Category: From the Book

Grace (from I Thought I Knew What Love Was)

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The grace of God is so beautiful, and a precious gift. I hope this excerpt from I Thought I Knew What Love Was fills your heart with hope and joy. God’s love for us is vast beyond measure. You are loved beyond comprehension. Live loved.

Ephesians 2:4-9 But God,  being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when  we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you  have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly  places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the  immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by  grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is  the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Grace

Copyright © 2011 Erin Lamb, all rights reserved.

There is something so incredible about grace;

like freshly fallen dew,

grace falls so sweetly each day,

watering,

refreshing,

and renewing the soul.

It glistens like the brightness of the sun,

reflecting back to the most luminous One.

He is the most brilliant One,

who showers us with His mercy and grace.

His grace is

the unmerited favor

that we do not deserve.

Grace is one of the most priceless gifts.

It is His empowering presence

that enables us and gives us power to do His good will

and pleasure.

It is His grace

that carries us from day to day,

and season to season.

It is His unquestionable love

that is beyond all human reason.

We cannot fathom or understand,

how someone so perfect

could have such overwhelming, lasting love for us.

God, in His act of perfect love,

offered up His Son,

His one and only Son.

He sent His love down

like rain from heaven,

to wash away our scarlet sins;

He leaves our hearts white and pure as snow.

We could not earn this gift,

so precious and priceless a gift.

In His loving-kindness

He sent His Holy Spirit,

the one we call the Helper,

to dwell with sinful man.

He sent His Spirit

to comfort,

to lead,

provide wisdom,

and to empower us with His gifts

that are heaven sent.

This precious gift of grace returns,

day after day, to shower creation

with His unconditional love and unmerited favor.

Instead of giving us what we are worthy of,

He offers us so much more.

He offers mankind

a taste of His sweetness,

a touch of His goodness,

and a vision of His glory.

Just as the dew replenishes the soil,

His grace

softens our pride;

it soothes our hurts and pains.

His grace

refreshes our weary hearts

and seeps into our most desperate place.

We are in desperate need of His grace,

for we stumble and we fall.

We need His direction and love to pave the way.

He alone has made the way,

the only way,

for all our hearts to be fully restored.

Grace sinks into the desperate heart,

a heart so willing to receive.

Grace saturates the hurting heart

that has acknowledged its deepest need;

the need for a Savior,

the need for a friend,

the need for forgiveness,

for a love that does not end.

As love pours in,

guilt and shame pour out;

forgiveness and acceptance take its place.

There is something so remarkable about grace!

We cannot earn it.

We are not worthy of it,

and nothing we can do, or fail to do, can change the status of grace.

Grace comes in the most beautiful package,

falling from heaven

like freshly falling dew,

with a beautiful embroidered message

addressed to me and you.

It reads ever so tenderly,

“I give you My grace, free of charge,

simply because of My love for you.”

Copyright © 2011 Erin Lamb. Excerpt from,  “I Thought I Knew What Love Was.”

All rights reserved. No part of the material may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, Westbow Press (www.westbowpress.com), or Author, Erin Lamb. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book available: http://www.westbowpress.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com and http://www.amazon.com

God’s Love Letter (Poem)

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God’s Love Letter

Written by Erin Lamb © Copyright 2011

I see you,

right where you are,

and I delight in you.

Your name runs across My mind

more times than you can imagine during the day.

Even in the night,

I ponder the great work that I have made in you.

The seeds of promise within you

are waiting to spring forth from your faith.

I blow sweet kisses at you during the night,

and you sense My smile in the sunlight.

I bottle your tears.

I want to cast away all your fears.

I support your dreams

and all those things,

you feel I am too big, or too busy to notice.

I watch over you carefully;

you are My precious possession.

You are My family,

one of royalty,

and of great value and worth.

Nothing can separate you from My love.

My love is constant and never wavering.

I will never leave.

I am as close to you

as you want Me to be.

I have great love for you;

this I want you to see.

Every day I wait eagerly

to speak My words of affirmation over you,

to share life with you,

and I am so pleased with what I have made.

I know you,

and I love you.

I chose you,

and I love you.

I gave you life,

and I love you.

You are My beloved,

and I love you with a ceaseless love that stretches far beyond your

mental capabilities.

When you think I am far away,

I am here.

Here, with you, is where I’ll always aspire to be.

Call out to Me,

and I will draw close to you.

For My love,

I never break a promise.

I never betray My vows.

I am committed to love you

and care for you.

This love is not based on what you do,

what you will accomplish,

or what you’ve done.

This love is not limited by what you have failed to do.

My grace flows over you.

My Son’s blood washed over you

and made you new.

I chose you before you knew Me,

and I knew you before you were a thought

in anyone else’s mind.

I know every intimate aspect of your life.

I will know you forever.

I loved you then,

and I love you now.

I will love you, for all your days.

Copyright © 2011 Erin Lamb. Excerpt from, “I Thought I Knew What Love Was.”

All rights reserved. No part of the material may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, Westbow Press or Author, Erin Lamb. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book available (USA and Canada): Purchase I Thought I Knew What Love Was

http://www.barnesandnoble.com and http://www.amazon.com

Agape

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Beautiful friends, I Thought I Knew What Love Was contains numerous reflections on the love of God. Many times we explore the depths of God’s love only to find out that there is so much more. On this journey with Him, each day provides more insight into His love. God is love. His very nature is love.

God is agape love. Agape love is self-sacrificing in nature, unconditional, and unwavering. Agape love is not based on the merit or behavior of the recipient. There is nothing we can do to earn this love. It is the very essence of the One we worship.

God demonstrated agape when He sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for us. He sacrificed for the lovely, the unlovely, the wicked, and for those who will never reciprocate His love. I might choose to lay down my life for someone I thought was innocent. I might even surrender my life for a guilty person, if I thought they would eventually be saved. However, I am certain that it would take an act of God for me to sacrifice my only child for the world knowing some would still reject my love.

God loves us more than we can imagine. Here is an excerpt from I Thought I Knew What Love Was.

Agape

by Erin Lamb © Copyright 2011

“God’s message of love.”

I see you in your place of laughter,

your place of happiness,

and your place of hurting.

I see also your places of sorrow.

I embrace you in your times of tears,

and I dance with you in your times of jubilee.

I watch over you in the nighttime

and every second of the day.

I adore you,

despite any of your shortcomings.

I am in your past,

your present,

and in your future.

I delight in all that I have made.

I know you.

I am closer to you than any other being.

I have placed My covering over you,

and that covering is “Love.”

My name is Love;

that love is agape love,

an unfailing love.

I am the love that forgives you,

intercedes for you,

and I am the love that willingly took your place.

I am the love that has compassion for you,

wants to give you My best,

and so many wonderful things.

This is My love for you.

A love that seeks to fill you with more and more,

so your heart’s cup overflows.

I am the love that can never be replaced.

I invest in you.

I wait to meet with you.

I have given My life,

so you may live free.

I took the blame.

I took your shame,

so you could be with Me for a time without end.

My love for you will never disappoint.

My love does not fall short;

it cannot fail, and it can never be destroyed.

Even when you cannot see My love or sense My love,

it encompasses everything that surrounds you.

I have chosen you;

I selected you just for Me.

I cherish you.

I take pleasure in you.

You are My heart’s prize.

Every hair on your head,

I know them,

and I can tell you the length of every one.

Even if the entire world walks out on you,

please know that you are loved.

You cannot fathom

the way love was truly meant to be,

but if you ask for revelation,

I will tell you what I mean.

I love you

more than your achievements,

or lack thereof.

I love you more than your social standing.

I love you in your place of being outcast and feeling forgotten.

I love you past your points of weakness

and insecurity.

I love you past your imperfections,

though I can see each one.

I love you past your sinful nature.

My love is the reason I sent My only Son.

I watched Him hang there.

I watched Him suffer there;

the burdens of the world were weighing on His soul.

I placed Myself in harm’s way,

so you could find new life in Me.

You won’t find this love for you in any other place.

People have searched and searched,

only to still have emptiness in that place.

It is the place that was meant for only Me.

A God-shaped void cannot be filled

by frivolous earthly things.

I want to love you.

I long to love you.

Even if you turn and walk away,

I love you now, and I will love you always.

All rights reserved. No part of the material may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, Westbow Press (www.westbowpress.com), or Author, Erin Lamb. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book available: http://www.westbowpress.com

Photo taken from Microsoft Clip Art.

I Stand Before You (God’s Message of Love)

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I Stand Before You (God’s Message of Love)

Written by Erin Lamb © Copyright 2011

I stand before you;

My arms are open wide,

wanting to embrace you,

wanting to bring to health to you,

and wanting to re-establish you.

Reach out your arms to Me,

for My love for you

won’t end

and won’t fail.

Though the thunderstorms rage, the seas of turmoil turn,

and the waves crash over your fragile heart;

I am still standing here,

standing strong for you.

I have a heartbeat

that beats just for you;

it beats to the rhythm of your name.

Can you hear My heart cry out,

for more time with you

and more intimacy with you?

Tenderly,

I unveil more of Myself to you.

I am the One who longs for you.

Let go.

Let go of all the preconceived notions

that I cannot meet your every longing.

I love you

with an everlasting love.

I have loved you from the beginning.

I stand before you

willing to set your heart free.

Trust in Me.

Your eyes can not see,

nor your heart comprehend,

all that I am

and all that you will be.

I stand with a love so intense and so pure;

a love that was tailored just for you.

I stand before you

prepared to fight your battles for you.

My power is limitless.

I am the God who knows no bounds.

Where you have been

is not where you will always be.

I stand before you,

interceding for you,

and desiring to give you the best of Me.

You are a child of the King,

and My Kingdom will never cease.

Can you hear the applause of heaven?

You were chosen for Me.

I looked across the earth

and delighted that into you,

life I could breathe.

I come again,

standing before you,

ready to breathe life into every area of your heart, mind, spirit, and soul.

I stand before you

with all My power and might.

Let down the drawbridges of doubt and uncertainty.

Allow Me to mend all the fractured things.

I long for you to find the meaning of life in Me.

You are My beloved,

and I will never cease to pursue you,

love you,

care for you,

and adore you.

Excerpt from, “I Thought I Knew What Love Was.”

All rights reserved. No part of the material may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, Westbow Press (www.westbowpress.com), or Author, Erin Lamb. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book available: http://www.westbowpress.com

Our Deepest Need (from the book I Thought I Knew What Love Was)

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Our Deepest Need

Written by Erin Lamb  © 2011

There is a place

inside the heart

that longs to be heard, felt, and understood.

There is an even greater part of the heart that craves to be loved.

The unconditional love that says,

“I love you for the person you are,

the person you could be,

and for the person I know you will become.”

The unconditional love that says,

“Even if you don’t reach your highest potential,

I will love you still.”

The unconditional love that says,

“I love you with your faults, and you don’t have to earn my love.”

People search their entire lives,

for a filling of their hearts and soul.

People look for satisfaction in all the wrong places,

with all the wrong faces,

and expect a human being to fill their inner most desires and wants.

Our hearts can be empty,

shallow,

void,

and even hardened,

without the touch of God.

You see, we desperately need His tender touch.

We need the outpouring of His Spirit,

His Holy Spirit,

time and time again.

We require our cups to be continually filled

and our innate desires fulfilled by the only One who can.

Our broken cisterns

leave us unfulfilled,

as we attempt to satisfy ourselves.

Our barrenness leads us to gratify our flesh.

This flesh only wants what it wants, when it wants;

doing whatever feels good in the present moment.

Gratifying our flesh only leaves our hearts longing for more,

continually pulling off the forbidden fruits

that offer a sweet taste,

but the end result is death.

We are simply eating the crumbs off the table,

for we are never truly full and our hunger continues to grow.

Our stomachs ache at our overindulgence,

oversaturation,

and we are spiritually fragile;

we partake of things that never fill our spirit.

His word says,

“…Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

God knows that only He can fill our hunger,

and only He can quench our thirst.

Only He can love us deeper

and more purely,

than anything we have ever felt.

Only He can provide the never ending fountain of living water

that fills our cup to spill over.

He was,

He is,

and He will always be the pursuer of our souls.

Only He can provide perfected, unconditional love

tailored for me and you.

He longs to satisfy

and pour out His unending supply.

His love is the perfect love to fill all our heart’s vacancies.

How sweet it is to be loved by Jesus,

to be loved in the most intimate way.

His love is sweeter than any kiss from a lover,

and His love is gentler than a mother’s hand.

It is a bond so strong it can never be broken.

His love and His care never end.

So come with me to the streams of living water,

and dip in your tired feet.

Wade in the waters of His healing;

let the waves of His love set you free.

Allow His refreshing stream

to wash over every wound.

Come with me,

all those who are weary

and sinking into despair.

Come with me, those yearning for a romantic retreat

with the Creator of the Universe.

Can you hear Him,

calling your name?

His voice rises above the winds saying,

“I have been waiting for you, for such a time as this.

Leap in, the water is fine.

In My presence is where your heart will be most content.”

*Copyright © Erin Lamb. Excerpt from, “I Thought I Knew What Love Was.”

All rights reserved. No part of the material may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, Westbow Press (www.westbowpress.com), or Author, Erin Lamb. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book available: http://www.westbowpress.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com. and http://www.amazon.com

Do You Know Who You Are? (from the book I Thought I Knew What Love Was)

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Do You Know Who You Are?

by Erin Lamb Copyright © 2011
written May 12, 2008

Do you know who you are?

Do you know who you really, truly are,

without the name of your natural father,

or the labels given to you by man?

For I have given you My name,

and I call you, “Chosen.”

If you knew who you were;

the integrity of the kernels of faith

and spiritual gifts I have placed inside you;

you would no longer bow your head in shame.

You would understand that for all your sins I stood in your place.

Do you know who you are?

You are not defined by your past,

or even your present.

Each day is just setting the stage to tell your story;

where you are,

is not where you are going.

I do not define you by what you have done,

what you are doing,

or what you will do.

I have placed My name on you.

Your body is My temple,

and I long to always reside with you.

When you sleep and rest in the night hours,

I am awake.

I am watching over you,

waiting enthusiastically until you awaken.

I am longing to meet with you

and shower you with My love.

My love is constant, steadfast, and as enduring as the sun.

Do you know who you are?

I have set you apart to be holy;

for I am Holy.

You are clothed in My righteousness.

You cannot earn My redemption.

It is freely given by your faith and obedience.

My love for you is not dependent upon what you do,

or what you fail to do.

What I accomplished on the cross is finished.

The veil was torn

and your access granted to the most sacred of all.

When you confess your sins

and forgive others,

you are forgiven.

Your slate is wiped completely clean.

My blood covers each and every sin,

so you no longer have to feel guilt or shame.

Do you know who you are?

If only you could see,

what I see.

I wish you could view yourself through My eyes,

the eyes of love.

I have embraced you in the darkness of the night,

knowing that I wanted you.

My heart’s desire was, and is, to search for you,

to look for you,

to pursue you;

what I have for you is beyond your wildest imaginings.

I long to give you more of Me.

I know that My love can satisfy even your most profound needs.

I created you,

looked upon you,

and smiled on who I had made.

I am shaping and molding you into the person I created you to be.

I want the world to get a glimpse of My glory.

I long to radiate from you,

for all the world to see

My glorious splendor.

I am the One who created everything.

There is not one who can rank above Me.

I am above all,

in all,

and I have the power to change, create, and breathe life into any dead thing.

Your right now is simply an infinitesimal step along the journey

which leads you closer to Me.

No matter what label the world chooses to place on you,

the only significant one

is the one I have given,

and I have called you, My child.

I call you My friend,

My co-laborer,

My dearly loved one,

My family,

and most of all, I call you redeemed.

Do you know who you are?

If only you could see what I see,

for you were birthed with a purpose;

a story uniquely written for you.

I have the ability to turn even the fine particles of the earth

into something that is living and breathing.

Won’t you surrender your identity to Me?

Trust that I am the One who will make you complete.

You are not to be compared to any other human being.

I made you to be you,

and I have placed on you My fingerprints.

I placed together your DNA,

and there is no one exactly like you.

You are My masterpiece.

Don’t look to this world to define you;

look to Me.

I am the One who designed you.

I know everything about you.

I know every breath you take,

and your life is not in vain.

Into you I breathed life,

so I might use you

to reflect My image.

You are My image bearer.

Do you know who you are?

Do you understand the authority you have been given, in My name?

You were created to be about My business.

You were created to reach out to the least, the last, and the lost.

You were created to worship the Creator

and not created things.

Your life is not your own;

it was purchased with My blood.

I took your lashes.

I carried your infirmities.

I took the nails for you.

I took your shame.

You no longer stand condemned,

but freely can receive My grace.

Do you know who you are?

Chosen one,

you are set apart to bear the image of the King.

You are My child.

You are the one I love.

You are the one I adore,

and I know you personally.

Each breath you take is sweet music to My ears.

It is the sound of the breath I Myself have placed there.

I know you.

I made you for a reason.

Each gift, placed inside you, is to play an integral part

in reflecting My kingdom,

in reflecting My creativity, and My love.

You are not a mistake,

a mishap,

or a blip on the screen of life.

You are not insignificant;

I knew you before the foundations of the earth.

Before your parents knew you,

I called you by name

and said, “This one belongs to Me.”

I know your name,

and I will always know your name.

I cannot forget you.

I know the measure of your days;

I have them numbered,

and your time is written on My hands.

Your end will be better than the beginning,

if you will trust Me,

even with the things you don’t understand.

I am the God of all creation.

If you cannot answer who you are,

look to Me.

Do you know who I am?

I have created you in My image,

and I delight in all that I have made.

I do not make mistakes.

I love you, now,

and I will love you, always.

*Copyright © Erin Lamb. Excerpt from, “I Thought I Knew What Love Was.”

All rights reserved. No part of the material may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, Westbow Press (www.westbowpress.com), or Author, Erin Lamb. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book available: http://www.westbowpress.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com. and http://www.amazon.com

Let Me Love You (preview from the book, “I Thought I Knew What Love Was”)

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Let Me Love You ©*

by Erin Lamb

written December 24, 2008

 

There is a void inside you

that longs to be filled;

a place so vast and

so empty;

a place I designed for Me.

Let Me love you,

and allow Me to pour an abundance of My love

into that place;

the place inside your heart

that was designed by Me.

It was created by Me,

to be filled by Me, and poured into by Me.

There is no other source,

no other person,

and no other created being

who can fill you and love you.

No one does it better than Me.

Let Me love you past your place of agony

and your place of fear.

Allow Me inside your heart, and let Me wipe away your tears.

Let Me love you,

and restore what has been broken.

Let Me erase the times of disappointment,

wrecked dreams,

and shattered hopes.

Let Me be the One

who is in control.

Let Me love you,

even in all the subconscious places.

Let down the walls of your heart,

and allow Me to keep you safe.

Let Me love you.

I will pick up the broken pieces

and create one piece again.

I never meant for you to feel forsaken.

I have always been, and will always be, with you.

The trials of your heart were not intended to break you,

but to draw you closer to Me.

For where you are, is not where you’ll always be.

In My loving arms

that is where I want to place you.

I want to carry your burdens

and lighten your load.

I want to take your anxieties,

and trade them for My peace.

If you could see My smiling face,

you would understand that My love for you will never cease to be.

I know your thoughts.

I know the measure of your days.

I know every hair on your head.

I know because I created them.

There is nothing I can’t see, touch, or heal.

Let Me love you.

Let Me take you places

where you have never been in Me.

Let Me ignite a flame in the furnace of your dreams,

for I speak and anything can come into being.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega…”

I am love.

I created love.

No one stands stronger than Me.

I can do anything.

Let Me love you.

Let Me show you;

all your heart requires can be found in Me.

If you forget how much I love you,

gaze upon that rugged cross.

See the stains of My blood still there.

You see, I loved you so much

that I sent Myself;

to pardon you,

to free you,

and most of all, so I could have a relationship with you.

I came in the form of a babe;

I humbled Myself

and walked a humble road before you,

to show you what real love is.

You see,

I gave My life

in exchange for yours.

I walked the road before you,

so you would know it could be done.

I humbled Myself

to death on a cross,

so your life would not be lost.

I rose again on the third day,

defeating death,

so you and I could be reunited again.

I rose with all power in My hands

and sent My Spirit,

so you would find reassurance in Him.

You are never alone,

and you are not defeated.

Trust in My love.

Trust in My power.

Trust in My abilities.

Most of all, let Me love you.

When you rise in the morning,

My heart is filled with joy.

I look upon My child and friend;

I long to hear you speak once more.

I am not impersonal, but personal.

I loved you enough to place Myself in harm’s way,

so in your heart I might be able to remain.

*Copyright © Erin Lamb. Excerpt from, “I Thought I Knew What Love Was.”

All rights reserved. No part of the material may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, Westbow Press (www.westbowpress.com), or Author, Erin Lamb. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.