Category: God’s Love

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A Love For The Ages

About this time every year I began to reminisce, remembering where I was in 1973.

Next week, Dave and I will celebrate our 46th anniversary and when I got up this morning, I sat in my chair for a long time thinking of what I was doing 46 years ago – with only a week left before the “big day”, what was I focused on? Putting the finishing touches on the dress I was making, double checking on the flowers, helping Dad finish the wedding arch. There were many more details I don’t remember but I do remember how excited I felt to be marrying my best friend and the love of my life! 46 years – many of you haven’t even been alive that long…

As I sat there thanking the Lord for what He’s done in us and for us over all those years, my heart filled with song – yes, a song. I heard the words “I will sing of Your love forever, I will sing of Your love forever, I will sing of Your love forever”. Thankful for the love of my husband and that of my Heavenly Father.

Then I remembered so many verses that tell us that the Lord’s love will endure forever. His love is so great – amazingly unconditional and eternal!

“I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.” Psalm 89:2

“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

“For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 117:2

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” I Chronicles 16:34

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.” Hosea 2:19

Did you get that last one? I will betroth you to me forever, the Lord has chosen us as His beloved! Wow – amazing!!

Paul tells us in Ephesians that the loving, godly relationship between a husband and wife is really an example of Christ and His love for us.

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:22-31 NIV

We became His betrothed and He gave up His life for us. He loves us as His own body, He covers us with His strength and protection, He presents us spotless to His Father.

So now, look back and remember the preparation for your wedding day, the excitement, the anticipation, the LOVE. And put that in context to your relationship with Christ and join with me…

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” Psalm 89:1

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Sibling Rivalry

Anyone who has kids knows from time to time they will bicker and squabble. Parents offend wonder “why can’t you guys just get along”. It hurts our hearts when our kids, who we love so much, have times when they fuss and say hurtful things.

The scripture tells us that God wants us to get along with our brothers and sisters also. He is our loving heavenly Father and He doesn’t like it when His kids quarrel. Doctrines, traditions, rituals may be different but that doesn’t have to be a reason to sever relationship or to talk badly of one another.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Jesus spent a lot of his final hours and days talking to his disciples about loving one another. And for good reason – one of them was going to betray Jesus, one was going to deny him and the rest were going to scatter. I think Jesus was trying to prepare them for what was ahead. He wanted their hearts set on forgiveness and not blame; for them to walk together in unity and love so that they could draw on strength from one another.

“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13:34-35

A real sign to the world around them would be the love Jesus disciples had for one another. The love Jesus was talking about is supernatural – the unconditional, never ending love of God in their lives would be a sure sign that Jesus had impacted their lives. There is verse after verse written about our loving one another, letting the love of God flow through us; Jesus spoke many of them and then the whole book of I John is devoted to our loving one another.

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Jn 15:12

“These things I command you, that ye love one another.” Jn 15:17

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” Romans 12:10

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” I John 3:23

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” I John 4:7

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” I John 4:11

Anytime God, the Father, puts this much time and teaching into a subject you know it’s important. These are but a few of the verses that I found on love. I’m not sure what any of us will encounter today but I know God’s message for sure – He wants us to walk in love.

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How Great – How Far – How Long

Let me start by saying that I am not an astronomer nor am I well educated in the aspects of space and our solar system but I do remember Junior High Science class and the models we had to construct of the planets. Our knowledge of space has greatly increased since those days at Fourth Avenue Junior High.

One of our favorite things to do in the evening is look at the stars. The sky is so clear and the stars are so bright. I can name a few constellations but not many. I really have no desire to learn all their names, I just enjoy looking at what God has made. However, the question does come to mind – how many miles is it to the closest star? Millions of light years, I’m sure. How close is Venus, the moon or Mars? Space travel is relatively new in the grand scheme of things but outer space has been intriguing man for centuries. Look at these words written by King David.

“The Lord is merciful! He is kind and patient, and his love never fails. 9 The Lord won’t always be angry and point out our sins; 10 he doesn’t punish us as our sins deserve.

11 How great is God’s love for all  who worship him? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth! 12 How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!” Psalm 103:8-12 CEV

King David had experienced the love of God most all of his life but when it came time to describe or explain the vastness of God’s love he lacked the adequate words so he compared it to the heavens.

How great is God’s love? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth! He could only perceive that distance with the naked eye and yet he understood that the expanse between heaven and earth was massive. Now, with the help of highly sophisticated technology scientist are discovering space is much greater than we first imagined.

Isn’t that true of God’s love? Just when we begin to think we understand God’s love we realize it is so much greater!

How far does the Lord remove our sins? Before I answer this question let’s remember that as little as six hundred years ago many people thought the earth was flat. King David, inspired by God, wrote that God removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. No matter how far east we travel we will never go west. God has removed our sins an incalculable distance from us!

One more question came to mind as I was reading Psalm 103 this morning. How long?

How long will God love us? The answer: forever. God’s love never fails. How long is never? Never and forever are non-measurable concepts of time. No one can truly perceive the scope of them. That’s what makes the love of God so amazing!

“I will sing forever about the Lord’s love. I will sing about his faithfulness forever and ever! 2 I will say, “Your faithful love will last forever. Your loyalty is like the sky—there is no end to it!” Psalm 89:1-2 ERV

Let’s ask those questions again. How Great – How Far – How Long? It’s mind boggling to consider. The love God has for us is more than we can possibly understand. When we accept it by faith and we begin to experience the awesome love of God!

Each time you look at the stars I hope you will be reminded of the depth of God’s love.

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How Much Do We Owe?

Many people are working on their taxes at this time of year. Most are hoping they will get a refund; some just hope they won’t owe too much. Not sure which category you are in but I want to talk to you this morning about how much we owe.

Most people have a goal of being debt free; we don’t want to owe anyone – not the bank, the mortgage company, the credit card issuers, the Department of Education or the auto industry. But try as we might there is always debt. We’re looking at the bottom line – got to have a good profit/loss statement.

“Now Kristi, I just paid off my house last year. My cars are free and clear. I have no student debt and I pay the full balance on my credit cards every month. I don’t owe anyone, anything.”

Aww, but you do. We all do!

“Give everyone what you owe them. If you owe them any kind of tax, then pay it. Show respect to those you should respect. And show honor to those you should honor.

8 You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. 9 The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” 10 Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.” Romans 13:7-10 ERV

We owe a debt of love!

First and foremost we owe that debt to our heavenly Father and to Jesus Christ, our Savior. Jesus told a lawyer who was trying to entrap Him that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God. (Lawyers haven’t changed much in the last 2000 years, have they?)

We owe this debt of love because He first loved us. That’s pretty basic. God loved us so much that He wanted to us be a part of His family. He wanted to adopt us and make us His own. But there was a price to be paid. It would cost Him the life of His Son, Jesus.

Imagine this – God was willing to pay the price, as high as it was, because He wanted to bring us into His family! Yes, I would say we owe Him a debt of love.

“We love because God loved us first. 20 But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? 21 The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!” I John 4:19-21 CEV

“We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. 10 These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen. 11 Do good water and bad water flow from the same spring? Of course not.” James 3:9-11 ERV

God has forgiven each one of us so very much. We all have multiple failings and shortcomings. We act ugly, we become self-righteous and critical. Because our Father and our God forgives us of these things He commands us to be forgiving of others! The price He paid for every individual was the same; no one is of greater or lesser value to the Father.

Let’s not be like the religious man in the story that Jesus told to some of his followers. They were dealing with the issues of self-importance and condemnation of others.

“There were some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them: 10 “One time there was a Pharisee and a tax collector. One day they both went to the Temple to pray. 11 The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’

13 “The tax collector stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God. People who make themselves important will be made humble. But those who make themselves humble will be made important.” Luke 18:9-14 ERV

So I will ask again what I asked at the beginning. How much do we owe?

Lord, let me always keep the “debt of love” forefront in my mind. Let me love others with an open heart that’s willing to forgive when wronged and not harbor any bitterness. Let me see and love others the way that You do! This is a debt that I will gladly pay.

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Coming In First!

Don’t you love being first? It is such an honor – being the first to get a phone call or text with really important news – getting the first piece of cake on your birthday – the first dance at your wedding – the first lick of an ice cream cone – the first ride on a motorcycle – the first kiss… I could go on and on.

Most of us will probably never be first in the Olympics or first in the Daytona 500 or first at the NFR but we all celebrate the “first” we have in our lives.

Did you know that the Lord celebrates “first” too? We worship on the first day of the week, the day Jesus was raised from the dead. We bring Him the first of our offerings because He deserves to have first place. And in Exodus we find that there is another first.

“The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Dedicate to me the first-born son of every family and the first-born males of your flocks and herds. These belong to me.” Exodus 13:1-2

When the first is dedicated to the Lord he knows He has the heart of the family. It’s a way of showing honor to the Lord for the blessing of life and the first of the flocks (our livelihood) represents our well-being and prosperity. But there’s more…

“Each year during the month of Abib, celebrate these events in the following way… Then on the seventh day you must explain to your children that you do this because the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

9 This celebration will be like wearing a sign on your hand or on your forehead, because then you will pass on to others the teaching of the Lord, whose mighty power brought you out of Egypt. 10 Celebrate this festival each year at the same time…

12 From then on, you must give him every first-born son from your families and every first-born male from your animals, because these belong to him…
14 In the future your children will ask what this ceremony means. Explain it to them by saying, “The Lord used his mighty power to rescue us from slavery in Egypt…
16 This ceremony will serve the same purpose as a sign on your hand or on your forehead to tell how the Lord’s mighty power rescued us from Egypt.” Exodus 13:1-16 CEV

The dedication of the first-born was a reminder of what the Lord had done for them by delivering them from Egypt.

We too have been delivered from an evil king and the slavery of his rule.

“I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.” Colossians 1:12-14 CEV

So celebrate today – Remind your children and yourself that there is One who deserves to be first in all things – your heart, your decisions, your focus!

“Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command.” Matthew 22:37-38 ERV

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May I Help You?

Each morning it is my duty, a labor of love really, to remind myself to act like Jesus. My first conscious thought is “Father, I love you. Jesus, I love you. Holy Spirit, I love you. Good morning!” and then next I remind myself to think like Jesus and honor Him with my thoughts, my words and my actions.

Sad to say, I’m not successful every morning. Some mornings I just want to go back to sleep or be left to myself. Those are the days that I feel God’s prompting to make the necessary attitude adjustment and honor Him.

“But Jesus called the disciples together and said: You know that foreign rulers like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over everyone they rule. 26 But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. 27 And if you want to be first, you must be the slave of the rest. 28 The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.
29 Jesus was followed by a large crowd as he and his disciples were leaving Jericho. 30 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. And when they heard that Jesus was coming their way, they shouted, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!” 31 The crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted even louder, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!”
32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They answered, “Lord, we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Right away they could see, and they became his followers.” Matthew 20: 25-34

“The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.” I remember the first time that verse had an impact on me – I had a house full of people, was preparing for some special meetings at a hotel conference room, had my family responsibilities and my “help” had been called away. I did what any self-respecting woman would do, I started to complain. Not outwardly but from my heart; I grumbled, I murmured and I wanted to kick the dog but that wasn’t acceptable. So I just kept going and when I finally had a few minutes to myself, I picked up my Bible and read the verses above. WOW!!

If Jesus, the Son of God, creator of the universe, said that His role in life was to serve others and not be served, how selfish and self-centered was it of me to be grumbling over my lack of help. As quickly as I could, I said “Lord forgive me and if I have no help at all, let people see Jesus through me.” He did. We had a wonderful weekend of meetings and so many lives were touched.

But now let me take you back to Jesus and what surrounded these verses. Jesus had just been telling his apostles that He was about to be betrayed and would be handed over for his crucifixion. The mother of James and John was in the traveling group this day and asked Jesus, “Well, when you get to your kingdom I want you to have my sons sit by your side”. Even among those closest to Jesus there was a jockeying for position. This made the other ten upset and so that’s why Jesus said that they must be willing to be a servant and not look at being the master.

I love that this exchange is followed by the story of two blind men. Jesus got to live what He preached. He was talking about his death, spending the last few weeks or possibly days with his disciples getting them ready for what was to come and his ministry is interrupted by two blind hecklers calling from the side of the road, “Jesus, hey Jesus!”

When they were told to hush, they yelled louder. Jesus didn’t become upset and ignore them instead he stopped all he was doing to talk with them. “What do you want from me?” “We want to see.” And Jesus restored their sight.

The verses above say that Jesus felt sorry for them but in other translations it says that Jesus had compassion on them, that means he was moved by love, not pity. What he was doing and saying to the disciples was important but the lives of these two men became his top priority. He was moved by love because God IS love. That’s a servants heart, an attitude of “how may I help you”.

Today, we will all have opportunity to serve others or to be caught up in having others serve us. In both cases, it is our responsibility to have “the mind of Christ”. First, we should be grateful and appreciative when we are served, not taking the attitude that of course they should help or do this. Second, we should serve from a loving heart and not out of guilt or an act of responsibility.

We know we’re doing it with the right motive when it brings you joy and not complaint.

Thank you Lord for Your living example of helping others.

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Big Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! My goal this morning is to share the love.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever.” John 3:16 NLV

God loved the world and He still does! His love has no end and as we saw yesterday that love never fails but it lasts forever.

When I was a little girl we sang a couple of songs in Sunday School, Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World. Those songs still have a profound effect on me. Each time I sing Jesus Loves Me my eyes filled up with tears, tears of joy and absolute gratitude.

Knowing that Jesus loves the children of the world confirms His commitment that He is no respecter of persons. God’s love isn’t based on education, financial status, social acceptance, geographical location or ethnicity. God’s love is based on one thing and one thing only – Him!

“Peter then said: Now I am certain that God treats all people alike. 35 God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from. 36 This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them.” Acts 10:34-36 CEV

I know I told you yesterday that we may be the only Valentine that someone receives today. We may be the only expression of love that comes their way. It might be someone at the grocery store, in the airport, on a phone call or perhaps it will be the person who was recently divorced or widowed. The important thing is that we let them know that we find value in who they are. They are God’s creation.

Love deeply and without reservation. This is the way that we fulfill God’s plan for our lives.

“He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”

37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command. 39 And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ 40 All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” Matthew 22:36-40 CEV

There is nothing bigger than God’s love – it encompasses the world and reaches out to all!

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Love Lasts

This morning I found myself thinking of love, true love! Yes, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

Many people have hopes and expectations for the day and are disappointed if their “loved one” doesn’t make some grand gesture. After 46 years of celebrating Valentine’s Day with the love of my life, I can honestly say that I’m not wow-ed by flowers, jewelry, beautiful cards or a night out on the town. What sets my world spinning is being kissed each morning before my hair is combed and make up is on; having Dave fill my coffee cup because it’s empty; finding him doing the dishes or helping in some other way because he knows I’m tired and hearing him say he thinks I’m the most beautiful woman in the world for no reason at all.

Love is living everyday, looking for ways to make life brighter, more enjoyable, easing the pain and giving all! Love is seeing someone at their worst and thinking the best.

Isn’t that how God wants us to see His love?

Religion tells us we have to earn God’s love and be good enough to keep it. The Bible tells us something completely different. We can’t earn God’s love and we can’t lose it. God’s love never fails – it lasts forever.

“I pray that because of the riches of His shining-greatness, He will make you strong with power in your hearts through the Holy Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. 18 I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is. 19 I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God Himself.” Ephesians 3:16-19 NLV

The above verses were written by the Apostle Paul. “I pray you will KNOW the love of Christ.” As a young man, Saul, he persecuted the Christians. He had them imprisoned and even killed. Then he met the Lord, his name was changed to Paul, and he became a great missionary for Christ – telling people of God’s grace, love and forgiveness. He came to know personally the love of Christ.

I was reading Psalm 136 this morning.

“Praise the Lord because he is good. His faithful love will last forever. 2 Praise the God of gods! His faithful love will last forever. 3 Praise the Lord of lords! His faithful love will last forever. 4 Praise him who alone does wonderful miracles! His faithful love will last forever.” Psalm 136:1-4 ERV

“He took Israel out of Egypt. His faithful love will last forever.12 He used his powerful arms and strong hands. His faithful love will last forever. 13 He split the Red Sea into two parts. His faithful love will last forever. 14 He led Israel through the sea. His faithful love will last forever. 15 He drowned Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea. His faithful love will last forever. 16 He led his people through the desert. His faithful love will last forever. 17 He defeated powerful kings. His faithful love will last forever…”

Now this is how I began to read it, it’s the Kristi unauthorized version:

He gave me safety while driving on the freeway; He kept me warm during the artic vortex; He protected me when I worked with people who hated me; He provided the food I need; He heard me say those ugly things and He knew my jealous thoughts but He forgave me and His faithful love will last forever!

I encourage you to read all twenty-six verses of Psalm 136. Each verse tells us that God’s love last forever. This is the final verse in that Psalm.

“Praise God in heaven! God’s love never fails.” Psalm 136:26 CEV

God, our Father, is the very essence of love. He will never fail to reach out to us! His love for us will last forever!!

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How Clean Is Clean

When we moved into our home almost five years ago I was thrilled to see the dishwasher that came with the house. It was more upscale than other dishwashers I had owned. It even had a “crystal/china” cycle. This was great!

It didn’t take long for me to lose some of the excited anticipation I had felt. You see, the area we live in has very hard water and the dishwasher had not been properly maintained. Periodically, I would have to take it all apart; wash everything off, de-scale the washing arms (their nozzles would get plugged with hard water deposits) and then run vinegar through it before using it again. This was a common place activity.

Frustration would mount and I would decide to wash all the dishes by hand. In fact, I mentioned to Dave once that we just take it out and he build shelves in the space. I could always use more shelves.

Once we added a water softener I didn’t have to do the ritual cleaning quite as often but still it never really cleaned the way I thought it should. It was embarrassing when company would come and I would find dirty silverware, plates or glasses. It was a cleaned and sanitized dirt but it was still dirt.

Isn’t that the way it is with our lives sometimes? We make the attempt to clean things up, we look good on the outside but still there is a coating of grit or grime that can be felt and seen when inspected further. We have our hair combed, our clothes are clean and we smell pretty but when the stress and pressure come, all-to-often what comes out of our mouths reveals the dirt that has been left behind.

“But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands[a first before the meal. 39 The Lord said to him, “The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish. But what is inside you? You want only to cheat and hurt people. 40 You are foolish! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside. 41 So pay attention to what is inside. Give to the people who need help. Then you will be fully clean.

42 “But it will be bad for you Pharisees! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, your rue, and every other little plant in your garden. But you forget to be fair to others and to love God. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.” Luke 11:38-42 ERV

The Pharisees were big on “looking good” and having the right appearance. They acted religious but had no true relationship with God, the Father. They were more concerned about keeping the Law, which said to do no work on the Sabbath, than they were with the people who had come to worship the Lord. They constantly criticized Jesus for healing people or extending forgiveness to them on the Sabbath days.

They looked good by bringing their tithes to the Temple and would pray publicly where they could be seen but they neglected to live a life inspired by love and compassion.

“But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. 29 If someone hits you on the side of your face, let them hit the other side too. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop them from taking your shirt too. 30 Give to everyone who asks you for something. When someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. 31 Do for others what you want them to do for you…

35 “I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy…

“A good tree does not produce bad fruit. And a bad tree does not produce good fruit. 44 Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes! 45 Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.” Luke 6:27-48 ERV (emphasis is mine)

What’s saved in our hearts will be the force that guides our lives. The words we say are directly related to the way we have allowed the Lord to change our hearts. When we come face to face with the love and forgiveness the Lord has shown us it will do a life-changing work in our hearts and we will take on the loving nature of our Savior. Good fruit will be produced; our cups will be clean.

I no longer struggle with clean dishes. Last week we got a new dishwasher! There’s no more hard water scale built up inside and no grime and dirt hiding on the internal parts. It’s new!

Thank you Lord for showing me that You have given me a new heart and I can love my neighbors and my enemies the way You love me!

Take the love of Jesus to your world today. It may be the only Valentine some of them will receive.

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My Father’s Love

Have you ever stopped to consider that a child’s love starts in selfishness? That may seem harsh but it’s true.

When a baby first joins our family they are only concerned with their own needs. They cry when they are hungry and get a response; vocalize again and someone will change their wet or messy diaper; squirm and fuss and they find comfort as they are rocked, sung too and cuddled into sleep.

Love, to a baby or small child, is based on the things they receive and the attention they are given. However, as a parent, grandparent or other loving adult we understand that this is just a passing phase. They need us and so we cater to them and their inability to do things for themselves. As they grow we help them express their love to others by sharing, giving hugs and kisses, doing instead of demanding and caring instead of commanding.

Have you ever wondered about the childhood of Jesus? We have very few verses in the Bible to tell us about His upbringing. This morning I read two descriptions in Luke that give insight on Jesus the toddler and Jesus the adolescent.

“Joseph and Mary finished doing all the things that the law of the Lord commanded. Then they went home to Nazareth, their own town in Galilee. 40 The little boy Jesus was developing into a mature young man, full of wisdom. God was blessing him.” Luke 2:39-40 ERV

“Jesus went with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. His mother was still thinking about all these things. 52 As Jesus grew taller, he continued to grow in wisdom. God was pleased with him and so were the people who knew him.” Luke 2:51-52 ERV

Jesus grew and increased in wisdom. He gained favor with his family, his neighbors and with God, the Father. Isn’t that the desire we have for our children as well? It brings us so much joy as parents when our kids show love and compassion for those around them, when they think of others ahead of themselves.

As I read these verses this morning I couldn’t help but ask the Father if I was the kind of child that pleased Him?

Do my actions reflect Him? Is He a proud parent? Does He tap the angels on the shoulder and say “did you see what she just did, that’s my girl”?

My love for the Lord used to be based in selfishness just like a baby’s love. Need based, and the Father understood that but now it’s foundation is gratitude.

“We love Him because He loved us first.” I John 4:19 NLV

I no longer obey and try to please the Father because of what He can “give me” or to earn His love. No, I desire to do what pleases Him because of the amazing magnitude of love that He shows me on a daily basis. The Father is always reaching out to me, calling me to His side, wanting me to spend time in His presence.

But this kind of relationship isn’t just for a select few. It’s not exclusive to those of high calling or those who are good enough. The Father’s unconditional love is available to ALL his children.

“You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me.
Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.” Psalm 16:11 CEV

Thank you Father for lovingly providing all I needed, forgiving my short comings and failures and bringing me into Your family. Thank you for Your love!

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