Tag: hope

You Are Loved!

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The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

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

You mean the world to God! You were chosen to be the object of His affection. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, the value of something is determined by how much someone is willing to pay for it. Jesus paid for us with His life. He didn’t just die, He was beaten, humiliated, mocked, abused, rejected, scorned, and He suffered. You were worth dying for.

So, today, no matter what you face may you rest in the truth that God loves you!

God loves you and it’s not with a blanket love. It’s personalized and on full blast aimed at your heart! He adores you! He will never leave or forsake you.

No matter the problem, God has a solution.

No matter the pain, He offers His comfort.

No matter the joy, He always has more available in Him.

You are beautiful, set apart, a holy priesthood, a holy nation, the apple of God’s eye, deeply loved and cherished. There’s nothing you can do to make God love you more or less.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love in Christ,

Erin

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Chosen

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From now on I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that you love one another,~John 15:15-17.

Oh, to be chosen. There is a security that can be found in being chosen. We don’t have to be insecure. God  desires and loves us. His love is not based on what we have, or what we do. There’s nothing we can do to make Him love us more or less. God’s love is independent of our weakness and on full blast towards us.

While we were still sinners and enemies of God, He chose us. Romans 5 gives us some sweet news and affirms our security in relationship with God.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation, ~Romans 5:6-11.

You were, are, and will always be the object of God’s affection. You were chosen! You were selected by the Creator of the Universe to be loved, cared for, and cherished. There is security in knowing at our worst state, God said, “I want to save you! I want to love you! I want to be with you.” We are His choice.

  • When you’re feeling unloved, recall God chose you!
  • When you are uncertain of your future, know that since God chose you He will take care of your future.
  • When you think there is no way God can use you, rest in the truth that He knew what He was getting into when He chose you.
  • When you can only see devastation, know God’s promises wrapped up in Christ extend to all His children.
  • When you feel alone, trust that God is always with you and wants the best for you.

When someone selects you, there is comfort in knowing they saw someone worth choosing. We don’t pick up or select things we don’t deem valuable.

You matter to God, enough for Him to pay the highest price to be with you. He gave His very best to have a relationship with you.

If you are not investing in an intimate (close) relationship with God, I highly recommend Him. No one will love you better. His love is the most powerful. His love is life changing. Make Him the number 1 priority of life and watch your life be radically transformed. You are and will always be deeply loved.

Love in Christ,

Erin

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Dream with God

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If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!~Matthew 7:11.

I love Matthew 7:11. Sometimes I think we forget that God is not only interested in giving us salvation, but other good things as well. As a loving parent, He cares about what we care about. We can put God in a box and say, “As long I do what God wants, He is pleased. And when I get to heaven He will give me good things if I perform well on earth.” God does care about obedience and there is blessing in doing what He says. However, our favor with Him is based on what Jesus did, not what we have done. We can’t earn what’s given in His Son.

God is quite generous and longs to bless us. Many fear talking about His generosity for fear they will be labeled as someone promoting a “Prosperity Gospel.” A prosperity gospel says, “If you follow Jesus, you will have everything you want when you want it, and your life will be problem free!” That is not what this post is about or what Jesus taught. We will have troubles in this life and God is not obligated to do what we want when we want, but He does long to be good to His kids. We can have a great time if our complete trust is in our Father. There is love, peace, joy, hope, and blessing in God. 

God cares about the things we like and desire and invites us to dream with Him. He delights in us and takes delight in our enjoyment of His blessings.

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart,~Psalm 37:4. If our hearts are evil or have evil intentions, God won’t grant our requests. He doesn’t lead us to sin, harm ourselves, or others. The verse says, “Delight yourself in the Lord.” If our hearts are delighted in Him, then our hearts are being transformed by Him. Here’s an excerpt from my book, I Thought I Knew What Love Was.

God continually challenges me to dream with Him, to seek Him for the desires of my heart, to believe Him for good things. He is not and will never be a dead beat dad. Hope this blesses you and you dream big! God is unlimited, and He loves you.

Dream Little Ones
written October 16, 2004 by Erin Lamb (all rights reserved)
Dream little ones.
Don’t let this time pass you by.
The tides of life will roll away,
and what will you say for the time that has been lost?
Dream little ones,
and reach for those dreams;
don’t allow them to be strangled by life’s uncertainties.
Reach out,
like you are reaching for heaven.
Dream little ones,
and leave the past mistakes behind.
Fill your heart and mind with all that can and will be.
You are not alone on this journey.
I have made provisions
to send you help from heaven.
Dream a dream that you think you can’t achieve,
and I will lift you
to the heights you can’t reach.
There is nothing too large,
or too far out of My reach.
I hold it all in the palm of My hands.
Dream little ones,
and don’t give up.
Don’t give in.
You have so much potential
that lies within.
I have built a bridge of love in your heart
that leads from you to Me.
I am looking forward to getting you to the place where you are
content in My embrace.
I do not want to stifle you,
or cripple you;
I only wish to grant you love.
So dream little ones,
and trust I can make dreams a reality.

Check out, I Thought I Knew What Love Was. You can purchase right here on the site there’s a link entitled Get Your Copy or you may purchase through these wonderful sites: http://www.westbowpress.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com. and http://www.amazon.com or iTunes store.

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.

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Photo credits: Pinterest

The Artist

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So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them, Genesis 1:27.

Don’t insult the Artist.

You were made in the image of God. Meaning there is a part of you that represents who He is and His creativity. I love painting. I love every painting I have done, even the one’s with imperfections. I would not make a good professional artist because I don’t like to part with my creations. If I ever give you one, you know it’s true love. God not only painted you.

He created you after His likeness. You are a physical manifestation of who He is. You are. Meaning, when you put yourself down, you are insulting the One who made you. You are insulting the One who you were created to be like. When you put others down, you are insulting the One who made them.

We are not God, but we are His image bearers. This is why insults hurled at us hurt so deep. You were created to be loved, cherished, adored, and amazing.

You are amazing. Say it with me, “I am amazing!” It is not pride to acknowledge the great things God has done in making you. It is pride when we believe we are responsible for being great and amazing. We are only great because we are made in His image.

So, my challenge for you this week, this year, for our lives is to stop insulting the Artist. To stop insulting ourselves and others. Self deprecation is not humility, it’s a subtle form of pride. It’s saying, “God makes junk and my opinion is more valuable than His.” The enemy works diligently to convince us we are not who God says we are. He is a liar.

God never has and never will make junk. Even when we feel less than beautiful (handsome), stellar, and amazing, God says the following…

You are beautiful (handsome)

You are chosen

You are special

You are significant

You are valued

You are intelligent

You have a lot to offer the world

You are a gift to the world

You are a treasure

You are My (God’s) delight

You are a light in a dark world

You have immeasurable value

You are gifted and talented

You can do things that no one else can, because you were born with a divine purpose

You are a world changer

You are made in My (God’s) image

You are creative

You have the mind of Christ

You can do great and mighty things!

You are more than a conqueror

You are victorious

You are the apple of My (God’s) eye

You have a great call on your life

You can do ALL things through Christ who gives you strength

You are My (God’s) friend

You make the world a better place

You are making a difference

You will always be loved; today, every day, and forever with an everlasting love!

Have a blessed and wonderful week. God loves you. You are deeply loved.

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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

 

He is RISEN

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Jesus Has Risen

Matthew 28:1-10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The passage above brings great hope. The story does not end with the crucifixion. Jesus rose with all power in His hands. The resurrection brings hope to us because Jesus defeated not only sin, but our final enemy-DEATH. Those who enter into relationship with Him are offered life eternal. He said, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am,” John 14:2-3.

Paul’s take on the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:19-28

If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world.

But the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised. For just as death came by means of a man, in the same way the rising from death comes by means of a man. For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ. But each one will be raised in proper order: Christ, first of all; then, at the time of his coming, those who belong to him. Then the end will come; Christ will overcome all spiritual rulers, authorities, and powers, and will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father. For Christ must rule until God defeats all enemies and puts them under his feet. The last enemy to be defeated will be death. For the scripture says, “God put all things under his feet.” It is clear, of course, that the words “all things” do not include God himself, who puts all things under Christ. But when all things have been placed under Christ’s rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under God, who placed all things under him; and God will rule completely over all.

So, sweet friends, I pray you celebrate all that Jesus paid for. We have a hope that does not disappoint. Have a wonderful, blessed, and joy filled Resurrection Day! You are deeply loved!

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I See the Cross (from the book I Thought I Knew What Love Was)

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Hello sweet friends,

I would love it if you check out I Thought I Knew What Love Was. You can purchase right here on the site there’s a link entitled Get Your Copy or you may purchase through these wonderful sites: http://www.westbowpress.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com. and http://www.amazon.com or the iTunes store.

I thought I knew what love was until I encountered the King of the Universe. This book is filled with prayers, psalms, letters to God, & encouragement from God. I hope it blesses your heart. Here is an excerpt from the book.

I See the Cross Copyright 2011 © Erin Lamb.
I see the cross,
so vividly in front of me;
one nail pierced hand on the left
and another on the right.
I see His head hanging there
with the thorns positioned, oh, so tight.
I see the blood
dripping from the pure, spotless Lamb.
I kneel before Him
laying my sins,
all of them,
there.
I see the cross.
I see the beauty of God’s unmerited favor
and His forgiveness.
I see love in the eyes of the One who took my place.
For no greater love lies within a person,
than to surrender His life for His friend.
I see the cross,
that rugged cross;
my freedom was purchased with His blood.
He has been and always will be,
the One who paid the greatest price.
I was purchased by His life’s offering.
I am forever seated with Him in the heavenlies,
and my name is written in His heart.
His children are seated next to Him in heavenly places,
for on the cross He did not remain.
He rose again with all power in His hands.
The same power that raised Him from the dead,
now lives inside of me.
It lives inside of you.
It is that great power at work in us
that changes us from the person we are,
into the person that He chose us to be.
It is that same power that transforms a wicked man
into a righteous man.
I see the cross;
my Deliverer
is hanging there.
He purchased my freedom,
my healing,
and every blessing in the heavenly realm.
Some blessings I see now,
and some are yet to be seen.
I see the cross.
Do you see Him?
Do you celebrate here;
the place where tattered rags of our wretchedness
are exchanged for a robe of righteousness?
This place, the place,
is where scarlet sins are washed white as snow.
This is the place we must go.
The cross is where miracles occur.
The greatest miracle of all
is that God would seek to be reconciled with a sinful world.
I see my Father’s love here.
He cared enough
to send His only Son to save the least, the last, and the lost.
I see the cross,
a reflection of what real love is.
Selfishness died on the cross
when He said, “Father not my desires, but all Your purposes be
accomplished.”
Death was triumphed over on the cross
when He spoke, “It is finished.”
We know that we will see Him again,
and this life here is not the end.
We know that when the trumpet sounds,
the dead in Christ will rise again.
We know that we will have eternity to worship Him
and eternity to love Him.
I see the cross,
and it is all I must see.
Even if the world around me fades away,
I know that through my Savior I am
reconciled,
restored,
and made complete.
This body may fade and wither,
friends and family may come and go.
I have knelt before that rugged cross enough times to know
that my days are in His hands;
so are His purposes and His plan.
He is the reason I live.
He is the reason I rejoice.
No man would sacrifice his life,
put his very life in jeopardy, for someone who was guilty.
He gave His life,
so we may stand before Him completely unashamed.
Take a moment and look to the cross.
Ponder the wonderful cross.
I hope I find you there,
basking in the love of the Father.
He is the One who deeply loves you
and cares for you.
He is there
carrying your infirmities,
collecting every tear,
rejoicing when you rejoice,
and weeping when your soul has had its wear and tear.
You are never alone
and never abandoned.
I see the cross,
engrained forever in my memory.
The cross is a picture of the greatest love.
He is a love so true
and a love so dear.
He is a love that will never end.

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.

Hope (from the book I Thought I Knew What Love Was)

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Hello dear friends,

I would love it if you check out my book, I Thought I Knew What Love Was. You can purchase right here on the site there’s a link entitled Get Your Copy or you may purchase through these wonderful sites: http://www.westbowpress.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com. and http://www.amazon.com or iTunes store.

I thought I knew what love was until I encountered the King of the Universe. This book is filled with prayers, psalms, letters to God, encouragement from God. I hope it blesses your heart. Here is an excerpt from the book.

Hope, Copyright 2011 © Erin Lamb.

 
There is a place of growth
between faith and the actualization of a promise
that I call the waiting room, or garden of hope.
Hope
is eagerly awaiting an answer to prayer;
the prayers that have seemed to linger, for years and years.
Hope
is the water for the seeds of faith,
so delicately placed in the soil of our souls.
Our souls
are the fertile places that need turned over.
Our hearts have to be infused with God’s love.
Our minds
need a reminder of His faithfulness.
Hope
keeps us alive.
Hope
keeps God’s promises for our lives alive
when we feel like giving up and dying.
Hope
requires the nurturing of our spirits and souls.
Hope
requires a renewing of our minds
that focuses on what God says, versus what our eyes may see.
In this place
there is a of tug-of-war
between God’s will and our own.
Can we see past the unseen into the realm of what could be?
Could we believe that what God has planned could,
and would, supersede
anything we could possibly dream?
Every so often fear comes
to strangle the seeds of faith,
attempting to grow weeds in the garden of our souls.
Fear seeks to devour our hopeful place.
Our skillful gardener,
our heavenly Father,
tells us not to be anxious because He is the keeper of our souls.
Hope
involves waiting;
waiting for blossoms,
and waiting for winter to turn into spring.
We are waiting for a glimpse of something better;
something more beautiful than what we could have imagined in our
wildest dreams.
Hope
is eagerly anticipating
the next chapter to unfold in God’s plan.
Hope
rests in today,
but desperately desires a peak at the complete picture of what He has
planned.
Hope
is delighting in the simple realization that God is love,
and God is in control.
God has the best plan and the best methods to achieve His plans.
Hope
is releasing our expectations
and our predisposition to settle for less than God’s best.
Hope
encourages us to soar above mediocrity.
Hope
is trusting in the unseen life force
that is His Spirit within.
He is our hope.
He is our only true hope.
We are hopeful
that we will be transformed into His image.
He is our security.
He is the truly faithful One.
He has the ability to change our hearts into His astonishing work of art.
He can take any impossibility,
at least in the eyes of man,
and turn that impossibility into reality.
He is the God who sees our impossibilities,
as His own personal opportunity
to showcase His power, His might, and His great love for those He
calls His own.
He is able to repair,
rescue,
deliver,
and save.
On that cross,
everything we required was released;
all of our spiritual promises were fulfi lled for all of eternity.
So, we cling to Him,
the One who is able to do remarkably and lavishly
more than we could request or even envision.

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.

 

I Love You More

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All the world seems to be looking for love. We were created to desire love, affection, affirmation, relationship, and the void in us is not easily filled. God set it up so no person on this planet has to be alone. People are born into families. Not only are we born into families, we are birthed with a great opportunity to know the Creator of the Universe.

I am often amazed that God, as perfect as He is, wants to be friends with us. He wants us to be recipients of His great love, forgiveness, and to adopt us as His children. I mean seriously, He can do whatever He wants. He could create the world’s perfect best friend or person. Yet, He chose and chooses to dwell with sinful man. God was not lonely before creating man. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all existed long before we did. God did not need us, He wanted us. 

There’s something to be said about being wanted. No matter how awful we are or have been, we are here because God loves us. We are here because He cares for us. We are here because He had and has a great plan for our lives. We are no mistake!

He created us to be recipients of His great love. We were made to be loved by Him.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will—to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding, Ephesians 1:2-7.

No matter who we meet on this journey, there will not be anyone who loves us more than God. There will not be a person who will sacrifice all that they are for our best interests. It’s not going to happen. My earthly father is wonderful. I have no doubt he would do all in his power to protect, provide, and be there for me. However, I do not believe he can or would do all that God has done for me. While I was a sinner, Christ died for me. No greater love in the entire world, than the love God has lavished on us.

We may not always feel His love. We may not always see His love. We may not always believe in His love, but the truth is, God is love. Every day He pours out His love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion, and wisdom on a world that rejects Him, denies Him, abuses His name, and blames Him for all that goes wrong. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is. I as a human, I grow tired of loving people who I know will never love me. I grow weary in turning the other cheek and responding in kindness to people who are cruel. God, however, is infinite in patience and love. Love is who God is.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, Psalm 103:8.

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you, Psalm 86:5.

I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which He is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us–yes, the many good things He has done for the house of Israel, according to His compassion and many kindnesses, Isaiah 63:7.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you, Isaiah 54:10.

God’s after relationship…with us.

Some don’t hear God’s voice; it’s challenging to be in a relationship with someone you can’t hear. I will say if you are a born again believer, you can hear from God. Pray and ask God for the ability to hear from Him. You can have a relationship with Him that is as close and intimate as you would like it be. As Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me,” John 10:27. Even if you don’t hear from God directly speaking to your spirit, you can hear from Him through His Word (which is the best place to start and He does not violate His Word. He increases our understanding, but does not violate His Word). God also speaks through dreams, visions, others, and sometimes our circumstances.

Lastly, here are the words God deposited in my heart today.

I love you more…I love you more than you can imagine. You are My workmanship, created for My glory. I chose you. I wanted you. I have never left you, and I will never leave you. You are an extension of My heart. Where you are, there I am. You are a part of Me. There is nothing that can separate you from My love. There’s nothing you can do to make Me love you less or more. My love for you extends from before the world was made into eternity. It is a love that cannot be broken. Your name is written on My heart. You name graven on My hands. I move heaven and earth to care for you. You are My beloved. You will always be My beloved.

Sweet friends, these words apply to you as well. God loves you. He is for you. His heart cries out again and again, I Love You More….Praying God blesses you richly and abundantly this year, above all you could ask or imagine. Love, Erin.

A Greater Yes

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Last post I wrote about when God says no. It’s easy with Christianity to focus on what God says no to instead of what He says yes to. If we entered into a relationship with God only to be given a list of rules, it would not be a blessing. So, today I want to talk about the blessings that come from being with God.

Redemption in Christ

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him, Ephesians 1:3-10.

The Blessings of God

Forgiveness. God gives us forgiveness of sins. All of our sins have been paid for on the cross. Jesus paid the penalty for all sin. Why is this a blessing? It’s a blessing because the wages of sin is death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 6:23. If we are not forgiven, we are not saved from eternal separation from God. We cannot save ourselves. We need God and His forgiveness.

God is not like us. We forgive and cannot forget. God removes the stains of sin forever. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us, Psalm 103:12. I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more, Isaiah 43:25. God gives us a clean slate. Not only does God forgive us our sins, He gives us freedom from being slaves to sin. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness, Romans 6:18.

Relationship. God is after a relationship, not our rule keeping. He invites us to have a fruitful and blessed relationship with Him. Jesus paid the price so we could have full access to God.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me, John 14:6.

In Him (Jesus) and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence, Ephesians 3:12.

Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me, John 15:4.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need, Hebrews 4:16.

This relationship comes with so many benefits. God is our Provider, Advocate, Helper, Healer, Wise Counsel, Wisdom, Redeemer, Friend, and so much more. We have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe.  Also all the things He asks us to do, He gives us His Holy Spirit to enable us to do those things. He only asks us to do things that will lead to blessing. He invites us to know Him. He is the greatest reward. We don’t have to go through a bunch of rituals to get to Him. We can go boldly to Him with confidence.

Eternal Life: God offers us life eternal in paradise. This life is just a blip on the screen of life. Eternity is so big and vast beyond measure. Our minds cannot fully fathom what awaits. Heaven awaits. There will be no sickness, death, evil, fatigue, pain, suffering, poverty, no bad news, and we will reign with Christ forever and ever. For God loved the world so much that he gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life, John 3:16.

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

The only alternative is life apart from God in eternal damnation. God invites every person to bypass hell which was created for the devil and the angels who rebelled with him. He says, “Come to Me and find life.”

Spiritual gifts: God gives us His Spirit and the Holy Spirit has numerous roles in our lives. He is at work to transform us into the image of Jesus. He also is at work so that we can operate in the gifts of the Spirit and have the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other, Galatians 5:22-26.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

This post does not even begin to capture all the benefits of saying yes to God and His will. He withholds nothing good from us. The world has many things to offer, but saying yes to anything outside of God’s will leads to bondage and death. God is good. Everything He does is good! If He says no it’s because He has a greater yes.

Bless you friends. You’re in my thoughts and prayers, Love Erin.

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