God’s Love

Because it’s Valentine’s Day, I felt I should publish a love theme post. What greater love is there than God’s love?

No matter how wonderful it can be, we all know human love is flawed. Even in the strongest relationships, there will be moments of impatience. There will be the occasional unjustified anger. There will even be instances of unkindness. It’s because we’re human and why we need forgiveness.

However, we can’t judge God by this flawed love.

God is different to us. He doesn’t love us because we loved him first. He doesn’t love us because of our appearance. He doesn’t love us on the condition that we’re successful and doesn’t love us for our money. He doesn’t even love us because we have somehow earned it.

God is love and it's in his perfect nature to love us, regardless of our flaws. God’s love is forever and will never fade with time. He will never neglect us or grow bored with us. Love will never be a duty for God. God’s love is pure. It is whole and it is perfect.

And God loves you. Wholly and deeply and eternally. How awesome is that?

What are some little things that make you certain of God’s love?

The Inconsequential Moments

I was sitting at the local coffee shop on the weekend and my husband teased me about the amount of crumbs I dropped while I ate my raisin toast. It was an inconsequential moment, but it made me smile and thank the Lord for sending me this precious man. It made me thank the Lord for laughter. And, because I could share this moment with not only my husband, but also the Lord, it made the moment not so inconsequential.

Our lives are made up of a string of inconsequential moments that can pass without notice or thought. But when we share everything with our Lord, the big moments, the little moments and the inconsequential moments become transformed into poignant moments, special moments, blessed moments.

This is when I realised that there is nothing inconsequential about our lives. Our Lord knows this. Do you?

Love One Another

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Both friendship and love take time and effort. Neither are passive things. Neither are simply labels if they are genuine. We may feel good when we say we love others, but if we do nothing when they are in need then we have fooled ourselves.

We are asked not only to love our friends and family, but our neighbours also. We are asked to love the stranger, to love the foreigner, to love those we don’t understand. And, to love anyone is to take a certain responsibility for their well-being, both spiritually and physically, as we would for any of our closest friends.

It may seem daunting at first but through God we are given both the desire and the ability. When we focus on the love God has for us, for all the things He has done for us, all that He has sacrificed, it becomes difficult to keep that love contained. We discover that He has given us the grace to love others even if they seem difficult to love at first.

The power of God’s love is transformational.

In the Light

The picture above is a pigmy pigface that grows around my mailbox. The flowers only bloom in spring and they only open in the light of the day. They close again at night.

We are like these vibrant flowers. We bloom when we turn our faces to God’s light. But we wither in the darkness. His light alone makes us glorious.

Our Lord sustains us. He wraps us in His warmth, His love, His care. He gives us everything we need to grow and blossom into the people we are meant to be.

So, turn your face to our Lord and soak in His goodness and His blessings.

Every Spiritual Blessing

I had a very good friend whose life was less than perfect. We’ll call her Becca. Her language was colourful, her habits questionable, her past mistakes regrettable. I invited her to church one time. She scoffed. She claimed the church was not a place where she belonged. She shuddered, not in distaste, but in fear.

“God will smite me the moment I walk through the doors,” she joked.

Of course, if that were true, then God would have obliterated the human race in holy fire and brimstone a long time ago. Becca didn’t realise she was no more terrible than the rest of us. She was no more unworthy than the holiest of saints. She didn’t know that it’s not about brownie points, punishment or perfection.

None of us deserve God's love.

None of us can earn His forgiveness.

But all of us belong in Him.

When we approach Him and ask for forgiveness for our wanderings, He won’t judge the filth under our nails, He won’t condemn us for the sludge in our darkest corners, He won’t smite us for our past. God will accept us as we are. He doesn’t hold back from us. He doesn’t wait for us to deserve His gifts. He doesn’t keep a tally or a scorecard. He blesses us with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3).

Our God is an amazing God.

One Week Break

I will be taking a week off from this blog.

I'll be back on 20th September.

In the meantime,

Blessings to you all

and may you feel God's presence

in your whole life. 

May you be filled with His love

May you accept His forgiveness.

²⁴To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. 

Jude 1:24-25 (NIV)

God’s Love

How often do you hear, “Love thy neighbour”? How often do you want to do just that but their selfishness makes you want to hold back or their insensitivity makes you impatient? How often do you beat yourself up for failing to be the Christian you want to be?

We all want to do as God tells us but we can’t if we try to go it alone. He gives us the power to be the people He wants is to be. This power is based on love. We can’t give love if we don’t first accept it. I’m not talking about the fickleness of human love. I’m talking about the faithfulness of God’s love. When we let it, God’s love fills us up and overflows in a river of kindness, patience, forgiveness, and mercy.

God’s love is the only love we can rely on. God’s love is a power like no other. It can change us. We no longer need to rely on others to give us acceptance, recognition, or self worth. Our love is born from gratitude towards the amazing things God has done for us.

How does God’s love sustain you?

The Universal Language of God

A few years ago I went on an exchange program to South Korea. It was a truly amazing experience. One of the church services I attended in Seoul stood out the most. The translation technology had broken so I listened to the entire service in Korean. I didn’t understand a word of it, but I understood the passion for Christ. The whole amphitheatre rang with praises for God. The leaders spoke with genuine fire in their hearts. Their love for God radiated from them.

It was the most memorable service I ever attended because the focus was all on God. I couldn’t get caught up in logics. I couldn’t get lost in interesting facts. I couldn’t wander through inspirational stories. All I had was the wordless experience of witnessing God’s power in the life of that church. The passion was so evident that the speakers would burst into song in the middle of their sermons. Even for them, words alone weren’t enough.

It’s because there are no words for the depth of love God has for us. There are no words for the gratitude we feel for Him. God speaks to us in ways that go deeper than words.

How does God speak to you? What’s the most memorable service you’ve ever attended?

Father, Forgive Them

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34a (NKJV)

This cry from the cross, this agony drawn out in a bloody breath, spoke volumes of Jesus’ love for us. He saved us despite the evil things we did to him. He saved us despite the agony he went through. He saved us because he knew it wasn’t about him; it wasn’t about the moment; it wasn’t about the decay in our actions, thoughts and hearts. It was, and is, about God’s Love.

On the cross Jesus touched our hearts and spoke to our souls. When he rose again, he changed us forever. How can we not respond to such a love?

He is Greater

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world – 1 John 4:4 (NIV)

Devastation, floods, droughts, pollution, war, famine, violence, selfishness, pride, greed, fear. All these things belong to the world. They cause us grief. They cause us suffering. They cause us to lose hope.

But there is hope.

God gives us this hope when all else seems hopeless. He grants us courage in a world where we tremble. He lends us strength in a world that saps our spirit. He cradles us in His love in a world where we don’t deserve such a love.

He is our light in the dark because He is greater than the world. He is greater than we could ever be, greater than anything we could ever make, greater even than creation itself.

He gives us hope and a future because He has overcome the world. I can't express how blessed we are to be a part of God's family - loved, saved and protected because He is so Great.

How does God give you hope?

Cascade

I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. Mark 9:41 (NIV)

The benefits of belonging to Christ and living in God’s kingdom are many. God’s blessings are bountiful and it is a great privilege to be counted as one of his own. But it is not a thing to hoard away as a private treasure. It is not a thing we are meant to hide for fear of it being taken away. No one can take it from us and we only gain more by giving more.

So, walk tall, showing pride to bear Christ’s name and know that anyone who blesses you because of that name is also blessed. It doesn’t diminish your own blessings, but instead increases it. It’s a wonderful cascade of blessings. A thing to be shared. And it’s all because of the love of God.

Child of God

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
John 1:12-13 (NIV)

To be a child of God is to know that we belong to God, that we are dearly loved by God, and that we will inherit his kingdom.

To be a child of God is to know that we are God’s creation, that he chose the time and place of our birth, and that his individual plan for us began before even the world was born.

To be a child of God is to live refreshed and daily renewed in his Spirit. It is to be washed clean by Christ’s precious blood and to be set free from the shackles of sin and darkness.

To be a child of God is the greatest blessing we can know.

Meanings: Thank You

My husband recently listened to a science podcast. He told me that scientists discovered that the phrase that was used most by couples with a successful relationship is, ‘Thank you’.*

One would think that, “I love you”, would be the winning phrase, but those words are all too often bandied around and abused. They lack power because on their own they are just mere words. On the other hand, saying, “Thank you,” is showing that love because it is an expression of our gratitude towards the person we thank – for who they are, for what they have done, or what they have promised.

To thank someone is humbling, it pushes pride aside, and it’s not asking for anything in return. And the added psychological bonus is a boost in happiness and healthiness.

This led me to think about our relationship with our Lord. When we thank God for His presence in our lives, we are saying that we accept Him, we value His promises, we appreciate His love, we are grateful for His sacrifice. When we thank Him, we show our love for Him.

Have you sat in humble thanksgiving with the Lord today?


*Unfortunately I can’t find the podcast to link it here, but the theory behind it can be confirmed here.

Soul Trade

Countless stories have cropped up over the ages about those willing to sell their souls for something they desire, usually knowledge, youth, fortune or power. As Christians we would like to believe we would never do such a thing. However, is it possible to sell your soul without realising it?

Apparently thousands of gamers sold their souls to a gaming company. The company wrote the clause into their terms and conditions. Who ever shuffles through all that fine print? The company intended it as a light-hearted joke, but it made a very good point. You can read about it here.

So many of us sell our souls and we don’t even realise it. We neglect to read the fine print. We think it’s enough to attend church. We think it’s enough to believe in Jesus. We think we are saved if we are good people. But we are mistaken.

We deny God when we decide we don’t need Him. We deny Him when we think our actions alone can save us. We deny Him when we don’t include Him in our lives, when we toss Him down our list of priorities, when we fail to recognise his awesome greatness.

So, rather than pushing our Lord away, embrace Him and all that He offers. Remind yourself daily of His worthiness, His wonder, His amazing love. Give Him your soul, your mind, your body and your strength. He will keep you safe.

Christ’s Supremacy

Christ is Supreme.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” Colossians 1:15-16 (NIV)

He is our God. He is Mighty. His is King.

And yet, Jesus wept. John 11:35 (NIV)

He became one of us. He cried for one of us. He felt the pain to be one of us.

His love was so great that He came to save us. Regardless of this love, we betrayed Him. We reviled Him. We broke His body.

And He forgave us.

Christ is Supreme.

Wallpaper of the Week – Isaiah 41:13

Our Lord does hold onto us, He does protect us.

Our Lord reassures us that we don't need to fear.

He promises He will help us.

We can accept His hand 

because we can trust Him.

We can accept His protect

because He does not lie.

We can accept His help

because He loves us,

And he will ensure

no harm comes to us.

Feasting and Fasting

Occasionally I listen to the podcasts from Mars Hill Church. They are always so full of teaching and the Word of God. I do recommend them because they are always fresh.

One such podcast was on feasting and fasting and what they truly mean to us. In the abbreviated form:

Fasting is taking the thing away that’s a barrier to God – it doesn’t always have to be food. It can be technology, a sport, a hobby, any distraction.

Feasting is transforming that very thing that could distract us from God, into that which takes us to God – we don’t have to feast on food alone either. We can feast on our sight and appreciate the world God created. We can feast on our hearing and praise His mighty Name. We can feast on the little things. We can even feast on our very breath. Feasting is finding gratitude toward God and knowing He loves us and wants us to experience joy.

I love the different perspective on these definitions. We can worship God through both.

Wallpaper of the Week – Psalm 25:4

When we walk the ways of the world 

we become desensitised and dehumanised.

When we walk the ways of our Lord,

we walk in His Glory,

we shine with His love,

we live in His Salvation.

Doing a Martha

I used to see a particular friend on a regular basis. We’d go out to dinner at the local café and she’d come back to my place for a coffee and we’d chat some more.

On one occasion I was running late. I had enough time to either spend quiet time with my Lord, or clean up the house. I decided to clean up the house in case my friend came over after dinner.

Something inside me said this was wrong. I needed time with my Lord more than I needed a tidy house. And, to prove the point, it turned out that my friend couldn’t stay so she didn’t come back for coffee.

The Lord had tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me again how important it is to spend time with Him. He should never be our second priority.

Have you ever had one of those moments? Every time I think of mine, I think of Martha. She was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made by Jesus’ visit, but her sister, Mary, sat at His feet and listened to what he had to say.

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)

A Different Life

A friend asked via Facebook, “If you didn’t know Christ would your life be any different?”

My initial reaction was, “Well, of course!” But then I thought about it some more. I’m a good person and was always a good person (as the world understands a good person). When I became a Christian I didn’t experience any major change in my life. So maybe, my life would be the same.

The possibility that this might be true shocked me. I still make foolish mistakes. I still think in selfish terms far too often. I still sin. I am no better than anyone else on this earth.

Then I thought about it some more. I may not have gone through a lot of outward changes, it may have only been an inward transformation to start with, but it impacted my life in a way that made all the difference.

God changed the way I think: I try to relate everything back to Him. He changed the way I respond to the world: I have to daily remind myself that I no longer belong to the world. And through those changes he impacted other people’s lives.

The difference lies in the choices we make, in our actions and inactions, and, most importantly, in the strength to speak out for Christ. This is how our lives are made different. This is how we are truly set apart.

We can all live “good” lives, but Christ changes us so that we want to shout out His name to any, and all, who want to hear. God’s love burns within us like a furnace and demands we share this warmth, this life, with others. How can we not share the Good News about our Lord?

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15 (NIV)

How different would your life be if you didn’t know Christ?