Agape Love is God’s way to show Himself worthy of our attention in encouraging every true son or daughter thankfulness and gratefulness for having a Father who is available all the time across time zones, countries and seasons. God is that Father waiting to lavish on His children wanting to fulfill every need and want they have.
Consider the tools He gives us to get His attention and to “twist His arm” as it were.
Foremost is the gift of Prayer where we can call on Him as the abundant supplier but more intimately as Abba, our Father for simple conversations of sharing our very inner- most thoughts, expressions, dreams, and hope. Of personal time with Him of not just speaking to Him but of hearing from Him. Psalms 46:10, “be still and know I am God”.
The gift of Praise to draw Him as close as we want Him to be in the time of our need just as a child wanting their father’s strength, wisdom and guidance to help them overcome a problem and give a solution. Praise that compels Him to act on our behalf. 2 Samuel 22:4, “Praise God and I will be saved from my enemies”.
The gift of Worship to admire His very being, Power, and magnificence. To know that we have His person behind us as we forge ahead towards His Kingdom as well ahead of us paving the way for our journey to be Blessed as only He can Bless. Exodus 23:25, “Worship God and His Blessings will be on you”.
The gift of Thanksgiving to share with joy our union with Him not as mere stewards but as a family and as intimately as a child can be with their father having us in His hands with care, comfort and providence as part of our inheritance. 1 Timothy 4:4, “for everything God created is good and must be received with thanksgiving”.
The gift of utterances to be partakers of His eternal plans. By our language as well as by Spiritual tongues speaking hidden mysteries of the Kingdom’s dominion, prophecies and instructions, attaining Spiritual orations as well as a conversation with Him that is both private as well as to be shared. 1 Corinthians 14:2, “for anyone who speaks in tongues speaks to God with mysteries in the Spirit”.
The gift of Love and not just our love but His Love that overcomes all things not only in this world but especially in the ones that are to come, in His very Kingdom where we will be active participants. A Love that provides the foundation for every good work. 1 Corinthians 13:2, “without Love I am nothing”.
The gift of Faith as the keystone that supports and fuels all other gifts towards an expected end. This is the substance that overcomes the physical but mainly the spiritual in every realm whether it is on, beneath, or above the Earth as well as in the Heavens and the very universe itself. The Faith that partners with our God, trusting in His wisdom, time and manifestation of what is in our best interest now, and in the future. Heb. 11:6, “without Faith it is impossible to please God”.
Consider these to fall in Love with God and Jesus all over again as would any child to a father.
1) God’s first act of Love for us is not about rules and regulations but provision, enjoyment, and upliftment. He did this with creation originally with clear blue skies, a light breeze, and lushness despite no rain. He gave pathways and purpose so that we could have pondered for days His very Love for us. Genesis. 1 and 2.
2) God’s second act of Love is Fatherhood. He did this by empowering man not as a slave but as a son in His image with Sonship rights of authority and most importantly the free will of choice. He wanted a relationship to be paramount above anything else with no distractions, concerns or apprehensions. Genesis. 1:28.
3) God’s third act of Love is consideration of man’s “Spiritual welfare” He does this not by more creation to play with or indulge in, but by giving him an intimate part of himself with the creation of a companion to share with, in every endeavor he undertakes. To have a woman to be of one spirit, one body and mind sharing all God gave them. Genesis 2:23.
4) God continues to show His Love by not forsaking us with the ultimate sign of sacrificing His only true possession, His Son. He does this really by giving of Himself as a man would his arm or organ to save his loved one. His willingness without hesitation to give His prized treasure speaks volumes of how genuine and deep His Love is for us. John. 1:14.
5) God’s Love for us is so equal to that for His Son, that He willing bears seeing His Son take on the burdens and punishments for our sins on the cross of crucifixion. Even though He did not deserve it, He gives His Son to absorb sin; not only Spiritually but mainly by physical torture of tearing flesh, blood, blunt force and ultimately the agony of pain and death. God holds steadfast to His Love even though man has disappointment Him for thousands of years. Isaiah 50:6; 52:14; 53:4.
July 20, 2016
Fall in Love over again!
There is nothing more than being in love that turns humans into emotional sandbags. Of instantaneously changing their immediate disposition into one of being carefree, patience and having hope. Authentic love does that to you. It makes you want to be and do better even improving your work and home habits, making you stretch and strive harder than you even thought you could. It keeps you in a heightened state, floating above any and all human level. It is a higher status of being. This is what falling in love can do.
It is why many need to fall in Love with Jesus once again. To remember how ecstatic they were the first time they found Jesus and knew without a doubt; Jesus was the missing piece in their lives like discovering that puzzle piece that is required to fill in the blank and make the picture complete - Ecc. 2:11, “and behold all was vanity and had no profit to it”. It is remembering that the Love Jesus gave on the Cross was personal, passionate and sacrificial as stated; - Lk. 23:34, “Father forgive them”. The demonstration of His Love took away every hinderance for their love for themselves and others. It is the purest of Love.
Spiritual Awakening
6) God’s Love for us is so deep that He puts at risk the loss of His very Power, His Son the Word. He does this by strategic planning and orchestrating moves that are clandestine and constantly preserved despite man’s and satanic interference. He allows the Word to be held captive, tortured by satan, demons, and hell itself until He was satisfied that Jesus carried the full weight of sin starting with Adam’s failure and ending in the grave and that no legalist could ever say that the price had not been paid in full. 1 Corinthians 2:8.
7) God’s Love for us is so longsuffering that He suspends and delays His universal plan of a Righteous Kingdom, for He very well could have started over elsewhere. He does this by sticking to His original plan with the Earth, man and seasons enduring what may be an eternity; yet in His time reflected in ours as a thousand years but a day to God, taking over six thousand years (six days) to complete His redemption plan and back to the garden where the Genesis of His Earthly Kingdom took place. Isaiah 46:9-10.
God acts are Love itself. For God is Love and Love is God - 1 Jn. 4:8. God’s very nature is to demonstrate Love at all the levels required for us as we move through our world towards His Kingdom. His Love is consistent yesterday, today and will be tomorrow - Heb. 13:8. It is neither restrained by boundaries or time and cannot be mutated by change, force or deception. For when God Loves, He places Himself to be exposed, to be abused by anyone taking Him for granted and appealing to His very nature of unconditional Love. Where is there any other Love like this and compared to other such gods; our God is superior and is not forceful but with dignity asks His own creation to choose to Love Him. Other deities only talk of subjugation, fear, and sweat. That man is nothing more that grass to be weaved, contained and burned as it pleases them. These gods are about appeasement in the hope of gaining concession and that man is nothing more than a plaything like a rag doll thrown, torn and stamped into oblivion only to be bought back for more of the same. Some require denial of what makes us human and to be more like animals or trees and stones, placing this above man and rejecting what science and nature herself has proved; that man is an ascension being and only by their own devices do we lower ourselves to inanimated objects. Some gods require loyalty to be shown by pain, anguish, and destruction, even murdering those that we hold so close to us, the innocent and helpless and to debase ourselves so much so we do not recognize our very being. Many give promises that are at best ridiculous or unspiritual much less divine. Our God’s Love includes promises of equality, justice, sharing and working together not only for His but our Kingdom. There is no comparison.
Verse 23 - “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He (God) delights in his way”. God is just like all fathers, there to share joy, pride and satisfaction in their children’s accomplishments first with help and then on their own, like holding onto the bike during a child’s first ride and then letting go and hearing, seeing and sharing the child’s joy.
Verse 28 - “God loves justice and will not forsake His saints”. God hates bullies especially those that attack and take advantage of the innocent and He will show Himself strong for those who Love and call upon Him. Like a pleasant surprise and support from an unlikely source, we receive an endorsement and are strengthen by others who see and accepts us as we are and what we can be.
Verse 37 - “Watch the blameless man; observe the upright for his future is peace”. There is nothing God does that does not build up, all for His children, towards a plan for peace and prosperity and as a master builder has taken into account every detail to satisfy His very own, His kids made in His image. Like a child who is a reflection of a father’s precepts, outlook, and character, so is God, where we are carriers of His name.
God has ensured that His Love for us is beyond reproach. That it is eternal and will stand any force whether physical or spiritual and cannot be moved with coercion or threats. That it is fair and just, caring and satisfying, sacrificial and generous like no other love out there. He has laid a solid and immovable foundation of Love for us. When we hold onto our first expression of our Love for God, His Son Jesus and His works, keeping it renewed despite the darkness that surrounds us, then we will know His Love in ways that bring us closer to Him, His Kingdom with His arms ready to embrace us as our Heavenly Father who cares for us beyond our expectations, understanding, and knowledge; then we will be His and He will be ours.
Flush it Out! - Father, how I Love you.
Falling in love with Jesus and “Father” God elevates our Spirits affecting us in such ways that it can be indescribable, yet so real it can be touched, physical, and comforting. It's like no other Love. By it, we become confident in our future and have no anxiety of the present, because He first Loved us despite all the junk, sludge and failures on our shoulders. Just like a child, all of sudden all the inhibitions are turned back into innocence believing in others and even the world. Knowing that Jesus Loves us, fills us up - Jn. 1:4, “in Him is Life and that Life is the Light of men”.
For some, the world creeps back in, tearing at this Love and ripping it into shreds of doubt, faithlessness and disappointments. Eventually, the Love of Jesus ends up on rocky ground as the world loads them down with its burdens. Now, they have to fight just to remind themselves to walk by Faith and not by sight and remember the Love of Christ that is theirs. Often; the Love that lifted them up; and has been placed low in the sequence of their priorities. That Love they have for Jesus is now limited to a few times of the week and mainly on and during a Sunday service. They have forgotten their first Love - Matt. 22:37, “To Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind”.
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit had Love for man before the foundations of the known world and the universe; and have never swayed or compromised despite the fall or ups and downs of humanity since Jesus gave of Himself. In fact, God’s Love for us has been unfathomable, immeasurable and even surprising at times - Zep. 3:17, “LORD your God is in your midst, he will quiet you by his Love; exult you with loud singing”. We hear of its consistency across the globe and man marvel of it even in space. God is continuously showing His Love for us by the impossible, unexplained and the miraculous, whether we experience it personally or vicariously. God is there prepared and ready all the time we come face to face with our own mortality. God signature of His Love is eternal.
God gave us all these to empower us and does not hide His preference to the things that pleases Him and to demonstrate our Love for Him. It is these things that bring Him into action on our behalf as well as honors and reverences Him in all His magnificent and splendid ways. For without Faith, we cannot please Him and walking in it do we Love Him. By these acts, we Love God and Jesus for He did not ask us to prove our Love for Him with our achievements nor with our physical gains. This is where many lose their focus and become trapped by the world. We cannot earn God’s Love by our sweat but only by our hearts - Eph. 2:9. He ordered it this way less anyone should boast and make His very being subjected to corruption. No, His Love is based on something that cannot be measured, quantified or contained and so must our Love be for Him. It is why to Love Him, is by invitation only and through our "rsvp" do we willing participate in what He has prepared for us as individuals, families, and co-heirs. We are not required to bring anything to the table but only be authentic in our Love, gratitude, and Spirit at what has been set before us to be partakers of. In Psalms chapter 37, as with many other books and verses in the bible, His Love is expressed as being personal, fatherly and generous. He willing want to show Himself and that our true Love for Him is not taken for granted and will be reciprocated continually as our Love grows consistently, deeper and more meaningful as a child to their parents. Consider Ps. 37 in;
Verse 4 - “Delight yourself in Him and He will give the desires of your heart”. The more we get to know Him as a being with unsurpassed content that is righteous the more we become mature to receive our dreams, hopes, and desires. Just like a child showing appreciation, a father is moved to reward them.
Verse 8 - “Cease from anger, wrath and do not fret as it only causes harm”. As with any loving father, Abba wants nothing to hinder our Blessings and guides us with immediate and long-term advice for our betterment. This is like when we are compelled to speak with care knowing what we say will be disappointing to those we love, but by experience, we know the outcome will only serve us to more like Him.
Verse 12 - “The wicked plots against the just, but God laughs at him”. He is our defender, not only loyal to our righteousness but as an adjudicator in all that we face resolving only goodness for us despite any false accusation. It is like an unexpected surprise from those in authority over us with tangible means that justify our righteous actions and Faithfulness.
Verse 18 - “The Lord knows the days of the upright and their inheritance is forever”. He sees our ups and downs, our end not as man sees it, but with wisdom and as a Father willing to nurture, motivate and reward us for He believes in us more than we do ourselves like a coach encouraging us to stretch more towards our full potential.