Believing and Abiding in His Love

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. I John 4:16 (New King James Version)

To know and believe God really loves us is to think it to be true, to be persuaded it is true, and to place confidence in its truth. Nearly four years ago, I came to understand that God’s love is not dependent on what I am doing. In other words, my actions and behavior are not the basis for His love. That had a profound effect upon me. It shook up my belief system and caused me to take a hard look at the many misperceptions I had about God and the Christian life. It birthed changes in me and broke through self imposed limits and walls. My “box” mentality gave way to spacious places in which I was free to move about and explore. It opened up honest dialogue between myself and God. Knowing that He required truth in the inward parts changed my prayer life. Secure in His love, I could begin to voice questions, doubts, and misgivings. True feelings and honest thoughts could now be shared with Him.

Taking in the truth of God’s love is one thing but God invites us to go further. He wants His love to become our place of abiding on a daily basis. To tarry in the knowledge and have it become our continual reference point. Come what may, it must be our plumb line that keeps us centered and focused on Him. Without it we drift and become victims of difficulties, rampant emotions, and tactics of an enemy who wants to devour and destroy us. Physical, financial, emotional, spiritual, or relational hardships must continue to be placed under the canopy of God’s love for us. We must anchor our souls to it, fix our minds on it, and live within the reality of it on a continual basis.

Easier said than done? Absolutely. But worth it! It is what strengthens me when I am weak, wounded, or weary. It is what renews my hope when I am floundering. It is what assures me of forgiveness and mercy when I have really blown it. It is what redirects my steps when I have wandered. Each time I crawl into the truth of His love and embrace it for myself, I am anointed with a security that no one else can give to me.

I am still learning and still growing but it is being done in the context of God’s love, heart, and thoughts toward me. Whether I am in valleys or on mountain tops the truth continues to set me free!

Father, thank you for a love that never changes, never walks away, and never diminishes. I open my arms and my heart to all You give to me. Amen.

The No Matter What of Rejoicing

Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation! The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! Habakkuk 3:17-19 (Amplified Bible)

Got the picture? No matter the circumstance, disappointment, loss, failure, or lack, rejoicing is possible…it is a choice! Why? Because it is based in who God is and what God does not in anything or anyone outside of Him. That which cannot be given to me by other avenues cannot be taken away from me by other avenues. Since God is my Strength, I am able to stand strong! Since God is my confidence, I am able to advance with my head held high! Since God is my army of defense, I am able to live life secure and protected. The storms of life and trials of this world do not determine my position, provision, or possessions. God does!

Today’s verse is the kind of verse I can slip ANY situation into and come out with the same result. No matter what I list behind the word “though” it can be followed by YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD! Why? Because He is my strength and the one who makes me to walk above the places of difficulty. He shelters me in any storm, holds me in any trouble, comforts me in any distress, accompanies me through any valley, and strengthens me in every moment. This is a passage of victory if ever I saw one!

I am struck by the fact that Habakkuk does not voice these truths after the situation has improved. He voices them as he realizes the possibility of a worse case scenario. What an example! Whether I look to the past and think on things that I would have chosen never to happen, I can still rejoice in the Lord. Whether I take stock of my present situation and see things that still have not changed or been resolved, I can still rejoice in the Lord. And whether I contemplate the many what if and if only moments of the future, I can still rejoice in the Lord.

God’s New Year resolution to me is always the same! He promises to be faithful, present, involved, righteous, and loving. That alone gives me reason enough to rejoice! Whatever lies ahead I will rejoice in Him!

Father, Your love has never been conditional. May mine not be either. I joy in the God that You are! Amen.

Seeing a Clearer Picture

Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in birth pangs. For now you shall go forth from the city, you shall dwell in the field, and to Babylon you shall go. There you shall be delivered; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. Micah 4:10 (New King James Version)

Have you ever wondered what it is the Lord is doing in your life? On a daily basis you feel as if you are sitting among countless puzzle pieces and the semblance of a picture is no where to be found. Days blend into weeks and even months, and you still perceive nothing! Faith says, “God knows what He is doing!” while the flesh says, “This doesn’t make sense!” Can anyone relate to this?

When my eyes landed on this verse this morning I began to see a clearer picture of what has been happening over time. As one year gives way to another year I am looking back and seeing phrases within this verse coming to life for me. I have absolutely no doubt God is presently birthing something in me….I have experienced the labor pains!!!! Maybe you have as well.

When I think of God calling His people out of the city and into the field, I picture the leaving of comfort zones and places of presumed security. To say it is unsettling is an understatement. I will admit that the first year of my journey was filled with many fearful moments as I was letting go of so many things I had held to for decades. But I knew I would be okay because my heart’s desire was to know God more intimately and walk in freedom! I just had to get past the idea that what people thought equated what God thought. Once I began to experience God and the Christian life in a whole new way, I was thrilled! This was followed by another season. That of pain and sorrow at a significant loss in my life. Tears marked the path on which I had formerly danced! But again, I knew I would be okay because I now knew God in a way that allowed me to lean upon Him like never before. This became my season for seeing areas in which I needed deliverance.

God has wasted no time in showing me how deeply the areas of bondage run in me and along with that, His incredible power and ability to set me free! As I enter a new year, I am entering it as a changed person in many respects. Compared to a year ago, I don’t think the same way I use to think. I don’t relate to people the way I use to relate. I don’t view God the way I use to view God. I don’t know what this new year will be like but I know that over all of it will hang God’s promise to deliver and redeem me from all my enemies. Even that with which I presently struggle will give way to His hand of redemption! Because of that, I walk with a confidence and security that has me dancing once again!

Father, I no longer wonder how You will accomplish Your purposes in me! I simply know that You will! Amen.

Ready to Receive or Release

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11 (New International Version)

I just spent a lovely evening with a friend and her family. After an elementary school Christmas program we headed for some pizza. My soul basked in the warmth of their laughter, love, and life! It is hard for me to believe that our friendship has grown and developed in just a few short months. It has been needed and it has been enjoyed!

There have been a handful of women whom God has introduced me to in this past year that came at a time when it seemed other friendships were going through some changes. At first, the changes concerned me and I started wondering what had gone wrong and what I had done to “drive” them away. Just when I thought I had become a “relational leper” God enlightened me to something I hadn’t considered. The friendships were still in tact. If I saw them or spoke with them we would enjoy ourselves. So what was different? God’s answer was this: they are no longer primary encouragers to you or you to them. And that’s okay because I have other relationships for all of you. When I embraced that truth everything changed!

God’s intent is that I enjoy the friends He brings into my life with open hands. Releasing them must be done as freely as receiving them. For it is only in releasing them that I am able to then receive others. God has purposes for the ones He brings into my life. We have the opportunity to enrich each other’s life within the time frame God has determined. He will know when it is time for me to interact with new people. Frequency will no longer mark our conversations but the friendship will continue in a new way.

This has been freeing for me. It has helped me take my expectations off people and enjoy them for who they are. It has also helped me to delight in the times we do share. Not hearing from them no longer becomes a time to doubt, condemn, or blame myself or them. I am now free to trust God to intersect my world with others in His time!

I have no idea how many more people I have yet to meet. God keeps surprising me like He did this past summer! I lift up thanks to Him for past encouragers as well as present ones. It is one area of need He continually supplies and He does it to perfection. It doesn’t have to be a thing of confusion or pain any longer. I am free to embrace the body of Christ as it was meant to be embraced. I now treasure the past, enjoy the present, and anticipate the future.

Father, I never liked change but have finally begun to see the preciousness of it! Thank you for each person who has touched my life in beautiful ways. I await the ultimate reunion in Heaven! Amen.

The One Who Can Fill You

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. Psalm 42:1 (New International Version)

Years ago I heard the saying that we are each born with a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill. I equated it with salvation and moved on. Decades later, God is bringing that truth to life for me and I am astounded at the implications! We were each born with needs, longings, and desires. I picture them coming out of a huge cavern in my soul. A hollow place if you will. God created us with the needs, and wants us to know that He alone can meet those needs. For some, that concept is easily seen and easily digested. For others, the realization is slow in coming and the receiving of it is even slower.

I have spent the past few hours chewing on some things God was bringing to mind. It has been one “aha” moment after another. Like a massive jigsaw puzzle, the pieces have been sliding into place and I am now looking at the entire picture. The pieces have come from various sources but God alone has masterfully put them all together and I am over whelmed by the view!

This morning’s picture has to do with significance. That awareness and belief that our life matters and we are a valuable part of God’s creation. Some look for it in achievement, fame, riches, or success. I looked for it in people. While there were times individuals could make me “feel” significant they were never meant to be what gave me my significance. God alone is the source for that! When I would look to a person to fill my need for value and worth, it was like pouring water into a huge hole. The dirt saturated the water and the hole was still there. Remove the person and what little they were able to give you is removed as well. That is the way it is with any source.

As I faced my cavern, I finally saw that the only One who could fill it and continue to fill it is God. He alone is permanent and He alone is able. With a sense of sheer joy and delight I asked Him to fill the hole! Fill the place in me that has only grown deeper over the years with relationship upon relationship. Fill the place in me that has never been filled. The longing and desire is finally directed toward the only One who can satisfy. As the deer pants for the water, as the eagle yearns for the sky, as the prisoner longs for freedom, I reach for God and He is so very accessible. He has drawn me with cords of loving kindness and wooed me with tender words.

Father, the healing continues and I stand in awe of how You are accomplishing it. What I believed to be impossible is now happening and I praise You! Amen.

In Pursuit of Us

And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. Jonah 4:6 (King James Version)

Today was the first time I have ever read through the book of Jonah and saw God’s pursuit of him. God pursued him in his place of comfort. (chap. 1) He pursued him when he ran. (chap. 2) He pursued him when he repented. (chap. 3) And He pursued him when he retreated in anger. (chap. 4) That is the place of today’s verse. God meets him in his grief and ministers to him.

We so often think of God as One who leaves us in our time of rebellion and anger. And yet David writes in Psalm 139 that no matter where we go, God has us encircled, enclosed, and hemmed in with His right hand on us! The knowledge of that in its entirety was too much for David to fully grasp. Think of it! God remains ever present and ever personal no matter what! This is not to say He approves of our sinful choices or ignores our actions. He does not set aside the sowing and reaping principle nor does He simply ignore our behavior. That would not be loving or wise on His part. But He desires restoration and deliverance for us just as He did for Jonah.

This morning I am reviewing in my mind the many different places I have been where God was still pursuing me. He pursued me as a lost sinner in need of a Savior. He pursued me in my camps of performance and legalism. He pursued me in my pursuit of others. He pursued me in my repentance and brokenness. And presently He pursues me in a time of healing and restoration. Like David, I am unable to grasp the knowledge of it. But God doesn’t expect me to understand it all. He simply desires that I embrace this aspect of Him and live life as a recipient of His mercy, love, and grace. He has promised to finish the work He started in me and I marvel as I see Him doing just that! Undeserving but delighted by it!

As you read this, I don’t know where you are in your walk with Him. You may be closer to Him than you have ever been before or you may be farther from Him than you ever thought you would be. I don’t know which it is but I know this: God is pursuing you every step of the way! He has enclosed you and has His right hand on you if you are His child through faith in Christ. He is not leaving and He is not letting go. He has a vested interest in you! Delight in that truth and own it. Let it sink in!

Father, You have put me in awe once again. The best and worst of me has not distracted, dismayed, or discouraged You from pursuing and wooing me. I cannot wrap my mind around that truth but I open my heart to it! Amen.

It's Time to Slow Down

I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel 34:14 (New American Standard)

God is working to expose an area in my life that He desires to repair and He is using several vehicles to do so. I am recalling the early days of my journey when I devoured book upon book to somehow “catch up” on truths about Him that I had missed. I couldn’t seem to read enough to feed my ravenous appetite. But there came a point when I realized I had taken in more truth than I knew what to do with. It was like I had filled my mind with a lot of facts that still needed to make their way to my heart and my daily experience.

A friend emailed me yesterday and shared a truth God had laid upon her heart to share. She was encouraging me to savor the things God was doing in my life and the lessons He was teaching me. She was imploring me to chew on the truths and meditate on them without moving immediately on to the next thing. To let God’s revelation go deep. God used her words to begin awakening in me the realization that I have a tendency to “learn and run” rather than “learn and rest“. There was a time I did this out of a sense of depravation and yet eventually it merely became habit for me.

This morning God became even more pointed in His message to me. I cannot miss the vivid picture He has brought to mind. He allowed me to do my normal reading of several chapters from the Bible followed by a half dozen or so devotional books. Throughout my reading there would be verses and phrases that flared up like fireworks in the distance and yet I would hurriedly move on to the next piece to read. When I came to the last book, He stopped me dead in my tracks and showed me this picture of myself. I was standing (not sitting) at a banquet table and I was moving from platter to platter nibbling away! I was barely tasting the food as I took it in. He showed me clearly THAT is exactly what I am doing with His Word. I am reading and nibbling morsels of truth. But I am not squeezing the flavor out of any of them! I am feeding but not feasting on His message to me. In light of today’s verse, I am running through the pastures rather than lying and grazing in them.

I was honest with Him as I admitted to not being sure how to slow down at this point. I have a feeling He is getting ready to walk me through the reasons I am in such a hurry and is poised to teach me how to implement His “table etiquette.”

Father, I want to learn to do this right. Keep me teachable to Your instructions and voice. Teach me how to get the most out of our time together. Amen.