through her.

But in one bold moment, she fell to the ground and began to weep over Jesus’ feet. She poured out perfume on Him and wiped it with her hair. She kissed the places where her tears fell. What a display of intimacy!

This great prophet, this man claiming to be the Son of God, Jesus, did not send her away. He did not tell her of all the areas she needed to repent. She already knew them. She needed a love that had the power to heal and set her free. She needed a love that knew the depths of her heart and the struggle it must have been just to walk into that house (Luke 7:36-39).

Intimacy always offends religion. But intimacy is at the very center of God’s heart. He is intimately acquainted with all our ways. And my longing is to see the nation of Greece enter into the revelation of God as their Lover. It’s a nation that has heard the words of God, but doesn’t know Him.

For me personally, I have felt that the call of intimacy comes at a new cost. I felt the Lord ask me to increase my time in prayer and worship, and that I will be surprised at how He meets me. I felt Him remind me that I can settle for lesser lovers but that He won’t be there.

As Paul states in Philippians 3:8, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ.” He didn’t count all things as loss for a smooth-running ministry, or so that millions would be saved, or so that he would walk as a super Christian while on earth (though these are all good things). He was after one thing. To know God as God knew him.

Response:

–Begin by seeing yourself as the beloved of God. Confess it, pray it back to God. Lay aside any thoughts contrary to this. Take some time and journal how the Lord feels about you.

–Pray for someone else that they would receive the revelation of God’s love for them. Pray that they would experience it in a real way, and begin to see them self differently.

Amy French is a singer, song writer, worship leader, former Intern and long-term missionary who has begun a DPI Ministries Internship Program while living and serving in Thessaloniki, Greece.

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