Tag: UnconditionalLove

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Love So Amazing

That’s really the message of the cross. The love!

Love is a noun, a verb and an adjective. Love is all encompassing!

In the garden, God and Adam and Eve had perfect communion. God walked with them in the cool of the day; they talked about the things they saw and did. But that communion was interrupted when disobedience took control.

The cross restored that!

Romans, chapter 5, shows what God has done to restore the relationship that was broken. It touches my heart deeply. I will ask you to read it, sometime between now and Easter. Let it speak to you, let God reveal to you the depth of His love expressed on the cross.

“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 the life of his Son. 11 And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.” Romans 5:6-11 CEV

“16 There is a lot of difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gift. That one sin led to punishment. But God’s gift made it possible for us to be acceptable to him, even though we have sinned many times. 17 Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has treated us with undeserved grace, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings.

18  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 5:16-19 CEV

God’s plan was for us to be reconciled and restored in our relationship with Him! Jesus’ love for the Father was so great that He willingly gave His life for our redemption. There is no greater expression of love than that.

The words to an old hymn are rising in my heart.

” O the love that drew salvation’s plan!
O the grace that brought it down to man!
O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. [Refrain]

Refrain:
Mercy there was great and grace was free,
Pardon there was multiplied to me,
There my burdened soul found liberty–
At Calvary.”

This song was written in 1895 and has been sung hundreds of thousands of times. So many have walked the road to the cross and found mercy, grace, forgiveness, and liberty but if I had been the only one Christ still would have died – just for me, just for you!

He’s not willing that anyone should perish. His desire is for all to come and find new life, At Calvary!

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Shadows on the Road

When I went to Bible College our professor, Dr. Mitchell, taught about the types and shadows in the Old Testament that pointed to Christ. I remember well his class on Isaac.

“The Lord said, ‘Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar.’ 3 So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and set out with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go. 4 Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place.”

Imagine, if you will, that you are Abraham. God promised you a son and you waited patiently for 25 years for that son to be born. Now, your son is probably a young man in his teens and as you talk with the Lord in your morning quiet time the Lord gives you the instruction to offer him as a sacrifice.

Shocking! Disheartening! Unsettling for sure!

Three days they walked. Three days the thought of Isaac’s death was weighing on Abraham’s heart.

“He told his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back.’ 6 Abraham put the wood on Isaac’s shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along, 7-8 Isaac said, ‘Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?’

“My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the lamb.” Genesis 22:5-8 CEV

Now they walked, just the two of them, on the path to the mountain top. Much like the walk Christ took on the way to the hill of Golgotha. Isaac had wood on his shoulders, Jesus had a wooden cross.

“God will provide the lamb”.

They walked on and when they reached the mountain Abraham had Isaac help him build the altar and place the wood on it.

“Next, he tied up his son and put him on the wood. 10  He then took the knife and got ready to kill his son. 11 But the Lord’s angel shouted from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” Genesis 22:9-11 CEV

Jesus was nailed to a cross and Isaac was tied to the wood. Abraham was willing to be obedient to God even if it meant he gave up the one he loved the most in this life. God gave up his Only Begotten Son.

” Abraham had been promised that Isaac, his only son, would continue his family. But when Abraham was tested, he had faith and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, 19 because he was sure that God could raise people to life. This was just like getting Isaac back from death.” Hebrews 11:17-19 CEV

Here’s what God did next.

“Don’t hurt the boy or harm him in any way!” the angel said. “Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place ‘The Lord Will Provide.'” Genesis 22:12-14 CEV

God provided a lamb for Abraham and He provided the Lamb of God for us.

“When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, ‘Here is the Lamb of God!’ John 1:36 CEV

When Abraham left the servants at the bottom of the mountain he said the boy and I will return.

“Abraham and Isaac went back to the servants who had come with him, and they returned to Abraham’s home in Beersheba.” Genesis 22:19 CEV

On Jesus’ last night with His disciples He said He was going to His Father’s house but He would return.

We are all now waiting for that to happen. The shadow of Christ is on the road and we who love Him will see Him soon.

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First Thoughts

What was the first thing you thought of when you saw the picture I used for this morning’s blog?

Ooooo! I thought of weariness. To be so dirty, they must be tired.

I was reading John 13 where Jesus was having the last Passover meal with His disciples and midway through the evening He got up from the table, took a towel, wrapped it around His waist, got a basin of water and went from disciple to disciple and washed their feet.

This is something the servant of the house should have done. It was customary to wash all the guests’ feet. But since Jesus and the disciples were in a home that wasn’t theirs it’s apparent there was no “servant” to perform the task, so Jesus took it upon Himself.

Peter protested. But Jesus told him that it was essential. The thing that amazes me about this is not the interchange between Jesus and Peter but that Jesus washed Judas Iscariot’s feet also. He knew that Judas was going to betray Him and that Peter would deny Him but Jesus lovingly served them like all the rest.

” But when he came to Simon Peter, that disciple asked, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ 7 Jesus answered, ‘You don’t really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ 8 ‘You will never wash my feet!’ Peter replied. ‘If I don’t wash you,’ Jesus told him, ‘you don’t really belong to me.’…11 Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, ‘except for one of you.’…Then he said: ‘Do you understand what I have done? 13 You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. 14 And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. 15 I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. 16 I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them. 17 You know these things, and God will bless you, if you do them.'” John 13:6-17 CEV

Jesus made Himself servant of all. He didn’t discriminate. He knew who truly loved Him and who would betray Him but He treated them all the same. It was and is unconditional love.

Do you know someone with dirty feet? Maybe not filthy dirty, might just be a bit dusty? Would you volunteer to wash their feet? There may be some in our circle who have betrayed us and others who have remained close and loyal. Jesus tells us to treat them all with unconditional love.

Is there someone today who needs you to show them that kind of love? Our first thought may be to exclude them, but let’s wash some feet!

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Positive Affirmation

Lately we have ordered quite a bit of stuff on line and each day after I receive my delivery confirmation I receive an email asking for my feedback. It seems the whole country needs positive affirmation.

We read the warnings on how hard social media can be for our young people. Not enough friends, not enough likes, too many bad comments and their worlds fall apart. But we adults fall prey to that thinking as well.

We wondered why we didn’t have more people like a picture or comment on something we’ve posted. When the numbers aren’t what we think they should be we wonder if anyone is even interested in us anymore.

Each morning when I open the app for writing my blog the first page it opens too is the stat page. This page tells me how many people read or clicked through on my blog from the day before. Let me tell you, some days the numbers aren’t great. In fact, there has been an occasion or two when I’ve wondered if I should keep writing each day.

Now before you think I’m seeking positive affirmation, let me stop you. The moment that thought comes into my mind I replace it with this:

“ Whatever you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3:17 NLV

His is the only positive affirmation I need!

I know the Lord called me to do this blog and I will keep doing it until He tells me to stop. Readership doesn’t matter, presenting you with the life-changing, positive, confidence building, encouraging, correcting, love of God is my soul goal and purpose.

“The Lord came to us from far away, saying, “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 NLV

When we put our faith and trust in Christ, receiving Him as our Savior, we have all the positive affirmation we need. He will not leave us, He gives us strength, He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death fearlessly.

There is no one, no number of likes, no amount of hearts to our comments that can ever outweigh the love of the One who gave His life for us!

Now this comes from a reformed people pleaser. I used to need all the affirmation and kind words and acceptance I could get. It was a death sentence to my soul. Then I found that in Christ I had been accepted and that’s all I needed.

“God already planned to have us as His own children. This was done by Jesus Christ. In His plan God wanted this done. 6 We thank God for His loving-favor to us. He gave this loving-favor to us through His much-loved Son. 7 Because of the blood of Christ, we are bought and made free from the punishment of sin. And because of His blood, our sins are forgiven. His loving-favor to us is so rich.” Ephesians 1:507 NLV

You have been affirmed! God loves you and has chosen you as His own. That’s more than enough!

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Worthy?

I wonder how many people woke up this morning with a feeling of not being worthy. Not worthy of the position they hold in their company, not worthy of the success they have obtained, not worthy of love.

Because of Christ, we are embraced by God the Father.

This morning I was reading the story of a man who felt he wasn’t worthy of Jesus coming to his house. His servant was sick and needed a miracle. He knew Jesus was a miracle worker and could heal his servant, but he felt unworthy.

Let’s get a little background on this man. He was a high-ranking officer in the Roman army. The Romans were occupying the land of Israel and holding the residents captive. Many Romans treated the Jews with contempt and cruelty. Not this man, he had built a synagogue for them.

“They came to Jesus and begged Him, saying, ‘The man is respected and should have this done for him. 5 He loves our nation and has built our Jewish place of worship’.” Luke 7:4 NLV

Although others proclaimed that he was worthy, the Roman captain felt he didn’t deserve any special attention from Jesus, but he did care enough about his servant to want him well.

“Jesus went with them. When He was not far from the house, the captain told some friends to tell this to Jesus, “Lord, do not take the time to come to my house, because I am not good enough. 7 And I am not good enough to come to You. But just say the word and my servant will be healed.” Luke 7:6-7 NLV

May I say right here that the miracle-working power of God is never dependent upon our worthiness. In and of ourselves none of us are worthy of God’s compassion and grace. That’s what makes grace – grace. Grace is the outward expression of God’s undeserved love.

“Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. 15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” I Timothy 1:14-16 NLT

The Apostle Paul never lost sight of God’s grace to him. Paul was responsible for the arrest and persecution of hundreds of Christians. He was there when Stephen, a leader in the early church, was stoned to death.

Was he worthy to be used by God? No, not according to the religious standards of the day. But Paul wasn’t limited by religion, he was freed by His new relationship in Christ. His life is an example to all of us. God’s love and mercy make all of us worthy of His acceptance and forgiveness.

Because of Christ, we are worthy to be called the children of God.

“ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ” Romans 5:6 NLT

Worthy of forgiveness, love and amazing grace all because of our relationship with Jesus!

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Wrapped in Warmth

When I was praying this morning, I wrote these words: “Let me wear Your compassion like a cape and willingly wrap all who need the warmth of Your love”.

It’s a chilly morning, lots of moisture in the air from yesterday’s rain and although I’m wrapped in my fleece blanket, I was thinking about my warm cape that I usually wear in winter. There’s more than enough yardage to wrap around myself and my grandchildren. It’s perfect for snuggling.

That cape serves to keep me warm and it is an example of how the Father wraps us in the warmth of His compassion.

“The Lord is kind and merciful, patient and full of love. 9 The Lord is good to everyone.
 He shows his mercy to everything he made. 10 Lord, all you have made will give thanks to you. Your loyal followers will praise you. 11 They will tell how great your kingdom is. They will tell how great you are…The Lord can be trusted in all that he says.  He is loyal in all that he does. 14 The Lord lifts up people who have fallen.  He helps those who are in trouble. 15 All living things look to you for their food, and you give them their food at the right time. 16 You open your hands and give every living thing all that it needs. 17 Everything the Lord does is good. Everything he does shows how loyal he is. 18 The Lord is near to everyone who sincerely calls to him for help. 19 He listens to his followers and does what they want. He answers their prayers and saves them. 20 The Lord protects everyone who loves him, but he destroys all who do evil. 21 I will praise the Lord! Let everyone praise his holy name forever and ever!” Psalm 145:8-21 ERV

These verses are some of my “every day” read. “The Lord is kind and merciful, patient and full of love.”

Daily He reaches out to us. Daily He wraps us in His love. Daily He listens to our prayers. Daily He protects us. Daily I will praise Him!

Maybe you are feeling a bit of a chill this morning, maybe you are feeling cold and indifferent. The Lord can be trusted, He lifts us the fallen and everything He does is good.

Take a few minutes to tell Him your heart and let Him wrap you in the warmth of His love.

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The Father’s Love

My heavenly Father is beyond description! His works are marvelous and His love is never ending!!

When I was younger, I loved to sing and spent countless hours practicing and memorizing song lyrics. My heart and my head were filled with this melody by John W. Peterson.

My Father is omnipotent
And that you can’t deny
A God of might and miracles
‘Tis written in the sky.

It took a miracle
To put the stars in place
It took a miracle
To hang the moon in space
But when He saved my soul
Cleansed and made me whole
It took a miracle
Of love and grace!

I see my Father’s presence all around me. It’s in the song of the birds, in the beauty of a sunset or a sunrise; it’s in the refreshing of the rain and the colors of the blooms. His love is wrapped in every smile and hug and His mercy is shown through every act of forgiveness.

I marvel that He cut the canyons and prepared the landscapes for my enjoyment. He knew I would love the panoramic vistas He set before me. He gave me the desert, the mountains and the oceans for my playground.

How I love that He chose me, He adopted me and gave me the priviledge to call him Papa Father.

“14 The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.” 16 And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-17 ERV

Thank you Papa for your amazing love. Thank you for adopting me. Thank you. Happy Father’s Day.

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One More Time

This morning I want to spend a little more time looking at the Israelites when they first left Egypt. We see the cycle of joy and desperation repeated. I’d like to think that I wouldn’t have gotten drawn in to their murmuring and complaining but I just don’t know.

We all have areas of individual weakness, ways we act and react when we’re under pressure; anger, self-pity, denial, frustration, lying, criticism, worry, doubt.

The difference between us and the Israelites is their short comings have been written in down in the world’s best seller, the Bible, for everyone to read and hopefully learn from. Mine, on the other hand, are hidden in the recesses of my heart and only seen by a very few.

So let’s look at one more time when the Israelites murmured against God. One more time when they let doubt overcome trust.

“It was the fifteenth day of the second month after they left the land of Egypt. 2 And all the people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert, 3 saying, “We should have died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. For you have brought us out into this desert to kill all of us with hunger.” Exodus 16:1-3 NLV

Quick recap of the last forty-five days: leave Egypt, see the Egyptians coming after them, COMPLAIN, cross the Red Sea on dry ground, Egyptian army destroyed, PRAISE GOD, go another few days, find bitter water, COMPLAIN, God makes the bitter sweet, PRAISE, go further and camp at an oasis, now 45 days in, COMPLAIN.

Oh my!

“The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the complaining of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” Exodus 16: 11-12 NLV

The Lord had never intended for them to starve or go without water. He always had a plan for their benefit but they failed to trust. How much better would it have been if they had come to Moses and said “We’re hungry, what’s God’s plan”? No complaining, just a simple question.

“The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us  as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:6-13 NLT

Our Father’s plan is to shower us with love and mercy. He chooses to forget our sins and to remove them from us, even the ones we repeat again and again.

What I want you to take away from the last few days is not how many times the Israelites failed but how many times God forgave and delivered them.

One more time – remember this:

“But the Lord has always loved his followers, and he will continue to love them forever and ever!” Psalm 103:17 ERV

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Imperfect But Loved

I don’t know if you have realized it or not but the Bible is filled with imperfect people. Ordinary people just like you and I.

There are men who lie, women who are jealous, the unfaithful and disloyal. The cheats and scoundrels. The fearful and the timid. The rebellious and the braggarts. We have their stories as a guide of what not to do but also as an encouragement.

An encouragement of our Father’s unconditional, unfailing love!

I’ve been reading the story of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson. He was a manipulative, devious man. He stole his brother’s birthright, the inheritance for being the oldest child and the blessing that went with it. He deceived his father and cheated his brother.

But God blessed him and through his descendants the nation of Israel was blessed.

“The Lord was standing beside the ladder and said: ‘I am the Lord God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping. 14 Your descendants will spread over the earth in all directions and will become as numerous as the specks of dust. Your family will be a blessing to all people.  15 Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won’t leave you—I will do all I have promised.’ 16 Jacob woke up suddenly and thought, ‘The Lord is in this place, and I didn’t even know it.'” Genesis 28:13-16 CEV

On the night that Jesus was arrested He was celebrating the Passover with his twelve disciples. He knew two of these men were going to betray Him that evening. Judas, a paid informant, told the religious leaders of Jesus’ location which led to his arrest, trial and crucifixion. Peter also betrayed Jesus that night, denying his association with Jesus three times during the course of the evening.

Judas was so remorseful that he killed himself. It’s very sad that he died not realizing that Jesus’ death was for the forgiveness of all sin, including his. Peter, on the othe hand, had an encounter of forgiveness with Jesus after His resurrection and went on to be instrumental in evangelizing the world with the message of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness.

“Peter and the apostles replied: We don’t obey people. We obey God. 30 You killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. But the God our ancestors worshiped raised him to life 31 and made him our Leader and Savior. Then God gave him a place at his right side, so that the people of Israel would turn back to him and be forgiven. 32 We are here to tell you about all this, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to everyone who obeys God.” Acts 5:29-32 CEV

Imperfect people are all God has. Some seem worse than others but we all fail to measure up. That’s why Jesus died – He brought us forgiveness and a relationship of love and peace with the Father. If we were perfect we would have no need for a Saviour, no need for unconditional love.

“All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” Romans 3:23-24 CEV

Isn’t is good to know that no matter our failures or imperfections God chooses to love us unconditionally!

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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. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares* for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And 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.’ 32 This 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. 11 The 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. 14 Wearing the finest garments, she is brought to you, followed by her young friends, the bridesmaids. 15 Everyone 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!

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