Month: December 2022

Amazing Love

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“How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! We’re I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I am awake, I am still with you.” Psalms 139:17-18 NIV

God delights in us, his love for us will never fail. He made us on purpose for greatness and he thinks about us continually. When you have someone like that on your side you have hope. This is a difficult life we live. We need someone who loves us unconditionally that will always be there for us. Even though we won’t always be there for ourselves. We are not perfect like God. We can get mad at ourselves, put ourselves down and even lie to ourselves. God will not. You can not be happy until you know this unconditional love that God gives. I see so much anger and complaining from people. People can be very selfish thinking first and foremost about themselves. They even expect others to fulfill them. of course they cannot and that angers them even more. There is something inside of us from the time we are born that is searching for unconditional love. Even if we find that for a time with a loved one, the day will come when they let you down and you realize they aren’t perfect. Someone can love you but it’s not their job to make you happy. Only a perfect God can do that. And he wants to do that. But we do have to come to him first. Until you are finally loved unconditionally by God, following him, doing his will, his way, can you be truly happy. Until you are it’s going to be hard to get along with others, who are like yourself, imperfect. I am a happy person and care very much about my interactions with others. I always try to be pleasant and helpful to others. But I wasn’t always that way. Things could easily bother me and upset me. I knew God all my life but I didn’t really know him. I made it real personal in 2013 when I began searching for the Lord with my whole heart. The more I read of God’s word and just spent time talking to him the more I got to know him and how much he loved me. For the last year I have been reading a devotional called, “Letters From God” by Ivan Tait. I love this book because it tells me so many thoughts God has for me that are empowering. Knowing how God sees you and all he has for you can fill you. The more love I get from God, the more love I can give to others. When you love God and yourself, you can’t help but love others. God says to love others as you love yourself. But what if you can’t love yourself? Until you are unconditionally loved you can’t. You will be trying to earn that love and nobody but God gives it.

Do you know just how much God loves you?

The Greatest Command Is To Love

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“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you love.” 2 John 1:6

From the very beginning of time God has told us to love. Every commandment will be fulfilled when you walk in love. Just think first about the other people in your life and you will not do anything to hurt one of God’s precious children. Everyone has been lovingly made on purpose and for a purpose. And God loves them. God has given me his eyes to see others as he does. I can see hurt and pain in their eyes. Unless you have gone through everything they have gone through then you cannot judge. So very many things have contributed in their lives to who they have become. The way they think about themselves and everyone else. I have great compassion for others. Just like when Jesus walked on this earth. He did not meet someone he did not love. With his full being. He did not feel obligated to heal but he hated to see their pain. If we first show love when we meet someone evil would cease to exist. No murder, no stealing, no adultery, no covetousness, no pride and no selfish ambition. Could you ever consider putting something before God? The one who first loved us with non condemning but perfect love. He who always wants our very best. He gave us everything. Just look around you and see the beauty and intricate perfection placed in everything. Nothing was too much or too good for us. Every morning we get a new sunrise and a brand new start. Every day. Everything we need to make the rest of our lives perfect is available through him. We don’t have to remain who we once were. We weren’t made to struggle and hurt. He has told us to bring everything to him and let him help. Ask God to give you a heart of compassion and eyes to see as he sees.

Beauty From Ashes

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“and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

Why Lord do you cause us to suffer? This is not a perfect world. We don’t always get what we want. But we do get what God knows is best. His ways are so much beyond our own. He can take the worst situations and turn them around if we just trust him and let him work. The hardest thing had to be when his very own son willingly let himself be crucified for our trespasses. When sin entered the world God knew that he could fix things that were broken. Jesus had been with God from the beginning and he would have to be willing to become a man like us. Giving up his rights as the chosen prince. God loved and respected his precious son. He even declared that to the world. Even Jesus lost his living father to death and his cousin was be headed. His very good friend died and it grieved him to see the sisters suffering even though he knew it was only temporary. I know when I had my stroke so many people came to the hospital to check on me when they heard about my stroke. I wasn’t really coherent but I knew they were there. I’ve known women who tried for years to successfully have a child. Even Hannah cried out to God in bitter grief wanting a child of her own. Her son was very important and took time but she still gave him back to God. I know a woman who had a baby that weighed only one pound. It did not look good but he hung on. My stroke actually saved my life because a destructive behavior that was not good for me had taken over my life and the stroke woke me up when I almost died. Things can hurt but we need to trust God. We need to stop looking backwards but to the future. It is impossible to not grieve when someone you love dies. But will you let God make you better through it or bitter. It’s up to you. God will give you the strength to grow better if you just ask. He can turn things around if you let him.

Life

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“Very truly I tell you. Whoever hears my word and believes he who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

When we hear the truth our ears are opened and there is a stirring inside of us. The more we hear, the more we seek, and the more we believe. When we believe in our hearts we know that Jesus is the son of the only true God and we want more. When we accept Jesus into our hearts and confess all of our sins, giving them to him, we are saved. We transfer from death to life. Life eternal, forever. But real life begins at that very moment. We don’t have to wait to die and go to heaven. God wants us to enjoy life now. We may be young Christian babies, just like when a mother becomes pregnant, there is a life growing. Just as alive as if it walked down the street. We were alive because of God and we mattered to him. We just didn’t know the creator until he came to live inside of us. Once we know of him we need to get to know him and his character. Read his words and promises, and spend time talking to him about everything. Just enjoy his presence. That is why attending a good church is important, because you will hear more about him and being around others who love him also is pleasant and encouraging. All of these things will make life richer. Look around you because he is everywhere. From the rising of the sun of a bright new day to the laughter of a young child , you can see his love all around you. The more I trust him and his ways, the more I do what he says and live like he lived. The more I come alive. We were not meant to hear and just walk away, forgetting what we heard. The more I hear, the more I want to hear because it brings such peace. Obedience brings so many rewards and peace can never be sweeter than when you are walking out your faith. You will become bolder and realize just how precious his words can be. I have started memorizing more of the words I read because I can speak them back to myself whenever I need them for encouragement and strength. During the day when problems pop up his word comes out of my heart. At one time I thought I knew God but I was never around him or thinking about him and I did whatever I wanted. Well that led to destruction and my near death after my stroke. That woke me up. I had to know what life really was and boy I have found it. Praise God!