Tag: GodSoLoved

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Loving Kindness

There is a word in Hebrew, Chesed, that is used to describe God’s love toward us. “The Hebrew word chesed (also spelled hesed) is so packed with meaning that no single word in the English language comes close to defining it. Used 248 times in scripture, this little-known descriptor carries volumes of information about God’s character while providing a glimpse of His redemptive plan through His very nature…Because of His chesed, God promised Israel that He would never leave nor forsake them. God kept His covenant with Israel, but not because they possessed any inherent righteousness. Nor did God hold firm to His promise because Israel consistently kept the law’s commands. The promise’s holding power was based on one thing: who God is. ” taken from Christianity.com, May 2022.

I wanted you to have this background before you read today’s verses. The Apostle Paul tells us that when we accept Christ we become Abraham’s seed, or heirs to the covenant. The chesed or loving-kindness of God is directed toward us when we are in Christ.

It’s so strong on my heart this morning that there are some who are emotionally at a breaking point. You feel that God doesn’t love you, He can’t love you, because of things you’ve done. That’s a lie from the devil! Our heavenly Father is reaching out to you with open arms. This is who God is.

“Hear, O Lord, and answer me. For I am suffering and in need. 2 Keep my life, for I am faithful to You. You are my God. Save Your servant who trusts in You. 3 Show me loving-kindness, O Lord. For I cry to You all day long. 4 Bring joy to Your servant. For I lift up my soul to You, O Lord. 5 For You are good and ready to forgive, O Lord. You are rich in loving-kindness to all who call to You. 6 Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen to my cry for help. 7 I will call to You in the day of my trouble. For You will answer me. 8 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord. And there are no works like Yours. 9 All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, O Lord. And they will bring honor to Your name. 10 For You are great and do great things. You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord. I will walk in Your truth. May my heart fear Your name. 12 O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You with all my heart. I will bring honor to Your name forever. 13 For Your loving-kindness toward me is great. And You have saved my soul from the bottom of the grave.

14 O God, proud men have come up against me. A group of fighting men want to take my life. And they do not think of You. 15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of love and pity. You are slow to anger and rich in loving-kindness and truth. 16 Turn to me, and show me loving-kindness. Give Your strength to Your servant. And save the son of your woman servant. 17 Give me something special to see of Your favor. Then those who hate me may see it and be ashamed. Because You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” Psalm 86 NLV

Father, show everyone reading this the depth of Your loving-kindness. Strengthen and comfort them in Jesus name. Amen.

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To the Rescue

This morning has me thinking about my dad. Dad was a good man. He loved mom, us kids and the Lord. He was an impressive figure of a man; handsome, strong, rugged, loyal, outspoken and he hated injustice.

Dad wasn’t well educated, only went to the 7th grade but he was one of the smartest men I know. He could read people, their sincerity or deceit and he could fix or build anything.

Dad’s been gone for 19 years now, and I miss him. When we find a great new lake, I think of Dad. Driving through a river valley and spotting a good place to fish, building a new shed, fixing the car – all make me think of him.

Watching my grandchildren grow into good people, playing with our newest grandchild, talking to our grown kids – all these make me miss him and grateful that I have so many wonderful memories.

There were times that I needed Daddy to come to my rescue and he did. Never a question that he wouldn’t be there to help and defend. Now if I had done something stupid he would talk to me about that later but first instinct was to come to my aid.

Maybe you don’t have such a good memory of your relationship with your dad but your Heavenly Father desires a relationship with you that is so much greater than any you’ve ever had with your earthly father.

“All of you are God’s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. 28 Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. 29 So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham’s family, and you will be given what God has promised…Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. 7 You are no longer slaves. You are God’s children, and you will be given what he has promised.” Galatians 3:26-4:7 CEV

In God’s family we are all equal – the same blessings are available to all of us. God’s love is not greater for one than the other; His mercy is given freely to us all and His protection and provision are not awarded with prejudice or bias. It’s our faith in Jesus Christ that makes us equal.

You’re heavenly Father loves you and whatever you may be going through today He’s right there with you and when things get bigger than you can handle your Dad’s got this. Let Him handle it!

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Shining a Light on #1

Do you remember the blogs I posted in January? I said I wanted us to start the year focused on the Father’s love. Well, here we are halfway through the year and I think it might be time for a refresher course.

This morning, I found myself starting to read through the book of Ephesians – again! It really is one of my favorite letters that Paul wrote. For the next little while, I will be sharing thoughts with you from his writings. I encourage you to read it along with me and let the Holy Spirit speak to you personally.

“I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the spiritual blessings that Christ has brought us from heaven! 4 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 treated us with undeserved grace because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God.” Ephesians 1:2-6 CEV

Now, that’s a lot to grab hold of and it’s only the first six verses of the book!

You and I – WE – have been chosen before the world began to receive God the Father’s kindness and blessing of peace. Christ brought spiritual blessings from heaven to earth and gave them to us because He choose us to be God’s very own children.

We have done nothing, nor can we do anything, to earn this adoption. It has been given to us as a free gift of undeserved grace.

Do you know what the the word unmerited means? Merriam/Webster defines it this way: not adequately earned or deserved : not merited

We could not adequately earn or deserve God’s favor. It is freely given, a precious gift of paramount importance. It’s free but it isn’t cheap. It is the most costly gift that we will ever be offered because it required the life of the giver.

“Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God’s gift of undeserved grace to us. God has great wisdom and understanding, 9 and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways. 10 Then when the time is right, God will do all he has planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth. 11 God always does what he plans, and this is why he appointed Christ to choose us.” Ephesians 1:8-11 CEV

Our sins are forgiven because of God’s grace!

Oh yes, God is very kind to us. Our hearts should be filled with peace because of His amazing love. There’s only one thing we should do after being offered such a wonderful gift. We should accept it humbly and then spend the rest of our days thanking Him for choosing us.

We should shine a light on the One who gave His all for us.

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Thanks Dad!

Mother’s Day is behind us and we will celebrate Father’s Day in a couple of weeks. As I was praying this morning I found myself saying, “Thanks Dad. I’m so glad you chose me to be your daughter. I couldn’t have anyone better to trust in and rely on than You”!

That was so humbling to me.

When I think of all the great men who have ever lived, all the mighty men, the wise men, the loving and gracious men, even my own earthly dad, no one could make the impact on my life that my loving heavenly Father has.

There’s no one I would rather have for a Father than my heavenly Father!

“ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.” Ephesians 1:3-5 ERV

If you’ve ever dealt with low self-esteem you should memorize these verses or at the very least put them in the notes section of your phone and read them every hour.

Our heavenly Father chose us before He made the world. He chose us not out of obligation or merit but we were chosen because of His great love for us. He wanted to do it – He wanted to make us His own!

“The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.” 16 And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-16 ERV

That word Abba means daddy! Our term of endearment, a term used because of love and confidence in the One who holds our hearts.

God has always wanted a relationship with us. He never intended for us to be estranged from Him. He also gave us a free will. He didn’t want our relationship to be one of servitude or obligation. If we had no freewill we would be puppets or robots, serving Him because we were programmed to do it.

In the example that Jesus gave of the prodigal son we see the heart of the Father. His son wanted to experience a life different from what his father had planned. The father released his youngest son, even though his heart was breaking, to go do his own thing.

When life didn’t turn out the way the son expected it, he returned to his father’s home with the intent of living the life of a servant but the father’s plan was different.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and good sandals on his feet. 23 And bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate with plenty to eat. 24 My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to have a party.” Luke 15:22-24 ERV

We’ve all been the prodigal at one time or another. Coming home is the best.

Thank You Father for always welcoming us with loving arms!

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Abiding Love

I’ve been sitting here for the better part of three hours thinking about the abiding love of God. I am at a loss for words so I will let God’s word speak.

“ 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.” Ephesians 3:17-19 ERV

I read once that God’s love is like the ocean, you can see where it begins but never where it ends. There is no end to the love of God!

“But then I think about this, and I have hope: 22 We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal!” Lamentations 3:21-23 ERV

“ I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you.” John 15:9 CEV

The word remain in other translations is abide. Abide means to live or stay in the place of God’s love. We abide in God’s love by staying in His word. It’s through the word of God that we learn the depth of His love.

See what happens when we live or stay in God.

“Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful.
2 Then you will say to the Lord, ‘You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you.'” Psalm 91:1-2 CEV

Occasionally we lose our way. Occasionally we wander off, but God always remains faithful in His love for us.

“I am your servant, but I have wandered away like a lost sheep. Please come after me, because I have not forgotten your teachings.” Psalm 119:176 CEV

Hundreds of years after King David wrote those words Jesus said this:

“ If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won’t you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep.” Luke 15:4-6 CEV

That my friends is the depth of God’s abiding love!

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Catch and Release

I like something I saw some time back. It went like this:

Religion is a man sitting in church thinking about fishing – Relationship is a man fishing thinking about God!

I believe in Christian fellowship and I believe in attending church but if it’s done from ritual or tradition it really isn’t profitable. However, when it’s done because of relationship with the Father church attendance is a wonderful place of strength and growth and it is also a wonderful place of service. But I’m not here to talk about church attendance.

I’m asking you today to see how many times you find yourself thinking about the Father and how many times you find yourself reaching out to someone in a gesture of His love; not in a religious, preachy sort of way but just genuine caring and concern? A smile, a hug, a phone call or a note, being patient with someone who you feel is incompetent or unprepared; taking time to help someone else even if it means you are detained from doing what you “want” to do – look for the God directed interruptions to your day.

Jesus was a fisher of men. He was always looking for those who had been “caught” up in the world’s entanglements and “release” them into the loving arms of His Father.

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you…40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:34-40 NJKV

Many times the Father interrupts our day with His thoughts and reminders that He cares about the smallest details in our life; a creative thought that makes work more efficient, a friendly stranger giving us their place in a long line, finding something we need for less that we expected to pay, a great parking space, a smoother flow of traffic, a call from a friend, a smile or soft word of love from someone we hold dear. These are all ways the Father reaches out to us.

We might think that God doesn’t really care about the little things but we’d be wrong – He’s the master of the tiny details.

“Aren’t two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. 30 Even the hairs on your head are counted. 31 So don’t be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 CEV

If He sees the sparrow fall and He does; He knows the smallest detail about our life and He is invested in showing us His love!

He caught us and is releasing us to be ambassadors for the kingdom of His love.

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What to Share?

That’s the question I was asking this morning. The answer was loud and clear:

Share the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ!

“My friends, I want you to remember the message I preached and that you believed and trusted. 2 You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don’t, your faith was all for nothing.

3  I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. This part is:

Christ died for our sins,
    as the Scriptures say.
4 He was buried,
    and three days later
he was raised to life,
    as the Scriptures say.
5 Christ appeared to Peter,
    then to the twelve.
6 After this, he appeared
to more than five hundred
    other followers.
Most of them are still alive,
    but some have died.
7 He also appeared to James,
    then to all of the apostles.

8  Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time.

9  I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God’s church that I don’t even deserve to be called an apostle. 10 But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn’t wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God’s grace at work and not me. 11 But it doesn’t matter if I preached or if they preached. All of you believed the message just the same.” I Corinthians 15:1-11 CEV

The good news? Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead so that we could have new life in Him!

Salvation is nothing we earn but something we receive. It’s a gift from God, the expression of His grace.

“God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace. 8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.” Ephesians 2:7-9 ERV

We can’t boast or brag about our good works, intelligence, financial status or any other thing. It’s all about God and His unconditional love and forgiveness.

“I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.”

I am so thankful for my life with Christ. He is my all-in-all; my Lord, my Savior, my Friend!

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The Love of God

Yes, the love of God – again! I know I spent several weeks at the beginning of the year teaching on the love of God but it’s a subject I can’t leave alone.

Years ago, when I realized that the Lord had given me an ability to teach and share His word, it became my goal to share about His unconditional love, His mercy, His grace and His gift of sonship to us who believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried and is risen as our living Savior.

I saw so many Christians who were like I was; reading the Bible but not really applying it to their everyday lives. We had grown up believing in a God that’s “going to get you for that” or “you never know what God’s going to do” relationship, fearing God and His retribution rather than living in His love. So, I accepted my calling to proclaim the “good news of the gospel” to Christians. It is and was my desire to see believers grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. It was my desire to see Christians walk in the full power of relationship with Christ and to receive fully from His blessings so that we truly are and were examples of Jesus, Christians, on the earth and that it would be the goodness of God that would draw men to repentance and not the condemnation of man.

There is nothing I find more fulfilling than to share God’s word whether through written communication, one on one personal interaction or teaching to a gathering. It’s my heart passion. These verses convey all that I desire to share with others.

“You, Lord God, have done many wonderful things, and you have planned marvelous things for us. No one is like you! I would never be able to tell all you have done. 6 Sacrifices and offerings are not what please you; gifts and payment for sin are not what you demand. But you made me willing to listen and obey. 7 And so, I said, “I am here to do what is written
about me in the book, where it says, 8 ‘I enjoy pleasing you.  Your Law is in my heart.’” 9 When your people worshiped, you know I told them, “Our Lord always helps!” 10 When all your people met, I did not keep silent. I said, “Our Lord is kind. He is faithful and caring, and he saves us.” 11 You, Lord, never fail to have pity on me; your love and faithfulness always keep me secure.” Psalm 40:5-11 CEV

Take time to read all of Psalm 40 today, it will be a blessing to you.

Probably some of you weren’t raised listening to and singing the old hymns so this morning as an added bonus I invite you to listen to a hymn entitled “The Love of God”.

Each day my goal is to share God’s love with others. I’m not always successful but that is my desire. Let me take the opportunity to declare again today – God is faithful, He is righteous, He is my salvation and His lovingkindness endures forever!

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Up Before Dawn

I have always found it hard to sleep the night before I had something big to do the next day. I can only imagine how it must have been for Mary and the other women as they prepared to go to the tomb. Jesus’ burial had been hasty and they were going now to properly care for His body.

Up, before dawn, they were on their way. Who would roll back the stone? Would the soldiers arrest them because they were Jesus’ followers? No matter the questions, they went.

“The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord’s angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. 3 The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead.” Matthew 28:1-4 CEV

I don’t know if the earthquake was felt throughout the entire city or just at the garden tomb but it was certainly something unusual. In fact, it was so frightening that season soldiers were paralyzed with fear.

When the women got there, the stoned was rolled away and the tomb was open. The angel appeared to the women and told them to go tell the disciples that Jesus was risen from the dead, just as He said he would.

“She ran to Simon Peter and to Jesus’ favorite disciple and said, ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb! We don’t know where they have put him.’ 3 Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.” John 20:2-3 CEV

Peter and John got to the tomb and they went in. They found the cloth had He had been wrapped in and the cloth that had covered His face but there was no body. They left the tomb and went back to the other disciples but Mary stayed.

She was weeping. She stooped down to look inside, she knew Jesus wasn’t there so I’m not sure what she was hoping to see.

“and saw two angels inside. They were dressed in white and were sitting where Jesus’ body had been. One was at the head and the other was at the foot. 13 The angels asked Mary, ‘Why are you crying?’ She answered, ‘They have taken away my Lord’s body! I don’t know where they have put him.'” John 20:12-13 CEV

She was probably startled or even frightened by seeing the angels but her concern was for Jesus. Where have they taken Him? She turned to leave and she saw who she thought was the gardener.

“Jesus asked her, ‘Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?’ She thought he was the gardener and said, ‘Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go and get him.’ 16 Then Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him, ‘Rabboni.'” John 20:15-16 CEV

In her darkest hour, in her deepest grief, Mary was looking for Jesus. While Peter and John left and went back the other disciples, Mary stayed. Wondering, searching, weeping.

And then she heard Him call her by name. She knew that voice, she heard the compassion in His tone. It was her Savior and Lord.

It was Jesus! He called her by name.

Our relationship with Jesus is a personal one. He was sent to die for the sins of the world but when we come into relationship with Him it becomes personal. When our eyes are filled with tears and our hearts are fighting fear, if we listen we will hear Him call us by name!

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Always On His Mind

Do you take time to sit quietly with your thoughts? That’s what I love most about mornings. The opportunity to sit and reflect on God’s goodness and His amazing love.

A number of Scriptures are filling my heart so I will share them with you.

“I look at the heavens you made with your hands.
    I see the moon and the stars you created.
4 And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you?
    Why do you even think about them?
Why do you care so much about humans?
    Why do you even notice them?”

5 But you made them almost like gods
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You put them in charge of everything you made.
    You put everything under their control.
7 People rule over the sheep and cattle and all the wild animals.
8 They rule over the birds in the sky
    and the fish that swim in the sea.
9 Lord our Lord, your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:3-9 ERV

Father, why do You even think about us? Why are we so important to You? Why is Your mind filled with thoughts of us?

He says, you are always on My mind!

“You know when I sit down and when I get up.
    You know my thoughts from far away.
3 You know where I go and where I lie down.
    You know everything I do.
4 Lord, you know what I want to say,
    even before the words leave my mouth.
5 You are all around me—in front of me and behind me.
    I feel your hand on my shoulder.
6 I am amazed at what you know;
    it is too much for me to understand.
7 Your Spirit is everywhere I go.
    I cannot escape your presence.” Psalm 139:2-7 ERV

Our heavenly Father knows our every step, every time we stand up or sit down. He knows when we stumble, and He is here to pick us up and make our steps secure once again. His mind is filled with thoughts of us.

“And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. 29 But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. 30 If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!

31 “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things.” Matthew 6:28-32 ERV

Our Father who created all the world with its splendor and beauty cares more for us than anything else in His creation. Don’t worry, He knows everything we need.

He is mindful of our needs!

“ Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ERV

From the beginning of time, our heavenly Father and Lord of creation, has had one thing on His mind – His love for us.

We are always on His mind!

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