Shed Abroad in Our Hearts

The flowering trees in our neighborhood are just beautiful. The azaleas in our flower bed have the most prolific blooms I’ve seen in years. I noticed some petals in my driveway that didn’t come from any of our trees. They were still full of color and as I looked around I spotted the source of the petals down the street. Evidently the winds of recent days had blown flowers beyond their normal dropping place beneath the trees. 

Just as the petals of flowers are shed and then cast farther than we can realize, so the love of God is for us. If we could sit and sip a cup of coffee or have a coke and open the Book of Love, I would want to tell you how loved you really are. It’s beyond comprehension I assure you. There are times when I still scarcely believe He loves me. Me. You know, the one who has flaws and faults and doubts and worries and fears. The one who makes mistakes, regrets the past and has real concerns about the future. 

I would bet you can relate. Have you ever said to yourself, “Surely if God knew all about me He wouldn’t love me, not really.” But oh beloved! He does know all about you. He knows more about you than you know yourself. And He does love you! This is a passionate, all encompassing, enduring, faithful, no-matter-what love! And, because you have put your trust in Christ for the Salvation of your very soul, God has put His magnificent love in your heart. It’s there whether you realize it or not, whether you appropriate the goodness of that incredible love or not, it’s there. But beloved, if you will appropriate that love, let those petals loose in your spirit, trust the casting of it across your heart and mind, God will explode in your heart and burst forth from your soul. 

God wants you to know that His love for you is the real deal. He never goes back on His love for you. Because of His Agape love, He will never renege on His commitment to you. He won’t look at you one day and say forget you. He won’t walk away or shut you out. Your name is written on the palm of His hand precious, precious one. Engraved, not just written, not tattooed – for writing can be erased and tattoos fade with time – but engraved! Eternal, permanent, forever. Engraved with His own precious blood, Christ says “you are Mine”. God says, “You are loved”. The Holy Spirit wants to pluck the lies of the enemy out of your heart and instead shower you with love and favor and gently bring you into a growing faith in God. Gently, not crudely, God’s love is ever so gentle. Hold some rose petals in your hand and feel their velvety delicateness – that’s how God feels about you in His hand. 

Why do you need to know this beloved? Why is God saying His love is shed abroad in your heart by Christ Jesus? For until you know this great love intimately, there will always be thorns coming from the enemy to keep you preoccupied with your troubles, your mistakes, your sins, your issues, your relationships. The enemy says you’re done for, but God always says we can work this out. Agape Love keeps on where everything else fails. God’s love is your point of surrender and your source of strength. No adversary can kill it for it is born of God Himself. The enemy wants you to believe you have to do something to be loved. He wants you to believe that God’s love is conditional. But God wants you to know that His love came first! You can let Him love you because He first loved you! Then you can love others, your life and ministry will be motivated by love and you can respond in love no matter what.

“Lord, we need Your love in our lives – Agape Perfect Love. We need to know this love, so we must get to know You better. Bring us into Your presence. Woo us with Your Love. Thank You for Your patience in letting us learn. But Lord don’t let us keep looking for the love we need in any other way or place or person. Don’t let us settle for cheap short-lasting substitutes. But give us your Love, shed it wide and long and deep into our hearts and minds so we can live it out and share it with others.”

Oh beloved, God loves you and He’s for you and that’s the beginning of the greatest love story ever told – your love story in Christ. 

Romans 5:5 …and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. KJV

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.

Jeremiah 31:3 … “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”

Romans 8:39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 36:5 Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

Rest in God's Covenant Arms

There’s an old book in my hall closet from the 50’s. Inside the pages have been glued old cartoons, old photos and old sayings. My mother and I worked on “making” a book of things I loved when I was a very little girl.  I had forgotten all about it.  We went through magazines together along with the Sears catalog (remember that?) and glued those cut outs on each page. Because of the wonderful white glue of childhood they have remained totally stuck to those pages. It’s a wonderful reminder of my mother’s love in taking time to do this craft with me. I probably wasn’t very still and was easily distracted and did a lot of giggling, but the project went on for more than a day. In fact it was daily for months.

I always loved using scissors and making cutouts. From paper dolls to favorite toys in the catalog I was always cutting things out. I remember pasting some things to furniture which didn’t seem to my mother to be too “artistic” but I rarely heard a harsh voice from her. Generally she just helped clean up my messes and mistakes and concentrated on the pasting book.  We referred back to that book often through the years.

Sometimes you have to cut things out in order to put something in its place. Sometimes we need help cleaning up the messes and mistakes. Sometimes we have to cut reminders out of our memories, our life, our Bibles to remind us where we have been and where we are going.

I find I still like to cut things out, but now I use the computer and print out quotes and Scriptures, especially when I’m dealing with something – just to remind me of who I am, whose I am and where I am.

You may have felt you were cut out of the good life.  You may have been cut down by those you trusted and admired. You might have gotten cut off in mid-stream while trying to express yourself.  People can be self-centered and careless with their words and actions. You once felt real fellowship but now you feel left alone, uncared for and dismissed.

God understands that you aren’t certain where you fit in. He understands your desire to be appreciated and admired. He promises you in His Word that you will never be cut out, cut down or cut off by Him. You are more than a paper doll and He is the One who created you and clothed you with dignity and love. Your picture is always before Him and your heart is always held securely by His all reaching hand. Even if you mess up, make mistakes, feel unworthy He is keeping you securely pasted to Himself.

Oh beloved, run to the Lord this morning and rest in His covenant arms. He is your Redeemer and when you gave your heart to Him He placed your name engraved in His hand and no man can erase it. You are loved forever and cared for eternally and that’s all that really matters.

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

1 Thessalonians 1:4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be His own people.

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Isaiah 51:11 So the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

 

 

What's That Written on Your Heart?

In the 1969 film, The Illustrated Man, is about a man who is tattooed over His entire body. Each set of tattoos tells a different story and the movie unfolds one character after another with one story after another. One of the tales in the movie is The Highway which centers on a husband and wife living by a highway in rural Mexico. Their normal, idyllic lives don’t change even as the highway fills with people fleeing a nuclear war. The story ends with some young travelers they help telling them about the nuclear war, and how the world is ending. After the travelers leave, the residents briefly wonder what "the world" is, and then continue on with their lives.

 

Although I watched that movie as a teen, I don’t remember ever knowing exactly what it was about. To think that vignettes of stories were written in the character’s tattoos is pretty amazing. His body carried the evidence. The movie protrayed the tattoos.

 

While Jesus had no tattoos there was evidence of the Greatest Story ever told written on His body. Two ragged horrendous nail holes through the palms of His hands and the bones of His feet along with the sword wound in His side tell an amazing tale of love, intrigue and death.  Although His story on earth was a mere 33 years, it does not end with death. His story is ongoing because of the resurrection and the life. It is a never ending tale that began before the foundation of the world and continues to this day and will go on throughout eternity. What a wonderful story to tell, what a wonderful message to hear, what a magnificent gift to receive.

 

As a believer you have a wonderful story to tell as well. Your story begins before you were ever born. God says He knew you before you were even formed in your mother’s womb.  God says that He has plans for your life to give you a future and a hope. God says that you were predestined to give your heart to Jesus – that it was His plan that you belong to Him and that you be sealed by the Holy Spirit and kept in the love of God forever.

While we don’t get tattoos to prove we belong to Christ or to tell our story, we do have something more wonderful for the movie of our lives. The Word tells us that we are Christ’s letter and that the proof is written on our hearts. He goes on to tell us to write His Word on the tablet of our hearts. These words are not mere tattoos but rather the hand of God writing on our hearts, right in the center of all that we are, so that we will remember who we are in Christ and what He did for us always.

Oh beloved, God sees your heart. He sees where man wrote castoff, diseased, unworthy, worthless, imperfect, done for and more. For many, the finger of man points to every mistake, every problem, every trial and every storm. The finger of man may have written you off, but behold beloved! God Himself has written your name on the Palm of His hand! No mere pencil print this is –you are engraved on His hand! You may have been erased from someone else’s heart, but you will never be erased from God’s heart. He says you are My beloved and I will never leave you or forsake you. Others may taunt you, dismay you, reject you and walk away, but I AM your sure foundation. I AM your rock of ages. I AM the One who will always stay with you . My Word is my bond and your bond as well. I have written on your heart: redeemed, renewed, regenerated, reborn, reconciled. There are other words as well. As you pick up My love story, the Word of God, and learn of Me you will find that you are beloved, beautiful, destined, cared for, watched over and more.

Your life and mine, as believers in Christ, are beautiful illustrations of the One Who gave it all for us! Rejoice beloved, as the King is calling you and writing the most amazing story of your life all on your heart and for the world to see! He loves you and He’s for you and that’s the most beautiful story of your life!

2 Corinthians 3:3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (NAS)

Psalm 139:16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…

Psalm 40:8 I take joy in doing Your will, my God, for Your instructions are written on my heart.

Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD. I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

It's Your Greatest Love Story!

Today is a celebration of love day. All over the country people are paying respects to those they love. From tiny little paper cards in Kindergarten to a dozen roses and boxes of chocolates, everyone has the opportunity to feel special and loved on this one day alone.  I usually get a little tickled because if I wait too long to get that special card for my beloved, all the husband cards are about gone! But still, it’s a great day to celebrate love and to give something special to one who means so much to you.

The only problem with Valentine’s Day is the some folks get left totally out of the whole love thing. It costs money so the ones who have to count every penny would just as soon leave it alone.  It costs time so the ones who are overcommitted find very little time to get a card for anyone.  It costs feelings for it’s really hard to buy a card or get flowers or give a heartfelt gift to someone when you’re holding things against them.

I’ve been on the receiving end of roses, candy, cards and more! I still have a dozen roses in a long white box in my cedar chest! No kidding!  I’ve kept them for 40 years because I love the one who gave them to me.

I’ve also been on the receiving end of unforgiveness and rejection. No love lost there. I’ve had problems and issues and dealings with unloving, critical, harsh and unforgiving people. I’ve also wanted to be unloving, critical, harsh and unforgiving.  I’ve even had problems forgiving myself. Can you relate beloved?

But every time I look at situations that are out of my control and hurts that make me want to cringe and climb into the closet of life to stay there forever, I look into the mirror. There I see Christ. I see my hurts and rejection taken on by Him as He stood in Pilate’s court while those who had promised to love Him forever cried, “Crucify!”  And I see Him walking up the Calvary’s hill, dragging my sins all the way- such a heavy load.  There in the mirror of His Word I see hope – hope for me, hope for those I love, hope for the unlovable, hope for the lost – as Christ Himself rose again! I can forgive, I can be forgiven, I can walk in newness of life as His mercies are renewed every morning!

Oh beloved, open up your heart and run to the only One Who will ever love you unconditionally, without reservation. He holds none of your mistakes against you; He holds back nothing of His nature, His love, His compassion, His forgiveness from you. Because He is Love! And because He is Love, He will be with you forever, even unto the end of the age! Not only that, but He will help you forgive, heal you of your hurts, give you everything you need and get you through it all.

Hide your soul in the depths of His love this morning! Read the greatest Love story ever written, contained in God’s Word for it’s all about you and the Savior! Hold His Words close to your heart and dance with your Beloved in fields of Grace! And have a blessed, blessed day in Jesus!

 

Ephesians 2:4-5  But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ. (Amplified Bible)

I John 4:9-11 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

Romans 5:2-5 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

Life Has it's Ups and Downs - But God's Loving Care Remains Constant!

The weather around here has been unstable to say the least. Snow at Christmas stayed on the ground for a week. Three days ago it was 70 degrees and this morning it’s 26 degrees and the high will barely get higher than freezing. Those few warm days we had caused rose bushes and tulip trees to pop out buds, thinking that spring had sprung.  Up and down, the fluctuation is hard on people, plants and animals alike.  Watching the weather can become our focus as we try to keep plants and animals cared for.  We need to be prepared and yet there are times when we’re caught out in it and aren't prepared.  Thankfully the bad weather will change to good eventually and spring weather will turn into the blessings of summer.

Life is a lot like the weather.  It can be rather unstable. One day all is well and turn the corner of a single day and things can go off-center.  Hard times seem to get harder. One good day and we’re flying high on the blessings. But let a bad day come and we’re shriveled in the cold harsh reality of life.  Fluctuations can ruin us if we concentrate on them. If the fluctuations of life’s situations are our focus, we’re going to be so busy dealing with things that we find ourselves worn out and done in.  Cold days of sorrows and trials make us want to retreat permanently. Our hearts that swelled with joy in warmer days are shrinking in the cold of hard times. We find our feelings going up and down as we focus on the situations at hand.

Oh beloved, it’s time to wrap yourself in the warmth of God’s loving care! He knows your situation, He knows your ups and downs and how hard it has been. He knows the doctor’s report, the financial report, the credit report and more. He knows you may be stuck in the winter of your life and you may not have even seen it coming. Harsh reality has set in and your focus has been on the worst of it. But God calls you to Himself! He speaks sweet Truth into your ear. If you will take your focus off of the weather of life and put it solely on Him.  His promises to you must be your only focus, for life and people and circumstances will fluctuate, sometimes wildly and you’ll get caught in the storm without proper care! The Lord Himself is your covering and His Word is your proper attire. Take in His Word for your morning sustenance, wear His Word on your heart for protection against the day’s changing times. And when you lay your head down at night, cover yourself with His Word for its precious warmth in the night. Our God is an awesome God! He loves you like no other and because of His great love for you He will always be with you and that’s all that you really ever need.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (NAS)

Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.

Psalm 5:12 For you bless the godly, O LORD; you surround them with your shield of love.

Psalm 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

God's Love For You Endures No Matter What!

There’s an old joke about the husband and wife, married many years. One morning the wife says to her husband who is busy reading the paper, “You never tell me you love me”. To which the husband replies, “I told you the day we got married.  If anything changes I’ll let you know” as he resumes reading the paper.  Obviously he was content with that. Obviously she was not.

There are some things we need to hear over and over. A statement from the heart about love is one of them. Kids thrive on it. Adults respond to it. Even pets enjoy the master saying in baby dog talk, “I wuv you!”

There are some things we need to know are true no matter what else goes on in our lives. One of the greatest things to know, to cherish in your heart, regardless of what life throws at you is that God Loves You! He says it often. He speaks it into your heart every chance He gets.

His True love is not indifferent. It is not apathetic, unresponsive or unconcerned. God’s love takes you personally. His nature is love, so that everything about you is loved. And everything about Him speaks love to you. 

I know we live in a world where apathy is rampant and forever is impossible! But God is True! And His Word shows His feelings about you! Although He is not bound by His feelings, He certainly feels incredible perfect love for you.  Love created you before you were known in your mother’s womb. Love made a way for you when Christ went to the cross. Love gives you purpose and freedom to be all that He intends for you to be! Love comes after you when you go astray. Love steps in to guard you when other things try to distract you.  Love is perfection that covers your imperfections.

Oh beloved!  Rejoice this morning as you talk with the Love of your life! He’s always on your side, always with you and always speaks in Love! Take His Love Story for you from the bookshelf this morning and read! All of His love songs were written for you! Daily He says “I love you!” and daily He yearns for your response for His love is active! His love will take you through the pain, the sorrow, the mourning and give you a fresh start every single day. Although His love is forever and it never changes, He still speaks it into your life always! The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is your Jehovah –Nissi, your Banner of Love!

Exodus 17:154 Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”).

Psalm 121:5  The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.

Isaiah 52:12  You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the LORD will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.

Psalm 69:16  Answer my prayers, O LORD, for Your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for Your mercy is so plentiful.

Psalm 136:1-3    Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.

Lamentations 3:22-23  The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.