First I am going to ask a simple question. What is love? When asked people answered with things like a lifetime commitment, crazy happiness, a puppy with a wet nose, not always easy, but comfortable, unconditional, and sacrifice. While all these are true the Webster definition is head on. Love is a strong affection for another; warm attachment, enthusiasm, devotion; unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another. I know of only one person who fits this description of love, one who never wavers in his love for us. God.
Every Christian has heard John 3:16 "For God so loved the world he sent his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Sure we've all heard it, read it, and most have it memorized, but how many of us have really thought about it. I'm not a mom yet, but I am an aunt. I can't imagine sending one of my nieces or nephews to die for a bunch of sinners. God knew from the beginning that not everyone would accept him and care for his sacrifice, but he did it anyways. That's what I call unselfish love.
Have you ever thought about how the Parable of the Lost Son applies to us and God?
"But while he was still a long way away, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."
Luke 15:20
No matter what we do God forgives us if we just ask. Just like the father we,comes his son God is waiting for us with compassion and open arms.
"Know therefore that the Lord you God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generation of those who love him and keep his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9
God promises his love to us generation after generation. This should make you feel loved. God promises us love even when no one else does.
"The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God." John 16:27
We are told that God loves us because we love and believe in him.
Read Isaiah 43:1-7. Incredible right? A few things stick out to me. In verse 2 God promises that because he loves us he will protect us. In verse 4 God bluntly says I love you. You the one readings these words.
God loves us all! No matter what we do God loves us unconditionally and is waiting for us to tell him we love him too.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Throne of God
Continuing my study in Crazy Love I read about the throne of God and was simply amazed at the descriptions. I found myself trying to image how God's throne must look, but then I realized that his throne is beyond my wildest imagination. That's saying something because I have a wild imagination.
My reading was in Revelation 4 and Isaiah 6, which I recommend everyone to read. In Revelation 4 the throne is described to have the appearance of jasper and carnelian, both of which are beautiful quartz used in making jewelry. I went on to read that the throne is encircled by a rainbow. When I picture this i tried to remember the best rainbow I've seen and multiply it by a thousand, but even that isn't enough to describe the beauty. Personally I take the beauty of the throne as a display of how magnificent God is.
The next verses go onto to show the power of God. Beside the throne there are 24 elders that are also seated on thrones. These are the elders that later in Revelation 4:11 fall before God worshipping him and saying, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you you created all things and by your will they created and have their being." In Revelation 4:5 we are told that from the throne comes lightning and rolls of thunder. In front of the throne stands 7 burning lamps that represent the 7 Spirits of God. Verse 6 tells us of the 4 creatures surrounding the throne all of which are covered in eyes and have 6 wings. We are told that the creatures are like a lion, ox, face like a man, and a soaring eagle. These 4 creatures day and night worship God by saying, " Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." (Revelation 4:8)
I love Isaiah's reaction to this sight "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people with unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the Lord God Almighty."
I can't help but think that one day we too will be joining in with the never ending worshipping.
My reading was in Revelation 4 and Isaiah 6, which I recommend everyone to read. In Revelation 4 the throne is described to have the appearance of jasper and carnelian, both of which are beautiful quartz used in making jewelry. I went on to read that the throne is encircled by a rainbow. When I picture this i tried to remember the best rainbow I've seen and multiply it by a thousand, but even that isn't enough to describe the beauty. Personally I take the beauty of the throne as a display of how magnificent God is.
The next verses go onto to show the power of God. Beside the throne there are 24 elders that are also seated on thrones. These are the elders that later in Revelation 4:11 fall before God worshipping him and saying, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you you created all things and by your will they created and have their being." In Revelation 4:5 we are told that from the throne comes lightning and rolls of thunder. In front of the throne stands 7 burning lamps that represent the 7 Spirits of God. Verse 6 tells us of the 4 creatures surrounding the throne all of which are covered in eyes and have 6 wings. We are told that the creatures are like a lion, ox, face like a man, and a soaring eagle. These 4 creatures day and night worship God by saying, " Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." (Revelation 4:8)
I love Isaiah's reaction to this sight "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people with unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the Lord God Almighty."
I can't help but think that one day we too will be joining in with the never ending worshipping.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Who is God?
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines God as the being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as Creator and ruler of the Universe. Sound like how you picture God? Using ideas from Francis Chan’s Crazy Love I’ve come up with who God is.
God is HOLY! Holy is define as exalted or worthy of complete devotion. In Joshua 24:19 Joshua puts in plainly “Joshua said to the people, You can’t serve Yahweh; for he is a holy God…” God is distinct from us and our imperfections. As sinners we don’t have the right to be in the presence of such a Holy being, but God loves our praise and devotion.
God is ETERNAL! Eternal is defined as having an infinite duration; valid or existing at all times. God exists outside of our concept of time. For me it’s hard to understand the concept of eternity and just how long God has been around. Jeremiah 10:10 “But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal king...” To me God also represents eternal life. In John 5:20 he is called just that “…He is the true God and eternal life.”
God is ALL KNOWING! Knowing is defined as having or reflecting knowledge or information. I love this about God! God knows who we really are. He doesn’t care about whom people pretend to be. He knows what is in our hearts. Which it what really matters. Hebrews 4:13 states “There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
God is ALL POWERFUL! Power is the possession of control, authority, or influence over others. God demands our love, praise, and attention. God created everything for him. God isn’t here to bless us we are here to bless God. Psalm 29:4 states that “Yahweh’s voice is powerful. Yahweh’s voice is full of majesty.”
God is FAIR AND JUST! Fair means marked by impartiality and honesty. Just means acting or being with what is morally up right and good. God is perfect and hates sin. As sinners shouldn’t we all be punished for our sins, but God being a just ad fair God gives us mercy and forgives us of our sins IF we truly love him. God does punish sinners. The people that continually deny Christ will get their punishment an eternity in hell. Sounds a bit harsh right? Think about it. For the people that love God we get forgiveness, for the people that oppose God they get punishment. Sounds pretty fair to me.
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