For as high as the heavens are above the earth, 

so great is his love for those who fear him; 
as far as the east is from the west, 
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Sometimes we are afraid to focus too much on God’s love and compassion. After all, God has given us commands and expects us to obey them. Isn’t it better to focus our time and energy on keeping God’s commandments rather than on his love? No!

We cannot even begin to understand God’s commands if we do not know how much he loves us. God is rescuing us from the greed, arrogance, hostility and deceit that thrives in this world and in our own hearts. For love to be real, it has to delight in the truth - and the truth is that we need a heart rescue more than we need a circumstance rescue.

That is why Jesus came. He laid down his life so we could be made into new people who are loved into a new kind of obedience: the obedience of faith expressing itself in love.

If I have the right kind of fear of God, I will come to him with a tiny mustard seed of trust that he loves me, that he knows me better than I know myself, that he has taken away all of my guilt and shame, and that has compassion on me. Jesus will turn that seed into the largest tree in the garden.

As a father has compassion on his children, 
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 
for he knows how we are formed, 
he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:11–14)