How Great is the Love

I'll tell you, it is soooooo great, at times it is hard to comprehend. I often ask, "who am I that you should love me so, Lord?" Really, who am I? When I think about some of the poor descisions I have made in my own life, I stand in awe at the relentless love He has had for me through it all. His love is as sure to me as the air I breathe. He does lavish us with His love...why? because we are is His children. Let that sink in, really think about.

Now in the same way that He loves us we are to love one another. Pay close attention to verse 3:18, it says, "let us not love with words or tongue but with ACTions and in truth." There are three elements contained within this verse. How many times has someone told you they loved you but their actions did not seem to match their words? Lets take this a step further, supose someone says they love you and they take action that would indicate that they do love you, but still something just doesn't jive. Maybe it is because they have done it and said it but they did not do it from a heart of truth. Where does a heart of truth come from? Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life. If Jesus is not the very core of the heart then it does not matter what one says or does because it is not coming from a heart of truth...there is worldly love and there is heavenly love. If Jesus resides in the heart and one tries to so something that does not align with the word of God, the heart will condemn us. Why? because it is going against the truth. "This is how we know that we belong to the truth, (Jesus) and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn (say somebody or something is bad: to state that somebody or something is in some way wrong or unacceptable) us."  "God's heart is so much greater than ours, he knows everything." It is God's heart that knows the core of our hearts, if the heart is condemning us, letting us know that something is unacceptable, God knows it and He brings peace to that heart of truth in His presence.

We will not be condemned (give somebody legal sentence: to make a judicial pronouncement stating what punishment has been imposed on a person found guilty of a crime, especially in the case of a heavy penalty or a death sentence) because the heart of truth will not allow it, the heart of truth will do what pleases God. See verses 21-24...

Do you need to invite Jesus (the truth) into your heart today? Take Action & Invite him in...Speak the following prayer with me if it is in your heart to do so and you have not already invited Him in.

Lord Jesus come into my heart today, right now. Bring your truth and peace that I may live a life that pleases my heavenly Father. I need you, I have done wrong in my life and I know that you gave your life for me to cover over those wrong things that I have committed against myself, others and you. I believe that there is no other name under heaven to which I can come for the salvation I seek. You first loved me and now I want to love you back. I want our hearts to become one that I may know you and that through your Holy Spirit you will guide me into all truth. In your name Jesus I ask and believe...

If you invited the Lord into your heart through this prayer, write down this date and keep it in your heart and written in your Bible...Today is your "Heart of Truth" birthday and it is a sacred day...the heavenly hosts are rejoicing on your behalf and so am I...

God's Love Completes Us

"But if anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:5

There is so much in this one power packed verse...Can you see all that is in it? Loving God causes you to obey His word. It is like a circle, it does not end, it is complete, a circle is complete, there is no beginning and no end, it is complete in and of itself, every peice of it mirrors the opposite side of it, an exact imitation of the other side. We imitate Him. See todays themed verse in the side bar (Ephesians 5:1-2)...He loves you, You love Him ,  you obey , the more you obey the more you love, the more you love the more you obey and see yourself becoming like Jesus. You are part of something that is complete. If we are walking like Him , we are walking in love and walking in obedience. If someone claims to walk with Jesus and you do not see the fruit of love manifested in an obedient heart, then that person is not walking with Jesus. They go hand in hand to complete the circle...

O' How I love you Lord, You are so faithful and your love completes me.

SONlight

Yesterday, here in the tri-state we had a clear beautiful day. People are different in the sunlight...have you noticed that? Smiling, talkative, joyful, energetic etc...It is like an energy field of positivety has blanketed everyone...Here is a word of wisdom today...a similar effect, even more powerful than the sunlight, takes place when you walk in the SONlight...When you walk in the SONlight, it makes no difference what the outdoor whether is...It can be pouring down rain or a snowy day, but in your soul there is a light so bright that it cuts through the dreariness and makes the rain and snow sparkle as it falls upon the earth...

Walk in the SONlight daily..."God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5

Father, thank you for the SONlight...your light lifts my soul above the clouds where the sun always shines...

May SONlight rise up within your soul, may it break through the walls of darkness and remove former limits, so that you may be free from the dark chains that have held you back....In the name of Yeshua I ask it and believe that it will be...Selah

A Theme of Three

As we finish up the book of Mark, which focused on the ACTions of Jesus and preceding Mark we concluded the book of ACTs, clearly something stands out here. Three letters A-C-T : Acting Christlike Today. This is not the kind of ACTing that is done for one day or done in the spotlight of movie cameras, this a continual way of life for us. It is who we are. From here on out we will be HIGHlighting through His word what it means to duplicate and conform ourselves to the likeness of Christ. All of the themes require ACTions that match our words. Our first theme in portraying Christlikeness is , "Growing in Love." True Love manifests in ACTions, not just words. As we read the account of the crucifiction yesterday in Mark chapter 15. The first attribute is manifested in the ACTion that Christ first loved us enough to lay down His life for us. In John 15:14 Christ says these words, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down His life for His  friends." His ACTion matched His words. The next thing He says after that is, "you are  my friends, if you do what I command." Make a mental note that contained within that sentence will be the focus of our next theme, "Growing in Obedience." In yesterdays post I said to you that I know you have at least one friend, here He is, What a friend we have in Jesus...

I titled todays post, "A Theme of Three." As we concluded the book of Mark, did you notice all the Threes. When something is a HIGHlight to me, I research it. Where do I start? At the beginning of course. In Genesis I went to see what happened on the THIRD day. Something very interesting. One of the things God said on the third day was this, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yeilding seed and the fruit tree yeilding fruit after His kind, whose seed is in itself." Another version says it this way, " Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in, according to their various kinds." Now you are asking, what does this have to do with what we are talking? Everything beloved, everything...When you apply these old scriptures symbolically to today, this is what I see: Jesus is the original seed of LOVE, Notice too that He was crucified the on the THIRD hour, He was planted within the earth but the earth cound not hold Him, like the miraculous event of a tiny seed that breaks through the soil at spring time. What I want you to take from this, is the detail that the seed produces fruit in its image. It duplicates,copies...we too are to copy, duplicate, and have a likeness to Christ. The themes that we will cover is like the soil, it is the good soil, the organic soil that we want to grow in...They are the very attributes of Christ...

Take a love walk today and notice what is springing forth...

Through Young Eyes

I received this sweet picture in the mail today from a 10 year old named Emma. Emma has committed herself to reading the Daily Delight Scripture Passages with her mom each evening.

I love it!!! What a great picture... I just had to share it...Thank you Emma for the card and the inspired drawing...Bless your heart and Jesus Kiss your nose...

A Distressed Soul

Jesus takes the 3 (Peter, James &John) with Him into the garden of Gethsemane.

3 times he finds them sleeping.

It makes me think about the times in my life that I denied Him. Lord, thank you for forgiveness. It makes me think of times that I should of been keeping watch instead of sleeping. Friends who may have needed me to pray through the night for them but instead I was sleeping. Father, thank you for understanding friends. Lord God, I want to be alert and there for my friends. Help me to discern those times that require intense prayer for those I so dearly love.

Now, in reflecting on friends some of you may have heard me refer to Peter, James and John as the inner circle. It seems the Lord took the three of them off to Himself on several occasions. Again, it makes me think of friends that are there for us, friends that we can bare our souls to. We all need a friend or two that we can feel comfortable in sharing deep things. The Lord shared with them that his soul was very distressed even to the point of death. As you contemplate this passage reflect on the friends that you have that you are willing to bare your soul to...Do you have one or two? I pray you do...I know you have at least one...

In reading this passage, I also began to think about the reaction of the three to the Lord's soul baring, I wonder, was it just too much for the flesh to handle? Could they not stay awake because maybe they too were very distressed and heavy burdened, but were unable to understand and identify the full significance of where that distress was coming from? When a loved one is distressed we feel it, don't we? We may not know the full circumstances, but something in us feels what they are feeling...I know that Jesus must of been frustrated with the three, but I also know that He understood as He spoke to them and said, " the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."

 The Lord instructs us in Mathew 11:28-30 to come to Him, all who are weary and heavy burdened, and He will give us rest. If your soul is in distress and burdened there is no better place to be than with Jesus...Are you burdened? Talk to Jesus and talk to the friend/ friends He has given to you.

Lord, I pray for sleep that is restful. May we awake energized and ready for each day. Thank you for your gentle humble heart that brings peace to my soul and provides me the rest that I need even when I am carrying a burden...In your name Yeshua I ask and believe...

News Flash-Keep Watch

Mark chapter 13 is filled with information from Jesus regarding the end of times. If you are not properly prepared, it can seem to be a very gloomy chapter. Before I share what I see in this chapter I want to say to you that scare tactics are not of God. (God did not give us a spirit of fear but of sound mind.) ( Perfect love drives out fear). The fear of God and being scared to death of God are two different things. The words Jesus is speaking through this chapter most assureddly should  have a profound effect on us and make us stop to think about one thing and one thing only, "Am I asleep or am I awake in Christ?"

If you are awake in Christ you will be able to see what is coming and you will be preparing yourself and those around you for what is coming. Closed eyes can not see. If you close your eyes while you are driving, you are sure to experience disaster. Reflect for an instant on this: we own water front property so my husband is on continual alert, watching the news to monitor the river levels. In preparation for the rising water he has a very detailed list of things he goes through to keep the water from causing damage to our property. Supose for a moment he slept through these reports and missed the reports or worse his eyes may be (eyes that are open but blind) open but his ego decides to choose to ignore the reports altogether thinking to himself, "oh those weather people, what do they know?" Surely you can see what would happen to our property if we are not watching the reports or choose to ignore the reports.

Now what do I see in this chapter? I see a news flash that I am paying close attention to, with eyes wide open in Christ. The chapter is filled with tell tale signs that followers of Christ should be able to pick up on, but the most important thing to me to take from this chapter is contained within the last two verses.

"If He comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you , I say to everyone:'WATCH!'"

Are your eyes open in Christ? Are you watching or are you asleep?

Be on Guard! Be alert!

Lord God, I thank you for eyes that see and I ask for those whose eyes are not open that they may be opened and awakened in you. Without you it is gloomy and dark...but with you even in this chapter of what is a head, you shed your awesome light in verses 26&27 and I thank you...May our eyes be opened and our hearts be prepared, even to the very minute details so that the most valuable property of all will not suffer damage...In your name Yeshua, I ask and believe, your will be done...