Tag: God loves you

You’re not an Orphan

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Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine,~Isaiah 43:1b.

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows,~Luke 12:6-7.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.“~Jeremiah 1:5.

I will start out by saying you cannot know who you are and your purpose in life without knowing God. He is the Creator of all things. Nothing we see would exist without Him. He holds it all together. Though He gives humans the right to choose, He is still Sovereign. You are here because God allowed you to be here.

“Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name–and his son’s name? Tell me if you know!” Proverbs 30:4.

God knows why you were born, and He has a great plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). You are not an orphan (without a father or parent). You are an extension of His heart and His plan. Even if your earthly mother or father forsake you, God never will (Psalm 27:10). You must forsake Him. He doesn’t send anyone to hell, if we end up there, we chose to live life without Him. Without holiness (salvation) no person can enter heaven. He’s a loving Father who says, “I made you for Me. Come be with Me. You are invited to enter into My Royal Family. Everything I have, I want to share with you. I want you to be united with Me. I gave My Son so you can be set free. I want to give you life abundantly.”

You are invited to belong to Someone great. I heard someone say, “When God looks at the earth He sees two groups of people, repentant and unrepentant. He loves them both. He, like the Prodigal son’s father, is working to bring lost sons and daughters home.” It’s true. God wants you! You were created to be united with Him for eternity. He longs for you. Many are deceived or willingly reject Him, which I am sure hurts His heart. No parent likes to see their child headed for destruction.

God hates what’s aimed at destroying us, sin is aimed at destroying us. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The devil wants to take as many people as he can to hell with him. His fate is sealed, there is no redemption for him. He will burn in the lake of fire being tortured for eternity. He hates people, for humans can be redeemed. Humans can be saved. Humans can worship and love God. Humans are the recipients of God’s grace, love, and made in His image.

So, dear friends, if you want to know who you are, why you were born, who your Father is, go to God. If you want to know your purpose, go to God. He knows all, sees all, and has a great plan for your life. If we want to know the purpose of something, we ask the One who made it. You are of Divine Design. Don’t allow the world or even your own thoughts to define who you are. God is perfect and I am certain His thoughts towards you and your life will exceed your expectations. You are and will always be, deeply loved.

If you have not accepted the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, I invite you to come find life. God longs to bless you. He says, “No matter where you have been or what you have done. I paid for it all.” If that’s you and you want to know God, follow along in this prayer with me.

Prayer for salvation:

God I confess that I am a sinner. I have done things to grieve Your heart and sought to live life my own way. I believe that you sent Your Son Jesus to pay the price for all my sins. I place my faith and trust in You. I ask for Your forgiveness for all my sins, and I invite You into My life. I want to commit my life to You and turn from the life I’ve been living. In Jesus name.

If you sincerely prayed that prayer, know heaven is rejoicing. Heaven celebrates every single time we repent (say God is right and decide we don’t want sin in our lives). If you sincerely prayed this prayer, expect life changes. Find a Gospel centered church and get connected. Pick up a Bible and start reading it. I recommend starting in the New Testament and  asking God to speak to you through His word. Start praying, talking to God. You can comment here if you want more information. Know that being in God’s family is a tremendous blessing. God LOVES you!

You can find more resources and teachings on what it means to be in Christ on my devotional blog (http://morena242.wordpress.com). Whatever you choose in life, I hope you choose Jesus! He is the way, the truth, and the life. God bless you.

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Intimacy…Closeness to God

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When you say the word intimacy in our culture people normally relate it to only a relationship between a couple in a romantic relationship. Our culture defines intimacy in terms of physical affection. Intimacy is far more than physical touch. Intimacy can be defined as closeness, knowing (being known). The most intimate (close) relationship we can have is with God.

A friend, spouse, child, person cannot know everything there is to know about us. They cannot meet all our needs. God created us to need Him first, then people. Adam had a personal relationship with God before He had a relationship with Eve. While Eve was being created, Adam was asleep. They both knew God before they ever knew each other.

We were born with a deep-rooted desire for intimacy. God created us with the desire and need to be known, accepted, and unconditionally loved. He gave us a desire and need that He can fill. I’ve heard people say we have a God sized void, I believe it’s true. We can try to fill it with so many things, but none of them will completely fill us. People try food to fill emptiness, it leads to food addictions and obesity. People try relationships and sex to fill emptiness, and find they need more and more and aren’t completely satisfied. People try activities and busyness, and they end up discontent. Our need for intimacy must first be met by God in order for there to be balance in our lives.

Our world puts God somewhere towards the bottom on the list of relationships. He’s someone to seek out when we’re bored, hurting, need something, or not at all. The One who created all things, pursues our hearts with pure love. He longs for us to have an intimate (close) relationship with Him. He does not need our love. He wants our love. He knows that His love transforms who we are into who we were created to be.

Covenant Love:

God invites us into a covenant with Him. A covenant is an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons. Covenant love is binding, it’s intended to be for life and in the case of God, for eternity. We have to refuse Him and walk away from Him; He is always faithful to us.

Old vs. New Covenant:

Under the old covenant, people could not come boldly into God’s presence. Priests performed rituals in order to be able to enter His presence. Under the new covenant, Jesus paid the price so all who have faith in Him can come boldly into the presence of God. He paid for our sins, so we could have unhindered access to the Father and the deposit of His Holy Spirit. God extends an invitation to intimacy. God has always longed to be with His children. He has always desired relationship with us.

The fundamental basis of this new covenant relationship is the conversion process, whereby each day the believer draws closer to God:

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

“ . . . for it is God who works in you both to WILL and to DO for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

This change of nature results in an intimate relationship with God.

We all have the opportunity to have a flourishing, close, and intimate relationship with God. Nothing on earth can fill the void in us; it’s where He belongs. He loves us more than we can imagine, and His love fills us to overflow. When we receive God’s love and love Him in return, we have overflowing love for others. All areas of our lives flourish when we put God first. When God is first, addictions diminish. When God is first, insecurities diminish. God always wanted and planned to be first in our lives…

You are deeply loved friends. Have a great week. Praying your relationship with God goes even deeper…

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Love is Always Available

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Long ago the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself,“~Jeremiah 31:3.

The same words God spoke to Israel He speaks to me and to you! God loves with an everlasting love. According to the dictionary everlasting means.

1. Lasting forever; eternal: everlasting future life.
2. Lasting or continuing for an indefinitely long time.
3. Incessant; constantly recurring.
4. Eternal duration; eternity.
We tend to think of life in relation to time. We live in a realm of time and space. It is challenging to think of eternity; never-ending, ceaseless, infinite, and without any limitation. We are limited. God is not limited by time, space, or anything. He loves every person with a love that is almost incomprehensible.
People spend their lives looking for unconditional love. Searching for someone to bring out the best in them. They search for wholeness, life, hope, encouragement, and for someone to be a witness to their lives. Many search for love in the arms of a person. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be loved by a person. The problem comes when there is an expectation of perfect love from a person. It will not happen. All human beings are limited, and God never intended for people to replace Him. I am convinced God allows people to disappoint us from time to time so we see that He alone can love perfectly.
If love is always available, then why don’t more people feel loved?
Relationship leads to confidence…
When we first encounter someone, we don’t believe they love us either. We grow to understand their love through relationship and experience. We grow to understand their love through relationship. God invites us into relationship with Him through His Son. It’s a personal relationship. It’s not a distant relationship, but a close relationship. Think of it this way. A child never meets their Father. They read about him. They receive letters from him that say he loves them. They listen to other people talk about how great their father is and how much he loves them, but they have never met him and have no personal relationship. It would be highly unlikely the child would have great confidence in the father’s love for them. God invites every person to be in close relationship with Him. It is not like the old testament days where no one but a purified priest could come into His presence. Any person can have access to God through His Son.
  • Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence,~Ephesians 3:12.
  • Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us,~Ephesians 2:18.
  • Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,~John 14:6.
I highly recommend the entire book of Ephesians to read about all Jesus paid for.
What we believe and see can limit what we feel…
Aside from relationship there are so many other things in the world that are aimed at leading us to believe God doesn’t love us. God is blamed for almost every tragedy that happens, and if He is not blamed for causing it, He is often blamed for not stopping the horrible events. There are people who scream, “God is punishing you for your sins.” People teach God is always angry, critical, a cruel task master, or child abuser.
For some, circumstances have made God seem unloving. People say, “If God loved me, then this would not happen, or my life would be better, or this relative would not have died.“
I don’t have all the answers why God allows certain things to happen. I can say these verses have helped me along the way with some extremely challenging circumstances.
  • The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,~Jesus (John 10:10).
  • I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,~Jesus (John 16:33).
  • And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,~Romans 8:28.
If this life here on earth is all there is, then it would seem unfair on so many levels. This life is not all there is. There is eternity which far exceeds the life anyone lives on earth. Most average people will not live to be 100 yrs old. Eternity is forever! God will make wrongs right. There will be justice. There will be no pain, sickness, death, or sin in heaven.
The wonderful thing is also that God sent His Holy Spirit to abide with His people. So He comforts, guides, provides wisdom, delivers, heals, unites believers, speaks, and does wonderful things here and now. Some people have neglected the work of the Holy Spirit, but He is very much alive and at work in the earth. We are not without hope, an Advocate, a Helper, a Sustainer, or Healer. This life is not meant to be suffered through, though there will be suffering. We have Someone, the greatest Someone, who promises to be with us every step of the way.
There is no one and nothing more powerful than God. And God loves His children. If it’s not good yet, He promises to work it for our eventual good.

You are loved sweet friends and pure, unconditional love is always available for you!

P.S For more in-depth study please join me on http://morena242.wordpress.com for an identity in Christ Series.
Love in Christ,
Erin
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The Eyes of Love

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Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love,~1 John 4:8.

There are so many verses in the Bible that tell us God is love. I thought when I started talking about God’s love people would rejoice about it! I mean He seems too good to be true, but He is not. He is better than good. I’ve found many people want God to be angry. They want God to punish the world. Many see Him as cold, cruel, unfeeling, unconcerned, weak, etc….Many people pick up old testament verses about God’s wrath and run with them.

Don’t get me wrong, God is perfect in holiness. He has the ability to give and take life. We honor Him, respect Him, and understand that without salvation we are lost and will pay the full penalty for sin. He is not a weak kitten; He is a consuming fire. He is passionate about justice. He cares how we treat Him and others. He is not a pushover. He is also not a bully. He made Himself vulnerable to us. He gave us a way to be close to Him.

If God is so good, why do we (humans) have such a hard time believing it…

1. We know God by faith. We must believe in order to receive. If we don’t believe in God, everything we see in the world will be filtered through that unbelief. If we don’t believe God loves us, our circumstances will validate our unbelief. Here’s an example. Have you ever met a person who believes the world is bad, people are bad, everything is bad? I have. They believe everyone is out to get them. So, anything that happens is filtered through that belief. I had a lady tell me that I did not like her as much as other people and she was convinced everything I did was to leave her out. On my end, I did like her. Anytime she felt slighted there was a logical explanation. She wasn’t a target for me. She believed she was the target, therefore her unbelief clouded her vision. If we believe God is angry, we will take our circumstances and make them fit that belief. If we believe God is good, then we view our circumstances through the lens of His goodness.

Example from life…

My car accident in January cost me a car and increased my expenses. If I think, God hates me, He is punishing me….then yes…that is what I will take away. If I think God loves me…He saved my life…I could have died…I have a nicer car…maybe the other car was about to break down and now I have a higher value for a totaled car than a trade in…then that is what I take away. What we believe is powerful.

2. We’ve had horrible experiences with people, especially Christians or parents. I wish it weren’t so, but people are sinful. People have done more to push people away from God than we’d imagine. None of us are perfect so we rely on grace. If a person has a horrible encounter with their parents or people who claim to know God, it can taint the view that God is love. Our parents are supposed to love us unconditionally as God does. Together they are to show us what love is. When they don’t, we have a hard time relating to God.

Christian means imitator of Christ. When we (Christians) fail to represent God’s love, we miss an opportunity for people to know how good He is. We can help push people away from God.

3. We’ve misread the Bible. People debate over the Bible all the time. I can say with true conviction that God is love. There are tons of verses on God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, desire for us, compassion, and grace. He does not love us in the way we may think, meaning our world’s belief that love means live as you please (that’s not real love by the way).

God has made the appropriation for all sin by sending His Son. I wouldn’t die for people I care nothing about. I would not send my son to die for people I did not like. I would not invite someone into relationship that I could not stand. God LOVES us.

4. We’ve based God’s love off our feelings or circumstances. If I wrote out for you my testimony you might question how I could say God is love. My circumstances have not always pointed to this truth. It is truth despite circumstances, feelings, or what we see. God is love, and He does and will work all things together for the good of those who love Him,~Romans 8:28.

5. We think love is a life with no pain and getting whatever we want, whenever we want it. I’ve met many people who say, “If God loved me then I wouldn’t have to go through this, or if God loved me, this would not have happened, or if God loved me, He would give me__________.” God loves us so much. He is not, however, obligated to do whatever we demand of Him. The Bible does not tell us a life with God means no pain. Jesus told us, in the world we would have trouble but to take heart as he has overcome the world. God’s love is not based on what He gives us, what He does for us, etc…Love is who He is. His love cannot change. We can’t see why He allows certain things to happen. I do know if He allows it, He brings something good from it. Read the book of Job, it’s encouraging.

Lastly, I will say if we ask for a deeper revelation of God’s love, we will begin to see it. It’s always on full blast and pointed in our direction. I believe it’s blocked many times by our unbelief. It’s there, we just can’t see it.

Papa, I pray any areas of our hearts that are not open to receiving Your love are softened. May we know the height, the depth, the width, and the vast expanse of Your love. When we see You, may we see love, the eyes of love. In Jesus name, Amen.

Love,

Erin

 

God Speaks Your Love Language

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I have loved you with an everlasting love;I have drawn you with unfailing kindness,~Jeremiah 31:3

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,~1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I’ve said it once, and I will say it again and again, “God is not cold, stern, aloof, distant, or unloving.” I echo the words of Mother Teresa, “God is kinder than you think.” God is love. You can take those verses in 1 Corinthians 13 and exchange love for God. He is love. He loves you.

I challenge you to believe that God speaks your love language. If you are unfamiliar with the popular book, The 5 Love Languages, it is an enlightening book. Basically we all receive love in a different ways. God did not make us all the same, so what works for me, may not work for you. I am not really a gift person. If someone gives me a nice gift, I appreciate it, however the words people speak are important to me as well as their willingness to be there (acts of service). I care far more about how a person treats me than the gifts they have to offer. I am also not reward driven. I do what I do from internal motivation, not for rewards. God knows this about me. Therefore, my interactions with Him are tailored to my love languages. God responds to my individual needs. He does not offer blanket love. He is creative and perfect in the ways He interacts with His children.

I do not have children, but I do have younger siblings. What works for one, does not work for the other. My sister loves quality time, the more time you spend with her the better. My brother could care less about quality time, but delights in gifts. They both respond very differently to discipline. If I try the same thing for both of them, the results are not guaranteed to be good. God knows you. He knows every hair on your head, every tear you have ever shed. He knows more about you than you know about yourself. Why would He attempt to love you in a way you could not receive? Love seeks what is best for the other person.

We have many people saying they are speaking for God and some times what they have to say is negative. It makes it seem like God hates us until we accept Christ and then He only cares for us because of Jesus. This is untrue. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Before Christ, after Christ…God sees someone He loves. No one gives their life to save something they consider to be junk, nor do they invite someone into relationship to mistreat them, ignore them, or simply put up with them. God loves you! He wants to love you in a way that is tangible and real to you.

My prayer:

Papa, I ask that every person who visits this site will have a life changing encounter with You. We can not fully grasp the great love You have for us. It is personal. It is beautiful. It is wonderful. I ask that we would know the height, the width, the breath, and the vast expanse of Your great love for us. Anything hindering us from receiving Your love, I ask it be removed. Thank You for Your great love. In Jesus name, Amen.

Encountering the Perfect Father in a Dark World

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“I have told you these things so that in Me you would have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world,” ~Jesus. John 16:33.

Written by Erin Lamb, all rights reserved.

The photo above was taken the day my friend David died. David was the type of person you wanted to know. David was the first person to show up when someone needed help, and he was willing to sacrifice his life for others. He radiated God’s love. He loved, served, and helped so many. He gave his life working on the restoration of Haiti. He was murdered this February while serving orphans in Haiti. In the midst of building an orphanage He was robbed and shot. His death tore my heart in many places.  I wept and wept. Why do I share this with you? We live in a world that is filled with pain, suffering, wrongful death, sickness, disease, hatred, abuse, abandonment, and sorrow. In the midst of it all you may wonder how someone can say that God is good. How can we say God is love? If He is so good and loving, then why is our world filled with so much darkness.

It all started with one man, Adam. God made man in His image. He placed man on earth and said, “This is your dominion, rule and reign,” Genesis 1. Adam had everything he needed. God gave him beautiful landscape, all the food he could eat, a lovely wife, and complete communion with Him. He also gave Adam the ability to choose for himself what he wanted to do. Fast forward. Eve is deceived by the crafty serpent and Adam sinned. This is where death, destruction, sickness, and darkness entered our world, Genesis 3. Not only that, Adam surrendered authority and dominion to the devil. If you believe in God, you must believe in the devil. Evil exists and he propagates it. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy, John 10:10. He hates people. He hates love. He loves it when people blame God for his activities. He sows hatred, division, strife, death, and evil in our world.

Did God leave us helpless? Absolutely not. Jesus came, lived a perfect life, and died on a cross to restore us to right relationship with God and take back the authority Adam gave to evil. Jesus fixed the problem, we don’t always see the evidence of His work. He took back authority and dominion for those who believe in Him. Jesus provides hope and healing for those who lean on Him, and He cheated our worst enemy, death. Those who believe in Him will inherit everlasting life, John 3: 16. He handed over the authority He took back to every believer. He paid for it all. Jesus is the solution.

So, why doesn’t God rid the world of all evil? Loaded question. I will give you my understanding, but recommend you ask Him yourself. I believe that love involves freedom. God gives us the freedom to choose Him. If He was the only option, then there would be no choice. I believe God is already victorious and though our world looks dark, He continues to work through His children to bring peace, love, joy, healing, and heaven to earth. I believe and know He will make all the wrongs right. I believe that if we trust God we will see that the end of the story is better than any of the suffering we have witnessed. I believe that God is good and though He is blamed for evil, nothing in His nature is evil. I have seen Him turn tragedy into triumph, victims into victors, and the worst of situations into something beautiful. We (humans) still have the ability to choose evil. God won’t force us to love. So, when you fill a planet with people who can choose evil, there will be evil.

How do I deal? Good question. Prayer is powerful. Since God gave people dominion on this planet, He moves when we pray and ask for help. I hate to admit it but until heaven, there will be evil in the world. I’ve found no greater solution than prayer. I pray. You pray. We pray, and we ask God for help.

Final thoughts. I’m not a person typing to you who hasn’t suffered. One day maybe I will share my story in its entirety. I know what it’s like to endure physical and great emotional pain. I have had more than one near death experience. I have seen God do amazing things because someone prayed. I have seen Him heal the sick, bring life to dead situations, and so much more….You are loved my friends. No matter what you have faced in life or will face, God LOVES you! He is your best advocate. Praying you are blessed this week, beyond measure.