by Barbara Latta
God doesn’t deal with us the way we deal with each other. He doesn’t just display love, He is love. Love
is His very being. He created the world because of love.
It’s not supposed to be hard, but our minds get in the way.
Every time we mess up we think we need to run from God until we clean ourselves
up and become worthy to approach His throne again. But if we could clean
ourselves up, we wouldn’t need a Savior. The best place to be after committing
sin is in the arms of the Father.
But where sin
abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5:20b).
As far as the east is
from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm
103:12).
God’s unconditional love was shown to us while we were still
dirty, rotten sinners (Romans 5:8). He showed the one and only kind of real
love when he gave Jesus to us as a gift wrapped in a little baby to grow into
the man who would have all the foul sin of the world placed upon him.
That was action, not emotion.
Because He loved us, we can love Him (I John 4:10). And
because He loved us, we can love others. Not with a feeling, but with a
showing, a doing, a becoming what He made us to be.
Here are 5 ways to to be deeply rooted in the love
He has for us:
- Find the scriptures about God’s love and write them down.
- Meditate on these verses every day saying them out loud.
- Make it personal by inserting our own name as they are read.
- No matter how we feel, it is important to believe the Word is true. God doesn’t lie and when He says he loves us, it means he loves us. His love is not dependent upon our works. This is important to remember when emotions say otherwise.
- Stay in communication with Him. When we go days or weeks without praying or reading His Word, the culture we are surrounded with will take over. Listening to God should be our priority.
The Bible is full of favorite verses, but this one says so
much: For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height,
not depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).
The valentine of heaven wasn’t a card sent through an
angelic mailbox. It was blood running down a wooden cross to soak into the
cursed earth. One drop would have been enough, but He used it all to show us He
goes over and beyond and does much more than we need. He paid the highest cost and we were given the
freest gift.
What does this love mean to you? Join the conversation and
share your thoughts.
I love these five steps, Barbara. I've found that writing down God's Word makes it so much more real to me. It allows me to focus on each word individually, and experience a conversation with God. Thanks so much for these great reminders,
ReplyDeleteI have notebooks full of scriptures that have helped me. Writing them down is the main way I get the Word into my heart. Thanks for stopping by and for your comments, Joshua. Blessings!
DeleteOur pastor this morning mentioned how he loves to read the Bible and spiritual writings. He said even though most of what he reads he's seen before, these words remind him about important truths and help him build good habits and character. Just like we constantly remind our children, God uses other's words to encourage us. Thank you for reminding us of the importance of constant communication with God and also reminding us of simple ways to make that a reality.
ReplyDeleteYes, God reminds us of His Word because we are His children. His communication with us is what gives us life. Thanks for stopping by, Barb. Blessings!
DeleteThese are practical and excellent Barbara-and point is back to truth where our security lies.
ReplyDeleteYes, Marilyn, His truth is where our security lies. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings!
DeleteThank you for this wonderful post reminding us of God’s deep love for us - even when our emotions lie to us.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Josie. His love is constant despite what our emotions say. His Word is our constant reminder. Blessings!
DeleteThere can be miles between what our mind accepts as truth and what our heart feels and believes. This message was needful and well written <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Heather. Blessings!
DeleteA practical post! Thanks, Barb. He is indeed a valentine sent to us with a love so deep.
ReplyDeleteYes, He is the best valentine we could ever receive. Thanks for sharing, Jeanne. Blessings!
DeleteWonderful message, Barbara. All five points are right on target. I especially appreciate the reminder that God doesn't lie when He says He loves us. His actions prove it! Thank you for this inspiring and reassuring message.
ReplyDeleteWe do have to remember that He means what His Word says even when our emotions are not in line with that. He loves us all the time! Thanks for sharing, Katherine. Blessings!
DeleteThank you for these five important points, Barbara! Something that would behoove me to read every day, actually! I love this thought: "He doesn’t just display love, He is love." That's powerful, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYes, Julie, the fact that God is love is so powerful and so difficult for our human minds to comprehend. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteWriting the scriptures out for myself isn't a step I usually take. I'm told there is something about writing that embeds them in our brains. Great advice.
ReplyDeleteI particularly love your statement that the best place to be when we sin is in the Father's arms - where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.
Thanks!
Writing the scriptures helps me get it into my heart. I can re- read them and then I also have what I need handy for a specific trial. Thanks for sharing, Cathy. Blessings!
DeletePractical step! I'm a journaler so I especially love the idea of personalizing scripture that's applicable to what's on my prayer list.
ReplyDeleteI love journaling scripture too, Candyce. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteBarbara, this sentence in your wonderful post explains how we can love God: “Not with a feeling, but with a showing, a doing, a becoming what He made us to be.” Thank you for this important reminder.
ReplyDelete