God's Inclusive Love

Authentic Believers have no desire to sin; however, the world, the devil and the flesh cause temptations for our body and soul, which are often hard to resist.

The good news here is that God gives us a way to escape any temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Temptations also sharpens our faith and work patience into our character (James 1:2-4).

Satan may bombard us with doubt and anxiety, but if we look to Christ His perfect love will cast out all of our fear (1 John 4:18).

Some people refuse to admit they are sinners; however, they are living in deception, and calling God a liar (1 John 1:8-10). Anyone willing to repent is quickly forgiven by God and cleansed from all iniquity.

Jesus is our advocate with our Father when we do sin, because He paid the penalty of our sin (1 John 2:1-2). This proves that God has nothing but love for us.

God is love, and when we abide in God, we abide in His love (1 John 4:16). In God’s love we have no fear. His love for us gives us confidence in His faithfulness.

Prayer:

Father God, You are with us, and that is all we need. We rejoice in our weakness, because then You can show Yourself strong through us. People see Christ’s power within us rather than our own abilities and adequacy (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We actually exult in our insufficiency, because we realize that we need to depend on You in every moment of our day to make us strong. Our attitude in our weakness is actually a testimony of Your love for us.

Thought for the Day:

When we succumb to temptation, we fail to avail our self of the escape, which God always supplies; and we ultimately disappoint our Father God. 
– 1 Corinthians 10:13

Remember Who You Are

 

Our own free will is the only entity preventing Jesus Christ from living in and through us. Even after salvation, our soul can choose to walk according to the flesh, rather than according to God’s Spirit. However, we no longer have any need to wallow in the degradation of sin, which leads to the pit of destruction (Psalm 40:2). We are permanently set free from sin by the power of God in our life (Romans 6:18). Our humanity is dead and buried with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

We are raised with Christ by the glory of our Father to walk in a brand new life (Romans 6:4). We no longer need to live as a doormat or to allow our self to be abused. We can move if we are tormented, and pray for God to deliver our loved one. However, if we are safe, then Christ in us will love that putrid drunk, annoying child, demented senior, irritating neighbor, cruel parent or selfish spouse through us. It is impossible to do this in our human strength.

We are able to meet our own needs and look to our Father to supply them, but we must allow Christ to love this impossible person through us. Born Again Believers are crucified with Christ (Romans 2:20). Christ is our whole life now, and nothing else really matters (Colossians 3:4). However, we no longer have to live according to the flesh; we can permanently walk in the Spirit, controlled and guided by Him in everything we think, say, feel and do (Galatians 5:16-26, Amplified Bible).

The real power over sin is to realize who we are in Christ. All the attributes of the triune Godhead – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – are resident within our Born Again spirit. God makes His everlasting dwelling place in our spirit. We have the holy character of Christ occupying our soul. The divine love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith of Jesus Christ are manifested through our soul every moment of every day for the rest of our life. Remember to Whom you belong.

Prayer:

Father God, You call us Saints. That is our position in Christ. Christ in us makes us holy and acceptable to You. You want to love the lost and dying world through us. We simply need to decide to allow You to express Yourself through us. We no longer have to figure anything out. We just need to live and move and have our entire being in You (Acts 17:28; Romans 8:1), at the same time that You live in and through us (Colossians 1:27). You immerse us in Your life and love. We wait on Your direction and follow the leading of Your Holy Spirit to allow you to accomplish Your will in the earth, just as Jesus performed Your will when He walked upon the earth (John 5:19,30).

Thought for the Day:

Allow God’s perfect love to flow through your every thought, word and deed.

Doesn't God Care?

 

Part of the Good news is that God does care. In fact, He cared enough to become a man and die for the sins of the whole world (John 3:16). He feels our pain, because He took it upon Himself on the cross. God does not condone the deeds of the wicked or those who condemn the righteous (Proverbs 17:15). God repays those who afflict the helpless with suffering, and He gives relief to all of those who are distressed, if not in this life, then in the next (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7).

So, do not be afraid of those who do evil, or allow their escapades to upset you. God already planned their demise (Psalm 37:1-2). God avenges all of those who transgress or deceive someone else. He already solemnly warned that this would happen (1 Thessalonians 4:6). He is the God of second chances. He forgives anyone who repents of their evil deed. He is slow to anger and full of loving kindness, but He also keeps His Word (Numbers 14:8; Psalm 103:8; Deuteronomy 7:9). God hates the suffering in the world more than we do. That is why He became a man. He died to save us all from an eternity in hell.

God is not slow about defending us, nor is He ignorant of our plight, nor disinterested in our circumstances. He is simply patient and kind. He never brings judgment on a person or a nation without first sending a warning to them, so that they can repent. He wants everyone to receive Him, so that He can bring us all Home with Him. When people who have known pain, finally connect with God, they realize that He has loved them every moment of their life.

God walks through our painful times with us and it hurts Him every bit as much as it does us. He carried that pain to the cross. The closer we come to the eternal wisdom of God, the more foolish the wisdom of this world becomes (1Corinthians 3:19). God uses our suffering to teach us obedience and to perfect us into His image, just as Jesus’ suffering perfected Him (Hebrews 5:8). When we finally feel His encompassing love, we realize that what we suffered is nothing compared to what He suffered. His love is perfect.

Do you want to experience perfect love? All that God requires is that we freely come to Christ and receive Him as our Savior. Then, we reject our life of sin and seek His Spirit’s direction each moment of every day. We live a full life, because we see Him as He lives in and through us (John 14:19). The presence of His Spirit in our life proves that we are a true child of God (Ephesians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 1:22). His presence in our life works through us to build His Kingdom in the earth. We thirst no more, because we found the fountain of life (John 4:14).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to leave retribution in Your hands, because You will always repay the evil doer who harms us (Romans 12:19). You judge every work ever done, even those things we do in secret, the good and the evil. You reward the good and judge the evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Those who hurt us will not get away with it, even if we forgive them, as You teach us to do (Matthew 6:14), because You will hold them accountable (Hebrews 4:13). Help us to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us (Luke 6:28).

Thought for the Day:

When people turn their heart away from God, they can no longer hear His voice.