His Love...

This morning as I sat to read the devotion, the scripture that was for today was from Jeremiah 31:3 - "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love". As I read this scripture, it really didn't stir my feelings. However, I went ahead to read the devotion. At the end of it as I closed my eyes to focus my attention on the Lord, I felt the very presence of the Lord, the embrace of my heavenly Father. I suddenly was overwhelmed.

The very longing to be loved and feel belonged is a longing that exists in every soul. I have a loving husband and  a daughter who love me a lot. My parents, sister and my all other members of my family love me dearly. I have no lack of being loved. Yet to be loved by the very God who created us is awesome.

We are designed in such a way that nothing could really fulfill our souls except by the love of Jesus. I realized that this morning when I felt the loving embrace of my heavenly Father. The Lord loves each one of us with an everlasting love and to feel that love and embrace is like that of a little child in the arms of her mother- secure, belonged, loved and accepted. Wow! This is the love of Christ...And I know that nobody in this world can give this love. We cannot buy this love, we only need to run to Him to receive it.

Peacemakers

There is no soul in this world which God cannot touch. Even the toughest person in this world, the most arrogant and the haughty head will have a soft corner which can be touched by God. As God's children, we always have a challenge with these kinds of people. Yet when confronted by the tough, the proud and the arrogant soul, all we need to do is- communicate, react and show love, calmness and silence. The love of God will certainly flow from us to others unknowingly touching their souls in a powerful way. We ourselves will be amazed by the way they change and take the initiative to communicate to us...That is the power of God.

Hebrews 12:14 (New International Version)

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

If we only live and do what God asks us, we will see that even the most indifferent people move towards us like a magnet that attracts iron to itself...

Potter and the clay

Many times we pray to God saying, "You are the potter, I am the clay. Make me and mold me. This is what I pray". But when trials or hardships come, we cry out, "Why my dear Lord should I go through all this?" And we may hear a gentle voice within our hearts which say, "Child, you just asked me of it". When we face trials, heart aches or some kind of wearing down situations, we feel that if only God had willed, He could have withheld these from us. But we forget that the potter is at His work. He is molding and making the clay so that He can bring the desired shape i.e His desired qualities built in us.

Whatever God allows it is to accomplish something. And when we go through such trials we may feel that God is indifferent to us . But He is not. As He works He remembers what it feels to be in that situation or phase. And when God's Word says He remembers, He also knows of the way to bring us to the paths of glory...

Psalm 136:23 (New International Version)

to the One who remembered us in our low estate

His love endures forever.

Psalm 73:24 (New Living Translation)

You guide me with your counsel,

leading me to a glorious destiny.

Like Zacchaeus

Luke 19: 2-8 (NIV)

2.A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3.He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4.So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5.When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6.So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7.All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "

8.But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

What is the first thing that comes to our mind when read about the story of Zacchaeus? That he was a wealthy tax collector who cheated people. But we all know that he changed when he had an encounter with Jesus. Yet, for many of us the first impression of Zacchaeus is that he was worst kind of sinner. But the beauty of Zacchaeus story is that, whatever kind of sinner he would have been, he ran to see Jesus when he heard about the Lord.

As fallen human beings we have a deep thirsts and a deep longings to be accepted and loved. And we are all inwardly and unknowingly yearning for such love. And we find that love only in Christ who accepts us in spite of our wrongdoings and forgives us though we may not be worthy of it. And because of this acceptance and love, we automatically repent and turn away from our sins. This is what exactly happened to Zacchaeus. Nobody loved him or accepted him. When Jesus offered to go to his house, people even disapproved of it. But the love Jesus demonstrated for him made Zacchaeus turn into a new man.

Even we like were Zacchaeus fallen, broken inwardly and in need of love. When we heard about Jesus, we too like Zacchaeus ran to him and responded to His love, because of which we are new in Him now.

And if perhaps you are someone still looking forward to be loved and accepted, you will find none none in this world who can give you that kind of love which is fulfilling. But the one who created you and died for you on the cross, shedding till his last drop of blood is willing and is able to give you that love which will satisfy your soul. Would you wish to look for Jesus like Zacchaeus? Jesus is waiting for you...

Knowing the Father God

Most of the time when we relate to God, we relate to Jesus Christ. Very less we concentrate on the Father God and sometimes on the Holy Spirit. All the three people in the trinity are important which we know but seldom reflect on them equally. It is no way wrong to pray to Jesus and to move in a much closer relationship with Him. We need to also direct our hearts to know deeply the other two people of the trinity, namely God the Father and the Holy Spirit of God. Whether we realize or not, all the three persons of the trinity are deeply involved in our lives.

The Holy Spirit of God, our life coach, is the one who opens our eyes to the truth. He guides us, leads us, sanctifies us and also helps us in times of trouble. Our Lord, the good shepherd too is interceding for us 24/7 with the father and is deeply involved in every aspect of our life and being. And to think of the Father, if we were to think of Him as a God of the Old Testament exhibiting His power, anger and sovereignty we are badly mistaken.

We need to look at the scriptures of both New and Old Testament to know the passionate love of God the Father for us.

The Word of God says in

Ephesians 1:5 (NASB)

He predestined us to adoptions as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

And when did God choose us?

Ephesians 1:4 (NASB)

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

If we are to reflect ourselves with the parable of the prodigal son, where we are the prodigal son or the daughter. And imagine the Father in the story as God the Father, then we are sure to see the above scripture in the awe of His love for us... Won't we?

Greatness of His love

We sometimes think that we are perfect, holy and righteous than the rest. But looking deeply within our hearts we can see that we have so many imperfections. Anger, wrath, selfishness, unthankfulness, self righteousness, pride, arrogance, foul language at times, and the list goes on. We see that sometimes we are controlled by our own emotions, thought process and decisions rather than being renewed in our mind as per the Word of God. Only when we allow God's Word and His Spirit to work in us will we be able to see the real change in us.

As we have been meditating on God's love, we see that our God is holy and righteous and that He hates sin. Then how does He look at our shortcomings. Surely He doesn't overlook them or ignore them;He is pretty serious about it and would not wish sin or any form of unrighteousness to dwell in us.

The Word of God says,

Rom 2:4 (NIV)

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you towards repentance.

It is by the grace and the love of God, we are not consumed or punished for our shortcomings. But His kindness towards us leads us to repent and be changed, so that we no longer dwell with our former nature, but be renewed in His likeness.

Ephesians 4:22-23 (NASB)

(v.22) that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self...

(v.23) and you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

Praise God for His wonderful love due to which we now stand and let us not take that grace for granted. Amen.

Because of His love

Whenever I am plagued with the question whether I will receive what I prayed for or will God answer my prayer? The first scripture that comes to my mind is this...

Rom 8:32 (NIV)

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave him up for us all-

how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

God did not withheld His own son Jesus for our sake, but He gave Him up so that we can be purchased back to God through the blood of His son. When God has done such an act for us, then do we need to doubt God's love or provision? When this dawns in my mind, then all my doubts and fears fades away, and I carry on the rest of the day assured about God's love and His provision.

This scripture has so much truth about God's love for us. And those who have tasted His love will never dare to live a life displeasing God...

1 John 3:22 (NASB)

and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

He died for me?!

As God's children, we need to understand or have a grasp of God's love, in order for our faith to be directed in right dimension. Faith is not just having a positive outlook. It is having a real understanding of God's nature... His love for us; what He is done for us and is willing to do for us. This we will know when we experience Him more in our lives. God Himself will reveal to us through His Word, by His intervention in our lives and through His remarkable ways... as the Spirit of God will open our eyes to see even in simple aspects of life.

The first and the foremost knowledge of God's love can be realized when we get a grasp of

who we are and who God is...

Rom 5:8 (NIV)

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Only when we realize how much a fallen people we are and how it was possible for a loving and a Holy God (Jesus) to die on the Cross on our behalf, will we be able to comprehend His love for us.

May the Lord open our eyes to know Him more and understand His wonderful nature...

Prayer:

What was I in your eyes oh God, that you chose me? What am I but a sinner that you shed your precious and holy blood for me? What did I do to gain your love? Nothing. Oh nothing is good in me. But that is what you are- full of love...that you even did not think twice to die for me...

God's Children

We all have an identity. We know who we are. And for most us our identity gives us a sense of pride and dignity. If I were to ask you, what is your identity which you are proud of, what would your answer be? That of your profession? That derived of your riches or fame? It could be anything...

But if you were to ask me, my pride and dignity comes from the fact that I am a child of God... Child of the Most High who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. I pride that I know Christ, rather I am known by Him and that I am tagged by His name. Wow! This is my privilege and blessing.

Do you also have an identity such as mine? If you do, then for sure, you are a blessed person as I am and unique in your identity. And this identity is one, which is a greater honor than any honor or award than you can imagine of, in this world.

1 John 3:1 (NIV)

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called Children of God! And that is what we are!

If you feel that you do not have this identity yet, you sure can have it now. All that you need to do is this...

John 1:12 (NIV)

Yet to all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

His Lovingkindness...

When we go through times of difficulty and are wondering the outcome or consequences of situations, it is very difficult to keep up peace of mind. Though we may focus on prayer and try to keep up faith, sometimes it is may be tough to look at things positively. That is the time we look at whom we trust and His wonderful love.

Psalm 42:8 (NASB)
The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;And His song will be with me in the night,A prayer to the God of my life.

As long as He is with us, we can go through any dry time in our life believing that His lovingkindness is there with us throughout and He will not allow anything that is damaging to us (our soul and life)
Amen.

His faithfulness...

Often I have wondered whether I weary the Lord with my prayer list. Day after day our prayer lists never decrease, we go on and on with our needs and petitions. How would we feel if we have someone at our door always needing of something? Wouldn't we at some point feel tired of meeting those needs or answering the door?

Though God is not us, and He is full of love and compassion for His children, I wondered how God felt about this. I found a very consoling word in the Bible which changed my whole perspective.

Lamentations 3:22, 23 (NASB)

(v.22) The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. (v.23) They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

The word that His compassions are new every morning gave my heart a great solace. We can go to our heavenly Father without any hestitation. Great is His faithfulness indeed.

I feel compelled...

When we say we love the Lord, it means many things to many of God's people. Some are of the view that loving God is to be an effective witness for Him. For some even going to church, reading the bible, and praying for others are perceived as loving God whereas in reality it is done for the wellbeing of one's own soul.

What it means to really love God? Does it end just with verbal expression or goes beyond that? Yes, it does and we all know that. Our love for God compels us to be all that God wants us to be, live the way He wants us to and do His perfect will in every aspect of our lives. For we no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died and rose for us; who is at God's right hand interceding for us and desires to reach out to others through us.

The next time when we say we love Him (Jesus), let's check ourselves whether we truly do? If we did ...then we will strive our best to do His will...

1 Peter 4:2 (New Living Translation)

You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.

Relishing His love

I had always wondered whether I loved the Lord well? Truly speaking I found that I had not. I only concluded that I could not love Him better, though that had been my prayer for years . I couldn't focus on just loving Him, worshipping Him on a steady basis. As years passed by it dawned on me that I failed to see His love for me. Only when I was able to comprehend His love for me did I realize that I was able to love Him expressively. My love for Him was a response to His love for me. I understood that I need not try hard to love Him but only need to live in the realization of His love for me. That was all which was required and my love would just overflow...

1 John 4:19 (NIV)
We love Him because He first loved us