Abide…

Abide…

I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5

The word ABIDE has several descriptive definitions – none of which is without significance within the context of our verse. Consider these thoughts as you contemplate what it means to abide:

To remain stable or fixed in a state
To continue in a place
To conform to
To accept without objection
To wait for
To endure without yielding
To bear patiently

Jesus affords us a great metaphor on what it means to abide in Him … to remain in closest relationship with Him. Our search for the deepest meaning of life is satisfied in this one word: ABIDE. For when we abide in Jesus … when we come forth as an extension (branch) of His life-giving being (vine) … we will have a meaningful life that bears fruit in the likeness of Him. Apart from Jesus, we will become lifeless and dead. He said, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)

Jesus began His teaching with this: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2) So, we understand that the work of God is to promote the growth of each branch in the vine. The Father desires fruit that will bring Him glory! As Paul expounded: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

The question arises: “How do we abide in Jesus? How do we continue to remain in His presence? Well, Jesus Himself provides the answer:

John 14:15-18 (NKJV)

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter), that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:23-24 (NKJV)

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

Notice there are branches (plural) in the Vine. All the branches are interconnected to the same life-giving source. Yes, all are dependent upon Jesus to give them true life in Him and with one another. Indeed, we see John reinforcing this truth:

1 John 3:23-24 (NKJV)

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

My friends, to have a meaningful, purposeful life, we must abide in Jesus. And the grace of abiding in Him requires obedience to His commandment – to love one another as He has loved us. I will leave us with this thought: Abiding Through Love

1 John 4:12-16 (NKJV)

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

It is my prayer this mediation will encourage you … in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a Blessed Day!

Thoughts…

Thoughts…

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:11-12

Thoughts are mental cognitions – our ideas, opinions, and beliefs. They are framed by what we perceive through our senses and our human experience in this world. And yet, there is a much deeper component found within the spirit God breathed in each of us. (Cf. Genesis 2:7) As the text indicates, our thoughts find their origin within our spirits … the “essence” that animates us and gives us “life”. And through human speech or language, we have the capacity to express our thoughts; and therefore, express what resides within our individual spirits. And it is the expression of thoughts through our words and actions that reveals the nature of our true spirits in relational terms.

When we examine the “sin nature” of man, it is rooted in our spirits. Genesis 6:5 states: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” It is the depravity of our spirits that God calls into account. As Jeremiah noted: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10) The Prophet Amos confirmed as well: “He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals His thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is His name.” (Amos 4:13)

I am thankful our merciful God has expressed His thoughts on these matters through His Spirit to the Prophet, Isaiah, and provided this instruction:

Isaiah 55:7-9 (NIV)

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As Paul explained in our text, the thoughts of God reside with His Spirit; and it is through the expression of His Spirit in words and actions that His thoughts are revealed. Indeed, as Paul notes, until we are regenerated (born-again) by the Spirit of God (Cf. John 3:3-8), our spirits will not be joined with His so that we may understand what the Father has freely given us. Indeed, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) And perhaps I should add: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

My friends, the core message here is that as image-bearers of the Triune God, our thoughts reside within our spirits as well. And our thoughts are expressed through words (and actions). But the unfailing love of God has afforded us a solution for our depravity: His Thoughts! Our Creator has revealed His thoughts through His Spirit. It is known to us as the “Word of God.” Yes, when we are born-again of the Spirit, we receive the mind of Christ. We are able to process and understand spiritual thoughts (the words of God) because the Spirit explains spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words! (1 Corinthians 2:13) And Jesus confirms the Word of God is Truth! (John 17:17) Further, Jesus affirmed: “I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) I pray we will embrace the Word of God and its power to transform and renew our minds! (Romans 12:2)

Have a Blessed Day!

Deliver…

Deliver…

Look on my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise. ~ Psalm 119:153-154

King David penned some wonderful words for those who are suffering in affliction and hardship; and I feel led to share them this morning:

Psalm 34:15-20 (NIV)

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

We can look back through the OT Scriptures and see the hand of God Almighty deliver His people … His treasured possession … from those who would oppress them with hardship and afflict them with injustice. Yes, the righteous cry out for the tender mercies of God to deliver them from their troubles, and His ear is attentive to their sighs and prayers. Have you ever prayed like David did?

Psalm 31:2-5 (NIV)

Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for You are my refuge. Into Your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

Psalm 18:1-2 (NIV)

I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my sovereign shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Oh, my friend, do you not know today that the Lord is the Mighty God who delivers you? It is He who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. (Psalm 103:3) The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3) And Jesus is calling you today to come to Him. For He will deliver you! He will heal you! He will set you free! Jesus asks you to trust Him and to believe. For He is full of compassion and ready to deliver you from all your affliction. Yes, He says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Seek the Lord this morning … while He may be found. He is your refuge and strength; an ever-present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1) He declares to you: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:4) Indeed, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” (Psalm 103:2) Amen.

Have a Blessed Day!

Mighty…

Mighty…

The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage….” ~ Deuteronomy 7:7-8

Mighty! It means possessing great or overwhelming power and strength. The Lord revealed Himself to Abraham as El Shaddai – God Almighty. (Genesis 17:1) Yes, He is the all-powerful One who reigns over all creation! And it is this attribute of our God that comes into focus as He draws unto Himself a people for His treasured possession and inheritance….

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm, God manifested His power to bring salvation for His people. Indeed, “When the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.” (Exodus 14:31) As Moses attested: “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? (Deuteronomy 3:24)

King David, a man who sought the heart of God, would exclaim: “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:8) And, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.” (Psalm 62:7) Indeed, “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” (Psalm 89:8) Isaiah resounded: “I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isaiah 60:16) Jeremiah reflected, “No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. (Jeremiah 10:6)

One of my favorite verses is Zephaniah 3:17 – which reads: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Oh, how I pray all people would see that our God is mighty to save! (Isaiah 63:1) Indeed, Jesus is not only mighty to redeem us, but He is mighty to preserve His people in sanctification and holiness. As Paul expressed it: “He who began a good work in you will carry it one to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms…. (Ephesians 1:18-20) Oh, my friends, let us to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power! Amen.

Have a Blessed Day!

Guide…

Guide…

In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. ~ Exodus 15:13

What an indescribable promise our compassionate God and Father has given to His people! By His power and strength, we are led to His holy dwelling … His safe refuge … the place of His abiding Presence! When the Lord led Israel out of the darkness and bondage of Egypt,
by day He went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way … and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. (Exodus 13:21)

Oh, yes! The Lord has promised to guide His people; and He is our God forever and ever. Indeed, He will be our guide to the end. (Psalm 48:14) The Lord will guide us always; He will satisfy our needs in the desolate wilderness and will strengthen our bodies. We will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:11) As Jesus told the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

The Lord bids us to seek His guidance through His Word. And there is much counsel there for us to consider. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. (Psalm 25:9) I love these words of the Psalmist Asaph as he contemplated the tender mercies of God:

Psalm 73:23-26 (NIV)

I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

My friends, the Presence of the Lord is His Spirit! And we receive Him when we place our faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus Himself affirmed: “When He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you.” (John 16:13-15)

How blessed we are to abide in the Presence of the Lord! How blessed we are to have the Holy Spirit to guide us into all the Truth! Let us contemplate these riches of His grace this evening! Let us worship Him in Spirit and Truth!

Have a Blessed Day!

Presence…

Presence…

Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will restore us, that we may live in His Presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” ~ Hosea 6:1-3

The Lord God has desired that human beings live in His Presence ever since He created us. He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the morning. But when they transgressed His commandment, separation occurred. Indeed, when the Lord confronted Cain for his murderous act, Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence. I will be a restless wanderer upon the earth…. (Genesis 4:13-14) Oh, how deep is the chasm when we do not confess and repent of our sin … for we separate ourselves from the Presence of the Lord.

I am reminded of Moses who contended with the stiff-necked and wayward children of Israel. As they began their journey to the Promised Land, Moses implored the Lord, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here! How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:15-16) Oh, friends of mine, do we not see that it is the Presence of the Lord that demonstrates His grace upon us and distinguishes us from those who are hidden from His presence?

In his great confession captured in Psalm 51, King David understood the magnitude of his iniquity and his desperate need to be cleansed and restored to fellowship with God. He affirms the sovereign holiness and righteous judgment of God. In deep, sincere repentance, David pleads: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your Presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. (Verses 10-11) Indeed, there is no light, life or redemption without the Presence of the Lord within us.

There is a quiet confidence to be found in the Presence of the Lord. Before Him, there is a heart of surrender and abandonment of any effort to ever leave His Presence. Oh, for the steadfast faith of David to inspire us this morning: “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your Presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11) Yes, as Paul prayed: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else…. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the Presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13)

Have a Blessed Day!

Love…

Love…

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

Happy New Year!

As we embark on another circuit around the sun today, I thought it best to remind us of the most important command that we have received from the Lord Jesus – to love one another as He loved us! Love is how others will know that we are His disciples … His followers. It is the message that we have heard from the beginning. (1 John 3:11) Love is what should distinguish a Christian first and foremost!

Peter attested:

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ~ 1 Peter 1:22-23

Paul affirmed:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ~ Romans 12:9-10

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ~ Ephesians 4:2-3

Oh, how masterful and powerful John wrote and proclaimed the necessity of love as evidence of our fellowship with the Father and the Son:

1 John 4:7-12 (NIV)

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.

I pray that we will begin this New Year with a renewed awareness of the excellence of love! I pray that we would see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! As Paul instructed: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) Let us follow the Law of Love!

Have a Blessed Day!

Your Unfailing Love…

Psalm 94:18-19 (NIV)

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

Our Verse of the Day is a great reminder of how an intimate relationship with God is so vital to our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. It encourages us to examine the depth of God’s love for us. Indeed, being close to God is what He has always purposed for each of us! It has been said of King David that he was “a man after God’s own heart.” (Cf. 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) Yet we see throughout the Psalms that David struggled to fully become all that he knew God desired him to be. I think we encounter the same situations and circumstances in our own lives … struggles within our minds and hearts … experiencing failures because of our self-centered decisions … navigating our emotions and the physiological reactions they can produce within us. We need to remember that pursuing a life intent on reflecting the revealed heart of God does not mean we will attain perfection here in our natural bodies; rather, it just means we are committed in our pursuit of holiness, and we are driven to surrender to God everything within us … our entire beings (mind, body, and soul).

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. To me, this is a picture of how an abiding, intimate relationship with God should function. We know our inner weaknesses … the sin that so easily entangles us … and we are not unaware when our own hearts entice us and temptation is drawing us away. (Cf. James 1:13-15) It is in these moments we should cry out to God and place our trust in Him. We are encouraged to tell Him, “I am slipping. My own strength is failing. My need for your strength, O Lord, is urgent!” And herein is when we find the opportunity to attest: “Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.” Indeed, God meets us where we are and gives us strength, courage, and hope! I am reminded of a similar thought Paul shared with the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NIV)

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation (or testing) has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted (or tested) beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted (or tested), He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Perhaps, Paul had Psalm 94 in mind when he addressed those believers and encouraged them to trust God in those circumstances and situations when they were confronted with the tests of faith. And although the Psalm (in context) addressed the physical threats of armies and enemies against the people of God, I believe Paul wanted believers to consider the spiritual forces and enemies we battle when faced with the inclinations of the thoughts of our hearts. Too often, those thoughts attempt to lead us away from the holiness of fellowship with God. Indeed, without an intimate relationship with Christ Jesus through His indwelling Spirit, we are helpless in the ongoing struggle between the flesh and the spirit. (Cf. Galatians 5:17)

Whether physical enemies are in view, or spiritual forces of darkness are in action, both situations should prompt us to seek the help of God. Such circumstances should lead us to rely on the only One who is trustworthy and faithful. As I stated in a prior lesson, we simply have to come to a place in our hearts and lives where we wholly embrace that God loves us! As David reflected, “the unfailing love” of God is what truly supports us! His comfort and consolation will calm your anxieties. And I believe that intimacy with God is the only way in which we will experience His incredible, powerful love … a love that is for us … a love that supports us in our struggles … a love that fights the battles we are too weak to win. It is a love that consoles us and comforts us when we feel helpless. It is a love that brings true light when we feel lost in darkness.

My friends, God is pouring Himself into our situations … into our concerns … into our fears and anxieties. Whatever you are experiencing or battling, God is ever-present and available if you simply go to Him in prayer. As David urged, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Cf. Psalm 55:22) The Apostle Peter quoted this Psalm when he wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (Cf. 1 Peter 5:6-8)

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. ~ Psalm 28:7

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him. ~ Psalm 32:10

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. ~ Psalm 91:2

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. ~ Proverbs 29:25

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. ~ Jeremiah 17:7

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him, ~ Nahum 1:7

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ~ James 1:12-14

Graciously Given All Things…

Romans 8:32 (NIV)

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

Our Verse of the Day offers us a tremendous, liberating hope to empower our faith. Think about the implication Paul presents here. The love of God for His people is so intense and passionate that He did not spare His own Son from death on a cross. The death Jesus died atoned for our sins … it freed us from the power of sin within our hearts … it bestowed upon us His righteousness and eternal life! Paul reasons that if these outcomes are trustworthy, then God will not withhold anything from us that pertains to life within His Son.

Romans 8:28-39 (NIV)

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. ³¹What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Quoting Psalm 44:22) ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And the Apostle John has attested to His gracious love as well:

1 John 4:7-17 (NIV)

⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. ¹³This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

Someone here reading this message needs to know this transforming love! Someone here needs to be reminded the love of God is immutable! It does not change for those who abide in Christ Jesus. It is inseparable. It is everlasting! Oh, you need to know the love of God is not based upon your performance; “but God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Cf. Romans 5:8) “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Cf. Ephesians 2:4-9) Indeed, His love is seen in His grace … and the Father calls to us through His Son to receive this gracious, inseparable love that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yes, the Father loves us with an everlasting love! I pray you will trust in the truth of His Word. Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. ~ Ephesians 3:14-19

The God of My Life…

Psalm 42:8 (NIV)

By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

Our Verse of the Day comes from a familiar Psalm – the first verses providing inspiration for popular praise and worship music. This psalm speaks to the intimate nature of our relationship with God … His quiet engagement and oversight of our lives … the comfort His presence gives us when we become discouraged in our journey of faith. I have reprinted Psalm 42 for us to see the context … the expression of longing within the human heart … the deep yearning we feel for God when He seems distant during our times of suffering. In those times when we feel forlorn or abandoned, this Psalm reminds us to praise God anyway … to put our hope and trust in Him … to find strength in the knowledge of His sure salvation.

Psalm 42 (NIV)

¹As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. ²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ³My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” ⁴These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. ⁵Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. ⁶My soul is downcast within me; therefore, I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. ⁷Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. ⁸By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life. ⁹I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” ¹⁰My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” ¹¹Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

Have you had one of those days when God seems so far away? Are you feeling downcast in your spirit? I pray this Psalm over you! If you wonder where God might be in your circumstances, know that He is present right there with you. The Lord is directing His love toward you. He is singing His song over you. Indeed, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Cf. Zephaniah 3:17) Yes, Jesus is right beside you … walking in the furnace and going through the fire of affliction with you. (Cf. Daniel 3:24-27) Oh my friend, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul.” (Cf. Matthew 11:28-29) Yes, know that Jesus is interceding for you before the throne of the Father; for He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. (Cf. Hebrews 7:25)

The Psalms always seem to bless me and bring clarity of thought and vision for the day ahead. So many focus my attention on the love of God for me … reminding me of His presence and grace when my emotions might lead me to feel otherwise. I just thought it might be good for us to read the entire Psalm to bring us hope and encouragement … because I sense there is someone reading who just needs this Word from the Lord to begin their day. I pray the love and grace of God will be poured out upon you each morning … and fill you when it seems too hard to keep walking ahead. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, I pray. Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, for those who have been called according to His purpose. ~ Romans 8:26-28