Category: God’s Love

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The Sky Is Limitless

For quite some time I have wanted to share the lyrics of an old song with you but first I want you to study this picture.

Please look again. Consider how vast are the ocean and sky. They fill the horizon – all that’s visible are water and sky.

This song  was written  in 1917,  some say it was written in 1923, the author was Frederick Lehman. He was trying to conceptualize the greatness of God’s love. Perhaps he had just read these verses written by the Apostle Paul.

“I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. 18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.

20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. 21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:15-21 CEV

Verse 18 is a verse that I have studied often. Each time I think I am beginning to understand the greatness of God’s love, my scope of understanding is expanded and I realize that I still have so much to truly comprehend.

Paul prayed that we would know, be able to grasp and fully understand the scope and vastness of God’s love. That type of understanding can only come through personal experience. Through that personal, daily, consistent experience with Him, we can be filled with everything God has for us. 

Now for the words of this wonderful song that written about 100 years ago. It’s not important that you know the tune, what’s important is the message.

  1. The love of God is greater far
    Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
    It goes beyond the highest star,
    And reaches to the lowest hell;
    The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
    God gave His Son to win;
    His erring child He reconciled,
    And pardoned from his sin.

    • Refrain:
      Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
      How measureless and strong!
      It shall forevermore endure—
      The saints’ and angels’ song.
  2. When hoary time shall pass away,
    And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
    When men who here refuse to pray,
    On rocks and hills and mountains call,
    God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
    All measureless and strong;
    Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
    The saints’ and angels’ song.
  3. Could we with ink the ocean fill,
    And were the skies of parchment made,
    Were every stalk on earth a quill,
    And every man a scribe by trade;
    To write the love of God above
    Would drain the ocean dry;
    Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
    Though stretched from sky to sky.

God’s love is measureless and it’s eternal. If the oceans were filled with ink, if every tree on earth was used as a pen and every person on earth were a writer the magnitude of the sky could not begin to contain a complete record of God’s love.

I’m not talking about God’s love for all of human kind. No, I’m referring to God’s love for us individually. If God, my Father, were to write a testament of His love for me there would not be enough GIG space to contain it all, it would dwarf the heavens.

“We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father will comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us and gave us through his grace a wonderful hope and comfort that has no end.” II Thessalonians 2:16-17 CEV

Take time to look up at the sky. Imagine you see written across the heavens “I love you”.  That’s really the message God’s wants us to know.

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Thankful for Choice

As you begin to think about tomorrow’s feast is your mouth already watering?

Which to choose? Turkey, ham, yams, mashed potatoes, pumpkin or pecan pie, I know, you want a little bit of everything don’t you?

The freedom to choose or as some phrase it, free will, is something that we can all be grateful for. Imagine how boring life would be if there was no variety. What if every vehicle was a Ford and each dress was blue? All houses were Cape Cod style and the only college degree to attain was one in Physics. All flowers were red and all dogs were beagles.

No choice, no choice at all.

If that isn’t an appealing idea then you should be thanking God right about now. He is the one that established free will. In the Garden of Eden He created a large variety of fruit bearing trees and God told Adam he could pick from any tree he wanted but one.

“The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to work the soil and take care of the garden. 16 The Lord God gave him this command: “You may eat from any tree in the garden. 17 But you must not eat from the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil. If you eat fruit from that tree, on that day you will certainly die!” Genesis 2:15-17 ERV

Now some may think that God was unfair to restrict Adam from the tree that would give him knowledge of good and evil. Far from it. God’s desire was that Adam would only know good; God didn’t want him knowing about evil. God also knew that choice would separate them because God can’t have relationship with evil; man’s relationship with God would die, it would be spiritual death.

We do a similar thing with our children. We tell them “play with all these toys but don’t touch the stove, it’s hot and you’ll get burned”. So many good and wonderful things to do and play with, just choose the good.

Adam made a choice and God didn’t usurp his will. God’s desire is that we love Him and obey His word by our free will. He wants a relationship with us not a robotic obedience.  So, God gave another instruction on choice.

“ I call heaven and earth to speak against you today. I have put in front of you life and death, the good and the curse. So choose life so you and your children after you may live. 20 Love the Lord your God and obey His voice. Hold on to Him. For He is your life, and by Him your days will be long. You will be allowed to live in the land the Lord promised to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLV

Freedom to choose life or death, blessing or curse and then God seemed to say, in case you’re not sure which one to choose, let me give you a hint – choose life.

God has also made a choice. He has chosen us to be His sons and daughters. He doesn’t want  anyone to miss out on His goodness. His love extends to everyone.

“Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people. 5 God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God’s own adopted children. 6 God was very kind to us because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God.

7-8 Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us. God has great wisdom and understanding, 9 and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways.” Ephesians 1:4-9 CEV

“My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He always did what was right, so he is able to defend us before God the Father. 2 Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.” I John 2:1-2 ERV

God has made His choice; He has chosen us. Now we have the freedom to choose. He wants to be our choice but He won’t force His will on us.

“He gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name. ” John 1:12 NLV

I wholeheartedly recommend choosing God and the wonderful life that He has planned for us.

I’m so thankful for the gift of choice. My choice is to receive God’s gift of life!

 

 

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Thankful for Overflow

Have you ever cleaned up after a child, or adult, when they’ve filled the milk glass too full?

Perhaps it was a cup of coffee or a mug of hot chocolate that you were heating in the microwave. Did you see the mess or were you blessed by the message?

Our minds seem to be programmed to stop the overflow. When I’m filling my watering-pot to tend to my flowers, I try to turn off the hose at just the right moment so it doesn’t flow over. We do the same when we fill our gas tanks, a pot of water to put on the stove or our cup of morning coffee.

We have a tendency to see the overflow as wasteful or negligence. God calls it blessings!

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need. 2 You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water, 3 and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths. 4 I may walk through valleys as dark as death,  but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe. 5 You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. You honor me as your guest, and you fill my cup until it overflows. 6 Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23 CEV

God isn’t worried about a stained tablecloth or a puddle on the floor. He wants us to know that He provides and when He does he isn’t stingy; He’s generous and his provision is more than enough.

A while back I did a morning blog on planting seeds and getting a harvest. We all realize that when we plant pepper seeds we won’t harvest green beans. Jesus was using this concept in his teaching on forgiveness, kindness and mercy.

“But love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back. Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel. 36 Have pity on others, just as your Father has pity on you.

37 Jesus said:   Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you. 38 If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated.” Luke 6:35-38 CEV

There it is again – overflow. The love, mercy and kindness that we give to others with come back to us in overflowing portions. That’s just the way God is.  In fact, one of the names that the Jewish people used for God, El Shaddai, meant “the God who is more than enough”.

One final thought on overflow. The Apostle Paul was writing to the Christians in the church at Corinth about a need in another church. He was encouraging them to help with their giving. Paul uses the same analogy as Jesus did, sowing and reaping.

“Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give and don’t feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. 8 God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. 9 The Scriptures say, “God freely gives his gifts to the poor, and always does right.” II Corinthians 9:7-9 CEV

We should never give from a heart that feels forced; not money, kindness, mercy, forgiveness. We should give from hearts filled with love. Why? Because that’s the way God gives to us.

Oh yes! My heart is overflowing with love and gratitude for the love that God has shown to me.

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Precious Moments – Precious Memories

This past week has been so much fun! Dave and I have been taking care of our two youngest grandchildren.

Their folks will be coming home tomorrow evening and our time here will come to an end. What a joy it has been!

I know you think I am going to start bragging about how cute, smart, talented and obedient they are. I would love too but there just isn’t enough time. Suffice it to say, they are sweet and we love them.

These days have been precious…Yes, that’s the word.

Precious is used to describe something with monetary value like precious stones or to describe something emotionally valuable. Our days have been rich with memory making moments.

Looking at these two each day I can see God’s hand of blessing on my family. I can see God’s design in our marriage, our having children and them choosing mates and having children. Yes, it has been a continual pattern of blessing.  God’s provision for us is indeed precious.

“How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.” Psalm 36: 7 AMPC

We can place our love and trust in Him knowing that He will protect and provide.

Sam and Kristine depended on Dave and I to feed and protect them. They knew we would help them and do what’s right because they were confident of our love.

In the same way, our heavenly Father wants us to trust in His love. He reassures us by telling us how much time He spends thinking about us.

“O Lord my God, many are the great works You have done, and Your thoughts toward us. No one can compare with You! If I were to speak and tell of them, there would be too many to number.” Psalm 40:5 NLV

We have spent the last seven days creating memories, precious memories. Recalling them, at some time in the future, will bring us right back  to this place and the joy we feel now.

That’s the way it is with God. He remembers the good times we’ve had with Him and all the while, He chooses to forget our sins.

“ I will show loving-kindness to them and forgive their sins. I will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 NLV

The Lord has so many good thoughts and plans for us. He wants our lives full and complete. Each day we spent with Him is a memory-maker.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

Lord, thank you for thinking of me. Thank you for the good plans you have for me. Thank you that  you consider me precious. I love you.

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Thankful for an Open Door

This morning I was reading in Hebrews, one of my favorite books, and I reread those verses that I share with you so often.

“ Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

Come bravely, or boldly, before the throne!

In days of old, the only way a subject was allowed to come before the throne of the king was by invitation or summons. Even their own families were taught not to enter without first being granted access.

As I read these verses, I was impacted again with the absolute freedom that we have been given to come to the Father’s throne without fear. Confidently we come, knowing that we will find help and be treated with kindness.  Amazing!

I did a search to find an image of a palace with an open door to use as today’s illustration. Do you know how hard that is to find? The picture I used isn’t a palace, it’s a cathedral. Even today, palaces just don’t have open doors. They are secure areas, special clearance is needed and very few actually receive an audience with the king or ruler.

We have open access to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

And again, it’s not just access to Him; we have favor with Him, He holds us in His heart and is always willing to provide us with help.

“When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. 8 Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.

9 You should pray like this:  Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name…” Matthew 6:7-9 CEV

These are the words that Jesus spoke when he was teaching his disciples to pray. He wanted them to understand that when they talked to God, prayed, they weren’t talking to someone they didn’t now. They were talking to their Father, a loving, tender-hearted, kind and compassionate Father; their Father who knew what they need before they came and had already planned to help.

My heart is overflowing with gratitude and love because of my Father’s kindness and grace. This morning I sat here in my chair, coffee in hand and I began to tell Him how much I love Him. I started listing all the reasons I have for loving Him and then I stopped abruptly. I wasn’t through with my list of His wonderful blessings…I was completely overwhelmed by His unconditional love.

Sometimes I see myself, as a little child, running through the throne room doors, straight up to the Father’s throne. When I get there I throw my arms around his neck, give Him a big kiss, tell Him how much I love Him, climb down from His lap and go on about my day. I know He likes that!

Jesus showed us that side of the Father when he took time to interact with the little children.

“ Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so that he could lay his hands on them to bless them and pray for them. When the followers saw this, they told the people to stop bringing their children to him. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people who are like these children.” 15 After Jesus blessed the children, he left there.” Matthew 19:13-15 CEV

This is an example for us. The Father wants us to come as little children. Children filled with innocence, confidence and total abandon, trusting completely in Him. I’m here to give testimony,  the Father’s throne room door is always open to His kids.

Come on in! He’s waiting just for us with open arms!

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Loving Others

In light of all that’s been going on in our world lately I wanted to share these thoughts.

Pooh is right; we feel love and that feeling can be labeled compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion to help those who were hurting. True Love is a person. That person is Jesus and it’s His desire that we love one another.

Jesus said the world would know that we are His disciples if we love one another. Jesus ministry was marked by His love for everyone He came in contact with. He loved the sinners and publicans; the tax collectors and the prostitutes, He even showed his love for the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He reached out to all with loving arms and was moved with compassion toward all.

“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 ERV

As Christians we should be a light of God’s love in this world. He is the one who gets the glory when we walk in love. No one is excluded from his love.  Jesus never accepted sin but he also never rejected a sinner. Doctrines and dogmas can be divisive but when we are being led by the Holy Spirit we will have a heart of love even when we don’t agree.

The Apostle Paul gave this instruction to the Christians at the church in Philippi.

“Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, 2 then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. 3 In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. 4 Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too.” Philippians 2:1-4 ERV

Make it a goal to walk in love so that the world will see Jesus living in us!

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God’s Thoughts About Me

How do you define the word righteous? And along that same line, define the word righteousness.   Think about that for a few moments.

Let me give you a simple definition of righteous. It was one that my college professor gave in class years ago. Righteous: being made right with God. Is that how we see ourselves – right with God?

“ Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.” II Corinthians 5:21 ERV

That’s the way God sees us. The great exchange. Jesus, who had never sinned, took on our sins when He died on the cross and in exchange for our sin, gave us His righteousness. His right-standing with God became ours. That is absolutely amazing!

Isaiah wrote that our self-righteousness is like filthy rags. Our efforts to make ourselves in right-standing with God is, at its best, rubbish.

My dad was a master mechanic. He worked on large equipment, keeping it running and fixing it when it broke down. When he would come home his clothes were filthy and he would often have dirty towels he had used to wipe his hands on. I remember Mom telling him to throw those dirty things in the trash, there was no point in trying to wash them, they wouldn’t come clean.

That’s the image that would come to mind when I heard that phrase, filthy rags. Now contrast that image with this one.

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” Isaiah 61:10-11 NKJV

Dirty, greasy, grimy clothes or the elegant apparel of a bride groom, how do we think God sees us?  Because of Christ, He sees us decked out in His finest.

“But Christ died for us while we were still sinners (dirty, greasy), and by this God showed how much he loves us.

9 We have been made right with God by the blood sacrifice of Christ. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger. 10 I mean that while we were God’s enemies, he made friends with us through his Son’s death. And the fact that we are now God’s friends (righteous) makes it even more certain that he will save us through his Son’s life. 11 And not only will we be saved, but we also rejoice right now in what God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of Jesus that we are now God’s friends.” Romans 5:8-11 ERV

I titled this morning’s blog God’s Thoughts About Me. Do you see it now? He thinks we’re righteous, in right standing with Him and these verses in Romans say that He calls us his friends. God the Father doesn’t hate us – He isn’t even mad at us.

He loves us!

Now for the final word on what God thinks about us. The first version of this verse uses the word “thoughts” and other versions say “plans”. I wanted you to see them both

“ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 ERV

God’s thoughts about us are those of a loving Father. He has good plans for us, He doesn’t want to harm us. Instead He gives us hope and a good future. As we go about our day, it’s quite possible that thoughts will come to mind that are counter to the thoughts that God has of us. Don’t let those thoughts linger, replace them with what God thinks of us.

Trust God! His thoughts toward us are good.

 

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Same Only Different

Had the strangest experience last night. Dave and I were sitting in the living room watching a movie and we both started having problems with allergies, or at least that’s what I am claiming.

We both began to get the sniffles and I my eyes started to water. Ok, let’s face it – it wasn’t allergies at all, it was the movie. It had me crying. I would highly recommend you watching the movie or reading the book, Same Kind of Different As Me.

This movie portrayed how we fall in to the trap of judging others just by their outward appearance. My, that has been going on for a very long time. When the Lord sent Samuel out to find a king for Israel he went to David’s father and  he looked for a tall, muscular, mature man. However, God had different criteria.

“When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the man who the Lord has chosen.”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Eliab is tall and handsome, but don’t judge by things like that. God doesn’t look at what people see. People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart. Eliab is not the right man.” I Samuel 16:6-7 ERV

“Jesse showed seven of his sons to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these men.”11 Then he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

Jesse answered, “No, I have another son—my youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him. Bring him here. We won’t sit down to eat until he arrives.”

12 Jesse sent someone to get his youngest son. This son was a good-looking, healthy young man. He was very handsome. The Lord said to Samuel, “Get up and anoint him. He is the one.” I Samuel 16:10-12 ERV

Jesse, David’s father, hadn’t even considered that his youngest son was qualified or good enough to meet with Samuel. David was left out with the sheep when the priest came to dinner. But God knew who He wanted, he was looking for someone with a heart for Him.

Jesus never looked at a man or woman’s appearance or their occupation when He was here on earth. He followed his Father’s example and associated with those who had opened their hearts to God. It didn’t matter that they were fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes and others of low esteem.

James, the brother of Jesus, gave this instruction in the book of the Bible he wrote.

“My dear brothers and sisters, you are believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. So don’t treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose someone comes into your meeting wearing very nice clothes and a gold ring. At the same time a poor person comes in wearing old, dirty clothes. 3 You show special attention to the person wearing nice clothes…

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters. God chose the poor people in the world to be rich in faith. He chose them to receive the kingdom God promised to those who love him…

8 One law rules over all other laws. This royal law is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor[a] the same as you love yourself.”[b] If you obey this law, you are doing right. 9 But if you are treating one person as more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law.” James 2:1-9 ERV

I will tell you that I was convicted by that movie last night. I felt great compassion for the people who were playing the roles. This is a true story but I had to honestly ask myself if I would have reacted with the same loving heart that they did. I pray I would have.

I find myself asking the Lord to show me areas in my life where I need to grow and change. Then I sit down to relax for an evening and watch a movie and God shows up and teaches me a life lesson.

The same loving God has blessed each person on this earth with air to breathe and the sun that shines. He sees a divine purpose in each of us.

We may be different but He loves us all the same!

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The Father’s Hands

Thinking this morning about my earthly father and my heavenly father. My dad was a burly guy – a real man’s man. He wasn’t tall, just under 6′ but his hands were huge!

There is an older country song “Daddy’s Hands”. That song pretty much described my dad. Hands that were soft and kind when I was hurting, hands that were hard as steel when I did wrong but there was always love in Daddy’s hands. Yep, that pretty well describes him!

My heavenly Father’s hands are big too. So big that He says my name is engraved in His hands. He says that he holds me in the palm of His hand and no one can pluck me out. His hands are my protection and my provision.

“My sheep hear My voice and I know them. They follow Me. 28 I give them life that lasts forever. They will never be punished. No one is able to take them out of My hand. 29 My Father Who gave them to Me is greater than all. No one is able to take them out of My Father’s hand. 30 My Father and I are one!” John 10:27-30 NLV

I think that is what Jesus was trying to teach to those who were there on the Mount of the Beatitudes.

“7 Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. 9 Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? 10 Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? 11 As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.

12 Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.” Matthew 7:7-12 CEV

My earthly father loved me and provided for me the best he could. He never did anything to hurt me intentionally and with him as my example I can see now how much more my heavenly Father loves me and has provided for me throughout my life.

So many times people get the wrong idea about my heavenly Father. They think He is out to spoil their fun, treat them harshly, or rule with a heavy hand. No, that’s not Him; He reaches out in love! Oh yes, He corrects when I’ve done wrong but He’s never abusive.

Verse 12 seems a bit odd to be included in this context of the Father’s love but verses 1-6 of this chapter are telling us that we should not judge people for their actions or we will be judged. Jesus reminds us that we all have faults and imperfections. We have all done things that need to be forgiven. So we need to be mindful of correcting our own actions before we criticize and judge others.

Then Jesus sums it up with “treat others as you want them to treat you”. Forgiveness has as it root “give”. It’s not for-earness, meaning you have to earn it but giveness simply meaning it’s something we give as a gift.

Just as our Father provides for us, we need to be willing to provide for others. We can be an example of our Father to everyone we meet.

We need to reach out, extend our hands and touch them with the Father’s love.

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Really God? Really??

Have you ever asked yourself these questions, could God love me? Does God love me? Why?

Many times we think that love is based on us; what we do, how we look; where we live; our political leanings. The list could go on and on. And when it comes to God’s love we have a tendency to think that His love is based on our works, how good we are, how much time we spend praying or reading the Bible and how much we give.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

 “Look at it this way: At the right time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for ungodly people. 7 Finding someone who would die for a godly person is rare. Maybe someone would have the courage to die for a good person. 8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us.

9 Since Christ’s blood has now given us God’s approval, we are even more certain that Christ will save us from God’s anger. 10 If the death of his Son restored our relationship with God while we were still his enemies, we are even more certain that, because of this restored relationship, the life of his Son will save us.” Romans 5:6-10 GW

There are so many times that I have made my list – the list of reasons why I am deserving of God’s love and also the all the times I have failed to measure up. I have even made lists on “I’m not as bad as them”. God never wants us looking back or comparing ourselves to others. He forgives our sins when we confess them and then He also chooses to forget them.

“But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.” I John 1:9 ERV

“This is the New Way of Worship that I will give them. When that day comes, says the Lord, I will put My Laws in their hearts. And I will write them in their minds.” Then He says, 17 “I will not remember their sins and wrong-doings anymore.” 18 No more gifts on the altar in worship are needed when our sins are forgiven.” Hebrews 10:16-18 NLV

God’s love has always been extended to us. There has never been a time that we lost His love. There has never been an action or situation that has caused Him to retract and withhold His love.

We may look at others and think it must be hard for God to love them but God never sees it that way. In God’s eyes if we sin in one small area we are as guilty as if we had broken everyone of the ten commandments and more.

“ You are doing right if you obey this law from the highest authority: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 9 If you favor one person over another, you’re sinning, and this law convicts you of being disobedient. 10 If someone obeys all of God’s laws except one, that person is guilty of breaking all of them. ” James 2:8-10 GW

Sin is sin and God has made provision for all sin to be forgiven.

Love is not a feeling. Love is a person, God. Love is the action of choosing to act like God. Love can’t be lost, true love doesn’t give up.

This morning’s devotion idea came to me yesterday in the wee quiet hours – I sat and just thanked the Father that He loved me. I quickly started going through my list of why He shouldn’t and He told me He couldn’t remember any of those reasons. They were all covered.

“The end of everything is near. Therefore, practice self-control, and keep your minds clear so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other warmly, because love covers many sins. ” I Peter 4:7-8 GW

God has covered our sins and we are asked, no, really commanded, to love the way He does.

“So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. 17 If God’s love is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear, because in this world we are like Jesus.” I John 4:16-17 ERV

Yes God really, really loves us!

Now I’m off to the garage sale –  go help someone else have a love-ly day.

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