Inspired by...: God's love

Showing posts with label God's love. Show all posts

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Choice Hotels may deny it but some people just have a certain "glow" about them. Have you noticed?

Currently, my son and DIL are glowing in anticipation of their first child. Perhaps you've noticed a certain glow about a friend or loved one after they received a marriage proposal or some other life-changing news.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. (Exo 34:29)

Talk about life-changing!

Moses glowed so brightly that the Israelites were afraid and made him cover his face with a veil.

And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went in to speak with Him. (Exo 34:33-35)

The people were afraid of the Light, the Glory of God, because it revealed their sinfulness. We are still afraid today.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Joh 1:4-5)

He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. (Joh 1:11)

But we no longer have anything to fear. Because of Jesus we can step into the Light and live in freedom.

Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2Co 3:12-18)

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. Today we recall the time when the apostles' witnessed Jesus "glow" in the presence of His Father. When they heard the Lord say, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!" (Luk 9:35)

Because of God's great love for us, He sent His Son to take upon Himself the ugliness of our sin and shame and to conquer it, once and for all.

Because of Jesus, the veil is lifted between us and God. We can live in His presence, we can walk in freedom.

As we enter this season of Lent, may we seek to "give up" those things which still try to separate us from our heavenly Father. As we remove each "thing" from our life, may we fill that void with more of Jesus until we are so filled with His Spirit that the light leaks out and makes us glow!

Shalom,

Friday, May 11, 2018

Inspired by . . . that the world may know

Have you ever done something you didn't want to do out of love for another person? I'm going to bet that you have. And when you did, it was a beautiful witness of sacrificial love.

Scripture tells us that Jesus laid aside His glory and power (Phil 2:7) when He became a man. He did this willingly, knowing the purpose of His earthly time from the drawing of His first breath.

He knew it when satan tempted Him in the desert, offering Him the Kingdom without the pain of the cross. (Matt 4:8) And He knew it that night in the garden when He asked the Father to spare Him. (Mar 14:36)

More than the manger, the garden shows me the fullness of Christ's manhood. No sane person would submit to the torture of the cross without first determining that there was no other way. Gethsemane shows me the sanity of my Savior. [click to tweet]

Before Jesus went to the garden the night of His arrest He told His disciples: "I shall not talk much longer with you, for the prince of this world approaches. He has no rights over Me, but the world must be shown that I love the Father and am doing what He commands;" (John 14:30-31)

There is no question that Jesus went willingly to the cross. His sacrifice is proof of His great love for us. But the cross is not just about us. One of the last statements Jesus makes is, "the world must be shown that I love the Father."

The cross is not only evidence of Christ's love for us, it is an affirmation of His great love for the Father. [click to tweet] One of the primary lessons of the cross is Jesus' love for God. We are often so focused on His love for us that we overlook the testimony of His love for the Father.

The enemy has degenerated love into many shades. But love is only pure when given freely. Perfect love cannot be coerced, faulted, or oppressed.

Love is a choice and when love is chosen, it is true. [click to tweet]

God gave us free will, even knowing the evil that would come of it because He could do nothing else. God is love and love is God. Love does not exist without God.

What God asked of Jesus He asks of us. Sacrifice born of love.

The acts will vary but the results are the same:

That the world will see our love for the Father.

By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples,

if ye have love one to another. (Joh 13:35)

Shalom,

Sharing inspiration here:
#TellHisStory, Faith On Fire, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, #HeartEncouragement,
Thoughtful Thursdays, #w2wwordfilledwednesday,
Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments,
#DanceWithJesus; Imparting Grace

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Inspired by . . . law and peace

I've had this scripture from Psalm 119 come up several times in my reading this past week. When God does that, I try to pay attention.

We all want peace. We all want to walk through this life without stumbling. [click to tweet]

This promise from God's word tells us how to achieve peace and how to be protected from those things that will cause us to stumble.

But do we really love God's law? We want to. But it's not easy, is it?
Following His law can be inconvenient and downright painful at times.

We fail repeatedly and we forget about His grace.

The key for me in this verse is in what it instructs us to do: love God's law

Following, and obeying His law will come.

It has to begin with love.

So how do we get there? Loving a set of rules has never come naturally for me. You?

It starts with knowing His law.

We have to know what God's law says. Reading the totality of His word, not just the ten commandments, and letting it speak to your life. God's word is filled with His precepts, direction on how to live.

Psalm 119:45 says, "I walk in freedom wherever I will, because I have studied your precepts."

Then we have to begin living His law.

Again, this doesn't come naturally. We should daily preach to ourselves the Gospel of grace, for we will fail. But eventually, His law will become ingrained in the habits and responses of our everyday life. Psalm 119:54 says, "Your statutes are the theme of my song throughout my earthly life."

Finally, the path to loving God's law is paved with trust.

Much of the time our lives don't resemble the reality of His promises. We must trust, by faith - - believing that He will do what He says He will do. [click to tweet]

Psalm 145:9 says, "The LORD is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made." And Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?"

Knowing, living and trusting will lead to truly loving God's law because these things will lead you to love HIM. Then you will be able to lift your voice with the psalmist and declare:

"Come, listen, all who fear God,

and I shall tell you what He has done

for me;

I lifted up my voice in prayer,

His praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished evil thoughts,

the Lord would not have listened;

but in truth, God did listen

and paid heed to my plea.

Blessed is God

Who has not withdrawn from me His

love and care." Psalm 66:16-20

Shalom,

Sharing inspiration here:
Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Faith On Fire, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments, Heart Encouragement
#DanceWithJesus

Friday, June 23, 2017

Inspired by . . . a common need

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." (Joh 4:13-15)

I wonder how much the Samaritan woman really understood when she asked Jesus for, "this water." How much do any of us understand at the beginning of a relationship? We have a need, a desire and we seek fulfillment.

Whether it be a husband, wife, friend, casual acquaintance or an addiction. It all begins with a need. Most relationships leave us wanting more. I need my coffee every morning -sometimes even again in the afternoon - we grow tired of our husband or a friend lets us down.

The woman at the well understood all this. Husbands had failed her and she'd failed them. Friends shunned her and there was a constant thirst deep within her soul that water could not quench.

"Sir, give me this water."

In response Jesus addressed her sin. The woman neither denied His words nor ran away from them, so great was her need.

Until we come to the place where we are able to face our sin and own it, we will never accept what Jesus gives. [click to tweet]

The woman received what Jesus offered her. So changed was she that she left her water jar and sought out the people of her village to tell them the Good News.

She no longer needed water for bathing - His love cleanses us

She no longer felt ashamed - His love clothes us in righteousness

This woman's story is commonly known. A common story, about a common need. But Jesus' approach to this woman was decidedly uncommon. For Him to speak to a woman, and a Samaritan woman at that, shocked His disciples.

Perhaps you think that God wouldn't speak to someone like you. Or maybe you've come to the well so often that you no longer expect to find Him there.

He is there.

He is waiting.

For each of us.

How will we respond when He says, "Give me a drink."

What do I have to offer Him today?

Only my heart.

Blessings,

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Inspired by . . . the gold of His love

In her short story, The Two Caves, Elizabeth Goudge says of the man Jesus, "The child grew to be a man of great strength and vaster love and there was no experience known to men, joyous or appalling, peaceful or agonizing, through which he did not in some way pass, leaving the gold of his love at the heart of it to shine upon us as each in our turn we come to the happy or hard things of our life."

I love the thought of Jesus' love shining down on us with a golden light.

Gold is mentioned over four hundred times in the Bible. The vast majority of those references are in the Old Testament, scriptures pertaining to the tabernacle and the temple. Gold was at the heart of God's dwelling place.

Jesus is the heart of God. [click to tweet]

Gold is precious and pure. Incorruptible.

Of course, the love of Jesus is all these things. But what did Goudge mean by the "gold of His love"? I can't know for sure, but here is what I think:

The very essence of His love is grace. [click to tweet] Grace is what we need in every experience of life, whether joyous or appalling, peaceful or agonizing.

His grace is sufficient. He is sufficient.

Christ alone.

I wonder, friend, are we allowing the gold of His love to shine on and through us as we face the hard things of life? the happy things?

Blessings,

Friday, April 14, 2017

Inspired by . . . the agony of His love

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isa 53:3-5)

Walking slowly through the events of John 19 hurts my heart. I want to read quickly - run to the empty tomb. Cling, like Mary to my Risen Savior.

But I believe there is always a purpose to suffering. A lesson woven through the trials of this life. A molding of our hearts to be like His. No matter how much it hurts. And, friend, it will never hurt us as much as it hurt Him.

Flogging, scourged, mocked, spit upon. The written word can seem benign until we dig deeper into its meaning.

The truth is when the soldiers placed the purple cloak around Jesus the flesh on His back had been stripped to the bone. Already close to death, the soldiers would have had to hold Him upright to receive the mocking they were about to give Him. The thorns that dug into His scalp were barely felt amidst the fire flaming from His back.

And yet, I wonder if the emotional pain He felt from the mockery, the betrayal of those He loved wasn't worse. I think it was.

The hatred in the eyes of the crowd, His people, the people He healed, the people He came to save. The hatred in the eyes of the soldiers. This is what crushed our Lord.

The agony of the cross is love. The lesson of the cross is love. The command of the cross is love. [click to tweet]

In the garden when Judas betrayed Him, Jesus called him Friend.(Matt 26:50) Does it surprise you that even then Jesus reaches out to Judas with love? It shouldn't.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2Pe 3:9)

Even Jesus' question to Judas in Luke 22:48 is a plea of grace.

That is the wonder of a grace that is amazing. It is the challenge to the redeemed heart from the heart of the Redeemer. ~Bill Crowder, The Path of His Passion

The fact that Jesus continued to love and have compassion for those who hated, rejected, mocked and reviled Him doesn't change the depth of His suffering. The rejection didn't hurt any less.

In truth, I believe His capacity for love made His suffering worse. Just as His purity made the slightest thought of being consumed by the sins of the world total agony for Him.

Yet He bore it all. Willingly.

For me. For you.

Because of His great love for us.

The cross is the action behind the words of Jesus that we so easily stumble over.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [Jn 13:34]

I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you [Matt 5:44]

The power of the cross is the power of Christ in us. It enables us to obey, even where obedience may seem impossible. [click to tweet]

Like loving your enemy. The one who has betrayed you. Mocked you. Rejected you. Abused you.

As I sit at the foot of the cross and listen to my Lord and Savior,

And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luk 23:34)

I realize the amazing gift of forgiveness isn't one I can keep just for myself. Just as the message of the cross is meant to be shared, I must also share the grace I have been given, while I was yet His enemy, to those who are yet my enemies.

For it is by grace, His grace, that they may be saved.

Shalom,

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Inspired by . . . His good pleasure

The percussion of the seed pods on the cottonwood tree call the chickadees to frolick in her branches.

I don't think the trees tolerate the birds. I think they glory in the touch of those tiny nails against their skin, reminding them of their purpose. Their reason for living.

Were the trees made for the birds or the birds for the trees?

It matters not when you consider the great Truth. The circle of life connects us all.

God made all. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. (Jn 1:3)

Why?

For His good pleasure.

And ours.

He is a God Who delights in giving good gifts to His children.

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luk 11:9-13)

When we embrace the gifts He has given us and respond with praise and thanksgiving for all He has done we are freed to love others as He has loved us. [click to tweet]

How are you embracing the gifts and blessings He is pouring out on your life?

Blessings,

Friday, February 10, 2017

Inspired by . . . a terrible love

If you've lived for very long at all, you know that love hurts. Even in the best of relationships, there are times when the actions of our loved one can cause us pain.

The very nature of love demands that we hurt when our loved one is hurting. This is especially painful when the one we love seems determined to hurt themselves. There are times when we can give a loved one everything, set them up for guaranteed success, and yet through destructive behavior they tear it all down, throw it all away.

Our love, no matter how great and true, cannot fix them or their circumstances. Our love cannot save them.

If we were to take the greatest of our human love and magnify it against a glass as big as the sky it would not even come close to the enormity of God's love for us.

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luk 11:11-13)

A wonderful love, tender, and true streams out of the vastness of His resources. [click to tweet]

God's love is immeasurable. It is beautiful. It is terrible.

Love is beautiful but it is also terrible - terrible in its determination to allow nothing blemished or unworthy to remain in the beloved. ~ Hannah Hurnard

It is this, terrible, aspect of His love, I believe, that so often causes us to reject Him. We misunderstand the love that He gives. The love He offers does not always look like the love we know.

God has given us everything. Including the free will to accept Him or deny Him. In every circumstance of our lives, even when those circumstances are determined by the bad choices of other people, we still have a choice.

A choice to move closer to God or to move away from Him.

Often we treat God's love in the same way our wayward loved ones treat us. Yet Jesus stands waiting at the door. Ready to enter in if we will but whisper His name.

In Ephesians, Paul prays that we might know the love of Christ, though it is "beyond knowledge." To know the unknowable is only possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. As He enables us to understand and increase our intimate relationship with God, we are filled, more and more, with a continual filling of His love. The more we love Him the more He loves us.

We cannot out love God.

Perhaps you have a loved one in your life who is intent on a destructive path. Remember, our prayers can be the lights in the darkness that bring them home. Never give up.

Perhaps you're experiencing the terrible side of God's love in your life right now. It may not feel much like love. But I urge you to see it for what it is - a greater love than we can comprehend. A love that seeks only your best. I encourage you to humble yourself before Him, to repent. Immediately the terrible will become tender and you will see Him as He truly is.

It is my prayer that you may be able to comprehend what is the width and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Shalom,

Sharing inspiration here:
Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Inspired by . . . 3 G's and a J

It's been a while since I've talked about JOY here on the blog. Some of you may remember back in October of 2014, I actually wrote about JOY for 31 days as part of the #write31days challenge. What an amazing time that was! It's worth going back to have a look!

Who knew there was so much to say about this little 3-letter word! As it turns out, there is more to say and these truths are more relevant today than ever before.

The harvest of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-control.

As most of you know JOY is not the same thing as happiness. The word happiness comes from the Latin "hap" meaning chance or temporary pleasures. Whereas JOY is not tied to a sense of wellbeing. Rather it is a spiritual response to receiving the Gospel.

JOY is based upon an objective reality, not subjective emotions.

Non-believers can and do experience JOY. When their values are in harmony with their behavior a sense of JOY is experienced. But true, Christian JOY, at its heart, is the JOY of salvation. The power of the Holy Spirit invades and transforms us and we experience true and lasting JOY.

The process of transformation often looks something like this:

GUILT - Guilt is something that is taboo in our world today. We don't talk about it, and we sure don't ever admit it! But the truth is, we are all in the same condition. Sin is our condition, the state of our souls. And it's terminal. Part of the misery is not acknowledging this truth.

GRACE - Grace is the answer to guilt. We receive all of God's riches at Christ's expense. God's love has no regard for our merits.

GRATITUDE - Gratitude is the only right response to grace.

JOY - Joy is the child birthed in the fullness of gratitude.

There are three things that hinder true JOY:

Foolishness - Being half-hearted creatures as described by C.S. Lewis in the following quote from The Weight of Glory:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Forgetfulness - Just like the Israelites in the desert, we forget God's great acts of deliverance. We forget His benefits and promises.

All of this leads to Faintheartedness - we begin to listen to the evil one.

Don't allow these things to cause you to stumble.

You were running well; who hindered you from following the truth? Gal 5:7

Preach the Gospel to yourself daily. Work out your salvation. Remember that gratitude and thankfulness give birth to JOY.

The JOY of a believer is one of the most effective tools to disarm the devil.

The world is dark.

JOY is Light.

The Light has overcome.

Be an overcomer!

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Inspired by . . . threads of His mercy

I've been reading through the book of Kings this week, and I'm struck by the enormity of mercy that God has shown His people.

Remember Ahab? The king who married Jezebel. The king of who it is said in v. 25 of 1 Kings 25:

Never was there a man who sold himself to do what is wrong in the Lord's eyes as Ahab did, and all at the prompting of Jezebel his wife.

Ahab was the worst of the worst. Yet when Ahab heard the word of the Lord from the prophet Elijah, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. What was the Lord's response?

"Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has thus humbled himself, I shall not bring disaster on his house in his own lifetime, but in that of his son."

God poured out His mercy on Ahab, deferring His wrath to the next generation (which, incidentally, was no less guilty). In fact, you can read in 2 Kings 22-23 about King Josiah's reform and of all the shrines and idols that he tore down, dating back to the time of King Solomon. Israel's sin was great indeed.

Yet, time and again we read accounts of God's great mercy toward His people.

Christ's sacrifice didn't do away with our need for God's mercy. There are still consequences to our sin. God still pours out His mercy on His people. I can see the threads of His mercy in my own life, just as I'm sure you can see them in yours.

In today's world I think we are in danger of two things:

Believing that our sin is not that bad, (or worse, believing that we do not sin at all) or
believing that our sin is more than what God will forgive.

Both are lies of the enemy.

The standard we are to hold ourselves to is not our neighbor, or the miscreants we see on TV. The standard is Jesus Christ, Who knew no sin. None. Zero. Zilch.

On our best day we are in need of God's grace.

One person may be a relatively decent sinner and another may be a flagrant sinner, but both are sinners, and God’s law admits no degree of failure. ~ Bridges, Jerry. The Discipline of Grace

On our worst day we are in need of God's grace, and God's mercy.

And on both days we have it, when we repent, humble ourselves before God and accept the gift He has provided; the sacrifice of His Son.

To believe that our sin is more than God will forgive is flat unbelief. God says, "Ask and it will be given you." He doesn't qualify the asking. Take Him at His word.

For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, which He gave to us in such large measure! (Eph 1:7-8)

Do you look in the mirror and see the truth of your sinful state? Do you look in the mirror and see a soul worthy of God's love and adoration?

Both are required to receive His mercy and grace. Anything less is believing a lie.

May you receive the truth of the Gospel today.

For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him may not die
but have eternal life. (Joh 3:16)

Blessings,