Category: God’s Love

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Making Priorities

The start of a new week.

What’s on your schedule? Do you have a calendar on the wall with a To-Do list or maybe it’s all in your smart phone or on your I-pad? You may be old fashioned like me and just have a list on a sheet of paper on the desk. Whatever it is, does it give you a sense of accomplishment to check things off when they are done?

This morning I was reading about the Apostle Paul. He had a checklist.

“I don’t know what will happen to me in Jerusalem, but I must obey God’s Spirit and go there. 23 In every city I visit, I am told by the Holy Spirit that I will be put in jail and will be in trouble in Jerusalem. 24 But I don’t care what happens to me, as long as I finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do. And that work is to tell the good news about God’s great kindness.” Acts 20:22-24 CEV

Paul had been out preaching all over Asia. He told everyone, everywhere he went about Jesus. That was all he had on his list.

One thing!

One very important thing. I’m sure he had other things he could have done. After all, as he would go into new towns he needed to find a place to stay, acquire provisions, and locate new Christians but the one thing at the top of his list was his relationship with God, the Father, through Jesus Christ. He had been commissioned to tell the non-Jewish world about God’s great love and the good news of Jesus.

“I do not say that I have received this or have already become perfect. But I keep going on to make that life my own as Christ Jesus made me His own. 13 No, Christian brothers, I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me. 14 My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLV

I have a list of things I want to accomplish today. But I will leave room at the top so that I can be ready to tell others about the Father’s goodness, mercy, kindness and grace.

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What Are You Looking For?

I know I’ve told you that I really enjoy “hidden object” search games. Even when I was young I liked doing the word search pages in the newspaper or magazines.

Down the side of the page would be a list of words that were hidden somewhere in the maze of letters. If I was really feeling confident I would do them with an ink pen. These were the earliest versions of computer games before there were computers.

We all seem to be on a search, one way or another. It can be a search for fame and fortune, the perfect mate, a healthier lifestyle – any one of a vast number of things – all in hope of making life better.

My search was complete when I found Jesus!

“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. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV

Seek, search for Me, and you will find Me! This was the Lord’s instruction hundreds of years ago and it’s still valid today. The Lord isn’t trying to hide. We find Him in plain sight. The shepherds found Him in a stable. The wisemen found Him at His house with His mother. His mother found Him in the temple teaching.

Zacchaeus went searching for Jesus. He even had to climb a tree to get a better vantage point. What Zacchaeus didn’t know was Jesus was also searching for him.

“Jesus said, “Today is the day for this family to be saved from sin. Yes, even this tax collector is one of God’s chosen people. 10 The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.” Luke 19:9-11 ERV

After His resurrection Jesus found his disciples behind closed doors. He came to them just like He comes to us. He came searching for those He loves. When we are in our darkest hour He comes. He comes to bring life, light, hope and joy.

Jesus searches to save the lost. We seek a Savior. When we meet, the search is over. No point to look any further.

“Look for the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the sinful turn from his way, and the one who does not know God turn from his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have loving-pity on him. Let him turn to our God, for He will for sure forgive all his sins.” Isaiah 55:6-7 NLV

When we find Jesus our search ends, we are complete in Him!

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Building a Life

Our life has taken some interesting turns recently. I’m not able to share the details yet but I will later. It has been challenging to say the least. I have pulled into the Lord for His strength and direction. I have certainly learned alot about my relationship with the Father and found, once again, that He is always faithful!

Some of you are dealing with some pretty heavy stuff right now. Maybe to those looking in it might not appear to be that big of a deal or maybe it’s so big that people are telling you anyone would crumble if they were in your shoes. Friends and their words can be an encouragement and strength but they can also add to your burden and not realize it, so let’s look at what God’s word has to say about His faithfulness during difficult times.

The message is strong – “I will NEVER leave you”!

The writer of Hebrews tells us to put our faith, our hope, our perspective on the Lord and His faithfulness, not on money or circumstances. Nothing wrong with money but it cannot buy peace or be our source of strength.

Then he tells us to look at our rulers (spiritual leaders) and see how God has been faithful and moved in their lives. Their testimonies are an encouragement of the Father’s faithfulness and love. The writer of Hebrews ends with this thought. He tells us that Jesus set a precedent for moving in our lives because He IS the same – yesterday, today and forever!

“Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,“I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” 6 So we can feel sure and say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. People can do nothing to me.” 7 Remember your leaders. They taught God’s message to you. Remember how they lived and died, and copy their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:5-8 ERV

Every time I woke last night, and there were many, the words to this song came rushing into my heart. In fact, I laid there for over an hour just singing this anthem from the depths of my being. “Build My Life” by Songwriters: Matt Redman, Pat Barrett, Brett Younker, Karl Martin, Kirby Kaple, Karl Andrew Martin

And I will build my life upon your love, it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon your love, it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken (Holy)

Holy, there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me (repeat)

The building blocks for my life are built on a firm foundation of God’s love for me. He will never abandon me – He will never leave me alone – I will not be deserted by my loving heavenly Father!

Don’t give up – Don’t quit! God is going through this with you and He will bring you out victorious!!!

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Softly & Tenderly

Happy Easter everyone. What a wonderful day – celebrating the resurrection of Jesus! Amazing. Simply amazing.

I always try to put myself in the different stories I read in the Bible. I feel I have been with the disciples in the storm at sea; I followed the woman who had been caught in adultery as she was drug through the streets by her accusers. I’ve eaves-dropped on the conversation between Jesus and the little boy with a lunch of five loaves and two fish and I’ve stood at the foot of cross to see Jesus crucified.

But the story that I can relate to the most – the one that leaves me speechless – occurred on that first resurrection morning.

“Mary stood outside the grave crying. As she cried, she got down and looked inside the grave. 12 She saw two angels dressed in white clothes. They were sitting where the body of Jesus had lain. One angel was where His head had lain and one angel was where His feet had lain. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord. I do not know where they have put Him.”

14 After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 He said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” She thought He was the man who cared for the garden. She said to Him, “Sir, if you have taken Jesus from here, tell me where you have put Him. I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned around and said to Him, “Teacher!” John 20:11-16 NLV

That morning a group of women had gone to the tomb with additional spices to entomb Jesus’ body. They found the stone rolled away and ran back to the disciples to tell them the stone had been moved. Peter and John ran to the tomb ahead of her and found it empty. They went home but Mary stayed.

Heartbroken and alone, she stayed. Crying she stayed. Why would anyone steal her Savior’s body? The angels tried to speak words of comfort but she turned and walked away, dejected.

As she was leaving she encountered a man that she thought was the gardener. She spoke through her tears and asked “have you taken Jesus, please tell me where he is”.

At that moment, that sorrow filled moment, Jesus spoke but one word, softly and tenderly.

“Mary”.

At the sound of her name she knew instantly that this was Jesus! Her heart was bursting with joy. He’s alive! He called my name. He met me in my sorrow. I’m not alone, I will never be alone again. Jesus has called my name!

His death on the cross paid the price for the sins of all mankind but if I had been the only one to ever live on planet Earth, Jesus would have died just for me. He loves me that much. Salvation is exclusively inclusive. It’s for everyone and yet this gift is offered to each of us personally.

I identify with Mary. At my lowest point, heart filled with sorrow, I have heard Jesus softly and tenderly call my name. Jesus loves me, I will never be alone again.

I know if you will listen, you will hear Him call your name as well.

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At the Cross

Our Easter weekends used to have a way of being a bit abnormal.

When the kids were small we founded an outreach ministry to the working cowboys and their children. One Easter Sunday we had folks preaching at four different rodeo arenas in AZ. Those were wonderful days of seeing the Lord meet the needs of the cowboy community!

How I praise Him for giving us that opportunity to take His good news to these special folks. Everyone needs to have someone tell them about Jesus’ love, his forgiveness and his wonderful plan to give us life everlasting. That was our way of taking the gospel into all the world.

Our world was alfalfa and cotton fields, youth rodeo arenas and ropings. Your world may be a medical office, an IT programming center, the front seat of a big rig, a classroom or a bank lobby. No matter the occupation or career we are all welcome at the foot of the cross.

He died so that we could live, He was oppressed so we could live free from fear and anxiety, His body was bruised and wounded so ours could be healed, His heart was broken so we could live in an unconditionally loving relationship with the Father. There is only one place to find this free gift and that’s at the cross of Jesus.

“He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, ‘He is a nobody!’ 4 He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. 5 He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well. 6 All of us were like sheep that had wandered off. We had each gone our own way, but the Lord gave him the punishment we deserved. 7 He was painfully abused, but he did not complain. He was silent like a lamb being led to the butcher, as quiet as a sheep having its wool cut off. 8 He was condemned to death without a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him? His life was taken away because of the sinful things my people had done.” Isaiah 53:3-8 CEV

The verses above describe what Jesus went through to pay the penalty for our sins. He was sinless and deserved none of it but He took our place. His death on the cross was only part of the story. Three days later, Easter, He rose from the grave victoriously. His life’s mission was complete. Our mission is to spread the news of what He has done.

“We are Christ’s missionaries. God is speaking to you through us. We are speaking for Christ and we ask you from our hearts to turn from your sins and come to God. 21 Christ never sinned but God put our sin on Him. Then we are made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.” II Corinthians 5:20-21 NLV

All are welcome at the cross!

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Eyes of Love

As we start this Easter week, I would like us to focus on the depth of Jesus’ love – His love for the Father and His love for us. He served the Father with loving obedience and He freely gave His life so that ours could be redeemed. He knew what His future held.

JESUS KNEW!!!

He knew what was going to happen to him and He didn’t open his mouth to defend Himself! He knew and he didn’t destroy the soldiers who came to arrest Him in the garden. He knew and he didn’t demand that His disciples die with Him or come to His aide, He simply asked them to pray with Him that He would stand strong to face the trial that was ahead.

He knew He would be separated from God. He knew the torture that He would face. It was all prophesied in the Old Testament. He knew and He loved us so much that He chose to face this awful death.

HE KNEW!! He knew the prophesy.

“My God, my God, why have you deserted me? Why are you so far away? Won’t you listen to my groans and come to my rescue?…15 My strength has dried up like a broken clay pot,and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You, God, have left me to die in the dirt. 16 Brutal enemies attack me like a pack of dogs,tearing at my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones, and my enemies just stare and sneer at me. 18 They took my clothes and gambled for them. 19 Don’t stay far away, LORD! My strength comes from you, so hurry and help…31 People not yet born will be told, “The Lord has saved us!” Psalm 22

He knew and He experienced the pain!

“At noon the whole country became dark. The darkness continued for three hours. 46 About three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”47 Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.”48 Quickly, one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. 49 But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.” 50 Again Jesus cried out loudly and then died…The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, ‘He really was the Son of God!’” Matthew 27:45-50

He knew!! He had a purpose.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying. 4 You are struggling against sin, but you have not had to give up your life for the cause.” Hebrews 12:2-4 ERV

HE LOVED – HE KNEW – HE CAME – HE DIED – HE ROSE – HE LIVES!

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Joy Is Simple

We were blessed to have had four little ones in our home this last week. Children remind us of the joy to be found in the simple things of life. As adults, we sometimes get too busy to enjoy the things that are around us.

I can still hear the laughter that came from the breakfast table, the giggles on the swing and the squeals of delight in finding a pretty rock in the yard. When was the last time you got excited over bubbles in the bath tub?

Happiness. Simple enjoyment.

The book of Proverbs tells us “Happiness is good medicine, but sorrow is a disease.” Proverbs 17:22 ERV

Think about the word “enjoy” for a moment. The simplest definition is to add joy or find joy. When we enjoy someone’s company we are at a place where we have found joy.

As an adult there are so many things that distract us from finding and experiencing joy. We often forget about the simple things that once brought a smile to our face or a giggle in our hearts.

“Yes, happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” Psalm 144:15 NLV

We find joy when we find the Father and experience His love. Wasn’t that the message the angels brought to the shepherds?

“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:9-11 NLT

Great joy!

Find joy in the simple things. Our Father has made the whole of creation for our enjoyment. The old expression “stop and smell the roses” rings true. When we see the beauty and intricacies of the nature we can’t help but recognize the power and greatness of our Father.

The Father’s plan is that we have and enjoy life. Jesus said:

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” John 10:10 AMPC

If anyone is feeling discouraged, disheartened or disillusioned come to the Father and pour out your heart. Ask Him to fill you with joy. He is a faithful Father and He will answer your heart’s cry.

“Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24 NKJV

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Can’t Get Enough

Do you have any foods that you could eat until you almost burst? I have two; one is sweet, a hot fudge sundae and the other is salty, chips and salsa.

If I didn’t restrain myself I would gorge on these two indulgences. I just can’t get enough!

I’m sharing this, now very public, weakness with all of you because my dreams last night were inundated with delicious images of hot fudge sundaes. When I awaken one of my first thoughts was where is the closest Dairy Queen.

I know, she says tongue in cheek, that none of the rest of you experience these types of battles but just in case you do I’ll give you this piece of advice – resist temptation!

I have one other indulgence that you need to know about. This one I don’t try to resist, this one I give in to and let it fill my thoughts constantly.

“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 can’t get enough of God’s love!

Daily, I am reminded of His great love for me. It is unconditional. He loves me as much when I behaved horribly as He does when I am serving Him with all my heart. He extends His hand of mercy and grace. He will not reject me because His love never fails.

I will repeat, I can’t get enough of God’s love!

“Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, 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 makes it even more certain that he will save us through his Son’s life.” Romans 7-10 ERV

God’s love is deeper than we can comprehend, wider than the vast Milky Way but it is personal to each and everyone of us.

Let me close with these song lyrics written by Leeland Mooring, “Where You Are:“

I can’t get enough
No I can’t get enough
Of Your amazing love
I can’t get enough

I can’t walk away
No I can’t walk away
For I have seen Your face
And I can’t walk away

And I just wanna be where You are
I just wanna be near Your heart
There is nothing like Your love
There is nothing like Your love

Experiencing the love of God is one indulgence that I won’t walk away from.

I just can’t get enough! How about you?

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Do It Again!

For the past several days Dave and I had been blessed to have our youngest daughter, son-in-love, and three small grandchildren visit. Our home has been filled with happy times!

After they left, we talked about all the fun things we did while they were here and are hoping to do it again as soon as possible. We hadn’t had this much time with them in over a year.

The house was filled with laughter and joy! There were a few tears and squabbles but those were minimal. Art projects were created, stories were read, games were played, swings were swung, meals were shared and bedtime prayers were said. (Thank God for bedtime, I needed to recharge.)

A happy home!

Yesterday morning when I was reading my Bible I saw plainly that a “happy home” is God’s plan for us and it’s spelled out for us in several places. One of those is right here in Colossians.

“Wives, be willing to serve your husbands. This is the right thing to do in following the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be gentle to them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything. This pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, don’t upset your children. If you are too hard to please, they might want to stop trying.” Colossians 3:18-21 ERV

These are basic, simple instructions, instructions that create a happy home!

Wives are to submit to our husbands. It’s the right thing to do. There can only be one head in a home and God has vested that authority to our husbands. They, in turn, are answerable to God for making the right decisions for their familes. We are given the responsibility of being “keepers of the home”. It’s a high calling!

Husbands are instructed to love us and to be gentle with us. They are to be our protectors and providers. That’s a big responsibility. They need our prayers and our support. They are to love and care for us in the same way that Christ does.

Children are instructed to be obedient. If they learn this lesson in the home they will be respectful of the other authority figures in their lives, i.e. teachers, employers, elders, law enforcement, the Lord. This goes back to what I was saying yesterday. We taught our children there was one rule at home, be obedient.

Parents…for me, this is the hard one. There’s a fine line between being too strict or harsh and teaching our children discipline and respect. If we are constantly correcting, it becomes nagging, and it can create a child with low self-esteem. God doesn’t want that for our children, He wants them to realize how deeply loved they are by Him and by us.

“Fathers, do not be so hard on your children that they will give up trying to do what is right.” Colossians 3:21 NLV

I realized I was doing this to our kids when they did their household chores. I was pushing them to my standard of perfection and not realizing that they didn’t see things the same way I did. I needed to praise them for their effort and help them see the things they were deficient with.

Our kids are not just our kids. They are also sons and daughters of God and we should be raising them the way He instructs. Will there be times when correction and discipline are necessary? Absolutely. Will there be occasions of defiance and rebellion? Possibly. It’s up to us as parents to bring our children, individually, to the Lord in prayer and get His insight on their upbringing.

A happy home is built on a foundation of God’s love. His word is infallible, we can trust Him!

We keep doing the right thing because it’s right and then we do it again!

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Do It Right

Growing up there was a saying I heard in our home frequently. “A job worth doing is worth doing well”.

We didn’t take short cuts just to get the job done. I was taught to do things right but if I hurried through and didn’t do it correctly, I would have to do it again. This applied to everything from music scales on the piano, to baking, cleaning my room and homework.

Life lesson learned. Do it right.

But it really was so much more than that. It wasn’t just a philosophy to help me live better; I came to understand that it was the bedrock that I built my life upon.

Do it right!

“God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 13 Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you. 14 Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful.

16 Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.” Colossians 3:12-17 ERV

A few days ago I shared how we should avoid the list of don’ts that the world tries to impose on us. These verses above give us a list of things we can and should be doing which are good and beneficial. I’ve even highlighted a few of them.

God used the Apostle Paul to give this instruction to young Christians. This teaching was the bedrock for their relationship in Christ. It was an amplification of the teaching that Jesus gave to his disciples when he said “by this will all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another”.

The verses above give explanation to how love acts: love is merciful, kind, humble, gentle patient, forgiving and thankful. Love seeks peace, not turmoil.

Do what’s right.

Everytime I read verse seventeen I am reminded of what we told our kids when they were little. “You have one rule, obey what we say”. Paul is saying the same thing here: Everything you say and do should be done for Jesus.

In other words, be obedient. Do it right!

A few years back a whole lot of folks were wearing those rubberized bands on their wrist – WWJD, that thought puts the verses above in a nutshell.

When there are areas where we’ve missed it, God’s love grants us a do over. If that’s where you are today, begin again and do it right.

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