Tag: God’s love

Real Love

On By Judy GlasserIn October1 Comment

We humans don’t know how to really love each other. We love each other if the other person is being lovable.  We love each other when the other person looks right, acts right and smells good.  Our love quickly fades – proven by our divorce rates.  Our love quickly gives up when the going gets tough – proven by the number of one-parent families in our culture.

It’s too little, too late, too conditional.

Even at the best of times, our love is just a tiny drop of moisture compared to the ocean of love that God has for us.

We can never understand the depth and the width and the height of God’s love.

But we can believe.

And when we believe, we find the most important love relationship of our lives.Sept 15 2015 climbing a tall ladder

Here is an excerpt from the Experiencing God bible study that I’m going through with my small group right now.  Understanding and believing this truth forever changed how I look at God’s commands. How I read his Word to me.  It blew up my previous perception of God’s love and changed how I lived my life from that day on:

“God loves you deeply and profoundly.  Because he loves you, He has given you guidelines for living so you will not miss the full dimensions of the love relationship.  Life also has some land mines that can destroy you or harm your life.  God does not want to see you miss His best, and He does not want your life destroyed by foolish choices.

Suppose you had to cross a field full of land mines and a person who knew exactly where each one was buried offered to take you through it.  Would you say to him, “I don’t want you to tell me what to do.  I have free will!  I don’t want you to impose your ways on me”?

I don’t know about you, but I would stay as close to that person as I could.  I certainly would not wander off.  His directions to me would preserve my life.  He would say, ‘Don’t go that way, because that way will kill you.  Go this way, and you will live.’

That is the purpose of God’s commands.  He wants you to receive life and have it abundantly.  When the Lord gives you a command, He is trying to protect and preserve the best He has for you.  He does not want you to lose it.  When God gives a command, He is not restricting you.  He is freeing you.”

Thank you, Abba Father!

Maybe We Will Understand

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Maybe we will turn away from our bad choices.

This is what God wants for us. August 7 2015 maybe we will get it.

He wants to forgive us.

He wants us to know him

– to feel his love.

– experience his peace.

– live in his joy.

– rely on his strength for each day.

– and anticipate all of the good things that are coming to us tomorrow because he is already there.

God wants all of this to happen in our lives.  That’s why he had his wisdom and guidance for us written down in the Bible.

As our Bibles lie open on our laps with our minds actively seeking God, his truth is soaking into our souls, changing us, renewing us.  Helping us make better choices.  Enabling us to build better lives.

This is what God wanted for the people of Judah in Jeremiah 36 when he had Baruch write down all of the words he had given to Jeremiah.  Maybe when the people heard all of these directions and predictions together, they would actually get it.

Maybe they would understand it.

Maybe this would help them decide to turn away from their sin and turn toward God.

God wanted this to happen for the people of Judah and he wants this same thing to happen today.

Right now.

For us.

As we read his word.

Please open our eyes, Abba Father, so we can turn away from our sins and turn to you.

Blessings of Obedience – Leviticus 26, 2015

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

If you are careful to obey my commands, I will shower my blessings upon you.

You will be fruitful and prosperous.March 6 b 2015 blessings of obedience

I will keep you safe.

I will bless you with peace.  You will sleep well – not fearful of anything.

I will remove all threat to your safety from your life.  Your enemies will fail.

Don’t worry about being outnumbered by the evil ones – I am on your side.  I will look upon you as my favorite child – providing for you and always being faithful.

My blessings will overflow in your life – one on top of another.

I will walk with you and live with you.  I will be your God and you will be my child.

I am the Lord your God who sent my only son to die for you so you might believe and live with me forever.

I gave you freedom so you can choose to stand faultless before me.  You can choose to walk closely beside me everyday.  You can choose to love me and listen to me.

You can choose to obey.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Celebrating The Creator of Love

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Our Father God created love for us.

He wants us to feel loved, all of the time.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:2.Roses 2..

The book of 1 John is jam-packed full of truth about love.  Reread it today as we celebrate the love that the Father of the Heavenly Lights lavishes upon us.

“This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” 1 John 3:16.

Thank you, Jesus.  That’s what real love is.

” This is how God showed his love among us.  He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”Roses 1

Thank you, dear Father, for showing us your love and giving us life.

God loves us perfectly and he desires to love others through us.

“No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12

Please help us show your love to others, Abba Father, so they can feel it and be made whole.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18.

Please guide our actions and our tongue, Abba Father.  Let them be filled with your love.  And thank you for leading us on this Journey Towards the Truth.

 

 

 

God Made You Special….

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

and he loves you very much.

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading these words to my granddaughter, Eden, from a Veggie Tales book we own.  She is a fabulous 5- month old 🙂

Eden loved the book.  She was cooing and kicking her legs – really enjoying the pictures along with the little song it plays with the same words.Eden 5 months

And I began to think about how she had just come from God.

She had recently felt his hands molding her in her mother’s womb.

She had felt his power move inside of her when her tiny heart began to beat.

God had just designed her sparking blue eyes and her surprisingly deep and loud laughter.

He had recently combined a calm spirit with a sweet attitude to give her a personality that makes her fun and easy to take care of.

One of my goals in life is to make sure she never forgets how special she is and how much God loves her.

Because we can easily forget how much God loves us, can’t we?  When did the joy and excitement of anticipation  morph into adult worry and stress? As our responsibilities  and concerns grow into adulthood, it’s sometimes hard to remember that God made us special and he loves us very much.

Some of the other words of this Veggie Tales book are – ‘when you look in the mirror, you’ll see his touch.’

So…..go look in the mirror.

See his touch.

Remember how much God loves you.

How special you are to him. Today.  Right now.

We love you, dear Father.

Psalm 103, 2014

On By Judy GlasserIn May2 Comments

I praise the Lord with all that I am.May 2 a 2014

I can never forget all he has done for me –

he has forgiven all of my sins and healed my brokenness.

He has redeemed me from a life filled with darkness and emptiness.

He fills up my heart with his love and compassion.

He only gives me things that are good for me and renews my strength so I can face each day.

Have I mentioned how compassionate and gracious he is?May 2 b 2014

And he is so patient with me.

I feel his love pouring down over me and overflowing onto those around me.

He doesn’t treat me like a sinner.  His love for me is bigger than the sky.

He has made my sin disappear from his eyes through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus.

God is a compassionate father to all of us who love him.  He knew us before we were born.

We are like flowers in the field which bloom and  then are gone – blown over by the wind and gone.

But God’s love is never-ending for those who love him.  His promises extend out to the children of the faithful.

Thank you, dear God!

Available for All

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

Not accepted.  Not included.  Born in the wrong place.

March 22 2014All of these describe Ruth, the widowed daughter in law of Naomi.  She was a Moabite.  The Israelites hated the Moabites.  She was a Gentile.  She was a young widow – a relatively worthless person in the community.

And she chose to go back to Bethlehem with Naomi.  She chose to become part of Naomi’s people.  She chose to love and serve Naomi’s God.

As we read on in the story, we see how God blesses her through these choices by giving her a new husband, a new family and a new son.

A Moabite, a Gentile, becomes part of the lineage of King David.  Which becomes the lineage of the Savior of the World, Jesus.

Jesus told us that there is just one way to heaven, one way to the Father, and its through him.  There is only one way but it is available to everyone.  Everyone is accepted.  Everyone is included.  And we were all born in the right place – here on earth.

Because God so loved the world that he sent his only son to die for us so that anyone and everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

He loves us all so very much!

Thank you, dear Father!

Psalm 89, 2013

On By Judy GlasserIn September1 Comment

September 18 b 2013There just isn’t enough time to sing about your great love, dear God.

We want to proclaim your faithfulness through all generations – our own and all of the generations to come.  We know all about your faithfulness because we experience every day.

We declare to all of those around us that your love is a forever love – established in heaven – and it will never be shaken.

Your plan of redemption started in the Garden of Eden after Eve decided she wanted to be ‘like God’.  We wish we didn’t relate so closely to that as we try to control everything around us – also wanting to be ‘like God’.

You established King David’s line forever in your plan of love, adding your own son who is now seated on his eternal throne.

We join with the angels in heaven as we praise you, Lord. 

Holy, Holy, Holy.

No one on the earth or in the skies above compares with you.

The wise and holy ones all fear and respect you for you are Most Awesome.

You are All Mighty and your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule over the sea.  You crush your enemies.

Everything is yours – from the north to the south.

Your throne is anchored by your righteousness and justice.  Love and faithfulness flow out from you.

You bless those of us who walk in the light of your presence, dear Lord.  We feel your blessing upon us, dear Father.

We can rejoice all day long because we know you.  We experience your righteousness.

You are our strength and our glory.  You work things out for our good. 

Our lives belong to you, our king, the Holy One of Israel.

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