Letting God Love You

God is love. Those of us who know Him personally proclaim that He is love, but do we allow Him to love us? Love is a two-way street. It's not just one party loving the other and the second doing nothing.  The love is true and real is when we allow the other person to love us too. 

Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15)." We strive on a daily basis to keep those commandments. Sometimes we feel like we do ok, and other times we feel like we completely fail. Do we focus so much on striving to keep those commandments that we fail to allow God to love us?  Maybe the question is, how does God love us? We can all list the many blessings God has bestowed on us every day, but what if it is more than just blessings? 

Have we ever just sat in stillness with God, like you would with a friend on a park bench? Friends don't necessarily need to talk, sometimes they can just enjoy each other's company.  Have you ever seen a sunrise or a sunset that was so amazingly beautiful that it took your breath away or are we too busy to notice?  Our lives are meant to be lived loving God, and Him loving us.  Do we allow Him into the deepest depths of our hearts, or is He just allowed in a little way? 

What would we think of a relationship where a person loved us, but we were only allowed to love that person a little bit?  Would it be fulfilling to both people?  Would it be what both people would want?  God will always love us, all of us. Isn't it possible that us allowing His love into our entire lives is just as important to Him as us striving to love Him?  God will not force His love on us. It is our choice. It has always been our choice.  Only we can decide how much we will allow God to love us.  His love is immeasurable, and it is ours for the asking.  Have you ever just let God love you?

One Click Away

To say I am technologically challenged is an understatement. I know the bare minimum when it comes to procedures on the computer at my job. Recently I had to perform a closing task related to payroll. I pulled up the screened I needed to begin and no matter how many times I  went through the steps I could not progress beyond a certain point.

It became apparent I needed help. So I made a few phone calls and was unable to reach anyone. At this point I’m ready to give up and go home, but we are talking payroll here and everyone will be upset if their checks are delayed.

I go back to the phone and this time I reached a manager that walked me right through it. Turns out I was only one click away from the final screen that gave me what I needed to close out. This whole debacle got me wondering how many times I have been only one step away from success, and gave up too soon.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9

I believe it is natural to want to see results from something we put effort into, but often times our work isn’t immediately apparent. That doesn’t mean we aren’t making a difference. God doesn’t operate on our time schedule. He isn’t required to give us the whole picture. Our prayers, words, and actions make a difference. Maybe not today or next week. Maybe not for years. If we are we following God’s will and growing in His love we move forward.

Who knows, maybe you are only one click away from success. One thing I know for sure, we will never reach our destination if we give up and never start the journey.

“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11

Going Deeper with God's Word

Charles Spurgeon once said, “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” That’s a reminder that the Bible has the power to make a difference in our life. When we go beyond just getting into the Bible, but we also let the Bible get into us, we receive the benefits it has to offer. Psalm 119:98-100 reminds us of a few of those benefits.

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. -Psalm 119:98-100, ESV

It’s good to read the Bible but God wants each of us to dig deeper. The psalmist reminds us of three ways we can go deeper with God’s word and the benefits they bring. We can memorize it, meditate on it, and obey it. There is a lot of growth that happens in our life when we begin to do these three things. As a matter of fact, these practices can take us beyond the understanding of our enemies, our teachers, and the aged.

Enemies are those people that devise our demise and bring us problems. Teachers are those that have gained understanding through study. The aged are those that have gained understanding through life experience. Consider what the psalmist is saying. When God’s Word is always with you because you have memorized it, you will have the wisdom to handle problem people. When you mediate on God’s Word there is an understanding you receive that even some teachers have not attained. When you obey God’s Word there is truth you learn by experience that even some who have lived more years than you don’t understand.

Why does that happen? It is because we have given God more time and space to teach us. When God is our teacher and the Bible our is textbook, we are bound to grow. Don’t just settle for reading God’s Word. Go deeper today. Memorize it. Meditate on it. Obey it.

Don't Be Too Proud

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. -Romans 12:16

We live in a world that puts people in their place. People are willing to pay for extra services like special boarding times on flights, unique privileges at car rental companies, credit cards that come with concierge hotlines, and the finest rooms in hotels. These can be tremendous blessings, but they can also make us feel a little more important than the next guy.

God calls us to be like Jesus, who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Instead, He became an ordinary person, just like us. In fact, the Creator of the universe came to us as a helpless baby, lived as a humble servant, and ultimately died as a victim of an unjust execution. He didn’t consider Himself too important to be with us, to be like us, or to suffer for us.

Many people use their contacts and relationships for selfish ambition. They select those people who will help them climb the social ladder. Christ demonstrated and taught that we should treat all people with respect – those of a different race, the handicapped, the poor, young and old, male and female. We must never consider others as being beneath us. Paul says we need to “live in harmony” with others and not be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. Are you able to do humble tasks with others? Do you welcome conversation with unattractive, non-prestigious people? Are you willing to befriend newcomers?

Consider just enjoying people. Every single person you see today was created by God and for His pleasure. Each one is a gift. Pay attention to the people you meet. Talk with them. Pray for them. Encourage them. Have fun with them.

In the past few days, have you taken a few extra moments to enjoy being with someone? Each person you meet is a gift from God. Whom might you enjoy being with today?

God, forgive me for brushing past people without recognizing what a gift each one is. Save me from feeling superior, and help me to find the treasure in the folks I meet. Amen.