We are told to love.
Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:30)
Love our enemies. (Matthew 5:44)
Love our neighbors as ourselves. (Mark 12:31)
Love fellow believers, just as Christ has loved us. (John 15:12)
These are high standards.
Many, many Bible verses, sermons, and books discuss love. These may provide helpful details, but at the core, we need to think about:
- Deciding to love.
- Acting in accordance with our love.
Love Decides
Love is an intentional decision, a commitment to God and others. It has a permanent, authentic ring, and is not whimsical or momentary. The decision to love is fundamental. It is a choice.
Love Acts
The Bible links love with action.
In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially those who are of the household of the faith. (Galatians 6:10)
Unless there are loving actions, it is impossible to detect someone’s love.
Love Feels
There are emotions associated with love. While we cannot force ourselves to feel giddy with love, at the same time, God commands emotions: rejoice, for example.
The decision to love is independent of feelings…you aren’t apt to love your enemy because of your warm emotions towards him or her, for example. But we are commanded to love our enemies.
And acting out of love doesn’t require emotions of love either. In fact, you may express your love most deeply when positive feelings are absent.
The phrase: “falling out of love,” generally means the feelings of romantic love are gone. Too often, a marriage fails because the couple relied on emotions rather than the decision, the commitment, to love each other.
How do we measure up?
Have we decided to love God? Our enemies? Our neighbors? Fellow believers? Is the decision final? Or contingent on some behavior of others?
Do we act on our love towards God? Our enemies? Our neighbors? Fellow believers? What have we done in the last few weeks? Do we have plans for the future that will express our love?
Pray
Pray for the Lord to show you where you have and have not made correct decisions to love.
Pray that He will show you how to act in love, and to whom.
Pray that He will give you the correct feelings to support and reinforce your decisions and actions.
We often seek that which seems permanent: owning a house instead of renting, marriage instead of dating, employment in a company that seems secure. Yet, houses can be destroyed, divorces happen, companies fail.
But God is eternal. When we seek Him, we seek the only One who truly is permanent, because He is the Everlasting God.
God is Eternal
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14)
The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27)
Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. (Psalm 90:2)
But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end. (Psalm 102:27)
God the Son is Eternal
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1–2)
But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…” (Hebrews 1:8)
God the Holy Spirit is Eternal
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever. (John 14:16)
How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)
Eternal Implications
Because God is eternal, His character, His attributes, His ways are eternal:
His lovingkindness is everlasting. (1 Chronicles 16:34)
His faithfulness is everlasting. (Psalm 100:5)
His righteousness is everlasting (Psalm 103:17)
His truth is everlasting (Psalm 117:2)
His righteous ordinances are everlasting (Psalm 119:160)
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom (Psalm 145:13)
His salvation is everlasting. (Isaiah 45:17)
His ways are everlasting. (Habakkuk 3:6)
Because God is everlasting, His promises are eternal. For eternity, He doesn’t change. You know He’ll be here tomorrow…and tomorrow… When He says those who have repented and believe in His Son have eternal life, He means it. Eternal means eternal.
Praise the Everlasting God
Everlasting, Eternal God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—I praise You. You are, always have been, and always will be. You never change. Your love is everlasting, your righteousness is everlasting, Your truth is everlasting, Your promises are everlasting. I praise You for always being You, for Your everlasting arms, for eternal life.
I praise You that You’ve known me since before the foundation of the world, You care for me always, Your everlasting arms are underneath me, and that You are preparing me for eternal life. I am so grateful You are permanent when this life is a blip.
I praise You for Your eternal sovereignty, that You are eternally trustworthy, that You never fail or forsake.
Help me grasp the magnitude of Your eternal being and the impact on my life.
—
See previous months for Praises A – D!
Do you know how much God loves you, His child?
I don’t.
His love for us is infinite. His love has no boundaries, no limitation, no end. But how can we understand “infinite?”
Think about a time you felt most loved, and multiply that by an infinite amount. That’s how much God loves you.
Let’s look at some of what God says about His love for us and what He has done because of that love.
That’s “head knowledge,” which is essential to really grasp His love for you. But then we need to build that knowledge into our lives so it permeates our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Knowledge, though, is first.
Eternal Life
He loves you so much His gave His Son to torture and death that you might have eternal life. And He did that when you hated Him. When you were His enemy. (John 3:15, Romans 5:8, 10.)
Would you sacrifice your parent, or your child, or your spouse, or your best friend so someone who hated you could live? Uh uh. Not likely.
Adopted
He loves you so much He adopted you. You are now, by His choice, in His family, His household. He is your Father. (Romans 8:15-16)
You are a beloved child of the all-powerful, infinitely rich, sovereign God.
Co-Heir
He loves you so much He made you a co-heir with Christ. A co-heir! We will be given all things. (Romans 8:17, Romans 8:32)
Would you make someone a co-heir with your children?
His Holy Spirit
He loves you so much He gave you His Holy Spirit to dwell in you, sealing you for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
He takes care of you
He loves you so much, He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing. and granted you all things pertaining to life and godliness. (Ephesians 1:3-8, 2 Peter 1:3)
He loves you forever
He loves you so much He’ll never leave you or forget you. He engraved you on the palms of His hands. (Isaiah 49:15)
He loves you so much, His love is forever. Nothing can separate you from His love. (Romans 8:35-39)
Essential to grasp, but hard to imagine
In order to make the knowledge of His enormous love for us fill our lives, to become part of who we are, to become “heart knowledge,” here are some things to do:
First:
Study what the Bible has to say about His love. There is a “starter” list above, but make it your own study.
Second:
Memorize key verses and meditate on them. What does the verse say, what does the verse mean, what does the verse mean to you? Make the key verses part of you in a very personal way.
Third:
Pray. Ask the Lord to make His love real to you. Pray about the verses you read. Worship Him for His love. Ask to experience His love.
Fourth:
Think through how you can apply God’s love to your life. If you really, really, believed He loves you, what would you do differently? What would you do right at this moment? How would you feel?
Heart Knowledge
When we know we are loved by almighty God, everything changes. We really—finally—know we have no reason to fear. We are filled with the joy of His love. We have new confidence that we can tackle what He wants because He is right there with us, helping us, encouraging us, loving us. Everything changes.
Try to imagine.
His love for you is infinite in scope and time.
Hallelujah!
Paul, after many, many, many trials, told us he didn’t lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4)
But there are times I’ve lost heart, even with a much easier life than Paul’s. Perhaps you have too.
Fortunately, Paul told us how to not lose heart.
How to not lose heart
First,
Be grounded in spiritual truth. The fact is we, followers of Jesus Christ, are under God’s care. He is working on us now, and will continue until the day of Christ Jesus, to mold us into the image of His Son (Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:29). We have been granted eternal life (John 3:15). Christ will present us to the Father holy and blameless (Colossians 1:22).
Second,
Focus on spiritual realities, not the problems we face. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)
Third,
Don’t get mired in the problems, but in the results God is producing. “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Fourth,
Look at the eternal spiritual reality. “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
Don’t lose heart as you learn how to not lose heart!
Keep at it.
Keep building up your knowledge of spiritual truth.
Keep practicing where you place your focus.
(But, of course, jump when a car is coming at you! Don’t ignore reality.)
The world is in a mess. Horrible terrorism in Europe. Violence in the USA. Division. 2016 politics.
Closer to home: We’re all dealing with something: Illness, aging, financial woes.
What is coming? Eek!
Ok, now STOP!
STOP!
God knows the future. God knows your future.
He loves His children, and will bring us into His kingdom holy and blameless.
His promises never fail.
He is preparing us, through trials, through whatever our situations are, to handle what is to come.
Remember:
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24–25)
He is all-powerful. He is able to keep us from stumbling. He promises to bring us home.
Trust:
We are told not to fear. We have good reasons to trust Him and face the future with hope and peace.
Lord, help us believe You. Help us rely on You. Help us trust You have us safe in Your arms.
God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—defends God’s children. We are not defenseless against the world, the flesh, or the devil, but have infinitely wise, powerful, and loving protectors.
Yahweh
Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? (Job 1:10)
The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. (Psalm 121:7)
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? (Psalm 27:1)
The battle is the Lord’s … (1 Samuel 17:47)
Father
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3–5)
Jesus Christ
But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)
We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (1 john 2:1)
Holy Spirit
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. (Ephesians 1:13)
The Spirit also helps our weakness, … [for] the Spirit Himself intercedes for us… according to the will of God. (Romans 8: 26-27)
The Spirit of God dwells in [His children]. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Praise Our Defender
Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, I praise You for being our defender. Father, You have built a hedge around Your children and only what You allow or cause gets through Your hedge into our lives. And when You have allowed something hard to touch us, You defend us against it, and use it for good. Lord Jesus Christ, You strengthen and protect us from Satan, and You continually intercede for us before the throne of God, defending us from the evil one’s accusations. Holy Spirit, You dwell in us, have sealed us for the day of redemption, and pray for us according to the will of God.
God, because You are the defender of Your Children, we truly have nothing to fear. Forgive us for forgetting. Help us walk in Your way, knowing You are with us. Help us be grateful.
This is the fourth in a series on praising our God. See previous months for A, B, and C!
As He entered a village [between Samaria and Galilee], ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:12–18)
Self-evaluation
Do you—do I—always thank and glorify God for His blessings?
Or are you—am I—more likely to be one of the nine who didn’t thank Christ, didn’t glorify God for cleansing?
Do you—do I—pray for specific things, and, when we get them, just go on our way?
Do you—do I—know we’ve had something nice happen, wonderful even, and be glad it happened. But then fail to thank Him? Fail to glorify God?
Do you—do I—focus on the Giver, or on His gifts?
Do you—do I—accept His blessings, but fail to worship Him?
Are you—am I—a taker?
Are you—am I—more like the nine or the one?
Attitude of Gratitude
I want to be the one, not one of the nine.
I want to have a permanent “attitude of gratitude,” alert to God’s many blessings, and thanking and glorifying Him.
One way to increase gratitude is to develop a habit of listing three things that happened during the day for which you’re grateful. This helps me be more alert to His many blessings, and then thank Him for them. There is a lot of secular research that this works.
Lord, Have Mercy
Have mercy on us, Father. Help us continually give thanks to You, and glorify Your holy name.
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13:5–6)
Do you trust God? Do you trust Him for your salvation? Do you trust that He will bring you to heaven?
I sure hope so, because, for the child of God, those who have repented, believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and have put their faith (trust) in Him, those are sure things.
Day to day, though, do you trust Him during good times and bad? Do you trust Him in your trials?
Trials are God’s strength-training courses. We get the opportunity to exercise our trust. Trials make us stronger. (But, of course, pray about what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be passive.)
Here’s how to trust during trials
Remember: Look Back
- You are God’s child, declared righteous, raised up with Christ, and seated with God in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6)
- He loves you with an everlasting love. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can take you out of His love. He loves you so much that He gave His Son to die for you that you might live with Him in heaven forever. (Romans 8:38-39)
- Your loving Father is sovereign over everything and everybody all the time. There are no exceptions. Nothing happens without God’s action or permission. Whatever touches you—good, bad, evil—is controlled by Him. (See, just for example, Ephesians 1:11 and Psalm 115:3)
Consider: His presence in the present
- While He sometimes allows bad things to happen to His children, He promises to bring good out of it. He promises to make you into the image of His Son. (Romans 8:28-29)
Look ahead: His future promises will not fail
- Trials benefit you. Paul says suffering produces endurance, then character, then hope (Romans 5:3-4). James says trials produce steadfastness, so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:3-4). Peter says trials test the genuineness of our faith, resulting in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7).
- One day Christ will present you to the Father holy and blameless! (Ephesians 1:4, Colossians 1:22)
When you are in the midst of a trial
When you are in the midst of a trial, you, of course, need to ask the Lord what He wants you to do. Perhaps there is a solution for your problem. Perhaps you need to ask for help. But, perhaps, you need to endure.
In any case, determine to remember the five points. If you practice during the “easy” trials, it will be easier to fall into His arms when life is really tough.
We are not alone in bad times—or good times.
Practice. Exercise your “trust” muscles.
Pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19
This world is in chaos, and getting more evil as the very last days approach.
But we, as God’s children, can see God’s lamp shining in a dark place, and must pay attention.
The day will dawn, and the morning star will arise in our hearts.
That is the prophetic word made sure.
We can’t ignore the awful things around us. But we can, we must, pay attention to God’s shining lamp.
We must, as Christ taught us, “to straighten up and lift up [our] heads, because [our] redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28
There is hope. Don’t despair.
Can. Must. Will.
“To Know Him is to Love Him.” That song, referring to an earthly love, was a number one hit in the late 1950s and has been sung by many famous artists. Better knowing your earthly love may or may not cause you to love him or her more. But, with God, the better you know Him, the more you love and trust Him.
“Knowing” God is an intimate term, implying a love relationship with a personal God, a supreme being who lives, loves, plans, and acts. The Bible is full of personal and emotional descriptions of our Father, Jesus Christ our Lord, and the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. “Head knowledge” is beneficial, but we are called to develop “heart knowledge” as well.
You get to know the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by studying God’s self-revelation, the Bible, and following Him. His Word says as we obey, we grow in knowledge. A wonderful cycle is one of the blessings of obedience.
Blessing of Obedience
Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord
Which leads to
Pleasing Him in all respects
Which leads to
Bearing fruit in every good work
Which leads to
Increasing in the knowledge of God. (See Colossians 1:10)
Then
We know Him better
and because we know Him better,
We love Him more,
So we keep His commandments better, walking in a manner worthy of the Lord.
Questions for you:
Are you regularly reading the Bible?
Are you striving better to know our Almighty God?
Are you striving to follow Him more closely?
From When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready? pp. 15-16.
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When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?
When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready? helps Christians not fear bad news, shows them how to handle current trouble, and helps them emerge stronger on the other side.
About me
I'm a Christian, wife, retiree, and author.
I love studying and putting knowledge into action. I'll share what I'm learning, encourage you, and urge all of us to press on to become more like Christ.
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