A new relationship with our heavenly Father

 All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. (John 14:23 NLT)

 In his classic autobiography Confessions, Saint Augustine, narrates an incident that happened when he was a teenager. There was a pear tree near his family’s vineyard loaded with fruit that wasn’t even attractive in appearance or taste. Yet he and some friends stole pears from the tree, not to eat them themselves, but to throw them to the pigs. He and his friends committed the theft simply because they had pleasure in doing something that was forbidden.
 When God brought the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land, the people initially believed in and feared the Lord. But when they faced difficult circumstances, they had a crisis of faith and turned away from God and Moses. While Moses was at the top of Mount Sinai receiving God’s Law, they made a golden idol of a calf to worship and sacrifice to.
 Since the time of creation when the Bible tells us that God sought out Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God has desired intimate communion with mankind, but sin caused a breach in our relationship with the Creator.
  The Bible says that the breach between God and mankind has been bridged through Jesus Christ. Jesus’ life on earth, His death, and His resurrection paved the way for reconciliation and a new relationship with our heavenly Father. And having that relationship restored means new hearts that are responsive to God’s will for our lives. - Uday Paul [1]

 God did not wait for a change of heart on our part. Even though He is the One offended by our sin, He is the One who makes amends to Himself through the death of Christ. - Jerry Bridges

[1] Activated Forbidden Fruit