Tag: loveofGod

Posted on

Restore My Soul

For the last hour I have been reading verses of hurt, hope and healing.

Yesterday, I shared “Good Thoughts”. We especially need those good thoughts of God’s word to get us through the hard days.

“Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I tell myself, ‘Wait for God’s help! You will again have a chance to praise him, your God, the one who will save you.’” Psalm 43:5 ERV

Thoughts come rushing in and many times they bring fear and anxiety with them. That’s when we have to take them captive – lock them away like some hardened criminal. Cast them out like rotten and decaying food that is thrown into the dumpster.

“ We live in this world, but we don’t fight our battles in the same way the world does. 4 The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments, 5 and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 ERV

Our heavenly Father’s plan is for our healing and our restoration.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. The Lord has chosen me to tell good news to the poor and to comfort those who are sad. He sent me to tell the captives and prisoners that they have been set free. 2 He sent me to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness, when our God will also punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort those who are sad, 3 those in Zion who mourn. I will take away the ashes on their head, and I will give them a crown. I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. I will take away their sorrow, and I will give them celebration clothes. He sent me to name them ‘Good Trees’ and ‘The Lord’s Wonderful Plant.’” Isaiah 61:1-3 ERV

This is the very message that Jesus said He came to deliver to all who were on the earth. God’s message of comfort and hope.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good. 4 Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:1-4 ERV

In the dark times – as dark as death, we are not alone. He is always with us! He will always be our comfort and our guide. He is our Shepherd, our Good Shepherd.

These verses are not just words on a page. They are the living Word of God. They are filled with all the power of God Himself. Let me leave you with this:

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT

To those who are weary, listen to the Lord’s leading. Lay down in green pastures and let Him restore your soul!

Posted on

The Goodness of God

Yesterday we were talking about personalizing what we read in God’s word. Making our daily lives a friendship with the Father let us enjoy His presence and His person.

For years preachers delivered messages that did a great disservice to our loving Father. They delivered messages of hell fire and brimstone. They said everything the people were doing brought God’s judgment on them and the land they lived in.

God was blamed for failed crops, children dying of the pox, drought, cattle wasting away and bad-tempered people.

Where’s the grace? Where’s the loving Father? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying God doesn’t judge sin, He does but He also provides salvation through grace to the sinner. I honestly believe we need to do more teaching about God’s love and less about His judgement.

“You surely don’t think much of God’s wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don’t you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?” Romans 2:4 CEV

Paul worked hard to counter the misrepresentation of God in his time too. His was a message of repentance and grace.

“In Christ we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ…14 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.

20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. 21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:12-21 ERV

This is one of those group of verses that I read every day. It reminds me how wonderful and glorious God is. It reassures me each time I read it of the greatness of God’s love and how He wants His power to work in us. That is how we honor Him.

May your day be filled with the goodness of God.

Posted on

Above All This…

This morning these are the first thoughts that came to mind as I sat to write in my journal…

“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.

20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. 21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-21 ERV

Many are beginning to make their New Year’s Resolution list. I don’t have one, but I found myself praying these words written by the Apostle Paul for all of you.

To know – really know – the full depth of God’s love for us is a life-long process. The height, the length, the depth, the width of the all-encompassing, unconditional love of God is incomprehensible to the human mind; it can only be understood because the Spirit of God gives us insight.

God’s power is free to work within us when we are filled with His love – His love drives out resentment, jealousy, bitterness, hatred, prejudice, evil. His love working through us does so much more than anything we could ever ask for or think of.

God, the Father, desires to see His fullness operational in our lives and that happens when we know and experience the depth of His love. Jesus was the human expression of God’s love, and He is our example of how we should live a life of love.

I’ve been mindful of the verses above for almost 40 years now and I will admit that I still don’t comprehend all there is to know about the Father’s love but I do know so much more than I used to. It’s a continual process of growing and developing in our relationship with Him that brings us to a greater experience of His love.

As I began to write this morning, I remembered the lyrics from an old song. It was recorded first in the 1950’s and has been re-recorded many times since, “I Wish You Love”. Here are a few of the lyrics…

“I wish you bluebirds in the spring
To give your heart a song to sing
And then a kiss, but more than this
I wish you love…

I wish you shelter from the storm
A cozy fire to keep you warm
But most of all when snowflakes fall
I wish you love”

As you start each day of the new year, I encourage you to tell the Father how much you love Him and ask Him to show you, in a personal way, His love.

More than health, much more than wealth, I pray you know His love!

Posted on

Big Hugs

I’m a person who loves to give hugs! Plain and simple – I feel hearts connect with a hug.

My hugs aren’t those tiny squeezes with a pat on the back, those remind me of burping a baby. Hugs should be genuine, huggers should be bold and not timid. Yesterday was a good day for hugging. Family came, neighbors stopped over, dear friends visited and even some new acquaintances came.

I think the hardest thing for me during our last months of social distancing was not being able to hug. People were so cautious and even timid about touching. I understand…but for someone who loves to hug it was a very isolating time.

I want to tell you about a man who experienced a life changing touch. He was a man with leprosy. He wasn’t allowed to connect with society. In fact, he and others like him had to live outside the city and announce to all who came close “unclean, unclean”. It was his warning to stay away, social distance, as it were.

Can you imagine the loneliness and despair?

But one day something happened. A man came outside the city and a large crowd followed Him. He was teaching up on a hillside; His words were dynamic, His presence was inviting. One of the things this man said that day was this:

“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.” Matthew 7:7-8 CEV

The leper continued to listen and then this happened:

“As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds. 2 Suddenly a man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.”

3 Jesus put his hand on the man and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” At once the man’s leprosy disappeared.” Matthew 8:1-3 CEV

This leper encountered a healing touch – no longer unclean, no longer an outcast!

You and I didn’t have leprosy but we were just as unclean as this man. Our disease was worse than COVID, our disease was sin. It separated us from a relationship with God, the Father. “Unclean, unclean”! But the Father wasn’t willing to accept our condition and made a plan for our redemption.

“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.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life.” Romans 5:6-10 CEV

” Now that we are at peace with God” no longer do we have to shout “Unclean”, we are redeemed!

Let me tell you, when I reflect on the depth of God’s love for me I feel Him giving me the biggest and best hug ever. When He hugs me our hearts connect and I know that I am loved!

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress