Thinking this morning on God and how big and Great He is! He redeems the time. He loves us in our brokenness. He loves us when we are unlovable. He loves us when we hate ourselves. He loves us back to life. (I know this for a fact personally). And in response to that love- then and only then can we love Him back plus truly love one another. He has shown me this Great love and in response, I give Him my life. I confess my yuck to Him. I ask for His forgiveness of sin in my depravity. He not only forgives me but takes the shame and condemnation. Along with forgiveness, He adds to it His power that allows me to walk in obedience to His Word. He keeps me humble. He holds me and sustains me. He renews me day by day. And yes… He even disciplines me because He loves me. He fills my heart so full of Him that I cannot help but praise Him & thank Him. Does that mean everything is perfect? Nope. Not even close. But is there light in the darkness and peace through the storms? Yes.Ya’ll! God loves us, our spouses, our children and loved ones. Remember that He holds the world in the palm of His hand and still has every hair on our head numbered! So, my prayer today is that through faith in Christ, we would trust, love, grow in, serve & live for Jesus as well as one another. (This is not that salvation comes through our works because we know it only comes through faith in Jesus’ blood and finished work on the Cross; Jesus taking our sins upon Himself defeating death and reconciling us to the Father.) Then, as an overflow of that amazing grace God gives us, we can be a place of refuge for our prodigals, the lonely, the orphans and the widows. May those who are far off receive what His Spirit who calls us unto Himself has been longing to give them all along: Everything He is!
Ephesians 3:
16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 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, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”