For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be
saved. (John 3:16-17 KJV)
Happy
Valentine’s Day! God loves you so
much—more than you or anyone can begin to fathom!
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| From https://www.flickr.com/photos/mimitalks/6851788041 |
Have you ever
realized that you are God’s Valentine and that He is yours? Think about what this means; let it seep
deeply into your soul—your innermost being.
How does knowing this change
your view of yourself and others?
God loves each
and every one of His children fully and completely—a love that is uniquely and
individually designed for His children.
God’s love for us is so intense and deep that we are unable to fathom it
this side of heaven. God’s love is a
love that completes and fulfills us in a way that nothing or no one on earth
can.
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Behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1 KJV)
Since we live in a sinful, fallen world, it makes sense
that the love we experience here would seem rather incomplete. In heaven, I believe that we will experience
such a fullness of God’s love that our earthly bodies and minds simply could
not handle it.
God’s love of
and for us is an empowering love; it is
not a love that controls or manipulates to get its own way; it is a love
that sets its object (that is us!) free!
Due to the sinful world we inhabit, at times we experience love that is anything
but freeing; in fact, it sometimes controls and manipulates to get its own way. Sadly, “love” in this world can also be
horrifically abusive.
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| From http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/cms/CROSSCARDS/16379-love-of-christ-400x200.jpg |
Even at that,
I believe we can catch glimpses of this love in the world around us, as ell as
throughout the Scriptures. Think about
this: God’s Word (both the Old and New
Testaments) is His love letter to us.
How cool is that?! Trying reading
your Bible as God’s love letter to you; see what a difference that makes in how
you perceive the words in it.
What do think
about the Bible being a love letter from God to you?
In February
2009 (including Valentine’s weekend), I was blessed to go on a Walk to Emmaus
retreat—a 72 hour date with the Lord. It
was a wonderful time of spiritual growth, nourishment, and
renewal! Experiencing God’s love and the
love of His children was simply amazing! I simply do not have words to describe that
time. To learn more about Walk to
Emmaus, please click here. What is Walk to Emmaus?
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| From https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e9/c9/d7/e9c9d72137d1191e2c79deba54d631a8.jpg |
We see God’s
love for us in the imagery of a shepherd caring for his sheep—protection,
provision, care, and guidance. His love
for us goes far beyond the love we feel for our family and friends or receive
from them.
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| From http://christianrep.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/288_godLovesYouHeart.jpg |
God’s love is
perfect and complete—it fits us perfectly, it heals us and sets us free from
fear (1 John 4:18 KJV) and our bondage to sin.
God’s love is the real thing!
How have you
experienced God’s love? How have you
shared it?
Please join
with me in prayer:
Dear God of
Love, we long to bask in the healing warmth of Your love. Please pour into our open hearts Your love,
so that we may in turn pour out that love on others. It is only in and through You that we have
any capacity to love. Fill us with Your
Holy Spirit, enabling us to love those who are the most challenging to love—who
are the ones who are the most love starved in our midst. During this season of Lent and preparing for
Easter, direct our attention to Your greatest demonstration of love—sending Your
precious Son, Jesus Christ, to walk on earth and to die on the cross in our
place, and rising again—giving us access to You and to eternal life that is
worth living. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
From My Heart
to Yours,
Kim
