“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even in earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.”
When I was in seventh grade, Iben Browning predicted a massive earthquake would hit the New Madrid fault line on or around December 2, 1990. My school was about an hour north of the epicenter, so to be cautious, the administration called off classes for two days like many other area schools. Those two days off were just a bonus for the 12-year-old me. Taking cues from my dad, who took my sister and I out for a hamburger lunch on the dreaded December 2, I scoffed at Browning’s predictions. Almost 19 years later, the New Madrid fault line has yet to be struck by a devastating earthquake. Though scientists still think a disaster is waiting to happen, no one has been bold enough to make predictions since Browning.
I wish I could always adopt that carefree 12-year-old attitude about portending troubles, but I don’t. It’s not as easy to laugh off things like a loss of income or marriage problems. However, it is human nature to be gripped by fear and worry when troubles come. For most of my life, I’ve been held back by fear—fear of social rejection, fear of conflict, fear of abandonment. Those fears are far more real than a predicted earthquake that doesn’t happen, and sometimes I let them become roadblocks to faith.
I listened to David Jeremiah’s radio sermon before I started writing today, and his message on fear couldn’t have been more timely. He referred to 1 John 4:16-18:
“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.” (emphasis added)
David Jeremiah said that the opposite of fear is not trust or belief, but love, as this passage describes. If we focus on how much God loves us, our fears will diminish, because his perfect love casts out all our fears. Is there anything more fearful than wondering if our salvation is secure? I mean, the scariest thing on earth is death, but what about after death? This 1 John passage makes it clear; we don’t have to be afraid of the day of judgment (or anything else) if God, who is love, lives in us.
So, if you are fearful today, steep yourself in the truth of how much your Heavenly Father loves you, and put your trust in him. God is madly in love with you and wants you to fill your heart with his love. He truly is your refuge and strength, and he is ready to help in any kind of trouble you face now or in the future. Earthquake or not.
Copyright 2009
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
1 Corinthians 13:13
“There are three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
I cannot read this verse anymore without remembering September 11, 2001. One evening a couple months after this horrible day in American history, I watched the Country Music Awards, and Alan Jackson performed his “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)?” for the first time on the live broadcast. Tears streamed down my face as I listened to the song, reflecting back on the morning I saw images of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers. The song’s chorus includes part of this verse, and applying this verse to the context of 9/11 is profound. If love is the greatest pursuit, the terrorists had it completely backward.
God himself is love; the three persons of the godhead exist in a perfect love relationship. It utterly amazes me that God wanted to create people—who he knew would fail him--expressly so he could lavish his love upon us. And that’s exactly what he wants us to do for each other: if our hearts are right with God, his love overflows our hearts, and we can share it with other people. Jesus’ earthly life was a nonstop love story for each person he encountered, even his enemies.
I’m nowhere near where I need to be in loving other people, but the more I get to know God, the easier I find it to show love to even the most difficult people in my life. When I ask God to teach me to see others the way he sees them, one of the first things I see is how much he loves every single person he’s created. It’s kind of how I feel about my children—I love them each with the same fierce, smitten love that only a mother has, but I treat them uniquely according to their needs and personalities. Even on awful days, I never stop loving them, and nothing they ever do will cause me to stop loving them. That’s how God feels too, even about terrorists and others hell-bent on rejecting him. I can’t really comprehend that, but I know it’s true.
It’s tempting for me to want to share my love only with my friends and family. But it wouldn’t be showing love the way that Jesus did, so I’m working on loving my enemies. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to show them the kind of love that could point them toward eternity. As difficult as it is, I know it’s what God wants me to do, and I can’t refuse him.
Why are these three—faith, hope, and love—the things that will endure? Because relationships are all we will take with us into eternity. Our faith in the one true God, our hope in his promises, and our love for him and for other people—that is what will last. Nothing else really matters!
In what ways can your love for God and others, even for difficult people, grow this week?
Copyright 2009
I cannot read this verse anymore without remembering September 11, 2001. One evening a couple months after this horrible day in American history, I watched the Country Music Awards, and Alan Jackson performed his “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)?” for the first time on the live broadcast. Tears streamed down my face as I listened to the song, reflecting back on the morning I saw images of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers. The song’s chorus includes part of this verse, and applying this verse to the context of 9/11 is profound. If love is the greatest pursuit, the terrorists had it completely backward.
God himself is love; the three persons of the godhead exist in a perfect love relationship. It utterly amazes me that God wanted to create people—who he knew would fail him--expressly so he could lavish his love upon us. And that’s exactly what he wants us to do for each other: if our hearts are right with God, his love overflows our hearts, and we can share it with other people. Jesus’ earthly life was a nonstop love story for each person he encountered, even his enemies.
I’m nowhere near where I need to be in loving other people, but the more I get to know God, the easier I find it to show love to even the most difficult people in my life. When I ask God to teach me to see others the way he sees them, one of the first things I see is how much he loves every single person he’s created. It’s kind of how I feel about my children—I love them each with the same fierce, smitten love that only a mother has, but I treat them uniquely according to their needs and personalities. Even on awful days, I never stop loving them, and nothing they ever do will cause me to stop loving them. That’s how God feels too, even about terrorists and others hell-bent on rejecting him. I can’t really comprehend that, but I know it’s true.
It’s tempting for me to want to share my love only with my friends and family. But it wouldn’t be showing love the way that Jesus did, so I’m working on loving my enemies. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to show them the kind of love that could point them toward eternity. As difficult as it is, I know it’s what God wants me to do, and I can’t refuse him.
Why are these three—faith, hope, and love—the things that will endure? Because relationships are all we will take with us into eternity. Our faith in the one true God, our hope in his promises, and our love for him and for other people—that is what will last. Nothing else really matters!
In what ways can your love for God and others, even for difficult people, grow this week?
Copyright 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Psalm 33:20-22
“We depend on the Lord alone to save us. Only he can help us, protecting us like a shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.”
I know many of us struggle with worry. These verses are a wonderful worry-antidote. The best way to stop worry in its tracks is to meditate on God’s attributes, and these verses are full of them. Here’s the list: Savior, Helper, Protector, Holy, Unfailing Love.
The Lord is our Savior—can you thank him for your own eternal salvation and also the other ways he saves you from danger, and maybe also from yourself?
The Lord is our Helper—think right now of the many things, big and small, that he’s helped you with this week.
The Lord is our Protector—think of the times you may have narrowly avoided an auto accident or just missed falling down a flight of stairs. Who was your protector in those moments?
The Lord is Holy—Aren’t you thankful that you can trust in a holy God to call you his own, even when you are so unholy yourself? I am!
The Lord’s love is Unfailing—No matter how many times I fail, God’s love will never fail me. Since I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I’m still trying to grasp that concept and let it live in my heart.
Does your heart feel uplifted now, as mine does, now that you’ve thought about who God is?
Because God is perfect in these ways, the verses say we can depend on him, put our hope in him, trust in his holy name, and let our hearts rejoice in him. Let’s put that in everyday terms, based on examples I’ve recently seen in my circles of friends.
We can depend on him to provide for us during long seasons of unemployment or reduced income. We can put our hope in him to bring change our hopelessly dysfunctional relationships. We can trust in his holiness when we are confused about our suffering. We can choose to rejoice instead of worry—because when worry strikes, we can immediately shift our thoughts from problems to God, and He is our source of joy.
I challenge you to meditate on these verses and use them to ward off worry if it strikes today, and please comment if they have helped you.
Copyright 2009
I know many of us struggle with worry. These verses are a wonderful worry-antidote. The best way to stop worry in its tracks is to meditate on God’s attributes, and these verses are full of them. Here’s the list: Savior, Helper, Protector, Holy, Unfailing Love.
The Lord is our Savior—can you thank him for your own eternal salvation and also the other ways he saves you from danger, and maybe also from yourself?
The Lord is our Helper—think right now of the many things, big and small, that he’s helped you with this week.
The Lord is our Protector—think of the times you may have narrowly avoided an auto accident or just missed falling down a flight of stairs. Who was your protector in those moments?
The Lord is Holy—Aren’t you thankful that you can trust in a holy God to call you his own, even when you are so unholy yourself? I am!
The Lord’s love is Unfailing—No matter how many times I fail, God’s love will never fail me. Since I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I’m still trying to grasp that concept and let it live in my heart.
Does your heart feel uplifted now, as mine does, now that you’ve thought about who God is?
Because God is perfect in these ways, the verses say we can depend on him, put our hope in him, trust in his holy name, and let our hearts rejoice in him. Let’s put that in everyday terms, based on examples I’ve recently seen in my circles of friends.
We can depend on him to provide for us during long seasons of unemployment or reduced income. We can put our hope in him to bring change our hopelessly dysfunctional relationships. We can trust in his holiness when we are confused about our suffering. We can choose to rejoice instead of worry—because when worry strikes, we can immediately shift our thoughts from problems to God, and He is our source of joy.
I challenge you to meditate on these verses and use them to ward off worry if it strikes today, and please comment if they have helped you.
Copyright 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Psalm 31:23-24
“Love the Lord, all you faithful ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant. So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord!”
Today’s verses are a snapshot of an authentic Christian. Let’s check it out.
First, a Christian loves the Lord. My love for the Lord is somewhat like my love for my husband. Romantic love waxes and wanes after 9 years of marriage, just like feelings of spiritual excitement ebb and flow. I choose to show “everyday” love for my husband in my daily actions and in my long-term commitment, no matter what happens or how I feel. I also show God “everyday” love by spending early morning time in Bible reading and prayer and by living in obedience, even when I’d rather do my own thing.
Christians are also faithful and loyal to God. Faithful means taking time every day to listen to Him and speak with Him. It also means regularly worshiping and participating in a church body. And Christians are loyal—they don’t give up their faith even when they are suffering, confused, or frustrated.
One thing you will not see in the life of a true Christian is arrogance. God is displeased when someone is proud, selfish, and unteachable. I ask God often to reveal any traces of selfishness in my life, and help me remove them.
Authentic Christians are strong and courageous. I think of the armor of God described in Ephesians 6:10-18. God gives us this battle gear: power, truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, his Spirit and his Word, and prayer. We don’t have to be strong or courageous in ourselves—God provides all we need for warfare!
Finally, a true Christian puts her hope in the Lord. As a Christian mother, I never give up hope that my three little ones will grow up to be authentic servants of Christ. I don’t worry that my efforts to pass on my faith will be wasted, because I trust that God has a perfect plan for me and my children.
What characteristics of an authentic Christian are you exhibiting, and which ones might you need to work on, with God’s help?
Copyright 2009
Today’s verses are a snapshot of an authentic Christian. Let’s check it out.
First, a Christian loves the Lord. My love for the Lord is somewhat like my love for my husband. Romantic love waxes and wanes after 9 years of marriage, just like feelings of spiritual excitement ebb and flow. I choose to show “everyday” love for my husband in my daily actions and in my long-term commitment, no matter what happens or how I feel. I also show God “everyday” love by spending early morning time in Bible reading and prayer and by living in obedience, even when I’d rather do my own thing.
Christians are also faithful and loyal to God. Faithful means taking time every day to listen to Him and speak with Him. It also means regularly worshiping and participating in a church body. And Christians are loyal—they don’t give up their faith even when they are suffering, confused, or frustrated.
One thing you will not see in the life of a true Christian is arrogance. God is displeased when someone is proud, selfish, and unteachable. I ask God often to reveal any traces of selfishness in my life, and help me remove them.
Authentic Christians are strong and courageous. I think of the armor of God described in Ephesians 6:10-18. God gives us this battle gear: power, truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, his Spirit and his Word, and prayer. We don’t have to be strong or courageous in ourselves—God provides all we need for warfare!
Finally, a true Christian puts her hope in the Lord. As a Christian mother, I never give up hope that my three little ones will grow up to be authentic servants of Christ. I don’t worry that my efforts to pass on my faith will be wasted, because I trust that God has a perfect plan for me and my children.
What characteristics of an authentic Christian are you exhibiting, and which ones might you need to work on, with God’s help?
Copyright 2009
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