Category: #love

A Life that Keeps It’s First Love

The Lord wants us to stay “in love” with Him. If we are not careful we can leave our first love in our relationship with the Lord if we are a Christian. We can get so caught up with doing that we forget all about the loving. This is not only true in our relationship with the Lord but it is true in marriages.

Revelation 2:2-4 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Notice that it says they had left their first love, not that they had lost it. If you lose something then you do not know where it is but if you left something then you can go back to where you left it. They had left their first love and were very very busy doing “good things” but not focusing on the One who loved them in the first place.

Revelation 2:5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.

Remember when you first became a Christian and you were so grateful to Him for saving you and so hungry to read His Word. He wants you to return to your love for Him and your love towards Him.

I Peter 2:2,3  like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Have your quiet time with the Lord in the morning if you can. It does make a difference in your day.

Psalm 90:14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Do you want to sing for joy and be glad all of your days? Again, an incredible promise. However, if this does not describe your life then why not try seeking Him in the morning first thing.

Psalm 92:2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night,

By faith we declare His lovingkindness in the morning and if we do this on a regular basis then we will find ourselves declaring His faithfulness at the end of the day. He is faithful to His children and He is faithful to His fulfill His promises.

Psalm 143:8 Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You;

Again, He wants us to see Him and hear Him. If only we will put our trust in Him.

I John 2:24 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

Never forget what you heard in the beginning of your Christian life which is that God loves you with an unconditional love, He has paid the price for your sin and wants to have a relationship with you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He has forgiven you of all of your sins, the sins you did in the past, the sins that you are doing now and the sins that you will do in the future…past, present and future sins. There is no time with God because He is eternal. Abide means to live. He wants you to live in His love. That is why He calls you “Beloved”, because He wants you to “be loved by Him”. If you have “left” your first love then return to Him that you may be restored.

A Life that is Transformed

As all of us grow older we understand the truth that our outer person is decaying. We may think that we can prolong it but our bodies will one day wear out. However, if our inner person has life, though we may die on the outside, the inside of us will be renewed and become stronger and be refreshed for it will never decay.

II Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man  is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

If we follow the instructions the Lord has given to us then we will soar like an eagle on the inside and we will gain new strength. We will run and not get tired and we will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Our youth will be renewed like the eagle. A Christian is the only one whose youth is renewed though he grows older. It is our endless dissatisfaction in life and seeking after things that will never satisfy that saps us of our strength and makes us feel old before our time. Let the Lord satisfy your years with good things and let Him fulfill you.

Psalm 103:5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

As our inner person is being renewed it is also being transformed, or at least, it should be in the process of being changed. If you are a Christian then His blueprint for you is that you will become conformed to the image of Christ. He made us in His image and that is His design for each of us.

I John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

He conforms us into the image of Christ by transforming us through His Word. His blood washes our conscience clean and then He renews our mind so that we will act in accordance to His will.

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The Lord wants to transform you through His Word.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

However, if you neglect getting in His Word then He will often bring people alongside you who will share His Word with you. This is the Lord trying to speak to you. They are not as gentle as His Spirit but none the less, they are His instruments for your good.

I Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

If, however, you still resist His Spirit then He will discipline you if you are His child. Now, the Lord says that discipline can be painful but it is for your good. It is because you were not obedient earlier to what He had shown you. The purpose of discipline is to bring you back to Him and get you back on track so that you can become like Him and experience His plan for your life.

Hebrews 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

The Lord has a plan for your life but to fully experience that plan you must stay in His will and continually be transformed into the image of Christ. He speaks to us in three different ways. First of all, He wants to speak to you through His Spirit and His Word. If you do not listen then often He will speak to you through people. If you still do not listen then He will speak to you through circumstances. If you hate unnecessary pain then stay in His Word and when He speaks to you listen. This is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ kept saying when He was on earth, “He who has ears to hear, let Him hear”.

Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull,
And with their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes;
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.”’

Do you need healing? Do you have areas that need changing? Let Him heal you so that you might be whole again. Let Him change you. His changes are lasting and they are not “turning over a new leaf” by trying harder. He makes you like Christ. Beloved, one day you will be like Him. Do not lose heart.

 

 

A Life with Light

No one would want to be blind. It is an awful feeling to not be able to see. We don’t even like it at night time when we can not see and many people will leave lights on in their homes at night just so that they will never be in the darkness. Darkness can be a frightening feeling for we can not see where we are going.

So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. John 12:35

There are two kinds of darkness. There is the physical darkness that we experience when our eyes can not see physically and there is the spiritual darkness that we live in until light comes into our spirits. We are born in spiritual darkness and will remain in darkness until we believe in Jesus Christ and He comes to live inside of us through His Spirit.

I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. John 12:46

As we learn to follow Jesus and walk in His ways then we will not walk in darkness but will walk in the light. We will have the Light of Life in us. Life will not be a guessing game with questions such as “should I do this or should I do that” or “should I go here or should I go there”?

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12

However, how is this practically live out? We want to know what to do. We don’t want to make bad decisions for our lives or families. The Lord not only is Light and but He provides light and tells us how to be full of light.

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! Matthew 6:22,23

What does it mean for the eye to be clear and what does it mean for the eye to be bad. This verse applies to everyone. What do we need to do to have clear eyes and be full of light so that we won’t walk in darkness and make bad decisions?

He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will behold a far-distant land. Isaiah 33:15-17

This is the picture of the person who sees clearly. He has clean hands and a pure heart. He does what is right and he is genuine in what he says. He does not take any dishonest gain, in other words, he does not cheat on his taxes or in his business practices. This includes not only the seller selling his work or product at a fair value but also the buyer not depriving a man of a fair profit or the wages for his work.

“Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages, Jeremiah 22:13

The person who sees clearly also shuts his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil. He does not listen to the news of bloodshed or looks upon evil. The person who follows the Light of Life will truly experience life. He will dwell on the heights of the earth and he will have a refuge from the storms of life. His bread will be given him and his water will be sure. He will feel secure and be secure. He will be free of anxiety in contrast to the person who lives in darkness will be filled with anxiety and that anxiety will rob him of life.

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33

The greatest blessing of all for the person whose eye is good and that is he will see God. Not only will he see the Lord but he will see Him in His beauty and you see the far distant land to where all those who have received Jesus Christ and trusted in Him will one day go when He calls them home.

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will behold a far-distant land. Isaiah 33:17

If you are walking in darkness and have not seen the Lord then He invites you to come to Him. He is full of grace and truth and He loves you. His love is an unconditional love but you must come to Him to receive it. When you come to Jesus Christ then you will not only see Him but you will find rest for your soul.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28,29

A Life of Faith and Love

The most exciting life is a life of your faith and His love. You will be amazed at His faithfulness and so in love with the Lord when you see Him be true to His Word. A life of faith is a prerequisite to seeing His faithfulness. When you declare, by faith, His lovingkindness in the morning then you will see His faithfulness at night.

Psalm 92:2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night,

A life of faith is taking Him at His Word. There is no limit to experiencing His love for you other than your unbelief. Fearing Him is respecting Him in an all consuming way where you believe His Word so much that you know that it is true and will do what His Word says to do. Fearing Him is obedience. You can fear Him now voluntarily by faith or you can wait until you see Him and how true His Word is to what He says will take place and then you will really fear Him but that kind of fear is one of a terrifying fear.

Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

When you live by faith then His lovingkindness is what will describe your life. It will be the explanation for who you are and everything in your life because He loves you so very much but you must take Him at His Word to see that love.

Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

The Lord will be your boast and in Him you will glory. You will not be able to stop talking about Him and all of the incredible things that He has done for you.

Psalm 89:24 “My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him, And in My name his horn will be exalted.

You will anticipate each new day and what His great lovingkindness holds for you. No matter how much you mess up the day before His lovingkindnesses and compassions are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-25 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.

Everything that the Lord does for you is done in His faithfulness. Trust Him and let Him direct your steps. He is good.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness.

Underneath are the everlasting arms and He has destroyed the enemy from before you.

Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’

Will you trust Him again as you did when you first became a Christian? Of if you have not yet trusted Him with your life then today is the day to begin. You can begin with the prayer that the person prayed, “Lord, I want to believe, help me in my unbelief.” He is more than willing to help you. He wants to give you this incredible life that is overflowing but first you must trust Him.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

There are only two choices in life…one of a life that is ultimately destroyed or a life that is saved. These two choices go into eternity but are made by you here on earth. Do you choose the destroyer or the Savior?

A Life that Is Fruitful

The promise of a fruitful life is made to the person who abides in the Lord and God’s Word abides in Him. The word abide means to live in, therefore you are to live in God’s Word and He lives in you.

John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

The Lord wants you to be fruitful and He knows that you must abide in Him if this is to happen. He, the vine produces the fruit and you, as the branch, bear the fruit.

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

The sooner you realize the truth that you can do nothing apart from Him the happier you will be and the sooner you will quit striving on your own to bear fruit. The branches bear the fruit, they do not produce the fruit.

Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The fruit is produced through vine. You can not make yourself love someone. He will love through you if you abide in Him. In the same way, you can not produce joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control. He must do it.

John 15:7 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

You will not have to prove that you are a Christian. Your fruit will bear witness that you are a Christian.

Matthew 7:16-18 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

The Lord loves us and wants us to abide in his love. When we abide in His love and in His Word then our spirit will be nourished and His Spirit in us will produce the fruit that the world will see.

John 15:9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

The way that we abide in his love is to keep his commandments. Is there anything that you know that He has commanded you to do and you have not done? There is nothing that is worth keeping us from his love.

John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Jesus kept His Father’s commandments and abided in His Father’s love. He went before us and showed us how it was to be done.

John 15:12,13 This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus Himself chose us to bear fruit and instructed us on how it was to be accomplished.

John 15:16,17 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples and to us so that our joy may be made full just as His joy was made full.

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

 

 

 

A Life that Keeps It’s First Love

The Lord wants us to stay “in love” with Him. If we are not careful we can leave our first love in our relationship with the Lord if we are a Christian. We can get so caught up with doing that we forget all about the loving. This is not only true in our relationship with the Lord but it is true in marriages.

Revelation 2:2-4 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Notice that it says they had left their first love, not that they had lost it. If you lose something then you do not know where it is but if you left something then you can go back to where you left it. They had left their first love and were very very busy doing “good things” but not focusing on the One who loved them in the first place.

Revelation 2:5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.

Remember when you first became a Christian and you were so grateful to Him for saving you and so hungry to read His Word. He wants you to return to your love for Him and your love towards Him.

I Peter 2:2,3  like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Have your quiet time with the Lord in the morning if you can. It does make a difference in your day.

Psalm 90:14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Do you want to sing for joy and be glad all of your days? Again, an incredible promise. However, if this does not describe your life then why not try seeking Him in the morning first thing.

Psalm 92:2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night,

By faith we declare His lovingkindness in the morning and if we do this on a regular basis then we will find ourselves declaring His faithfulness at the end of the day. He is faithful to His children and He is faithful to His fulfill His promises.

Psalm 143:8 Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You;

Again, He wants us to see Him and hear Him. If only we will put our trust in Him.

I John 2:24 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

Never forget what you heard in the beginning of your Christian life which is that God loves you with an unconditional love, He has paid the price for your sin and wants to have a relationship with you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He has forgiven you of all of your sins, the sins you did in the past, the sins that you are doing now and the sins that you will do in the future…past, present and future sins. There is no time with God because He is eternal. Abide means to live. He wants you to live in His love. That is why He calls you “Beloved”, because He wants you to “be loved by Him”. If you have “left” your first love then return to Him that you may be restored.

A Life that is Transformed

As all of us grow older we understand the truth that our outer person is decaying. We may think that we can prolong it but our bodies will one day wear out. However, if our inner person has life, though we may die on the outside, the inside of us will be renewed and become stronger and be refreshed for it will never decay.

II Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man  is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

If we follow the instructions the Lord has given to us then we will soar like an eagle on the inside and we will gain new strength. We will run and not get tired and we will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Our youth will be renewed like the eagle. A Christian is the only one whose youth is renewed though he grows older. It is our endless dissatisfaction in life and seeking after things that will never satisfy that saps us of our strength and makes us feel old before our time. Let the Lord satisfy your years with good things and let Him fulfill you.

Psalm 103:5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

As our inner person is being renewed it is also being transformed, or at least, it should be in the process of being changed. If you are a Christian then His blueprint for you is that you will become conformed to the image of Christ. He made us in His image and that is His design for each of us.

I John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

He conforms us into the image of Christ by transforming us through His Word. His blood washes our conscience clean and then He renews our mind so that we will act in accordance to His will.

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The Lord wants to transform you through His Word.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

However, if you neglect getting in His Word then He will often bring people alongside you who will share His Word with you. This is the Lord trying to speak to you. They are not as gentle as His Spirit but none the less, they are His instruments for your good.

I Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

If, however, you still resist His Spirit then He will discipline you if you are His child. Now, the Lord says that discipline can be painful but it is for your good. It is because you were not obedient earlier to what He had shown you. The purpose of discipline is to bring you back to Him and get you back on track so that you can become like Him and experience His plan for your life.

Hebrews 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

The Lord has a plan for your life but to fully experience that plan you must stay in His will and continually be transformed into the image of Christ. He speaks to us in three different ways. First of all, He wants to speak to you through His Spirit and His Word. If you do not listen then often He will speak to you through people. If you still do not listen then He will speak to you through circumstances. If you hate unnecessary pain then stay in His Word and when He speaks to you listen. This is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ kept saying when He was on earth, “He who has ears to hear, let Him hear”.

Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull,
And with their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes;
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.”’

Do you need healing? Do you have areas that need changing? Let Him heal you so that you might be whole again. Let Him change you. His changes are lasting and they are not “turning over a new leaf” by trying harder. He makes you like Christ. Beloved, one day you will be like Him. Do not lose heart.

 

 

A Life with Soul-life

Just as the body needs to live to experience life so the soul must live to know life. The body does not live on its own but must be nourished and fed with what is good for it, or it will die. The soul is the heart of man and is made up of its mind, will and emotions. It is the soul of man that enables a person to enjoy life. Enjoy means to enter into the joy of life. All of mankind longs for soul-life. When the soul is dead then the person merely exists. If the soul is sick then there is a constant struggle within and the struggle manifests itself with various mental and emotional illnesses. When the soul is alive then the person is happy and satisfied with life. The person with soul-life thrives and experiences happiness and peace. Their soul is filled with life and they are fulfilled, which means they are filled to the full and their life is full of meaning and purpose. There is no lack within a person with soul-life.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Soul-life was stolen in the Garden of Eden by the devil when he deceived Eve and she and Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan is a thief and he comes only to steal, kill and destroy. He stole life and brought death and destruction. He still comes to man to steal, kill and destroy. When a person believes the lie that “there is no God” or that “God does not care or love them” then they no longer believe in God but they believe in the devil. To have soul-life then a person must first believe in the Giver and Creator of life and that is God alone. There is no one else who can give life but the One who is life.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6

Jesus Christ is God and He is life. Jesus Christ came to restore the life that was stolen by the devil. From the beginning God has given to all of mankind a free choice. A person does not have to believe in God. They can believe in the devil and his lies, for example, that man came from evolution, which goes against the laws of science. The law of entropy which is defined as: lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder. Everything in life goes from order to disorder. Scientists who believe in evolution are not true to themselves. Man was created by God and he was created to know God. All of creation fulfills the purpose for which it was created but man. Man’s soul was made to commune with God in a relationship as a child of God. He was made to live in God’s love and to fill the earth with God’s love. Man was the only creature made in the image of God and he is the only part of creation that rejected God’s plan. Man chose to be his own god and when he chose to be his own god then he also chose guilt and death to his soul. It is man’s soul that is created in the image of God. No other aspect of creation has a soul. No other aspect of creation experiences guilt and death to the soul.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Man earned death through his sin. His sin was wanting to be his own master and to choose his own destiny. However, this choice of destiny set him on a path of pain and guilt with the end being death. Sin leads to more sin and guilt and death brings more guilt and death. Rather than acknowledging his wrong, some of mankind has gotten mad at God or others have tried to deny there is a God. Man hates death and can not live with guilt so he either blames God for death or he denies the existence of God to seek to rid himself of the guilt. Neither solution works and the anger turns into rage and the denial of God becomes foolishness.

The foolishness of man ruins his way, And his heart rages against the Lord. Proverbs 19:3

If a man has any sense within himself then he will acknowledge God and acknowledge his poor choice of wanting to be his own god. He will turn to the one and only God, who is Lord and Savior, and he will repent. Repentance means that he will turn from himself to God to give him life. He will turn to the God who out of love for man, sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ into the world to restore man back to the relationship for which he was created and the purposes and destiny that God designed for each person, who has been made in God’s image. When this happens then life comes into the soul of the person who turns from himself to God. The most wonderful thing happens to the person who is restored to God. It is as if the lights have been turned on. He can see things he never saw before. He enjoys life. He has a new perspective on everything. His soul is filled with life because the One who gives life has entered his soul.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul-life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul-life? Matthew 16:26

There is nothing that can compare to soul-life. You could gain the whole world and all that is in it but if you do not have soul-life, you will never enjoy it. Yes, there are many things that can give you a moment of pleasure but then the pleasure is gone and the emptiness returns. Man spends the rest of his life seeking that moment of pleasure but there is the law of diminishing returns and that means that he has to do more and more to fill the emptiness that the moment of pleasure brings. He is never satisfied. For this reason, there is not enough money that will ever satisfy and there is not enough alcohol or drugs or sex or whatever other pleasure that a person pursues to fill the emptiness. The only thing that can fill the emptiness in man’s soul is God Himself. What is the outcome of a life with a soul-life. That soul-life will want to give praise to the God who made them and tell of all of the wonderful things that He has done for them.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Lord performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who revere Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who revere Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust. Psalm 103:1-14

There is none to compare with the Lord. He is good and He longs to show His goodness to those who will come to Him. The word blessed means happy. How blessed and happy are those who have come to Him.

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. Isaiah 30:18

If you have been disappointed in life or are weary of the emptiness then come to Jesus Christ. If your life is lacking in meaning and purpose then come to Him. If you are struggling within and just trying to “keep your head above water” then come to Him. If you are mad at God or feel that you have wasted or ruined your life then come to Him. If you long to be loved and accepted for who you are then come to Him. If you have been seeking but are not even sure of what you have been seeking then come to Him. If you have been hurt and need healing then come to Him. If you need forgiveness then come to Him. He promises to do all of these things in your life if you will come to Him. He is gentle and full of compassion. He knows how frail we are. He understands you completely for He created you. Jesus Christ loves you.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”    Matthew 11:28-30

We come to Jesus Christ through prayer. Prayer is talking with God and telling Him what is on our heart. If you want to come to Him then ask Him to come into your soul and give you life. He will make you the person that He designed for you to be and the very person that you long to be. He does not change your personality but He fills you with His Spirit and brings life to your soul. He loves you and He has an incredible and wonderful plan for your life.

Please contact me lifeunderhiswings@gmail.com if you would like a Bible. We will send you one as a free gift.

 

 

 

A Life that Abides in God

If you really want to soar in life then you must learn to abide in the Lord and let His Words abide in you. This is the way of the victorious Christian life. There are no shortcuts and once you learn to abide in Him then you will want nothing else than to live in His presence.

John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

We can do nothing apart from Him and when we learn to abide in Him then we realize that He is the One who does the work while we rest in His power, faithfulness and love. Our striving to be fruitful is futile apart from abiding in Him.

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

This is a very simple truth. Abide means to live in. Your abode is where your home is. When you abide in the Lord then you make your home in His Word and His Words make their home in you. When you talk about His Words it will be as easy as telling someone about the things in your home. Since you see them everyday they are not strange objects to you so, in the same way the Lord’s Word will become as familiar to you as the objects in your home. When you share His Word with others then you will feel right at home and you will forget your fears and shyness. It will become the joy of your heart.

Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.

You will find that as you abide in the and before the Lord then lovingkindness and truth will preserve you forever.

Psalm 61:7 He will abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.

You will also see that you have an incredible promise of answered prayers when you learn to abide in Him and His Words abide in you.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

You may wonder how do you learn to abide in Him and His Words abide in you. Begin by putting His Words in your heart and having them live there. At first it may seem hard but it is as simple as eating food. It is a skill that you learn how to do and then you will find yourself doing it often just as you eat food on a regular basis. Memorize the Words of Scripture so that they stay in your heart and then think about and pray over them. This will become almost second nature to you and will bring you much joy and strength as you learn to rely on His Words rather than your own understanding. Then do what His Word says to do. As you learn to follow His instruction through His Word then you will abide in His love.

John 15:9-11 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

As you learn to abide in Him and His Words abide in you and then you keep His commandments then you will abide in His love and your joy will be made full. Your cup will truly overflow. There is nothing in all this world as sweet as living in His love and it being a reality in your life. Your life will be an abundant life, overflowing and filled with much joy. This is the life that He came to give you.

John 10:10b I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

 

 

A Life that Is Given All Things

Often people have their own conception of God and it is often wrong. How a person sees the Lord is not a revelation of who He is but it is more of a revelation of their own heart.

Psalm 18:25,26 With the kind You show Yourself kind;
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the crooked You show Yourself twisted.

How our hearts are crooked and another word for crooked is twisted. When someone becomes a Christian one of the first things the Lord does is give them a new heart. The new heart is pure, blameless and kind and the new Christian sees that the Lord is pure, kind, and blameless in all His ways.

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?

Our heart deceives our own selves before we come to know the Lord and in our desperately sick self with our desperately sick heart we don’t trust the Lord because we can’t see Him for who He really is. He is good and no evil dwells with Him.

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.

What this means is that His thoughts toward us are only for our good and not for any evil. We have so many fears that if we trust the Lord with our entire life then He will want us to do something that would make us miserable or He will make us into something we don’t really want to be. Quite the contrary, His only thoughts toward us are good.

Psalm 5:4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.

The Lord invites all to taste of Him and see that He is good. The word good means the highest form of love. This is the kind of love that the Lord has for you and the good that He wants to show you.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

The plans that the Lord has for you are for your good. If you will trust Him then you will taste of His goodness and want to trust Him more

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

When you see Him then you will see that He loves you with an everlasting love and underneath you are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:26,27a “There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to your help,
And through the skies in His majesty.
“The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;

The Lord loves you so much that He came and died on a cross to restore you to a love relationship with Himself. He took your sick heart on the cross and bore your penalty so that you might have a new heart and be free from the punishment and guilt of your sin.

I Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

God sent His Son to die for you that He might bring you to Himself. However, what is amazing is that this was not all that He did. He said that since He did not spare His only begotten Son but that with Him, He would freely give you all things.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

This is who He is. He is good and He is love. When you experience His love then you will see that He is kind and pure and all of the characteristics of only a Good God can be.

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

There is none to compare with Him.

Psalm 40:5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.