More Than LIKED

As a child,

this was the first verse I memorized.

I think it was during a neighborhood Bible club meeting

a neighbor lady had in her home. 

She was very kind, told a Bible story,

helped us to learn a verse,

and fed us a good snack.

I don't think I went more than once or twice,

but she left a lasting impression on my heart.

So did this verse.

When I got saved at 18,

I finally understood the verse.

I had salvation.

I was going to Heaven when I died.

As a 30 year old Christian,

something else is speaking to me.

Remember school day romances?

We were happy just to be liked.

It made our day.

It changed the way we skipped around the playground,

and how we felt about ourselves when we looked in the mirror.

We were liked.

Remember falling in love?

It made our day.

It changed the way we walked around the college campus

or interacted with people at our jobs.

It changed the way we felt about ourselves when we looked in the mirror.

We were loved.

But our amazing God in Heaven

more than

likes

us.

He more than

loves

us. 

He

so

loves

us.

When all the grown-up problems of life weigh on our hearts,

let's go back to our simple childhood faith.

The answers in life aren't always new ones.

Let's remember

Jesus loves me,

this I know,

for the Bible tells me so.

Bask in His love.

Love on Every Page

Everything you need to know is in the Bible.

Everything you need to hear is in the Bible.

Everything you need to believe is in the Bible.

It was written before you were born,

so just at the right time,

just when you need it most,

it was already written down.

An older Christian man who has greatly impacted our family calls the Bible

God's Love Letter to Us.

He is so right.

God writes His love for us on every page.

The first mention in the Scriptures is always important.

Genesis 22:2

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac,

whom you love,

and go to the land of Moriah,

and offer him there as a burnt offering."

A beloved son, who acted in loving obedience to his father.
From the beginning, love was proven with sacrifice,

and this sacrificial love foreshadowed the death of our dear Savior.

In the end of the Bible,

the last mention of love,

speaks of love for the Savior that is so great,

lives were lost for Him.

Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb

 and by the word of their testimony,

and they did not love their lives to the death.

We haven't been called to physically die for the Lord,

but we can be

living martyrs.

His sacrificial love can strengthen  our hearts so greatly

 we can endure suffering  for Him.

Can you love Him

in all things,

through all things,

for all things,

and because of all things?

Because, remember, He loves you deeply.

It would be enough that the Lord loved us.

It would be enough that the Lord died for us.

But to know the Lord died for us

because He loved us

is almost inconceivable.

Then, when our heart squeaks out any returning love for Him,

and we can only love because He first loved us,

He rewards our miserly love towards Him.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man that endures temptation:

for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,

which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Notice that loving Him is linked with enduring temptation?

Does that tell you what we need to be focusing on

during times that try men's souls?

We should be reveling in His great love for us

and loving Him in return.

He showed sacrificial love in dying for us.

We can show sacrificial love in living for Him,

especially during our trials.

At the end, when we receive that crown,

we will have something to cast at His Holy Feet

in praise and adoration,

for upholding us through our trials.

When life is hard,
 keep reading your Bible.

 His Love for you is written on every page.

never been jilted

Romance fiction writers like the jilted theme.
Romance fiction readers like the jilted theme.
It feels kinda' good to sob your way through someone else's misery.

We're incredulous and horrified that a woman would be jilted,
especially at the altar.

The jilted lover learns that

weeping and begging won't bring their loved one back.
They're gone forever.

The man who jilted her leaves her powerless.
During her journey to find strength within herself,
 she stumbles and falls until she
 puts together enough pieces of her heart
 to go on with life.

With the Lord,

it's the other way around.

He find us when we're powerless.
Romans 5:8

 But God shows His own love to us,
  while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He provides the strength we need when broken.
2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said,
“My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”


He never leaves us.
Hebrews 13:5
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

He doesn't leave us at our lowest point,

that's when he hovers
 nearer and
 nearer and
nearer.

Even when we're unfaithful,

our righteously jealous God

is still faithful.
*

He never stops loving us.
*

Think about that.

We've heard this since we were young,

"Jesus loves me,

this I know,

for the Bible,

tells me so."

just for a moment,

really bask in that.

This is the only part of the poem we need to quote....

He loves me...

He loves me...

He loves me...
*

Nobody will be able to watch our life stories

and sob over our heartache,

hoping and praying we'll find strength to carry on.

If we know Him as our Savior,
we'll always be able to claim we've


"never been jilted."

MM Meditation - The Boast of Youth

Luke 22: 33, "And he (Peter) said unto Him, Lord, I am ready to go you, both into prison, and to death."


Often in our youth, we were as Peter, boasting of our faithfulness to the Lord. We offer Him body and soul because we are so thankful that He saved us. We are thankful that our sins are forgiven. We are rejoicing that though we once were enemies we now are at peace with the Creator and Ruler of the Universe.

These boastings are not foolish, and the sincerity of our hearts, like Peter's, still honors the Lord.

We just didn't understand what we were offering. We were offering the Lord our body and soul to do with as He pleased for His work and His ways. We wanted to be used by the Lord, we wanted to lead other souls to Him, we wanted to encourage other believers to walk a closer walk.

So, why are we surprised when He takes us up on the offer? Why are we surprised when He actually wants to use our body for His glory, by allowing sickness? Why are we surprised when our worldly comforts can be given and taken from us? Christians are not excluded from suffering, in fact, it is designed for them. It is the method by which their faith is perfected.

Why shouldn't our lives be lives of suffering? The Lord Jesus had a life of suffering.

Do you want to be stronger? You must suffer. You strength is made perfect in weakness.  2 Corinthians 12:9.

Do you want to be more like the Lord? You must suffer. You must have the refiner's fire to burn off the dross to reflect the image of the Son.

Do you want to be more patient? You must suffer. Testing brings patience, and you must let patience have its perfect work.  James 1:3-4.

Do you want to learn to pray? You must suffer. You must learn how to pray without ceasing, and there must be need of ceaseless prayer.  I Thessalonians 5:17

Do you want to feel His presence? You must suffer. He draws near to those with  broken heart. Psalm 34:18


We offer ourselves, longing for this great spirituality and intimacy,  but are surprised at the cost. We often take back parts of our lives when the Lord begins working in them.

"No, Lord, I didn't really mean my money. How could my husband lose his job?"

"No, Lord, I didn't really mean my body. How could I be sick?"

"No, Lord, I didn't mean my children. How could you take this child home? I wanted this child so badly!"

We ask in faith, but see the Lord's dealings through our flesh. We need spiritual eyes of understanding to see those workings all around us, where the Lord is wonderfully orchestrating and allowing circumstances to answer our prayers, brings souls to Him, comfort others, teach others and perfect us to the likeness of His beautiful Son. His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than ours. We need to look by faith to see the big picture, eternity is at stake.

If the Lord came to you and asked you, "I am going to use you to win souls and cause the saints to rejoice because of your testimony. You will live victoriously and the heavens will be marveling at the way the Lord Jesus is shining in your life" wouldn't you say " YES"?  You would.

What is He said, "But, I am going to have to hurt you to accomplish this."

Would you still say YES? I think you would.

But the Lord doesn't tell us His plans, He asks us to walk in faith. He asks us to look to Him each day in His Word to understand His love, His plans and His desires for us. He asks us to listen to His voice.

Because He loves us, He loves us deeply.

Romans 8:37, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.



38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,


39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

None of our trials happen because we are apart from the love of God, but because we are immersed in His love.  He is answering our sincere boast of our youth, spouted with the sincere joy of our salvation, that we want to be used by Him and to be like Him.

He loves us.

He loves us.

Nothing can separate us from that love.


(This blog participated in  Motivate Me Monday sponsored by  Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.)