When
we call out to Him, the Lord provides for all of our needs. Our friends,
relatives, associates and neighbors are watching, and they give Him praise for
His goodness to us. (Isaiah 41:17-20). He never fails us or forsakes us
(Hebrews 13:5).
We
are secure in His everlasting love and kindness, and we have no lack of any
good thing (Psalm 23). His love for us endures continually. He wants the best
for us, and thinks the best of us, because we are in Christ and Christ is in us.
God
is patient with us, defends us when people and powers and principalities come
against us, and He provides for us. When we trust Him alone, He matures us in our
faith, blesses us constantly, and comforts us during any trouble.
Our
Father's love abides in us, changing us from the inside out. When we ask, He
gives us Jesus' divine nature, teaches us to discern the mind of Christ within
us, and leads us in His safe and secure, everlasting way.
God's
love teaches us not to demand our own way, to give and to forgive, to be led by
His Spirit rather than by our own human reasoning or prejudices, and to think
the best of everyone. We do not meet a stranger, just a potential friend.
We
also learn to love our self as Christ loves us, and to love others as we love
our self (Mark 12:30-31). So many of us are wounded from past experiences, and
we do not believe that we are lovable or valuable enough to be healthy, happy
and blessed.
Yet,
the peace and joy of the Lord accompany our salvation, and we live in harmony
with God's plans for our life. This intimate union with Him is our greatest
treasure in life and guarantees our eternal place in His family.
Prayer:
Father
God, help us to realize that we are unique individuals who have value, and the
need to be loved and nurtured by our efforts as well as Yours. We do not need
to look to others for that love or to put undue expectations on them to fulfill
our needs. You have our life under Your control, when we submit our goals,
desires and plans to Your will for us.
Your
love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant or rude,
it does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful, it does
not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth; Your love bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things and never fails
us. Teach us to love as You love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Thought
for the Day:
Jesus
died for the lost, the broken, the forlorn and the persecuted; and His love compels
Him to willingly serve as our brother, Savior and King.
