Category: God’s Love

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Adoption Complete

I know that not everyone had a loving relationship with their father like I did. Yesterday’s blog was a tribute to good fathers and I pray that you know that experience.

However, some have grown up in homes where there was no father. Bad health may have stolen him or perhaps he was absent because of divorce or even drugs, alcohol and/or imprisonment. Those conditions could leave you bitter, lonely or confused, not knowing a father’s love.

I have good news for you today!

There is One who loves you and chosen you to be His very own. He will never abandon you and His love is unconditional, yes, I said unconditional.

“God knew from the beginning who would put their trust in Him. So He chose them and made them to be like His Son. Christ was first and all those who belong to God are His brothers. 30 He called to Himself also those He chose. Those He called, He made right with Himself. Then He shared His shining-greatness with those He made right with Himself.” Romans 8:29-30 NLV

We were chosen to share in the blessings and inheritance of the Father, just like Jesus. We have been adopted.

“the Holy Spirit makes us His sons, and we can call to Him, “My Father.” 16 For the Holy Spirit speaks to us and tells our spirit that we are children of God. 17 If we are children of God, we will receive everything He has promised us. We will share with Christ all the things God has given to Him. But we must share His suffering if we are to share His shining-greatness.” Romans 8:16-17 NLV

Our adoption was planned before the world began. It is a gift the Father offers to each of us freely, all we have to do to be a part of His wonderful family is accept the gift.

“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 1:5-6 CEV

Yesterday I encouraged all of us to take time to write a letter or make a call to our earthly fathers who have helped shape our lives. But today I want to make that same encouragement to those who have no one on this earth to reach out too. Make that call or write that card to your Heavenly Father. Thank Him for the relationship that He has purposed to have with you.

Enjoy today as a part of your inheritance.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. This new life brings us a living hope through Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death. 4 Now we wait to receive the blessings God has for his children. These blessings are kept for you in heaven. They cannot be ruined or be destroyed or lose their beauty.” I Peter 1:3-4 ERV

Praising God today for His amazing love and our adoption that is complete in Him!

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Breaking the Bank

Last month Dave and I made two expenditures we had been saving for. These weren’t part of the regular monthly budget. No, they were items we had to plan for and save for. Maybe you don’t live on a budget, but we always have.

Each month we have dollars allotted for the different categories: food, clothing, home, electric, internet, phone, tithe, savings, allowance, taxes, insurance. To stay within budget for groceries I look over the ads and find the sales. I do the same when we need a new pair of shoes or other clothes.

We know the Lord expects us to be good stewards of the money He blesses us with and so we try to spend wisely. However, there is one event that we are allowing ourselves the right to be extravagant. It’s our 50th wedding anniversary trip to Greece in September. Oh, we’ve set a budget for the trip, but it is a substantial one. This is a once in a lifetime experience.

This morning I was reminded of another budget blowing expenditure that I have been involved in. It is my relationship with the Lord. He is the One who blew the budget and I am the one who is the recipient of His grace.

“God paid a high price for you, so don’t be slaves to anyone else.” I Corinthians 7:23 ERV

Have you ever stopped to consider how deeply the Father loves us? We are invaluable to Him.

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field. 45 Also, God’s kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 One day he found a very fine pearl. He went and sold everything he had to buy it.” Matthew 13:44-46 ERV

The earth is the field, God the Father is the man, we are the treasure and Jesus is the price that was paid!

What is it that would cause you to sell all you have – your home, jewelry, cars, boat, horses, RV? What would make you cash in the CD’s and empty the savings account? What would be valuable enough to have you sell all to buy one treasure?

We are that treasure! God gave His only begotten Son to purchase us!

No words can convey what I am feeling in my heart this morning as I focus on the depth of God’s love for me.

“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 3:18-19 ERV

“Nothing is more precious than your loving kindness. All people can find protection close to you.” Psalm 36:7 ERV

Father, I will take my words from the Psalms, nothing is more precious than your lovingkindness. Thank you for loving us enough to break the bank!

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Moving Forward

Yesterday afternoon I checked in with a friend to find out how their travels had been. You see, they came by yesterday morning before they left on their trip and we asked how far they had planned to go on the first day, they said “we’ll stop in Albuquerque”.

Well, they made it. She said that there destination is still 650 miles away and they would be breaking that portion into two days. Sounded like a wise decision, no point in wearing yourself out the first few days.

Move forward, step by step or mile by mile.

Why do we get discouraged, frustrated or exhausted as we make forward progress in life? Often times, we set unreasonable goals and burn out before we reach them.

Dave and I used to travel a lot. We would drive from Montana to Arizona, it was an 1100 mile trip and we’d drive it in two days. Almost 700 miles the first and a little over 400 the second. Why not? Afterall, if we didn’t push that hard we were “burning daylight”.

Now that we are older and wiser, we take our time and we arrive in a better frame of mind, having rested along the way.

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.

5 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; 6 to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; 7 to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. 8 If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:3-8 ERV

We have been given a spiritual road map which leads to our victory in Christ. Our first stop is where we come to understand that God has given us everything we need, great and precious gifts, for living successfully in this world.

Because these blessings put us on the right path, our next stop lands us in a place where our faith grows. As we travel a little farther, we increase in goodness and then knowledge. We now have knowledge that God has given us all we need, we stop to gain self-control and patience. We head out from patience, knowing we can trust God with our circumstances, arriving at a place of deep devotion to God.

Our devotion to the Father takes us to a place of kindness towards those around us and that kindness brings us to our destination of love.

As we move forward on the road map that God has designed for us, we will arrive successfully at our destination of being Christ-like in our words and actions.

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Life Can Be Hard

I have been blessed in my life. God’s grace, strength, joy and peace have sustained me. There have been times I wanted to give up and quit but the support of loved ones and God’s grace encouraged me to go on.

Maybe you are in a really rough place right now – you’re tempted to quit. What’s the use of continuing on? I’d like to share a story that has always been an encouragement to me during hard times.

A king brought his army against the Israelites, they had surrounded Samaria and cut off all the food supply to the city. The situation became so dire that the people in the city were eating animal dung and even reports of cannibalism were recorded. They were in a desperate place – hope was gone.

There were four lepers who were outside the city wall and they asked a question, “Why are we sitting here waiting to die? There is no food in Samaria. If we go into the city, we will die there. If we stay here, we will also die. So let’s go to the Aramean camp. If they let us live, we will live. If they kill us, we will just die.” II Kings 7:4 ERV

Now that’s desperation.

It was time to do something even if it meant that they might die. So, they went. I’ve faced some difficult situations, but none have been this serious, how about you?

When they got to the enemy camp they found that the Arameans had fled and left all of their belongings.

“So that evening the four lepers went to the Aramean camp. When they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! 6 The Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army. So the soldiers said to each other, ‘The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to come against us.’

7 The Arameans ran away early that evening. They left everything behind. They left their tents, horses, and donkeys and ran for their lives. 8 When these lepers came to where the camp began, they went into one tent. They ate and drank. Then they carried silver, gold, and clothes out of the camp and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent. They carried things out from this tent and went out and hid them. 9 Then they said to each other, ‘We are doing wrong! Today we have good news, but we are silent. If we wait until the sun comes up, we will be punished. Now let’s go and tell the people who live in the king’s palace.’” II Kings 7:5-9

Through these four lepers, the outcasts of society, God provided not only for them but for the whole city.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I’m not saying that you’re going to find an enemy camp with horses, clothing, food and gold but I am saying that God will provide. Your desperate situation isn’t desperate to God. He has the answer and is providing a way – that is His character.

“My God will use his glorious riches to give you everything you need. He will do this through Christ Jesus. 20 Glory to our God and Father forever and ever.” Philippians 4:19 – 20

Trust God – trust Him today and follow what He calls you to do. Life can be hard but don’t just sit there until you die!

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Heart to Heart

Every morning when Dave gets up he comes to the living room, kisses me, tells me he loves me and then takes and fills my coffee cup. He’s been doing this for the past 9 years but for the past 50 years he has kissed me and told me he loves me – the filling my coffee cup is a new addition. One I never tire of.

I have a similar routine for my Bible reading and quiet time. Every morning I tell the Lord that I love Him, I even write it in my journal and then I open my Bible and have favorite verses I read which tell me of the Lord’s love for me and His commitment to walking with me each day.

I never tire of that either, it is a time that we share heart to heart.

This morning I want to encourage you to listen to God’s leading. Listen to His heart!

As you read the Bible if you come across something you don’t really understand then tell the Lord and ask Him to give you the insight you need to properly apply what you are reading.

God’s desire from the very beginning of time was to walk and talk to us and to tell us what was on His heart. He never changes so that is still His desire today. We just need to take the time to slow down and listen.

“But we speak God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden from everyone until now. God planned this wisdom for our glory. He planned it before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it, they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross. 9 But as the Scriptures say,

‘No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’

10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.” I Corinthians 2:6-12 ERV

Trust the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of Christ’s way of thinking. He wants us to know His ways and walk each day directed by Him. He wants us to know the depth of His love.

He wants to share with us heart to heart.

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Religion or Relationship

I love when we get together with friends and our conversation focuses on our relationship with the Lord!

For so many years I lived by religious rules. Church attendance was required. There was Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night and the reoccurring youth get togethers. Sad to say most of it was a religious act and didn’t build my relationship with the Lord. It didn’t matter that through the week I felt lonely, out of the inner circle and abandon. There was an ache in my heart a deeper connection with the Lord and I wasn’t finding it.

“Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won’t turn any of them away.” John 6:37 CEV

Last night we visited with friends and shared from the heart about our walk with the Lord. We have been in churches and religious surroundings where we were treated like outcasts. But you know what? We were in good company because Jesus faced the same treatment from the religious rulers of His day.

“God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the kingdom of heaven.11  God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12  Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.” Matthew 5:10-12 CEV

Jesus faced down the religion of His day. The religious leaders said he was unfit because He ate with sinners and the lower class of society. Jesus’ response was: “I came to seek and to save those who are lost”. Religion and their opinions didn’t stop Him.

It shouldn’t stop us either.

We have pharisees living among us and at times, if we aren’t careful, we could act just like them. We judge because of someone’s appearance and/or lifestyle. But that’s not God’s way. God looks at the heart and to Him sin is sin, no big sins or little sins – just sin.

“They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, ‘If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her! 8′  Once again he bent over and began writing on the ground.” John 8:7-8 CEV

 “If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all. ” James 2:10 CEV

Religion judges. Relationship forgives and restores.

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” Romans 5:6-8 CEV

Let’s cultivate relationship with our loving and forgiving heavenly Father and stay away from religious judgements.

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Covered by Love

I have a fleece throw that I use every day – warm days, cold days it doesn’t matter. I find a sense of comfort in cuddling under that blanket. I like being covered. I guess that’s why these verses mean so much to me.

 “The mouth of the one who is right with God is a well of life, but the mouth of the sinful hides trouble. 12 Hate starts fights, but love covers all sins.” Proverbs 10:11-12 NLV

I’ve been taught when we have a heart of love we don’t expose someone else’s weaknesses or their wrongdoing. We cover them. This is a true teaching but it goes deeper than that.

It has to do with me and my Father. He loves me and His love covers my short comings and my wrong doings. He doesn’t come to you and tell you all the things I’ve done wrong. He doesn’t go to my husband or my kids or my friends and point out how many times I’ve missed it.

He covers me – He covers me with His love and in His mercy, He forgives, and He forgets.

WOW!

Does that mean we don’t have to accept any responsibility for what we do wrong? Not in the slightest. If we drive drunk, there are consequences. If we steal there are consequences. If we gossip or lie there are consequences.

However, we have the Father’s promise that He will and has covered them and He won’t use our past failures to embarrass us or berate us.

“With one sacrifice Christ made his people perfect forever. They are the ones who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also tells us about this. First he says, 16’This is the agreement I will make with my people in the future, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts. I will write my laws in their minds.’ 17 Then he says, ‘I will forget their sins and never again remember the evil they have done.’ 18 And after everything is forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice to pay for sins. 19 And so, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus.” Hebrews 10:14-19 ERV

Because of Christ’s sacrifice our sins are not only covered, but they are also completely blotted out and forgotten. We are forgiven, we are free to enter the Father’s presence.

When I was a kid we sang a song in church and the meaning of the words were lost to me until I was older. Now, when I sing them, my throat tightens, and tears come to my eyes:

“Calvary covers it all,

My past with its sin and shame;

My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there,

And Calvary covers it all.”

I don’t know about you but I am certainly glad that His love covers my sins!

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Wonderful World

I don’t know why my mind goes the places that it does sometimes but when it does, I take the time to ask the Lord what He is showing me and what He wants me to share with others. Today’s it a song from the 1960’s, sung by Louis Armstrong. What A Wonderful World.

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom, for me and for you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white
The bright blessed days, dark sacred nights
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands sayin’ how do you do
They’re really sayin’ I love you

The colors that the Father has infused into creation are amazing!

How many different hues do we see in nature, in the birds, the fish, the flowers and the sky? From the beginning of time, they are how God created them to be.

“God said, ‘I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants, including fruit trees and grain.’ And that’s what happened. 12 The earth produced all kinds of vegetation. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. 13 Evening came, then morning—that was the third day…God said, ‘I command the earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles.’ And that’s what happened. 25 God made every one of them. Then he looked at what he had done, and it was good. 26  God said, ‘Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures.’” Genesis 1;11-26 CEV

He created the world to be filled with beauty.

“The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what his hands have made.
2 Each new day tells more of the story, and each night reveals more and more about God’s power. 3 You cannot hear them say anything. They don’t make any sound we can hear.
4 But their message goes throughout the world. Their teaching reaches the ends of the earth.” Psalm 19:1-4 ERV

The message that nature declares is that of God’s greatness! He is worthy to be praised.

Some think of God as being boring or old fashioned. Hardly. There is nothing boring about the beauty of a sunset or a field of wildflowers in bloom. There is nothing passe about the majesty of a waterfall or the brilliance of the Milky Way.

The colors of nature are as timeless and a constant reminder of God’s unconditional love.

“ When I look and see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the agreement that continues forever. I will remember the agreement between me and every living thing on the earth. 17 So God said to Noah, ‘This rainbow is proof of the agreement that I made with all living things on earth.’” Genesis 9:16-17 ERV

The colors of the rainbow are a sign of promise. A promise from God that the earth would never again be destroyed by a flood. A brilliant, beautiful promise of God’s faithfulness and love.

If the rainbow were only gray and white it wouldn’t make the statement God intended it too. It would be easy to overlook on a rainy day but since it is so brightly colored it stands out in the sky. It draws attention, causing us to look up, take notice – it is declaring God’s message.

What a wonderful world!

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Learned Behavior

Yesterday we found ourselves in deep conversation with friends. We were talking about prejudice and how it’s a learned behavior. I made a statement about learned behavior and if we learn it we can also unlearn it.

It’s not easy but with God’s grace, He can transform our hearts.

I work hard to get passed outward appearances. What people look like, how the sound, educated or unlearned, political leanings, rich or poor, young or old – none of it makes any difference to God.

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

“ 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.” Galatians 3:27-28 CEV

If I had been with Jesus when he was preaching and teaching would I have been accepting of the woman in adultery, would I have been willing to eat dinner with Zacchaeus, would I have even talked to the woman at the well long enough to find out that she needed a friend or a Savior?

Just being honest with you. Too many times I have judged people by their outward appearance without seeing who Jesus sees. Maybe you are better than me in these circumstances.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day judged Him unacceptable because He didn’t keep their religious traditions. Jesus healed people on the Sabbath day, He had dinner with tax collectors and other sinners. He was unconventional, He allowed Himself to be touched by lepers and the demon possessed.

He came to love the world!

The Apostle Paul gave us this instruction:

“If our faith is strong, we should be patient with the Lord’s followers whose faith is weak. We should try to please them instead of ourselves. 2 We should think of their good and try to help them by doing what pleases them. 3 Even Christ did not try to please himself. But as the Scriptures say, ‘The people who insulted you also insulted me.’ 4 And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope. 5 God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ. 6 Then all of you together will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you. 8 I tell you that Christ came as a servant of the Jews to show that God has kept the promises he made to their famous ancestors. Christ also came, 9 so that the Gentiles would praise God for being kind to them…

13 I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.” Romans 15:1-13 CEV

We are always going to have different opinions over politics, money, education, appearance, lifestyle, doctrines but those differences should never stop us from loving those whom God created.

We need to have the same mind as Christ in this. He hated sin so much that He died to pay the price for atonement but He loved the sinner so much that He willingly went to the cross.

If we are guilty of learned behavior let it be the behavior we see modeled by Christ and His unconditional love!

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Extraction

Six years ago we were in Indiana for the Indianapolis 500 race. This was a bucket list item of Dave’s. Our son and his girlfriend made it possible. It was an amazing time!

I don’t remember who won but what I do remember is the patriotism. The unapologetic display of our flag and the way they honored our fallen soldiers and those who are currently serving.

The image I used this morning was one I captured as the Army Airborne performed a ground to air extraction. We watched as each man went hand-over-hand up the rope and the helicopter rose higher and higher, simulating the removal of soldiers to safety. The last soldier was charged with unfurling the American flag. I cried…

Isn’t it great to have a day when we think about the sacrifice that others have been willing to make on our behalf? Time to reflect and remember those who have given so much. Folks that we don’t even know have fought for us, many gave their lives.

And yet, there is one greater than all these who gave His life for our freedom.

“And we can see that it was while we were powerless to help ourselves that Christ died for sinful men. In human experience it is a rare thing for one man to give his life for another, even if the latter be a good man, though there have been a few who have had the courage to do it. Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

When we were at our worst, He died to set us free from sin and all the destruction that it would bring. The freedom He gives isn’t just for this life but it has eternal value. He gives us an abundant life here on earth and the promise of eternity in heaven with Him.

“The thief comes with the sole intention of stealing and killing and destroying, but I came to bring them life, and far more life than before. ” John 10:10

The thing that Christ asks of us is that we don’t take His sacrifice for granted, ignoring it or taking it lightly. He asks us to love and live a life of love as He did. We have a responsibility to share the love that He has freely given us with others.

“This is my commandment: that you love each other as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this—that a man should lay down his life for his friends. ” John 15:12-13 CEV

Every day should be “Memorial Day” as we remember the One who gave His all for us.

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