Perfect Love

Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and keeps no record of being wronged.   It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endured through every circumstance.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Go slowly over that passage.  Read it aloud.  Now stop and think.  That is how our Father loves us.  

Specifically, love keeps no records of being wronged.   Think about that.  Those of us who live in guilt, who wallow in the pit of never good enough and never get it right.   I’ve lived there.  I still visit those prisons way to often.  I’ve been to the place of feeling like a failure and disappointment in my Father’s eyes.  Everyday I feel that way at some point.  I mean, how could He possible love someone like me?   

But that’s the point  He does.  He loves perfectly.  Completely.  Eternally.  I've come across a new study by Ted Dekker, called "The Forgotten Way."  It's theme is to teach us to remember who God is and who we are in Him....in Him completely.  And how we can love as He loves.  In this book/study we learn that He is a Father who keeps no records of wrongs.  He doesn't stack up our sins and wait to punish us, but loves us unconditionally.  Jesus Himself paid the price for our sins, so why would He then hold them against us?  God Himself has said , "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."  Psalm 103:12    Ephesians 1:4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

We are in Christ and seen as righteous.  And God does not accredit our sin to us any longer.  We do not bear the guilt, we do not look ugly in His eyes.  We are beautiful and precious to Him.

Accepting God's love is a struggle for me.  I know my own heart and thoughts too well.  But to really believe this, really accept this perfect love, will free us to be the people that God calls us to be.  We can't love others until we fully experience His love of us, til we believe it for ourselves.  I'm learning this, after all these years as a Christian, really learning it for the first time.  God's love keeps no record of my wrongs.  

As an aside, this does not mean we can live a willy nilly, undisciplined, sinful life style....Oh no!  Just the opposite.  Because why would I want to live anyway other than to please the One who loves me limitlessly!  

Look closely at those verses at the start.  Speak them to yourself everyday, knowing that is the way God loves you.  Pray the Lord will help you believe and grow in this knowledge.  

Thank You Lord, for the love You have for me and for all of us.  I'm learning.  Let this be an experience for all of us, everyday.  Let it go beyond head knowledge to a deep living truth in our hearts and lives.  In Jesus' precious Name.  Amen. 

Ephesians 3:15-19 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.[a] 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

The Struggle Is Real!

I have to admit, I've struggled lately.  We are living in a holding pattern with the house contract.  And at the same time overwhelmed with all the details of retirement, selling the house, what to pack, what not to pack, when to have a yard sale, moving out of state, when do we get a place to rent.....Add all this to an already busy life....crazy at work, crazy at my volunteer "job," and part of me feels as if I am drowning.  As I lay in bed this morning, I thought to myself (actually I think I told it to one of my cats lol), "if I don't get out of bed, the day doesn't have to begin."   I just wanted a few more minutes before jumping into the fray of life.  

But the more the chaos swirls around the more I realize that God is on my side.  I've seen Him work out detail after detail after detail.  He's given me energy and stamina (even if it's only to put one foot in front of the other at times).  Things aren't lining up as fast as I would like, but I am learning to trust His timing.  I just heard one of the deejays on the radio station I listen to talk about how we only learn the stuff we need to do life in the hard times.  It's going through the storms that teach us to rely on God, to stay close to Him and follow in His footsteps.  I have to say this is becoming more and more real to me as we take this bumpy journey to the next state of our life.  

Are there struggles in your life right now?  (Dumb question, right?)  Drawer closer to our Savior.  Can't see His hand?  Trust anyway.  Choose to believe because He has promised to never leave nor forsake us.  Sometimes our "God visits" are the Lord sticking with us and getting us through each moment of the crazy, confusing, exhausting days we face.  Sometimes it's just laying our head down at night, knowing He never left our side and we were carried through the day step by step.  

We went to see Esther at Sight and Sound Theater in Pennsylvania last week.  Do you know that Esther is the only book of the Bible that doesn't specifically mention God?  But throughout the book and throughout the play His hand is so clear, His care front and center of every detail.  And so it is with us.  We may not know what's happening, God may seem like He isn't there, but He is.  Working out the details and the broad picture.  The one line that kept being repeated through the play was "Be still and know."  And that is our instruction too.  I know it was God's instruction to me in this season of  my life.  

I'm so grateful for this time in my life, hard as it is.  I have learned more about trusting God then I've learned in a long time.  What a wonderful Father we have!  

Lord, as always, thank You is not enough.  I am so glad You are with me, so glad I can rely on You.  I know, "You've got this."  I pray for each one reading this Lord, that they will know You are with them, working all things our for their good.  Increase our faith.  Help us to overcome doubt and fear with trust and belief.  You are good and You do only good.  All things serve You.  What a mighty God we serve!  Amen!!

Be still and know that I am God.  I will be honored by ever nation.  I will be honored throughout the world.  Psalm 46:10

Spiritual Growth, Part 2, from Mom

 Ask for wisdom--as we need guidance, direction and knowing how to apply God's way and will.  

2 Peter 3:18  Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  All glory to Him, both now and forever!  Amen.  

Ephesians 4:14-15  Then we will no longer be immature like children.  We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of the new teaching.  We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ , who is the head of His body, the church.

"I should no longer act like a child, but to grow up in all things into Him who is the Head--Christ."

Like all aspects of life from birth to death, it's a learning process and a practicing process.  

Unsettled or Complaining Spirit

Ask God to give you His viewpoint of your situation, don't let it take control.  His perfect peace washes away the restless ache as you trust Him to guide you.  

From me.

Spiritual growth takes time.  It takes submitting to God's will.  It takes prayer and practice and trust.  It can be hard and come with tears....but in the end the place we land is beautiful.   Right now I am in a place of deep learning with God.  My emotions may not always line up with my faith, but I am learning to go beyond the feelings to what I know, what I've seen of God.  This is growth.  We all grow at different paces and in different ways....our starting points are not the same.  Let's prayer for one another and continue to go forward with the Holy Spirit as our teacher, guide and strength.  

Lord, we all want to grow in You and for Your glory.  Sometimes the process is long and hard and painful.  Sometimes we have the 'ah ha!" moments...all of it comes from You and in our cooperation with You.  Give us hearts to continually desire more of You.  This past Sunday my Pastor continued his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount.  Your words Jesus, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." reminds us to keep looking for this growth...actively, persistently and by seeking You Lord.  This is a prayer You will answer to the fullest.  Keep our hearts set on growing and moving closer to, and going deeper with You.  Let us reflect Your glory more and more as we walk this path with You Lord.  Thank You for this lesson on spiritual growth.  Remind us to examine ourselves from time to time to take our "growth temperature."  And let us not become discouraged at the pace of our progress as long as we keep walking forward, even after set backs.  It's Your way, Your timing.  Thank You.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen. 

Part of my prayer life has become praying the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)  and Galatians 5:22-23.  What Scriptures can you regularly incorporate into your prayer life that ask God to help you grow.

The Beatitudes

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, 

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 God blesses those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted.

5 God blesses those who are humble,

    for they will inherit the whole earth.

6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,

    for they will be satisfied.

7 God blesses those who are merciful,

    for they will be shown mercy.

8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

    for they will see God.

9 God blesses those who work for peace,

    for they will be called the children of God.

10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,

    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Galatians 5:22-23  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against these things!.