Where Love and Life Begin

1 John 4:7-11; Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  8; Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  9; 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. 10; This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  11; Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Do you believe God loves you - Do you feel His love for you, or are you not too sure about this aspect of your life?  If love is not present in your life, a vital part of your life is missing because it is an essential part of a person’s life. God loves you and he wants you to know what love is about. 

Love is more than an emotion-it’s a commitment and it’s also a decision.  When you love somebody, you can discern whether or not they truly love you.  It allows you to know deep down inside whether or not their love is genuine or not.  God has given us this kind of radar within.  One thing to remember if you don’t realize it, love comes with a cost – it is not free.  Love will always demand something of us. 

You have to walk the walk and talk the talk when you say you love someone.  It’s a requirement.  And because love comes with demands, some people are willing to forgo this because they don’t have it within to stretch to that degree.  These are the kinds of folk that will miss out on what life is all about.

Genesis 1:1; God’s creation was an act of love. 

Making the decision to love includes the everyday little things that you often do for one another, especially when you’re not feeling loving. Making love a decision also means allowing yourself to be loved. It is about the choice to be vulnerable and put yourself out there to let another person in. This other person will see the good, the bad, your strengths and weaknesses. 

When a person really and truly feels love, they feel a confident and it enables a certain level of completeness emotionally. However, you can never be under the illusion that feelings won’t and don’t change.  That’s why choosing to love is so vital because action is behind the feeling.

Deuteronomy 11:26; Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! 27; You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. 28; But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

You love God by being obedient to His Word. To love God is to live free - love is always thinking about the other person.  The very act of falling in love with someone is a beautiful and generous feeling.  I believe it is because you’re actually giving to someone.  It’s an unselfish act and it can be one of the most fulfilling as well.

Think of it this way; imagine someone has a great need and for whatever reason, hasn’t been able to take care of it for themselves.  Then out of nowhere, you bless them by giving to them what they need.  It’s such a rewarding feeling. Our Heavenly Father has given us this kind of capacity, simply through loving from the core your heart.  Life and love begins in your life when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  You’ve got everything when you have the ability to love other people and receive love.

He Didn’t Say “I’m Sorry!”

Psalm 27:10-14 (NIV)

10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. 11 Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. 13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Amelia and Gregory had just gotten engaged and as they began planning their wedding, Gregory asked who she wanted to walk her down the aisle. Without even blinking an eye, she said “My father”. Gregory was surprised because she had never mentioned her father. Amelia was the daughter of a prominent business owner in Washington D.C. Before his success, when he was younger, he and Amelia’s mother fell in love. Their relationship became strained during her pregnancy and they never married. 

With the help of her grandmother and aunts, she was raised by her mother. Eventually, Amelia’s father married someone else and they had children of their own. As she grew up, her mother didn’t talk much about her father, fearing that it would hurt Amelia to find out that he had abandoned her and in fact had another family. In her early twenties and with dreams of him walking her down the aisle on her wedding day, Amelia decided to try to connect with him.  

One afternoon, Amelia finally decided to pursue the leads she had gathered from years of quietly searching for clues. Some time ago, she came across a newspaper article her mother kept in her bible and an old love letter her father had written to her mother when Amelia was an infant. She searched his name online and finally ended up with a possible phone number and address, but she never imagined the decision whether to actually reach out to him would be as difficult as it was. 

For some people it’s tough to admit that the emotional neglect of a parent during childhood can lead to emotional issues as adults. The fear of being rejected looms large, and because of it, many of us would rather not address the pain. The emptiness can feel so deep that you believe only the love of the parent can fill it. The reality is that all of us have unresolved issues of pain, and despite what we think no human being has the power or capacity to take this pain away, but Jesus Christ offers us a solution. He tells us in Matthew 11:28-30(NLT), “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Psalm 27:10 teaches us that even when our fathers and mothers disappoint us, we can take refuge in God’s love. Hebrews 13:5 says that He will never leave or forsake us. His love is never ending, and His mercy endures forever. 

Amelia was obsessed with learning why her father didn’t pursue a relationship with her. Did he love her? The need to know the answers finally gave her the courage to call him. It was nerve wracking at first, but they talked and decided to meet in person. She felt better for having reached out, but although he said he wanted to build a relationship with her going forward, he never said he was sorry for not being in her life. 

She realized that no matter how hurtful it is, there are some things we have to let go. Sometimes what we envision in our heads doesn’t line up with reality, but Heavenly Father will never disappoint us. He will lovingly father us through the abandonment, disappointment, and sadness that our biological parents sometimes cause. Through the whole experience of meeting her dad, her appreciation deepened for the love of God that was demonstrated by the family that made numerous sacrifices and raised her all those years. She decided to have to her mother walk her down the aisle. ■

New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“He Didn’t Say “I’m Sorry!”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Trust Him to Take Care of You

Matthew 6:26NLT; Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.  And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

There’s a world of tension and stress for many Christians surrounding our wants and needs because for many Christians, nothing seems to change, year after year without seeing the kind of results you expect.  It’s a challenge to hear the truth about who we are and then make the changes to become better.  Simply because we are so wrapped up in our earthly selves that pleasing God becomes the furthest thing on our mind. 

God tells us to trust him, and I guarantee you that most Christians have difficulty trusting in something or someone they cannot see.  Do you believe you are worthy and lovable? God says you are.  This is a question we sometimes have to ask ourselves when our behavior speaks otherwise.  Will we trust God, will we trust in His power and in His way?  Our Heavenly Father challenges us to shift our focus off of what we don’t have and consider what He has already blessed us with.  Not that any of us Christians want to be disappointed, but it’s more comfortable to trust what we know than to reach out on faith for the unknown.

Will God really bless me with a good man?  This is what doubting God sounds like in our minds.  If a good man comes along it must mean that it was by chance.  When in truth, God has the ability to cause anybody to find you.  God has the ability to cause all of your financial crisis and instability to fade away.  But it must require us to seek Him first in all that we do, instead of seeking the dollar bill, or our jobs, or even a man, to do all that we need.

Many Christians have a war within themselves on trusting God and His word.  We just have to remember Jesus Christ told us not to worry about a thing – He’s got us! And I know this is still very hard for many of us, no matter how many times we read this verse or here it said. When it comes down to it you will have to make a decision, which one will you be most devoted to.

We still have to remember, God and His word never changes, it’s us that changes.  Jesus Christ would say to us…” Don’t worry if you’re going to be single for the rest of your life – don’t worry about your health, don’t worry about your life!” 

We bring God down to our level without us even realizing it. The truth of the matter is that God can make a rock praise Him, that’s just how little our circumstances really are because there is absolutely nothing that is impossible for God to do or solve in our lives.  The bottom line of what our Lord Jesus Christ tells us to do in Matthew is to seek God’s Kingdom first, and God will take care of it all.  We have to evaluate our attitudes that we bring before God’s throne.

Our Lord and Savior says that he will meet all of our needs according to His riches in Glory.  The problem we face continually is our riches are devoted in the world’s system. If we go without we worry, if we need food we worry, if we lose our job we worry but the citizens of Heaven don’t suppose to do this. Single women worry that they won’t ever get married – they worry will God ever bless them with someone to love them enough that will want to spend the rest of their lives with them.  Not to worry – as Jesus Christ asked the question “Aren’t you far more valuable to God.”

Don’t Turn Away from Me

Psalm 144: 7; Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens.  Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.  8; Let me hear of our unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you.  Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. 9; Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me. 10; Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.

When you need a rescue, it’s a now or never kind of urgency.  The opportunity to make the choice is ours to make and our Heavenly Father has left the door open for us to walk through it.  Whether we realize it or not, there will soon come a time where we will have to make a decision to either love the Lord, or love the world.

The choice to run to Him is completely ours with absolutely no pressure, and as times continue to become more and more perilous, we will need to have every assurance that we have a refuge in God.  When tribulation paints the opposite picture of the verse in Psalms, Christians that suffer from the pressures of life, will feel likely succumb to what’s comfortable and go the opposite direction of God’s love.  But this should be the very last thing we should ever think to do.

Being on this Christian journey affords you the opportunity to see and experience tribulation up close and personal.  Tribulation presses you to draw closer to God but it’s in the struggle that you see God’s love stronger, for it says in 2 Corinthians 12:8; My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The apostle Paul was able to boast in his weakness because this is when God was glorified, through him.  Paul was going through some horrible times and he had many enemies, so much so, that he prayed often for God to remove the “thorns in his flesh”, but God knew that Paul needed to lean on Him and not be so concerned about the people that wanted to see him suffer.

There may be some of you that probably have encountered folks who would like nothing more than to see you suffer. But as the elders in my church would say, “With God on your side, you can never fail”.  When we don’t trust God through our tough times, we separate ourselves from God through a lack of faith in His love for us. Doubt is one of our biggest enemies and a lot of times, many Christians are not thinking about the love of God, they’re thinking about getting rest from the harshness that the toils of life bring in our every-day life.

God tells us we don’t ever have to be unhappy, sad or depressed if we would only come to him with all of our stuff. Jesus Christ said anytime we have fears, worries or tumultuous situations, to leave it with him.  God wants us to get it in our core that we are powerful individuals, life doesn’t have to beat us down in order for us to get this truth, but some of the most seasoned

Christians have a difficult time surrendering and letting go and allowing God to handle their problems.  Just as pain is a calling card for change, so is the revelation that we can't be afraid to do the grunt work on the inside of us in order to live the victorious life that our Lord and Savior died on the cross for us to live.

God Will Fix It!

Isaiah 55:6-7(NLT)
“Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.”

No one would argue that a broken heart is a very difficult kind of pain to overcome. When our physical bodies ache, the first thing on our minds is to grab something to soothe the pain—something that will make us feel better as quickly as possible. It’s a little different with a broken heart. Some people panic when that first wave of fall-out emotions hits their consciousness. It’s a shocker if you’ve never experienced it before, and even though there are stages that ultimately lead to healing, the initial shock sends many of us bolting to the next person. We think they will take the heartache away, or at least help num the pain.

Personally, I was so repelled by the pain that hearing about meeting another man was the last thing on my mind. For a good long while, I avoided relationships like the plague. I knew I couldn’t remain in my silo of solitude forever, but I was nervous about meeting someone new. The thought of having to take a chance with my heart being broken again was too much for my mind to conceive.

As I was licking my wounds from a terribly hurtful breakup, of course I dove into God’s Word for comfort. There’s nothing like the healing that comes from the scriptures. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” God's Word is alive. It is the bread of life! As we read the Word of God, His Spirit does a work on the inside of us, and through the Word, the Lord helps us in ways we cannot begin to quantify.

Back in the day, at the tender age of fourteen, I learned that my high-school crush didn’t feel the same way about me as I did about him. My heart was broken into a thousand little pieces, and I cried for weeks. My grandmother had no patience for theatrics, but she could see that I was hurting really bad. One day she said to me, “leave it in God’s Hands, baby; He’ll fix it.” Her words soothed my heart and soul because I knew that she was speaking from experience. God had done for her what she knew He’d do for me.

God’s love is the only lasting remedy for pain. He tells us through the prophet, Isaiah, to seek Him while He can be found. He never hides from us, but often we hide from Him. We bury ourselves in the pain and distance ourselves from His healing. We do this through our unbelief. For whatever reasons, a broken heart causes us to think that our pain is greater than God's love, and this can never be true. We can call on the Lord at any time, and He will rescue us, but we must trust in Him. Psalm 147:3 tells us that He heals the brokenhearted and He binds up their wounds. If we will continue to pray, and if we remember that healing is a process the Lord will walk us through, we’ll see that the Lord will fix it, because He causes everything to work together for our good.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

 “God Will Fix It”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.