Showing posts with label God's Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Love. Show all posts

Sunday 2 April 2017

What God says or does not say


God does not say,
'I'll love you if...'
He does not say,
'I'll love you when...'
He says,
'I Love You !'

'The Lord your God is in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save,
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you in His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.'
Zephaniah 3:17



Dear God, thank you for loving me.
In you I put my trust and my hope.

 

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Wat God niet zegt maar wel zegt

Friday 12 March 2010

A love not exempting us from trials


"God's love for us is not a love that always exempts us from trials,
but rather, a love that sees us through trials."
- Anonymous

“If we open our heart for the love of God
we  get more ‘breathing space’
and more easily can we aim ourselves  to the will of God.”
 - Marcus Ampe

“The love of God is an one of the largest realities in the universe
A pillar on which the hope of the world rests.
But it is also a personal intimate matter.

God does not love races, he loves people.
He does not love masses, but people.
- A. W. Tozer

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character;
and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out his love into our hearts …"
Romans 5:3-5

God, our maker, give that we can be formed for the  good by You.
Give us your fatherly love and lead us not in temptation
but release us of angriness and evil
and give that we can share your love with others.

Dutch version / Nederlandstalige versie > Een liefde die ons niet vrijstelt van verzoeking

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Wednesday 10 February 2010

Be convinced that we are loved


The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved
 - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.
- Victor Hugo

God loves us the way we are
but He loves us too much to leave us that way.
- Leighton Ford

"Be persuaded, timid soul,
that He has loved you too much to cease loving you."
- Francois de la Fenelon

Trust the past to God's mercy,
the present to God's love
and the future to God's providence.
- St. Augustine of Hippo

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

I thank You God because You created the world with all its beauty
and because You have given people a second chance
and that You also wanted this to do for me.
I thank You that You wanted to accept Your son Jesus Christ as atonement.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Wees overtuigd dat wij geliefd zijn

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2016 linkupdate

Wednesday 27 January 2010

We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace


"The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day
regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day."
- Charles Swindoll

There are eventually two types of people:
They that will say against God “Your will shall be done"
and they of which God says at the end time: “Your will shall happen”

All that die, to be for indefinitely dead, shall have chosen for it.
No soul which seriously and constantly desires entertainment, shall ever be missing the end.
They that search, will find. For them who ask and knock, doors shall go open.
For them eternal life lies in the distance.
- Marcus Ampe

"I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find me."
Proverbs 8:17

God, the father, teach me to go on the correct path
and to make the correct choices in my life.

Wednesday 30 September 2009

Humility and the Fear of the Lord

By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honour and life . . . with the humble is wisdom . . . The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.  (Pro 22:4; Pro 11:2; and Pro 9:10)Walking in humility is the pathway for living by the grace of God. "God . . . gives grace to the humble" (1Pe 5:5). In our present verses, we see that humility and the fear of the Lord are related. Humility and the fear of the Lord result in the same blessings. "By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life." The closing trio ("riches and honor and life") are an Old Testament description of a life that is fully blessed by God. The New Testament counterpart would be fullness of spiritual life. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (Joh 10:10). Humility and the fear of the Lord also result in wisdom. "With the humble is wisdom . . . The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." Humility is the candid acknowledgement of our absolute need for the Lord to work comprehensively in our lives day by day. The fear of the Lord is respect and reverence toward our great God. It is not a fear involving terror or apprehension. Rather, it is based upon profound admiration and dependent devotion. Those who humbly fear the Lord (by placing their admiration and devotion in Him) also embrace His perspectives and values.  They develop a hatred for the things that He hates. "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate" (Pro 8:13). Correspondingly, those who have respect and reverence for the Lord develop a love for all that He loves. The Lord loves for His people to walk in righteousness and justice. "The LORD loves the righteous . . . the LORD loves justice" (Psa 146:8 and Psa 37:28). The Lord loves Israel, His chosen nation. "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples" (Deu 7:7). The Lord loves His church, the children of God. "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1Jo 3:1). The Lord loves the world, those who need to know Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Joh 3:16).

Lord God almighty, I humbly bow before You, acknowledging my absolute need for You to work comprehensively in my life day by day. I want to walk in the fear of the Lord, placing my admiration and devotion in You. I want to hate all that You hate and love all that You love, in Jesus name, Amen.

- Hoekstra


Sunday 27 September 2009

No fear in love


1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.


Thoughts
Phil Ware    There are many kinds of fear. Some of these are legitimate. Others are imagined. Still others are irrational. Thankfully, as Christians, we don't have to be afraid of the one crucial event in our lives -- judgment. God's love saves us, empowers us, blesses us, works in us, and touches others through us. Most of all, having experienced this love, we can cast fear out of our hearts because we know where we stand with God. He is our loving Father who longs to bring us home!
Prayer
    Holy, majestic, and awesome God, you are mighty in your strength. You are holy beyond comparison. You are righteous and fair in your dealings with your people. Most of all, dear Father, I thank you because you do not deal with me as my sins deserve. No, O God, you deal with me graciously, blessing me with your redeeming and transforming grace. Your love gives me confidence to live for you and to await the day I stand before you. Until that day I offer you my thanks and praise in Jesus' holy name. Amen.
Dutch translation / Nederlandse vertaling > Angst uitsluitende liefde

Friday 20 March 2009

God's Special Gift

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God;
To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness:
that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Ro 3:23-26 AV)

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Ro 7:14 AV)



BIBLE STUDY
Title: God's Special Gift

Topic(s): Salvation, God's Love
Scripture: Romans 3:23-26

What do you associate with Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries and lots of other special occasions? If you said "gifts," 99 percent of the rest of our society would probably agree with you. Gifts are one of the ways most of us show we care about someone.

But no one has ever given a gift that is as special as the one God gave. This gift came through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let's take a closer look at what God's Word says about this gift.

What Does God Say?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26).

* Who needs God's gift?
* What does this gift prove about God?
* How would you explain to someone the way to receive this gift?

My Thoughts

God's gift is free, but it's not cheap. It cost the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. It was Christ's blood that redeemed us. The word redeemed means "to buy back." It's used to describe paying a ransom for someone's release. Sin had held us captive. It held us under its control (Romans 7:14). But Jesus paid the ransom price and set us free.

This allowed God to be both "just and the justifier." For God to have ignored our sins would make Him unjust. He would be violating His own laws. But Jesus became a propitiation through His blood. The word propitiation means "to satisfy." To maintain God's justice, the Law had to be met. Jesus satisfied that Law through His death.

My Part

Take a piece of paper and divide it in half. On one half, label it "Mankind" and list all the ways people try to pay for their sins. On the other half, list The way God has paid for our sins. Which way have you chosen?

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Thursday 26 February 2009

Walking in love by faith, not by sight

“whom having not seen, you love; in whom not yet seeing, but believing, you exult with unspeakable and having been glorified,” (1Pe 1:8 LIT)

 “(for we walk by faith, not by sight),” (2Co 5:7 LIT)

 “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1Jo 4:19 LIT)

 “And we have known and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and the one abiding in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1Jo 4:16 LIT)

 “in whom also you, hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,” (Eph 1:13 LIT)

 “to whom God willed to make known what [are] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, who is Christ in you, the hope of glory;” (Col 1:27 LIT)

 “If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the [one] not loving his brother whom he has seen, how is he able to love God whom he has not seen?” (1Jo 4:20 LIT)

 “Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, you have believed. Blessed [are] the ones not seeing and believing.” (Joh 20:29 LIT)

 “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish [from] the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Oh the blessings of all those who flee to Him for refuge!” (Ps 2:12 LIT)

Wednesday 21 January 2009

God demonstrates his own love


Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.


Dutch version / Nederlands > God bewees ons zijn liefde



Thoughts
    Interestingly, the Bible doesn't ever just say that God loves us. Instead, it says: "God demonstrated his love..." "In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us and gave..." "For God so loved the world that he gave..." Love is more than emotion or intention. True love, redemptive love, God-styled love is active; it does something. For us, Jesus did also more than something; he sacrificed everything. What's more, he did it when we most needed it. He demonstrated his love when we were sinners!

Prayer
    Father, thank you for loving me. I love you. I love you for what you've done. I love you for who you are. I love you for your promises. I love you for your faithfulness. Most of all, dear Father, I love you because of Jesus who showed me just how much you love me. Please empower me to show my love by serving and giving to others as Jesus did. In his name I pray. Amen.

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Monday 19 January 2009

Hope does not disappoint us


Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.


Dutch version / Nederlands > Hoop zal niet worden beschaamd



Thoughts
    Hope has become such a "wimpy" term in modern vocabulary. It hardly qualifies as an adequate translation of the meaning in most New Testament passages. Hope is the assurance that what we believe will happen. We could call it spiritual confidence. We have that spiritual confidence because more than just a wish, more than just an emotion, more than just a belief rests in our hearts; God himself lives in us through his Holy Spirit. When we become Christians, Jesus pours out the Spirit upon us (Titus 3:3-7) as God's gift to us (Acts 2:38; 5:32) to cleanse us (1 Cor. 6:11), make us part of the same Body (1 Cor. 12:12-13), and live inside us (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Paul adds one more thing to that list of blessings from God's presence within us -- God's love. We don't just have it; God keeps refreshing it through the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised (John 7:37-39).

Prayer
    Holy and Almighty God, awesome in power and majestic in holiness, thank you for not only coming to us, but thank you also for living in us through your Spirit. Please pour your love into my heart so that the fruit of your grace may flow from me to those around me and everyone around me will know of your grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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2014 January update:

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