Category: God’s Love

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A Loving Father

I am thankful for the example that my Dad lived before me and also for the man of character that I married. It’s important that we honor the men in our lives who live lives of integrity, compassion and wisdom. They are to be appreciated and valued.

A father’s love – tender-hearted, kind, forgiving, filled with compassion!

My father was strict but I knew he always loved me – he insisted I work hard, be respectful, do my best in everything. We worked hard but we played hard – enjoying fishing and hunting but there was never enough time to spend with him. My heavenly Father is the one who gave my earthly father those characteristics.

We don’t always see what our father, heavenly or earthly, is doing while we are in the midst of a situation. However, when we know our father, we know his motives and intentions are based on his love for us and we can trust him. They mold our character and are our examples of strength.

Even when we take off and manage to get ourselves in troublesome situations he is there. He watches and waits, He doesn’t come to “drag” us back but when we return He is overjoyed.

I guess the best gift we could give either our earthly or our heavenly Father is to come home. Ask for His forgiveness and be reconciled in our relationship.

“I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:18-24 NIV

If your earthy father is still living remind him how special you feel he is and thank him for loving you. Also take time to thank your heavenly Father for His unconditional love, his unwavering support and for never giving up on you.

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Letters of Love

A while back I was going through some boxes of old pictures in the shed. While I was sorting through things I also found some old letters. These letters were written by my grandfather to my Mom and Dad when I was just a toddler. My grandfather was an eloquent man and although there was nothing poetic in the conversation on the page, there was a sense of well being and genuine compassion.

Mom just couldn’t bring herself to tossing them out and so she gave them to me.

For the past several weeks I have been reading through some other old letters. These were written by the Apostle Paul. Most of the letters are short; only four or five chapters. Each one tells of his love for those he is writing too. They also tell of God’s great love and the blessings, the inheritance, He has provided for each and everyone of them.

These letters contain instruction, correction and encouragement, lots and lots of encouragement. I did a word search on the word encourage in the Contemporary English Version (CEV) and it was found thirty-nine times in those New Testament letters. Paul knew what it was like to battle discouragement and he wanted to bring hope and strength of mind to those he loved so dearly.

“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.” Romans 15:3-5 CEV

There you have it – the Scriptures were written to teach us and encourage us.

There are some in this time of instant messages (IM), personal messages (PM), texts, emails and acronyms is the value of the written word. As a little girl, I remember going out to the mailbox and bringing in the letters to my Mom. How exciting it was when there was a card or letter for me!

When Dave and I were dating our relationship was long distance and I would hurry home from work each day, anticipating another letter. I still have all those letters in a box, they were priceless.

And I guess that’s why I have such a love for God’s word. He has taken the time to write to me personally. He word tells me of His great love and encourages me to excel in the things of life. His words bring me comfort when my heart is aching and He shares my joy when I am overwhelmed with excitement.

I envision the Father sitting down, pen in hand and filling the page with “Dear Kristi, I was thinking of you today and I just wanted to let you know I love you…”

“Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. 2 Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. 3 Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.” Philippians 2:1-3 CEV

It is my prayer that each of you realize what a treasure we have – the written word of God. The Bible is our love letter – see how much the Father loves us! His word is for our encouragement.

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A Real Budget Buster

Have you ever taken time to evaluate your spending habits? We have lived on a budget all our married life. Everything has a category and an amount and to the best of my ability I try to make it all line up each month. Need to be good stewards right?

This morning I was thinking about spending; spending for groceries, vehicles, clothing, furniture, entertainment, health and extragavences. The way we assign value differs from category to category. I want to get a “good deal” on vegetables and meat and so I set an amount that I won’t go over when it comes to a pound of meat or a pound of grapes.

We shop for the best buy when it comes to our furniture and vehicles and are always looking for a super sale. Then there are those things that we will willing go into our savings to purchase; a child’s wedding or college education, medical expenses for a loved one. These require sacrifice but a sacrifice of love.

As I was reading in I Corinthians I saw Paul repeat a phrase that he had used earlier in the book.

” God paid a high price for you,” I Corinthians 7:23 ERV

I want you to stop and think about your value this morning. Do you understand how priceless you are to the Father? We’re not like a bunch of grapes or a bag of tomatoes that can be bought cheaply for $.99 per pound. We’re not like the new dress or new car that He waited for the big sale to purchase. We are invaluable to Him.

Our value is so great that we are “Budget Busters”!

“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 13:44-26 ERV

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

What is it that would cause you to sell all you have – your home, your jewelry, your cars, your boat, your horses, your RV, 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 realize in a deeper way 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

Father, I will take my words of praise from the Psalms
“Your faithful love is better than life, so my lips praise you. 4 By my life, I will praise you. In your name, I lift my hands in prayer” Psalm 63:3-4 ERV

Thank you for seeing me as valuable!

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I Love Your Hot Tub

This morning’s blog isn’t based on deep spiritual truth. It’s the words of my four year-old grandson.

“I love your hot tub, it’s nice and warm.”

He just said this to me and then flashed a big smile. Yes, he’s up! There is no quiet time for me…but that’s perfectly ok. I slept in a bit and woke to the smell of my coffee; it was on the automatic timer. I got up, fed Glory and poured my self a cup to find that just as I sat down Sam was also awake.

“Good morning Besta, is it time for breakfast?”

“No, not quite yet. We need to be quiet a little while longer so everyone else can sleep.”

He crawled up on the couch next to me and I got him a blanket and he’s laying down waiting patiently. Every few minutes he has something else to say. Yesterday, he and I were in the hot tub together. We played quite a while – not sure who had more fun, him or me.

Last night after we said bedtime prayers, Sam looked at me and said “This has been the best day!”

What would happen if we had that same attitude and ended our day by telling the Father “this has been the best day”? I think we would make Him smile and I can almost feel the kiss He would put on our cheeks as He leans forward to tuck us in.

“The Father has loved us so much! This shows how much he loved us: We are called children of God. And we really are his children. But the people in the world don’t un-derstand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him.” I John 3:1 ERV

How sweet it is to have a living example of a trusting, loving child sitting on my couch with me this morning. I hope you start your day with the realization that the Father loves you – dearly loves you!

He’s waiting to play with you in the hot tub!

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It’s a Great Day to Be Alive!

Last week we spent some time talking with friends about when and why we started a ministry to farmers and ranchers, folks who worked round the clock. That was over 35 years ago. At that time there really weren’t too many occupations where you had to work on Sundays – yes, emergency personnel, first responders, food service industry and some grocery stores but not many others.

We took “church” to those on ranches and involved in youth rodeos. These were the folks that worked 24/7 during the planting and harvest of their crops. We knew, we had been one of them. Even if you had a few hours of rest from work on a Sunday morning there still wasn’t enough time to shower, change clothes and get to town in time for church. So we took church to them.

And then there were the kids – the rodeo kids, most of them ages 5 to 19. They loved rodeo and they loved the Lord but some of them had been told that if they loved the Lord they had to give up rodeo and be in church on Sunday. So we took church to them.

We had a wonderful time during those years. We love people and we love the Lord and it was so great to be able to tell them that He loved them no matter where they were; they could be horseback or covered in field dust, it didn’t matter to God. He saw their heart.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “…People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart…” I Samuel 16:7 ERV

Now, don’t get me wrong I’m not putting down church attendance. I believe it is important that we receive good teaching; it’s vital for our spiritual growth. And the importance of good Christian friends is incalculable. They are the ones who pray with us, encourage us and support us. It means so much to get an email or a card that says “I was just thinking about you and I prayed the Lord would bless you.” Some of my oldest and dearest friends are those I have from church.

“We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. 25 Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.” Hebrews 10:24-25 CEV

It makes no difference if it’s a Sunday or a Thursday, if we dress in a three-piece suit or dusty jeans, if our church is a brick building with stained glass windows or an outdoor arena; the important thing is that we set time aside to worship the Lord and have association with other Christians. That is what helps keep us strong.

There’s an old country song that I love. These are the lyrics:

“Oh, the place where I worship is the wide open spaces
Filled by the hand of the Lord
Where the trees of the forest are like pipes of an organ
And the breeze plays an amen choir.

All the stars are the candles and they light up the mountains
Mountains are altars of God
Oh, the place where I worship is the wide open spaces
Where the sun warms the peaceful sod.” by Red Foley

Wherever you are today, whatever you are doing, today is great day to be alive, thank the Lord for it!

“This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be full of joy and be glad in it. ” Psalm 118:24 NLV

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Amazing Love

As I sat down to write this morning, I once again became overwhelmed by the Father’s amazing love!

He loves us – in spite of our past mistakes and failures. He loves us through our victories and joys. He sees our future and His love continues! From the beginning, when He started it all, the total of creation, He did it for us.

“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.” 27 So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women. 28 God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 CEV

And when man chose to go their own way instead of being obedient to Him and His instruction, God immediately instituted a plan that would bring us back in to right relationship with Him.

“Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life. 19 Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.” Romans 5:18-19 CEV

God’s love reached through time and made a way for us to have unbroken relationship with Him. He has never stopped loving us – He never will!

It’s so hard to describe the depth of God’s love for us. It’s like trying to describe the beauty of a sunrise, the softness of a kiss or the brilliance of the night sky. Words seem inadequate, some things just have to be experienced.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Christians who lived in Ephesus. He wanted them to know, to experience, the depth of their new life in Christ and the blessings that had become their inheritance.

” My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.

19 I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used 20 when he raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side in heaven. 21 There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well.” Ephesians 1:18-21 CEV

The power of God’s love cannot be defeated. God’s love never fails!

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Success!

Yesterday morning we left our little cabin and headed out in search of the perfect camping site. We found it!

Now our perfect and your perfect may differ considerably but I kept remembering what Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 7.

“Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 8 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.” Matthew 7:7-8 ERV

We asked, we sought out and we found!

Please don’t ever doubt that God is in the details. All you have to do is look at the way a fawn has spots of camouflage on its rump or the way a lizard can hide on a stone to know that God has an eye for detail.

Dave laughed when he told me that he was so grateful to be married to me. He said, “Not many women would be excited about tent camping in the mountains with no electricity or modern conveniences for a week”. But that’s the thing, I am! And the other thing is we will enjoy it together.

We spent most of the day looking for the right place. We went through 6 different campgrounds and drove past each spot to see if it fit our criteria. At each campground we wrote down the sites that we liked and then finally we decided on “the one”. There were a lot of different sites that we liked, a few better than others and a couple we called the best.

We spent over an hour going from site to site. How are the trees for shade, what about a big smooth spot for the tent, not too rocky, is it level? Is there a low spot that will take on water when it rains? Where are the bathrooms and the water spigot?

I will not even begin to tell you that we had a serious prayer meeting about finding the right spot – we didn’t. But I will tell you that our heavenly Father is interested in our joy. He loves us! And if we trust Him he will direct our steps.

“People can plan what they want to do, but it is the Lord who guides their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 ERV

God can be trusted. He wants to be included in the every day decisions of life. It might be the “perfect” campsite, or new car/home. He definitely has a plan for your job, your mate and your financial well-being.

I just want you to know you can trust Him and He will bring you to success!

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Unconditional Love

We’re celebrating Mom’s this weekend. The love they have for their children, the sacrifices they make and the encouragement they give. So many of the things they do each day go unnoticed, unappreciated or are just taken for granted. They nurture, comfort, encourage, discipline, instruct, nurse, counsel – and that’s just within the first few hours of each day.

If mothers can love like that day in and day out can you even begin to imagine how much God loves you? Really, really loves you!

Stop to consider how wonderful heaven is – it’s perfect in every way. Its beauty is beyond compare – there is no pain or sorrow; no sin or corruption; no fear or distress of any kind and yet God chose to have His son, His only begotten Son, leave heaven and come to earth.

For what? Why?

For you and I! To die for us so that we could have everlasting life and a place in heaven as one of God’s children – amazing, simply amazing! The Apostle Paul records a prayer that he prayed for the Christians of his day and it’s one that continues today.

“So I bow in prayer before the Father. 15 Every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name from him. 16 I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. 17 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 3:14-19

Knowing the love of God – how wide it is, how long, how high and how deep. It’s not something that can be understood or fathomed with our head. It can only be experienced and known with the heart.

I hope that as you recall the loving things that your mother has done in your life, you will also take time to meditate on God’s great love; His love for you personally – it will greatly improve your outlook.

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All The Children of the World

When I was a little girl we sang a song in Sunday School, Jesus Loves the Little Children.

Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white; they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Do you ever stop to think where you would be without God’s amazing, unconditional love? On our best days, when we’re kind and gracious to those around us, we still don’t measure up to the love that He shows us on a moment by moment, 24/7 basis.

How much He has forgiven me! I know that all of my sins have been forgiven and even, according to Hebrews, forgotten, never to be remembered again – that is just so overwhelming – so, well the only word for it, awesome!

If God, who is perfect, can forgive and love not just me but everyone who is living and has ever lived with all of their sins, their failures, screw ups and out and out vulgar living than I should be able to love and forgive those who live in my house, work on my job and are acquainted with me on a daily basis. God isn’t just asking us to do this but He is telling us we need to do this to be an example of Him. He’s never asked us to do anything that we aren’t able to do because it’s His strength and His character that are living in us.

” God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. 13 Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. 14 Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together. Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. 16 Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.” Colossians 3:12-17 ERV

Because we are a part of the body of Christ, we should work together to be a display of His love to the world around us. I love verse 17 – WHATEVER you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord. So if you are going to say or do something that wouldn’t represent the Lord, then don’t! I know somedays my world is really quiet because I’m holding my tongue until I can say something that would be representative of what Jesus would say if He were speaking through me. Yes, very quiet indeed!

I asked you at the beginning to stop and think where you would be without God’s amazing love. Now let that love and forgiveness flow through you to those around you as His representative.

“He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”

37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command. 39 And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ 40 All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” Matthew 22:36-40 ERV

Take the love of God to the world.

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Beauty, Joy, Praise

This morning I was thinking about the disciples. What a sad and dark day this must have been for them. For three years they had been following Jesus. They gave up friends, family and business attachments to be one of his disciples. And now He was gone.

Perhaps you are experiencing a similar loss. Possibly you’ve just received some devastating news. You need comfort and there seems to be none. I want to bring you good news today. News that will beautify, news of joy, a reason to praise.

Where did the disciples go once Jesus was in the tomb? Did they all stay together? I’m sure they feared for their lives. If the Jewish leaders had killed their Teacher, would they be coming for the disciples next? The Scripture is silent on these issues and only leaves room for speculation. But we can assume that they were disheartened, misplaced and full of sorrow.

They loved Jesus and now He was gone!

As I put myself in their shoes a verse came to mind.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has chosen me to bring good news to poor people. He has sent me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent me to tell those who are being held and those in prison that they can go free. 2 He has sent me to tell about the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day our God will bring punishment. He has sent me to comfort all who are filled with sorrow. 3 To those who have sorrow in Zion I will give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. I will give them the oil of joy instead of sorrow, and a spirit of praise instead of a spirit of no hope. Then they will be called oaks that are right with God, planted by the Lord, that He may be honored.” Isaiah 61:1-3 NLV

The disciples had heard Jesus preach these very words. It was a part of every message that He gave to people everywhere He went. This was His mission; the reason He came from heaven. And now when the disciples needed to hear it most where was Jesus? He was in a tomb.

But…

He didn’t stay there! He rose victorious. He defeated death and destroyed Satan’s power.

“O death, where is your power? O death, where are your pains? 56 The pain in death is sin. Sin has power over those under the Law. 57 But God is the One Who gives us power over sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. We give thanks to Him for this.” I Corinthians 15:55-57 NLV

“Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. 15 He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.” Colossians 2:14-15 ERV

However, on the day before the resurrection the disciples were at their lowest point. Maybe that’s where you are today. Has life left you with sorrow? Are you mourning a loss of some kind? Have your dreams been shattered and all hope seems to be gone?

I wanted to bring beauty to the blog this morning. That’s why I chose this picture of Calla Lilies. They are a sign of resurrection, purity, holiness and new life. They can be a reminder of God’s amazing love and His promise of restoration.

If your heart is heavy, pour out your disappointment and heartache to the Father in prayer. He promises to take the all you give Him and replace it with beauty, joy and a reason to praise. His resurrection promises that!

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