God's Love | Kristi's Morning Devotional

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Brand New

For the next couple of days we’ll be looking at the “new creation” that God has designed us to be. I have been asked a number of times “How can God love me and want to have a relationship with me after all I’ve done?”. The answer is simple. God sees us as new. He has chosen to forget our past and has given us a brand new life.

The Apostle Paul knew this was a hard truth to comprehend so he made it the central message in his writings. We are brand new – part of the body of Christ – and even if we are the skin on the bottom of the little toe we are still part of the body and that gives us relationship and authority…

“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. ²²God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. ²³And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” Ephesians 1:21-23 NLT

The head is the authority, the decision making or ruling part of the body. The power manifested through the decisions made by the head are valid for the whole body. Jesus took authority over principalities and powers and placed them under His feet. He defeated them when he died and rose again. If we are in the body, His body, then those powers are placed under our feet.

“Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So, he is first in everything.¹⁹For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, ²⁰and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” Colossians 1:18-20 NLT

Christ, as the head, rules or directs the members of the body. The head makes the decisions that protect and provide for its wellbeing. Wisdom, spiritual insight, knowledge, and understanding come from the head.

“I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” Ephesians 1:17-19 MSG

Take time to look at the example of Jesus’ life on earth.

How did He act; what did He do? It was all done through His body. The attributes that made Jesus, who He was, are available to us. He had victory over sin, sickness, emotional distress, and spiritual attacks. He moved in total obedience to God’s word; as His body we should be striving for this same commitment of pleasing the Father.

Our life in Christ is not about us doing something good enough to measure up, it’s about us allowing Him to lead, guide and gives us the strength! Christ invested His life to make us Brand New!

February 2, 2021February 2, 2021

Made in Heaven

The last couple of days I have taken our morning thoughts from Ephesians, chapter 5. This is the Apostle Paul’s teaching on marriage. The marriage union is God’s idea; He wanted each of us to experience the joy of companionshipship and sacrifical love.

However, we find that Paul is using our earthly marriage as an example of the relationship that Christ desires to have with us.

A match made in heaven!

“In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹No one hates his own body but feeds and cares* for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰And we are members of his body.” Ephesians 5:28-30 NLT (*cherishes)

Christ loves for us is deeper than we can imagine!

It’s amazing when we realize that Jesus took on our sin to give us His righteousness. He made us completely new creatures; we are given a new life because He was willing to die for us.

“But if you join yourself to the Lord, you are one with Him in spirit.” I Corinthians 6:17 NLV

Cherish is a word that means to hold dear, to protect, to cling to. Jesus cherishes us, we are His wife. This truth can and will dispel every feeling of depression and inferiority that we encounter.

We are the chosen wife of Jesus Christ.

“As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ ³²This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” Verses 31-32 NLT

Marriage is a two-way street.

Jesus left His Father to come to earth and oversee all the marriage arrangements. His number one priority was to see that his new wife would be abundantly provided for in every area of her life. We, as His wife, give up any past attachments that would distract us and keep us from being completely committed to Him.

This is God’s plan concerning Christ and the church.

Jesus is our loving husband. He has done all to fill our lives with His love. He desires to provide the absolute best for us, He will overlook our short comings, and forgive us when we fail. He won’t remind us of our past but instead provides us with a glorious future. He sees us as His bride.

“Bride of the king, listen carefully to me. Forget your own people and your father’s family. ¹¹The king is your husband, so do what he desires…Your bride, my king, has inward beauty, and her wedding gown is woven with threads of gold. ¹⁴Wearing the finest garments, she is brought to you, followed by her young friends, the bridesmaids. ¹⁵Everyone is excited, as they follow you to the royal palace.” Psalm 45:10-15 CEV

Christ came to earth to declare His love for us. He gave His all to provide us with a new and better life. His love is unconditional and eternal. Our part is to accept His proposal of new life and be joined to Him.

Truly, a match made in heaven!

February 1, 2021February 1, 2021

Me & Jesus

Years back there was a song, “Me & Jesus Got A Good Thing Going”, that drew attention to just how much Jesus wants to have a personal, one-on-one relationship with us. We need that because sometimes we read the Bible (or don’t read it) thinking that it was written for people who lived a long time ago and it doesn’t have a relevance for us today.

This thinking is so far from the truth. The Bible is practical; filled with wisdom and good instruction for daily life and relationships. There’s no better teaching on marriage and true love than the Bible. Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday…

“For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22 NLT

The word submit means to be subject or to adapt. It is a life style of loving expression.

Ladies, remember when we first realized that our husband was the one for us. We wanted to know all his likes and dislikes. It was our goal to know his favorites. We wanted to make him happy. That’s what love does – it wants the best for the other person!

We need to be just as diligent in learning what pleases our Heavenly Husband.

This submission or adapting is valid for men also. It should be your desire toward Jesus. He has provided us with a glorious love letter; we need to read it constantly so we are aware of what brings Him pleasure and what causes Him sadness or heartache.

“For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.” Verse 23-24 NLT

These two verses explain the importance of having someone as the head of the home. Paul says Christ is our head. He is the one Who should lead our lives. All too often we, as the wife of Christ, try to tell Him what to do. This can cause confusion and unhappiness. We can always trust that Christ has our best interest at heart.

Marriage isn’t a dictatorship but someone needs to lead. Wives, let’s be submissive to Jesus, our Husband, and follow His guidance and instruction. After all, He’s never made a mistake, none of the rest of us can make that claim.

We can trust His judgement!

“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. ²⁷He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” Verses 25-27 NLT

Christ loves us so much He gave Himself for us. He was willing to die for us so we could be reconciled with the Father. It should never be hard for us to be submissive to a husband who is willing to give all He has for us, to protect us with His life.

To some marriage has become cliche, old-fashioned, out of style. There is nothing so wonderful as a life-time, unconditional, selfless love! It’s available to all of us through our relationship with Jesus.

Me and Jesus got a good thing going!

January 31, 2021January 31, 2021

True Love

With Valentine’s Day only two weeks away I want to share with you some of God’s thoughts about husbands and wives. This is great advice for the waiting-to-get marrieds, the newlyweds, the middle weds and also for those of us “golden” weds.

When I was a girl, I dreamed of my life as a wife and mother. I don’t think I ever wanted to do anything else. It was a “Cinderella” fairy tale dream; Prince Charming, lovely dress, horse-drawn carriage, and flowers, lots of flowers.

I was eight years old when I met my husband. We attended the same church and he was the same age as my older brother. It did not take long for them to become friends. With their friendship came invitations for Dave to come to our house and hang out.

At eight, I was not infatuated with him. He was just another one of the guys but at thirteen, he was a hunk! Dave was a high school athlete, an outdoorsman and a horseman. What more could a girl ask for? (At this point, Dave is probably blushing and asking me to delete some of this.)

He was my Prince Charming, the man of my dreams. When he proposed my dreams came true. I was nineteen when we married. It was not a big wedding, just a simple ceremony in my parents living room. I had my gown, my prince and my horse-drawn 1973 Blue Chevy Silverado 4×4.

April 14, 1973, I became the beloved wife of David Wilson. However, long before this Christ shared His love with me and called me His wife.

“In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰And we are members of his body.

³¹As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ ³²This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” Ephesians 5:28-32 NLV

…The relationship of husband and wife has been held in high regard by God, the Father, since He established the first union of Adam and Eve in the Garden. This is a relationship of both separation and union. The husband and wife both give up things they felt were important to be joined in a new relationship.

Men, as well as women, will need to see themselves in the role of the wife in these verses. We need to see what Paul was really teaching; he was giving an example of the relationship between Christ and the Church.

We will study Ephesians 5:21-32 verse by verse and in those verses we will find the depth of Christ’s love for us.

“And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Verse 21 NLT

A successful, life-long relationship starts with submitting to one another. There will always be areas of putting someone else’s desires ahead of your own and doing it without complaining. Love is about honoring the other person by giving them priority – wanting their happiness and well being. It is a mutual submission.

Christ gave us this example of true love – He gave all. He gave His life to show us His love!

January 28, 2021January 28, 2021

No Two The Same

A couple of days ago we had our winter snow. It happens once, maybe twice, a year. It’s generally only here a day and then its gone. I really look forward to it.

This year I was able to capture some beautiful images of the mesquite trees in our front and back yards, flocked with white. I must admit that I spent a good portion of the day staring out my window at the beauty.

When I uploaded the pictures from my phone to my computer I paused again. I did take a couple of videos when the snowflakes were softly falling. They were so big and fluffy. Junior High Science class taught me that no two snowflakes are the same…

Imagine – no two the same. I had no way of counting the hundreds of thousands of snowflakes that fell that day. My front yard, my back yard, the neighborhood, the canyons and the mesas all were covered and no two were the same.

The State of Arizona was blanketed in white. Even Scottsdale got snow. How many millions or billions of snowflakes fell in Arizona in just that one day? How many trillions of snowflakes fell around the world and how many have fallen since the beginning of time?

No two are the same.

What an amazing God we have!

If He creates each snowflake with its own unique characteristics then how much time does He devote to developing our individual uniqueness? He knows how many hairs we have on our head – He has given us disintictive fingerprints and our DNA is one-of-a-kind.

No two of us are the same! God’s love and power in creating our individuality is almost unfathomable.

“Rain and snow fall from the sky and don’t return until they have watered the ground.
Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat.¹¹In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen.
They succeed in doing what I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:10-11 ERV

God’s purpose for the snow is to nourish the earth and He says the purpose of His word is similar. His word nourishes our lives and causes us to grow and succeed.

“‘I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.’ This message is from the Lord. ‘I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.'” Jeremiah 29:11 ERV

Just as the ground welcomes the moisture from the snow, we should keep our hearts open and ready to receive the good plans that God desires to bring into our lives.

No two of us are the same and that’s by God’s design. Each of us have unique, God-given talents and abilities. We each have a divine purpose. Like the snowflake, we are truly a one-of-a-kind masterpiece of God.

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” Psalm 139:14 NLT

Next time you see the snow fall I hope it reminds you of how wonderful you are to our heavenly Father. There’s no one else like you.

No two are the same!

January 16, 2021January 15, 2021

One More Thing

Before we leave the story of the prodigal son there’s one more thing to consider. The one who went off and spent all his inheritance wasn’t the only prodigal…

Then one day I realized that I had also been the brother who stayed home. I found myself resentful of some other Christians who had not been as loyal or dedicated as I had been, or at least that was my judgement. They were off running wild, foot loose and fancy free. Just look how God was blessing them – it was irritating.

The one son had taken his inheritance and ran. He came back ashamed and did not feel he had any right to the good things in His Father’s house; he just wanted to be a servant.

The other son had lived in the Father’s house the whole time, but he considered himself to be a slave. He was angry about his living conditions, but he never appropriated what the Father had provided. It is as if he had a million dollars in the bank but never wrote a check.

^25-27“All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’

^28-30“The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

^31-32“His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’” Luke 15:11-32 MSG

The Father in the story loved both sons the same. He provided the same inheritance for them. One squandered it and one never used it. The Father wanted both of them to enjoy what He provided.

Both sons needed to ask the Father’s forgiveness for their attitudes. Both sons had an equal share; they were joint heirs in the Father’s kingdom.

We need to take advantage of what the Father has provided. Not abuse it and not ignore it. We do not deserve the inheritance; we can’t earn it; we receive it because we are sons and our Father loves us!

Our Father has placed a robe on our shoulders and a royal ring on our fingers to show the world that we are His!

The Father is watching for us, waiting for us, to come to Him and receive what He has provided. It’s not based on our merit but on His love. He values all of His children, He loves us all!

January 15, 2021January 15, 2021

Welcome to the Party

Before I close this chapter and show you another facet that adds to our diamond-like beauty, I know there are some who are reading this that don’t feel you deserve to be included in the inheritance the Father gives to us. I once felt that way too!

Jesus told his disciples about two brothers who would receive an inheritance from their father.

“Then he said, ‘There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’

^12-16“So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any…

^20-21“When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

^22-24“But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time…

So many times, I have read this story and seen myself as the prodigal son. There was a time in my life that I walked away from the Father. I wanted to do things my own way and did not want to answer to anyone. Eat, drink and be merry.

What I did not know was that the Father was watching every day to see if I would come home. When I did, He came running to greet me – His arms were open wide, and He welcomed me without condemning me. All was forgiven and He threw me a party!

Maybe you feel the same as the younger son. Well, come home and join the party. The Father’s waiting for you!

January 10, 2021January 10, 2021

Getting to Know You

This last week I have spent several days with my closest friend from High School. So much has happened in our lives over the past almost fifty years. It was great to have this time to catch up and get to know her once again.

This morning we will finish up the teaching from the first chapter of “Like A Diamond”, Sons of God. Our Father wants us to know Him…

Our Father wants us to know Him and to know Him well. The verses we read from II Peter say we can partake or participate in God’s rich promises through our knowledge of Him. Many are of the mindset that we cannot know what God is going to do but all through His word He tells us we can. He spells it out, He wants us to know Him and His ways of doing things.

“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. ¹⁸And 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. ¹⁹Christ’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

A loving father will spend time explaining to his children his reasons for doing things and his thoughts for following a specific pattern. Our Heavenly Father is that same kind of father. (The New Testament reveals the things that were once hidden about God.) Jesus came so that we can know our Father’s ways.

“I always pray to the great and glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that he will give you the Spirit, who will let you know truths about God and help you understand them, so that you will know him better.

¹⁸I pray that God will open your minds to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious. ¹⁹And you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe. It is the same as the mighty power ²⁰he used to raise Christ from death and put him at his right side in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:17-20 ERV

After Christ’s death on the cross a new door of relationship was opened with God. God was the One who opened that door. He desires a Father/Child relationship with us. God desires that we share His divine nature. He wants us walking and talking with Him.

Don’t fall for Satan’s lie of unworthiness. We are worthy to commune with God because we have been adopted. Praise God for the position of sonship that He freely gives to each of us who humble ourselves and receive His provision of new life in Jesus Christ.

God has wanted someone to fellowship with, to walk and talk with, since the Garden of Eden and His relationship with Adam.

After Adam’s disobedience God continued to try and build relationship with mankind, but man had hardened his heart to a relationship with God. Our Father has always wanted to develop a relationship with His children.

He made us His own. He adopted us! Praise God for the position of sonship. He has freely given it to each of us who will humble ourselves and receive His provision through Jesus Christ.

…All of God’s promises and blessings belong to you because you are His child. He has made you into a glorious new creation.

Our position of sonship is a precision cut facet in our relationship with the Father. You are “Like A Diamond” in His family!

January 9, 2021January 9, 2021

A Little Discipline

Yesterday we were with our youngest grandchildren, it was so much fun! There was lots of laughter and then there was a scuffle and our granddaughter pinched her brother. Quickly “Dad” stepped in and took the situation in hand. Correction was needed and given.

Today we will see how God disciplines us. The Bible tells us He disciplines the ones He loves…

Like all good parents, our heavenly Father will correct us and bring discipline into our lives. A child without correction and discipline is, quite frankly, a spoiled brat.

“But you have forgotten that the Scriptures say to God’s children, ‘When the Lord punishes you, don’t make light of it and when he corrects you, don’t be discouraged. ⁶The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own.’

⁷Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don’t all parents correct their children? ⁸God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn’t correct you, then you don’t really belong to him. ⁹Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn’t it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us?

¹⁰Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is. ¹¹It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace.” Hebrews 12:5-11 ERV

We receive discipline because we are true sons of God and the Lord loves us. For years, religion taught that discipline comes through sickness, accidents or losing that which we love the most.

But that is not true. That’s not who God is!

How would we feel if people went around accusing us of giving our children the flu, measles, or cancer because we were disciplining them? What if they said we caused our child to have an accident of some sort to teach them a lesson? To put it mildly, we’d probably be fighting mad!

Well, the religious world has been accusing God of doing that very thing for generations. In fact, they have even accused Him of killing children, teenagers or those in their prime of life to save them from a life of sin or to bring others to salvation. A loving father would never subject his children to such treatment. There was only one life required for salvation and Jesus filled the bill!

Imagine how God’s heart must break when He hears those things being said. God said His Word was given for our discipline and correction. In Jesus’ own ministry He never used physical abuse to correct His disciples; every rebuke or correction was based on the Word.

Have you ever read a verse of Scripture or heard a message that pricked your heart? In my experience that hurt more than any spanking I physically received. After correction from the Word, it becomes our responsibility to accept that chastisement and correct our ways. It is the Word that will perfect us and equip us through and through.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17 NLT

May I encourage you not to ignore God’s word when it brings correction. His discipline prepares and equips us for EVERY good work!

January 7, 2021January 7, 2021

A New Family

Today I will continue with our teaching on “Sons of God”. I am confident of this very thing, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”. I will keep my eyes on Him and follow His leading.

Now let’s continue.

“He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light. ¹³God made us free from the power of darkness. And he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son. ¹⁴The Son paid the price to make us free. In him we have forgiveness of our sins.” Colossians 1:13-14 ERV

When a child is adopted, they are chosen above all others. The parents saw the child and chose them to be their own. The child is accepted and loved. Loved unconditionally, shortcomings and faults included. They are special and desired by the parents.

That should tell us something about our Heavenly Father. He looked across the span of eternity and desired to be our Father. He made the greatest sacrifice a father could make to receive us into His family. He sent His only Son to pay the price for our adoption.

Jesus had been with God, the Father, from the beginning of time. Because of His sacrifice many sons and daughters have been added to God’s family. The price Jesus paid was great. He made the ultimate sacrifice. He did this so we could be the adopted sons and daughters of God.

“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.” Romans 8:29 NLV

Our Father has given us all of heaven’s blessings. He has provided so much for us, far more than anything we could ever imagine or dream. He wants to give the best to His kids and to put all He has at our disposal.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven.” Ephesians 1:3 ERV

“God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us. ²¹May we see His shining-greatness in the church. May all people in all time honor Christ Jesus. Let it be so.” Ephesians 3:20-21 NLV

This is one of the first things He promised to give us as His children.

“Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.” Luke 11:13 ERV

“But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.” John 14:26 ERV

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as a good gift. A gift from the Father. The Holy Spirit was sent to help us. He is also called the Comforter, and by definition, that means counsellor, intercessor, advocate, strengthener and standby. He intercedes for us.

This verse also says the Holy Spirit will remind us of all things Jesus spoke and He will teach us all things. When the Holy Spirit comes to our aid, He reminds us of God’s Word and instructs us on how to show our love to the Father.

We have been chosen by God, the Father. He wants us to be a part of His family. Let’s honor Him by showing His love to the world.