Category Archives: Loved by God

God's Love, Loved by God

Open Up Your Heart (Experiencing the Freedom of God’s Love)

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In the 60s my dad fashioned a pool with cement around chicken wire and built it into the floor of our screened in porch. It had a gentle water fall cascading over hewed out rocks. As a kid I would lay beside the fountain on a chased lounge listening to the peaceful soothing flow of water over the rocks and into the pool. This began my love of the sound of running water. The fountain I have today is not as creative as my dad’s. I bought my materials at Lowes. But what is lacking in craftsmanship is compensated with sound. The pumps these days are impressive.

I still experience inner peace when I sit on our deck and listen to the continual calming stream. As I close my eyes, I picture Living Water flowing deep within. I imagine God’s warm love breaking down walls of stuffed emotions, soothing and awakening crusted over parts of my heart.

God’s Love Doesn’t Fit in my Head

I don’t understand the amazing extent of God’s love for me; how He’d be willing for His own Son to be crushed on our account.[1] This manner of love is beyond my comprehension.[2] But at times my heart seems to get it. Solomon wrote that God has put eternity in the hearts of men.[3] Though my minds can’t contain it or figure out, my heart was created to receive the expanse of God’s love. Do I inhibit God’s love because I don’t understand it?

Receiving God’s Love is Essential

Paul tells us we are complete in Christ.[4] Among other things, this means we are filled to the brim and overflowing in God’s love. His great love frees us from the need of people’s approval. We can genuinely love, expecting nothing in return. In our union with Christ, we are free to rest in the endless supply of His favor and delight. As we allow God’s love to flow unabridged within, the enemy’s schemes are thwarted. His arrows only draw us deeper into the safety of God’s unending love.

Truth Flowing Feely to Our Hearts

Ask the Lord to give you a deeper heartfelt understanding of His love for you through His word, soothing and healing your soul.

  • The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3 NASB) 
  • Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. (John 15:9 NASB) 
  • See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. (I John 3:1a NASB) 
  • …that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17b-19 NASB)

 Lord, please keep us from restricting the impact of Your love in our lives. By faith, we believe what You say about Your love for us, inspite of the opposite messages we receive. A heartfelt experience of Your love is the most essential quest. We love because you first loved us. Everything else fades in Your love. Being loved by You is our true, unchanging identity. Open our hearts more and more to Your unchanging, all encompassing love.

[1] Isaiah 53:10

[2] Ephesians 3:19

[3] Ecclesiastes 3:11

[4] Colossians 2:9-10

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

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 Novels by the Author:

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Hope Remains

Loved by God

Completely Loved – Hot Fudge Sundae With or Without Sprinkles

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As the Father has loved Me, I have loved you; now remain in My love (John 15:9)

As the Father loves Jesus, He loves us. Pause and allow the astonishing realities of this truth to have full access to your heart. Love is a human need. It’s fundamentally wired into the fabricate of our hearts. We’re designed to be loved and to love, starting with Christ’s love for us.[1] God’s love is bedrock. If we don’t know it, we’ll try and get it from those we’re supposed to be loving. Jesus’ trademark command depends on us receiving His love and giving it away. “This is my commandment that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”[2] There’s a joyous freedom in loving others only for their sake, but it starts with knowing, remaining in and walking in the complete love of Christ.

Paul tells us we’re complete in Christ.[3] The Greek word he used for ‘complete’ means filled to the brim, fully satisfied. We’re satiated in a love which fully validates us; an eternal love which is wider, longer, higher and deeper than our minds can grasp.[4] Christ has filled our love cup to overflowing.

I know these words are true, but I struggle. When I’m treated well, it’s easy to attach my ‘heart strings’ to human love. When people are unkind and hurtful, I forget Christ’s love  and feel rejected.

Just returning from a sunset walk on the beach capping off an incredible family trip. We rented a house on Tybee Island where we enjoyed seafood, board games, ping pong, golf carts and sitting in chairs at the ocean’s edge.  In the midst of God’s provision and creation, we experienced love in a myriad of unselfish acts of kindness towards each other. Our hearts stayed warmed and I can’t stop smiling.

But these human expressions of love are not always the case. I’ve also experienced unkind words and actions which felt like heart shrapnel, carefully aimed for maximum pain.

Life can be filled with extreme ranges of human love and hate. If we don’t fully comprehend God’s complete love for us and seek our core feelings of love from people, we’re in for an emotional roller coaster of fleeting highs and deep pain. We simply can not be fulfilled by human love.

For a moment, consider the complete love of Christ being like eating your fill of hot fudge sundaes – rich ice cream, topped with dark chocolate, real whipped cream and a cherry. Like the succulence sundaes satisfy our appetite, God’s love satiates our hearts. Nothing more is needed. We’re filled to the brim with love.

In this analogy, human love would be like sprinkles on the Sundae. They’re nice. They add to the flavor and experience, but we’re still fully satisfied without them. Sprinkles by themselves are sweet, but hardly filling.

If a person treats us unlovingly, we’re still okay. They’re just sprinkles. We don’t need their love to complete us.

Lord, I’m beginning to wrap my heart around what your eternal love means. Please continue to show me. I like experiencing love from those around me, but your love completes me . In the fulness of your love, I rest. Teach me how to love others as you’ve loved me.

[1] I John 4:19

[2] John 15:12

[3] Colossians 2:10

[4] Ephesians 3:17-20

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Loved by God, Loved in spite of how we feel

When I Don’t Feel God’s Lovingkindness

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O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;  My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.  Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.  Psalm 63:1-3

As the sun warms my face, on a brisk, fall morning in the mountains of North Carolina, I read about God’s lovingkindness toward us.

David was in the wilderness when he penned the Psalm 63 and he compared his longing soul to dry, cracked soil. He was in desperate need of God’s presence, His Rivers of Living Water. (John 7:37-38)

I can relate to David’s desperate longings for God, but what catches my attention is the phrase “lovingkindness.”  David says it’s better than life itself.

Lovingkindness. What does it really mean? I’ve heard it said that if love is compared to a piece of freshly baked bread, slathered with butter. Lovingkindness is like adding strawberry preserves to what’s already succulently delicious.

The Hebrew word used here means goodness, faithfulness and kindness.

Jesus tells us God’s love for us is as great as the Father’s love for Him. (John 15:9) Paul uses words about God’s love for us which conger images of an ocean of love, beyond our understanding. (Ephesians 3:16-21)

When life is good, I can recognize God’s lovingkindness. However, in hard times, I don’t always feel loved, mostly because I don’t feel lovable.

Two situations come to mind.

  • when I fail
  • when I’m hurt.
When I Fail

I hate failing. I’ve had failures as a husband, as a father, as a son, as a brother, as an employee and an employer, as a friend, etc. Failure can cause me to feel unlovable. How can I be loved when I’ve performed so poorly?

As I write, the Holy Spirit reminds me:

I’ve been united with Christ in his death and resurrection. (Romans 6) I’ve been raised with Christ and seated with him in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6) In spite of my failures, I’m perfectly loved because my life is hidden with Christ (Colossians 3:3-4) Even though, in this temporal realm, I’m far from perfect, God loves me as much as He loves Jesus (John 15:9).

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. Colossians 1:21-22

In Christ, I’m holy, blameless and beyond reproach. When I see this, and believe it by faith, I begin to feel God’s lovingkindness, even in my failures. There are truths about me in Christ which can’t change because they are eternal.

When I’m Hurt

Another time I have a hard time embracing God’s lovingkindness for me is when I’ve been hurt. Being hurt can cause deep emotional pain, making me feel rejected and unlovable, even by God.

When I invite God into my pain, I do sense His presence and comfort.  I’m learning not to rely on the love of others for my value.

What helps is to realize the surpassing greatness of God’s love compared to even our dearest earthly relationships.  All human relationships must be secondary to our relationship with God. In fact, in Luke 14:26 Jesus says, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Compared to God’s great love, human love is like hate. God’s lovingkindness far exceeds all human affection. When I get a grasp of the expanse of His surpassing love for me, I’m filled with Joy, even in the most difficult human hurts.

More and more I seek love only from Him. This frees me up to love others for their sake, not for what I can get out of the relationship.

Better Than Life

God’s love overshadows everything about us. And when life is hardest, His lovingkindness shines even brighter. As a diamond sparkles against a dark background, God’s love is more brilliant in our darkest days.

Prayer: Lord, I rest in your love right now. I desire to walk in your love throughout the day. Even when I go through hard times, your love shines brighter and brighter. You are faithful. You are good. You are kind.

You love me.

Your lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psalm 136)

Your lovingkindness is better than life.

Please keep me aware of you and your love moment by moment.

Amen
 

Loved by God

Loving Others is More than Just a Nice Command

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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

All of Scripture can be summed up in Jesus’ new command to love others as He’s loved us. But He’s Lord. We’re not. How can this quality of love be our norm, especially in the midst of life’s ups and downs? When life gets tough, loving others isn’t always our top priority. Yet, as we’ll see, loving others as He’s loved us is the key to our own fulfillment and Joy.

We Love Because He First Loved Us

We love because He first loved us. I John 4:19

Us loving  others has to start with God’s love for us. He is the source of all love. Human love is impure and self serving. We’re to be branches, yielding the fruit of love from Jesus, our vine.

But when the fact of God’s amazing love is hidden from us, we operate on our own, seeking love from others as we love.

What Quality of Love

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! I John 3:1

We’ll never fully grasp the enormity of God’s love for us, but the more we hear the truth and seek His understanding, the more our heart begins to grasp it’s enormity.

Jesus tells us He loves us as much as the Father loves Him (John 15:9)

Paul says God’s love for us and His supernatural power at work within us, is beyond  comprehension. (Ephesians 3:19)

God’s love is completely unselfish. Jesus demonstrated it when he washed the feet of men who would deny and betray Him, Peter and Judas. Then hours later, he died for us all,  His enemies.

Use your imagination a moment to consider this quality of God’s love for you. By faith, recon it true. Against all which would say otherwise, rest in His love. Shame has been destroyed. Striving has ceased. You’re in Christ and He’s in you. Rest.

From His Love, We love

Have you ever tried to love in your own strength? I have. It didn’t turn out well. Human love expects something in return. When we love without knowing God’s love, our love is self serving. But even if we experienced the greatest human love, we’d be left us incomplete and wanting. Only the  love of God completes us.

Christ did the work and in His love we’re to remain. Ours is not to strive, but to abide.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  John 15:9-12

Jesus tells us how much he loves and commands us to remain  in His endless, relentless love. And the way we stay in His love is by loving others.

From His Love Springs Complete Joy

The great cadence of receiving God’s love and giving it away keeps us in the love of Christ and gives us great joy.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11

Loving as Jesus has loved us, keeps us from needing anything from the world. We’re freed from circumstances,  success, the opinion of others and worldly peace. Loving others as Jesus loves us, completes our hearts and fills us to the brim and overflowing with God’s joy. Nothing remains for us to do but rejoice.

Why Knowing God’s love and Giving it Away is Harder than it Seems

Stay in God’s love. Love others sacrificially as we yield to His Indwelling Spirit. Rest in the complete joy of His presence and love.

It sounds easy, but we all know it’s not. That’s because our enemy knows he’s completely ineffective when we’re resting in Father God’s love. Keeping us from knowing God’s love is his primary goal.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, II Corinthians 10:3-5 

Our enemy specializes in raising speculations and lofty things to block us from the knowledge of God’s love. He deceives us into doubting God’s love and settling for the world’s “love” to try and satisfy our deep longings.

But remember this. When we call upon Him, God will fight for us and free us from the enemy’s lies.

Know therefore today that the Lord your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire.  Deuteronomy 9:3a

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for your incredible love for me. I thank you that you go before me, destroying all that would hide your love from me. I’m learning to rest in your love and it’s the sweetest place on earth. Please keep me from moving from your love. Help me to wait upon you as you go before me, destroying all speculations and lofty things which would hide your love from me.

Thank you

Home Remains – latest novel by the author

Loved by God

Loved by God – It’s Who you Are

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Note: If you’ve heard about or desired God’s love for you, but never thought it possible because of how you’ve lived your life, I have a message for you in blue below. Read on.

Last fall, at a men’s retreat at Camp Kanuga in the mountains of North Carolina, we sang the song Good Good Father.[1] It’s about God being a good Father and the fact that His love for us is our identity. I liked the song, but  had no idea how the Lord would use it later that weekend.

The weather was perfect when I ventured out during our alone time Sunday morning. A cool, musky breeze gently brushing my face as I tread on newly fallen leaves toward the labyrinth. I’d seen the circular maze the day before and at the recommendation of a cabin mate, wanted to experience it.

autumn-1072827_1280

A labyrinth is a walking path used as a tool for contemplative prayer. As I stepped onto the serpentine paths leading to the center, I did what the sign said and set aside my worries, asking God to make me aware of His presence, listening for His impressions on my heart.

labimages-2

As I walked to and fro, back and forth, I was progressing to the center, which represents the presence of God. The  center has semicircles resembling a six leaf clover. When I reached it, I paused, stilling my thoughts and breathed in the cool autumn air. I was impressed with the words “It’s who you are.” Was this because we just sang the song? I thought. But “It’s who you are” remained steady in my heart.

I moved and stood within one of the half circles and completed the thought, “Being loved by God is who I am.”

Being loved by God is who I am. No other identity needed. I could have told you that intellectually before that moment, but God wanted this truth to travel past layers of protection and false identities to my very core.

My roles of being a devout Christian, loving husband and father, successful businessman, adequate provider, faithful friend,  or encouraging brother are not the core of who I am. THE ONLY IDENTITY I NEED IS BEING A LOVED CHILD OF GOD. My other roles and identities flow out of this most important fact about me. I’m loved by God.

How many times have I felt like a failure and doubted my worth because of inadequacies in my different roles?

In the center of the labyrinth, past failures and future fears seemed to be swept away in an instant, buried deep in a sea of God’s love.

As I made my way out of the labyrinth, I knew I was different.

I thought – if this is true

 quickly a correction came to mind –  because this is true, how I live my life outside the labyrinth will never be the same.

I’m still processing the impact, but I’m seeing  I don’t need any of those other identities I’ve been fighting for. I’m at peace in who I am as God’s loved child and free to love others without needing anything in return for my validation and identity.

Challenge: Think of your biggest failure or inadequacy. How do you feel about yourself in this area? Do you ever find you identify more with what you say about yourself than what God says about you?

Now think of the thing that tends to cause you the most worry, that fear which seems to follow you around.

Being loved by God is the most important thing about you and overshadows by a million miles those things you had in mind. God’s love for you is eternal and everlasting.

Being loved by God is who you are, a fact which towers above and washes away, all failures, all inadequacies and all fears.

And when you know, truly know, God loves you, you can yield to His Spirit within to love the folks He puts in your way.

Prayer:  Lord, I know Your love for me is far beyond my knowledge. Nothing imaginable can snatch me from your great love. Open the eyes of my heart that I might continue to grow more and more aware of how very much You love me.

May the fact of Your love be the definition of who I am and the overflowing purpose for the rest of my moments. Amen.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. I John 3:1a

What if you’ve never really known God’s love for you?  If you’ve heard about God’s love but never embraced it, you can now.  Cross over. There’s a great chasm between all humans and God because of our sin. If it weren’t so, the pureness of God would be spoiled. 

That chasm cannot be crossed except by living a completely sinless life. Jesus lived this life and by the spilling of His blood a way has been forged across the chasm.

If you’re experiencing  a realization that what I’m saying is true, embrace it. Cross over from death to life by realizing your great dilemma and acting on God’s invitation to surrender your efforts to save yourself and resting in His arms as your Lord and Father.

If you decide to cross over by the bridge of the cross of Christ into eternal life and would like some ideas of some next steps, please send me an email. Thank you for reading this.

[1] Good Good Father by the Housefires