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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

The Lord is my Light, The Lord is Near

Son Shine

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A few Sundays ago, at the beach, a few of us woke up early to see the sunrise. I was a bit demotivated at first, especially since we were on vacation, but my son in law convinced us it would be well worth it.

“I walked out onto a sandbar about a quarter of a mile,” he said, speaking of his adventure the previous morning.

So, when my phone chimed around 6 am, I quietly dressed and headed down to our rendezvous spot. A faint tinge of light was beginning to illuminate the eastern sky as we walked the block and a half down to the beach. When we reached the sand, we slipped off our shoes and headed east.

An orange band hugged the horizon, topped by a pale yellow patch, slowing replacing the night’s darkness, already taking on a light blue hue.

After walking a few hundred yards we turned right ninety degrees and waded toward the middle of the ocean. Walking on a sand bar, we kept going until looking back, the houses on the beach were distant silhouettes. It was breath taking. My son-in-law was not exaggerating. It was truly magical.

When the first rays of the sun broke through, we were all captivated by God’s splendor.

Several weeks have passed since our early morning adventure and I determined last night to greet the sun again. I’m several hours from the ocean, but live half a mile from a large lake. Using my StarTracker app, I determined where the sun would rise over the lake and was waiting in my convertible with coffee and journal in hand. As the sun rose, I wanted to praise the Lord for His new day sun.

But I saw no sun. The sky brightened, but only with lighter shades of grey. The eastern sky was covered with clouds. I would see no sunrise, but was determined to still praise my God for His beauties.

When I returned home, I pulled out a camping chair and enjoyed the crispness of the morning air. Sipping on my coffee it occurred to me that even though I saw no sun, the Son still shines.

Sometimes my days can seem totally grey. Hard times can block the light of my Lord’s nearness. What a great reminder!

God’s light always shines, even when I can’t see it.

“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 4:18

His word lights my way.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

With God, there is no darkness. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” I John 1:5

I have been called out into the Lord’s wonderful light. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”  I Peter 2:19

When I was a young believer, we would sing a Song about the Lord being our Light, based on the following verses from Psalm 27:

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?

When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.

Prayer: Lord, thank you. You’ve shown me, even on this cloudy day, Your light shines brightly. You are Light. In You I have no fear. Bring light into every crevice of my heart. Light my way I pray, that I might follow Your path for my life. Please give me the peace of your presence, even when all around me is dark and evil. Though I walk in the shadows, I will not fear for you are always with me.

One Thing! Lord, you are my Light.  May my one overwhelming desire be to remain in Your presence and gaze upon Your beauties, even in the midst of my cloudy days.

Amen.