Category: God’s Love

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It’s Personal

Do you read your Bible as if it’s a personal letter just for you? I hope you do. It’s an amazing book, written personally to each one who reads it.

Although God’s message is universal and to all who will believe it’s also written with specific and individual instruction so that we may each have our own personal relationship with the Father.

The purpose of Paul writing to the Christians at the church in Ephesus was to introduce them to this mystery of God’s amazing grace being given to them. It’s personal.

“ God let me know his secret plan by showing it to me. I have already written a little about this. 4 And if you read what I wrote, you can see that I understand the secret truth about Christ. 5 People who lived in other times were not told that secret truth. But now, through the Spirit, God has made it known to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 And this is the secret truth: that by hearing the Good News, those who are not Jews will share with the Jews in the blessings God has for his people. They are part of the same body, and they share in the promise God made through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 3:3-6 ERV

For thousands of years, the blessings of God were reserved for His people, the Jews. David had confidence as he faced Goliath that God was with Him because of the covenant that God made with the Jewish people.

The three men who were threatened with a fiery furnace were not afraid because they trusted in their promise keeping God. Daniel chose to serve God even though it meant being thrown into a den of lions.

Esther, a young Jewish girl, who became queen, boldly went before the king and his adviser, who was intent on killing all Jews, because of her trust in her covenant keeping God.

And now Paul was telling the Ephesians, and us, that these same blessings and promises of God are made available to us through Christ.

“By God’s special gift of grace, I became a servant to tell that Good News. He gave me that grace by using his power. 8 I am the least important of all God’s people. But he gave me this gift—to tell the non-Jewish people the Good News about the riches Christ has. These riches are too great to understand fully. 9 And God gave me the work of telling all people about the plan for his secret truth. That secret truth has been hidden in him since the beginning of time. He is the one who created everything. 10 His purpose was that all the rulers and powers in the heavenly places will now know the many different ways he shows his wisdom. They will know this because of the church. 11 This agrees with the plan God had since the beginning of time. He did what he planned, and he did it through Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In Christ we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ.” Ephesians 3:7-12 ERV

We, you and I, have been chosen by God to inherit His promises and through those promises we will be a testimony of the Father’s goodness and love. Our purpose is to never underestimate the power of God working in our lives and to boldly proclaim, like those of old, that God is able and deserves all glory.

It’s personal!

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Unity & Peace

I want to start with a little history lesson this morning. When God made a blood covenant with Abraham, He set Abraham and his descendants apart as a chosen people. A people of promise. Before Jacob, Abraham’s grandson moved his descendants to Egypt during the famine, his name had been changed to Israel. The Egyptians then called these people Israelites.

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and God gave them a new set of laws and a new way and place of worship, first in a portable tabernacle and then in a Temple that King Solomon built. Because they lived in the area of Judah, the land God promised them, they were also known as Jews, people from Judah.

Throughout their history peoples were distinguished as Jews and Gentiles, anyone who was not a Jew or Israelite was a Gentile. There was a division. The Jews were a people of promise; God had given them His law and His blessings. The sign of their covenant was circumcision. There was a division.

This morning, I want to show you how Christ changed all of the that. He brought unity and hope.

“Don’t forget that you are Gentiles. In fact, you used to be called “uncircumcised” by those who take pride in being circumcised. 12 At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God, 13 and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life’s blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God.

14 Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body 15  to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace. 16  On the cross Christ did away with our hatred for each other. He also made peace between us and God by uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body. 17  Christ came and preached peace to you Gentiles, who were far from God, and peace to us Jews, who were near God. 18 And because of Christ, all of us can come to the Father by the same Spirit.

19 You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God. 20 You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundation and with Christ as the most important stone. 21 Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord.” Ephesians 2:11-21 CEV

In Christ, Jew and Gentile alike, have been united in one body and we are called the body of Christ. He is our head and our firm foundation. From Him we receive His command.

“But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. 35 If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 CEV

Since we now have peace with God let’s also walk in His love.

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Rich in Mercy

I am enjoying going through Ephesians with you. I hope you are being encouraged by it as well.

Let’s jump right into chapter 2.

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:1-7 NLT

Everyone of us, there are no exceptions, were spiritually dead. Separated from God’s favor because of our sin.

BUT GOD…

I love those two words. We were sinners BUT. But means a change is coming. “But God” tells us that the authority of heaven is getting involved and things are about to change in a miraculous way.

“But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).” Ephesians 2:4-5 AMPC

Have you ever seen those old movies when someone has been charged with a crime and the defendant says “I throw myself on the mercy of the court”? That phrase means they are asking for leniency, consideration of extenuating circumstances. Help.

We were spiritually dead because of our sin BUT GOD showed us mercy because of Christ. Christ took our judgement, our sentencing and because we are now in Christ God, the Father, said “Case dismissed.

“But God showed His love to us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Now that we have been saved from the punishment of sin by the blood of Christ, He will save us from God’s anger also. 10 We hated God. But we were saved from the punishment of sin by the death of Christ. He has brought us back to God and we will be saved by His life.” Romans 5:8-10 NLV

There it is again, BUT GOD. We’ve been saved from the punishment of sin by Christ’s sacrifice. He has showered us with His kindness and love.

God has given us a life that is truly rich in mercy!

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Read It Again

Have you taken my suggestion of reading the book of Ephesians? I hope so, and now, I will encourage you to read it again.

There is so much spiritual gold to be found in this book. Personally, I have read the verses I’m going to share with you this morning thousands of times. Each time, they become more real and my understanding of God’s love and provision grows deeper.

I have to stop for a moment on something I just said. Provision. Pro – vision. To look ahead and supply what is needed. From the beginning of time, God looked ahead, saw what we need and provided it.

Don’t just read over these verses. Read them slowly, phrase by phrase, and let the Holy Spirit make them real to your heart.

“Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT

There are so many nuggets in those few verses. God doesn’t want us to miss a thing.

  1. Spiritual wisdom and insight is needed so we can grow in our knowledge of God
  2. With that knowledge our hearts will be flooded with hope, confident hope
  3. (This next one really took me a while to comprehend.) WE are God’s rich and glorious inheritance. An inheritance is something we receive when someone dies. It something of value. When Christ died, He gave the Father an inheritance – He gave the Father us! Let that sink in.
  4. When we understand that, we will also begin to understand the power of God that is working for us. It’s the same power that He demonstrated when He raised Christ from the dead.
  5. And finally, God put all things under Christ’s authority for our benefit. We, the church, are Christ’s body and as such we are full and complete in Him.

All I can say now is go back and “Read It Again”. God bless you!

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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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Call Her Blessed

“Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 CEV

Today I would like to honor my Mom. I would like to tell you what happened 71 years ago today.

My parents and siblings lived in a little town called Tacna. It’s about 40 miles out of Yuma. My dad worked road construction and their home was a small 8’x30′ trailer. My birth was eminent and since they lived so far from town, and I was my mother’s third pregnancy her doctor scheduled my delivery.

Dad drove Mom to the hospital in Yuma. July 3rd in Yuma. There was no such thing as air conditioning. In fact, there was a water shortage, so the evaporative coolers didn’t operate properly, no water to cool them, only hot air circulating through the hospital. I was born at 3:30 p.m. and my Mom later learned that her dad had passed away about twelve hours earlier at 3:30 a.m.

That’s how life started for me.

My Mom was a real trooper, and she loved the Lord. She and Daddy both had accepted Christ about five years before in a tent revival meeting. They raised us with prayer, love and a trust in the Lord.

Times were tough; we didn’t have a lot of material things, but we did always have food on the table, a bed to sleep in, a home filled with love and prayer. I wasn’t always the perfect daughter, and she wasn’t always the perfect mom but I’m so thankful that God chose her to be my role model.

“Bring up a child by teaching him the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it.” Proverbs 22:6 NLV

Mom’s been gone three years now and I miss not hearing her voice on the phone as she called to wish me happy birthday. So many good memories of birthday cakes she made, parties she planned, new clothes she made and the love she gave.

“ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 Keep these words in your heart that I am telling you today. 7 Do your best to teach them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NLV

I want this to be an encouragement to each of you. Our possessions may be meager but as long as we are confident in God’s love and His goodness, we have immeasurable wealth to share with our children.

Thanks Mom.

Thanks Mom – I’m blessed!

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Say Thank You

This morning, I was reflecting on God’s goodness and loving faithfulness.

You see eleven years ago this month I was hospitalized with some very serious health issues. God was so good, and I left the hospital seven days later – weak but with a clean bill of health. Lately, I had been experiencing a few of the early symptoms that I had back then. Yesterday, I went for an in-office procedure and was told that everything was clear and healthy.

Thank you, Lord!

We have so much to be thankful for – large and small.

Was it last night’s sunset? Maybe this morning’s sunrise; was it the smile on a child’s face or the tiny delicate fingers of your sleeping baby’s hands?

Maybe it was the blue gentle ripples on the lakes surface; the green of the forest trees; a hawk soaring on the breeze or a prairie flower in all its beauty?

Perhaps you saw love in the eyes of your spouse or child; did you hear joy in the words “you can go home tomorrow” or “it’s benign, nothing to worry about”?

Whatever it was or whatever it is, do you hear and see the love that the Lord has placed all around you? He did this just for you! He wanted you to be aware that He cares about you and His love is measureless, unconditional and free to all.

“Shout praises to the Lord! Shout the Lord’s praises in the highest heavens. 2 All of you angels, and all who serve him above, come and offer praise.

3 Sun and moon, and all of you bright stars, come and offer praise. 4 Highest heavens, and the water above the highest heavens, come and offer praise. 5 Let all things praise the name of the Lord, because they were created at his command. 6 He made them to last forever, and nothing can change what he has done. 7 All creatures on earth, you obey his commands, so come praise the Lord! 8 Sea monsters and the deep sea, fire and hail, snow and frost, and every stormy wind, come praise the Lord! 9 All mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, 10 every wild and tame animal, all reptiles and birds, come praise the Lord!

11 Every king and every ruler, all nations on earth, 12 every man and every woman, young people and old, come praise the Lord!

13 All creation, come praise the name of the Lord. Praise his name alone. The glory of God is greater than heaven and earth. 14 Like a bull with mighty horns, the Lord protects his faithful nation Israel, because they belong to him.

Shout praises to the Lord!” Psalm 148 CEV

Enjoy what the Lord has done for you today and tell Him thank you!

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Cracked or Shattered

For the last few days, the Lord has been reminding me of how He sees sin. (Please don’t quit reading, I think this will be a real encouragement to you.)

You see we often have a tendency to categorize sin. Big sins, little sins. God doesn’t do that. In fact, the first sin in the Garden of Eden wouldn’t rank very high on some people’s scale because it was only pride and something as insignificant as disobedience. Definitely not one of the big sins.

However, God’s perspective is sin is sin. The Apostle James puts it this way:

“One law rules over all other laws. This royal law is found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ 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.

10 You might follow all of God’s law. But if you fail to obey only one command, you are guilty of breaking all the commands in that law.” James 2:8-10 ERV

And Paul, the apostle, tells us that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the mark of God’s standard.

“All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:23-24 ERV

Whatever our sin is, it has separated us from God. However, God provides us with the way of salvation, and He gives it to us as a free gift.

“One man sinned, and so death ruled all people because of that one man. But now some people accept God’s full grace and his great gift of being made right. Surely they will have true life and rule through the one man, Jesus Christ.

18 So that one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people. But in the same way, Christ did something so good that it makes all people right with God. And that brings them true life. 19 One man disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man obeyed God and many will be made right.” Romans 5:17-19 ERV

Jesus gave us strict warning about judging others.

“Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy. 37 ‘Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.'” Luke 6:36-38 ERV

A few years back we had a window in our house that had been broken when the weed eater threw up a rock. It was only a small round hole but nonetheless the window was broken. It was just as broken as if it had been shattered.

We need to realize that it isn’t our place to judge, that’s God’s job. Ours is to give others the same love and mercy the Father has given us. We are all guilty of breaking the window of God’s standard. However, we are all invited to receive His free gift of restoration.

Let’s pray for one another from a heart of love and let God fix what is broken.

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A Spoonful of Sugar

Now I realize that isn’t good medical advice. In fact, quite the opposite. Too much sugar can be detrimental to our health but what Mary Poppins was teaching is that life needs more sweetness – and it does.

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday night and we were all so blessed with the food, the visit and the laughter. Everyone remarked on the laughter and the joy. One of the men made the comment that laughter is one of life’s greatest healers – and it is!

I think people need a good spoonful of medicine today, but good old fashioned Bible medicine.

” Happiness is good medicine, but sorrow is a disease.” Proverbs 17:22 ERV

“If you are cheerful, you feel good; if you are sad, you hurt all over.” Proverbs 17:22 CEV

If we allow ourselves to stay focused on the things in our world, or in our lives that are wrong, evil or contrary, we will be overtaken by the dis-ease of sorrow.

Dis-ease. Now there’s an interesting word. The lack of being at ease. When disease strikes our body, our whole system is ill-at-ease.

But a good dose of the medicine of a merry heart will strengthen us and bring us peace.

“Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy the good food and sweet drinks. Give some food and drinks to those who didn’t prepare any food. Today is a special day to our Lord. Don’t be sad, because the joy of the Lord will make you strong.’” Nehemiah 8:10 ERV

Jeremiah said: “I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13  You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:11-13 CEV

Look today not at the circumstances but at our God who changes circumstances and be filled with good medicine.

“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 ERV

I pray that God will fill your heart with joy and that you will be healed of dis-ease.

On a side note: Dave and I will be on vacation this week in an area that has very weak cell and internet service so I might not be able to post each day. I am praying that your week will be filled with love and laughter! I love you all.

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Greener Pastures

Living in rural areas it has been my privilege to see bands of sheep grazing in the fields. Sheep have healthy appetites and so they must be moved to new pastures on a regular basis.

“2-3 But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. 4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice…9 I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully. 11  I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.” John 10:2-11 CEV

It’s a foolish sheep that would want to stay in a pasture once the grass has been grazed off. It’s a good shepherd who knows when it’s time to move to greener pastures. We had a good shepherd to follow.

“You are my hiding place!  You protect me from trouble, and you put songs in my heart because you have saved me. 8 You said to me, ‘I will point out the road that you should follow. I will be your teacher and watch over you.‘” Psalm 32:7-8 CEV

When we follow Christ, we can trust His leading. This morning, my Bible reading took me to the book of Daniel where I saw something in a new light.

“2  The Lord let Nebuchadnezzar capture Jehoiakim…One day the king ordered Ashpenaz, his highest palace official, to choose some young men from the royal family of Judah and from other leading Jewish families. 4 The king said, ‘They must be healthy, handsome, smart, wise, educated, and fit to serve in the royal palace. Teach them how to speak and write our language 5 and give them the same food and wine that I am served. Train them for three years, and then they can become court officials.’

8 Daniel made up his mind to eat and drink only what God had approved for his people to eat. And he asked the king’s chief official for permission not to eat the food and wine served in the royal palace…17 God made the four young men smart and wise. They read a lot of books and became well educated. Daniel could also tell the meaning of dreams and visions.18 At the end of the three-year period set by King Nebuchadnezzar, his chief palace official brought all the young men to him.19 The king interviewed them and discovered that none of the others were as outstanding as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they were given positions in the royal court.” Daniel 1 CEV

Most of us would not think that being taken into captivity was a leading to greener pastures but for Daniel and his friends it was. God elevated them to a place of authority and influence. He gave them favor and they were respected for their wisdom.

Further reading of the book of Daniel reveals multiple times that Daniel’s dependence on God opened the door for the Lord to do miracles and mighty works, prompting the kings he served to declare God’s might and power.

“King Darius then sent this message to all people of every nation and race in the world: ‘Greetings to all of you! 26 I command everyone in my kingdom to worship and honor the God of Daniel. He is the living God, the one who lives forever. His power and his kingdom
will never end. 27 He rescues people and sets them free by working great miracles.” Daniel 6:25-27 CEV

Even when we feel we have been thrown to the lions, if we are trusting God we will see we are in the greener pastures that He has prepared for us. Our focus should always be on following the Good Shepherd; He leads us to an abundant life.

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