Love strong enough
I am reading a little book "Note to Self" by Joe Thorn. It's so good... It has a specific passage of Scripture and then there is a letter to "self" that has so often spoken to exactly what I have been thinking after reading the passage of Scripture of thinking about the topic. This one was on love. This is a part of the letter that I wrote in my journal.
Dear self... You only know what love really is be looking to your Savior. And you learn it from him continually, not just once. You must daily go to the cross and see your Savior's love for the unlovable (that means you.)
Self, you need Jesus. You need him so badly. Oh soul, for your own sake, run to Jesus! He has all you need. In your surrender, he will give you joy, and in your pain there will be hope. Jesus, You are the King of my heart. Oh soul, stop trying to earn your Savior's love. You already have it. Stop trying to show him you are good enough; He was the one who sent his Son so that instead of seeing what He could only pour wrath on, when He looks at you he sees His Beloved. Stop trying to draw attention to yourself. He doesn't miss a thing. Stop trying to be more beautiful. The God of beauty does not make ugly things. Stop trying to be worthy of him. There is nothing in you that will ever be worthy enough, and that secures for you a certainty of love that you would never have if you were worthy. He loves you unconditionally! Dear soul, you are loved, and He calls you to live like it. He calls you to walk in freedom of the light of His love. He is worth it all!
"We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose." Galatians 2:15-21
"Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?... Abraham believed and it was counted to him as righteousness." Galatians 3:2, 6 Belief, in Your eyes, is righteousness because belief is only from your Father.
On Wednesday, my prayer was from an Audrey Assad's song, "From the chains of a lesser love, You say, 'Be free.' Liberate me from my own noise and my own chaos." Look up, oh soul! Be not trapped in this cage of doubt. Your world is small because you only look at yourself. Oh, but do you not see all around you? The cage has been lifted. You are not a slave any longer, you are His daughter. He calls you, and He says, "Mine." You don't have to keep reaching out through bars. You are no longer a slave to fear. Reach out all the way! Your God will meet you even as you seek to do what He has called you to. Oh, don't shackle yourself where there are no shackles!
Hope that is greater
On Friday, God gave me peace enough to fall into His everlasting arms more through the process of surrendering. I asked for a new song as I let go of my favorite pebbles. That morning, I reread Ephesians 1 that we had read in the devotional for Missions class the day before. Ephesians 1:18 stuck out to me. "... having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe." What better verse could my Father have used to soothe my heart that ached at the thought of letting go of my hopes for the future? In this moment, He said to me that He Himself had called me to a Hope, that in Him I had riches of a glorious inheritance that was better than my plans for me, and that His power to free me from fear was immeasurable. What a good Father!
Now that He has given me the gift of faith to see this hope, my prayer is that, as I continue to die to myself in giving up my hopes, He would show me more of this greater Hope that will keep holding me fast.
Inheritance in place of what was lost
Yesterday, as I read the next section of Galatians in the morning, verse 26 and 29 of chapter 3 stuck out to me. "...for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith... And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." Heirs according to promise... This was something I could hold onto, for yesterday and for all my days.
Despite all the pebbles my Father had asked me to drop into His ocean, all the hopes that had been consumed by fire, and all the hopes that must still be surrendered, He was showing me that He was my Inheritance. And how much sweeter is He than all the idols I bowed to before?
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Dear child of God, the Lord is your chosen portion and your cup; He holds your future. The lines have fallen for you in pleasant places; indeed, you have a beautiful Inheritance in Him. (Psalm 16:5-6) The Hope that He holds out for you in your surrender is more of Himself. Will you say no to this? Because His love is stronger than our fears, stronger than anything that may keep us from surrendering completely, let's go and live like we're loved.
Songs the Holy Spirit brought to mind this week:
"You Speak" by Audrey Assad
"Welcome Home" by Dutton
"Live Like Your're Loved" Hawk Nelson
Hope that is greater
On Friday, God gave me peace enough to fall into His everlasting arms more through the process of surrendering. I asked for a new song as I let go of my favorite pebbles. That morning, I reread Ephesians 1 that we had read in the devotional for Missions class the day before. Ephesians 1:18 stuck out to me. "... having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe." What better verse could my Father have used to soothe my heart that ached at the thought of letting go of my hopes for the future? In this moment, He said to me that He Himself had called me to a Hope, that in Him I had riches of a glorious inheritance that was better than my plans for me, and that His power to free me from fear was immeasurable. What a good Father!
Now that He has given me the gift of faith to see this hope, my prayer is that, as I continue to die to myself in giving up my hopes, He would show me more of this greater Hope that will keep holding me fast.
Inheritance in place of what was lost
Yesterday, as I read the next section of Galatians in the morning, verse 26 and 29 of chapter 3 stuck out to me. "...for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith... And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." Heirs according to promise... This was something I could hold onto, for yesterday and for all my days.
Despite all the pebbles my Father had asked me to drop into His ocean, all the hopes that had been consumed by fire, and all the hopes that must still be surrendered, He was showing me that He was my Inheritance. And how much sweeter is He than all the idols I bowed to before?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear child of God, the Lord is your chosen portion and your cup; He holds your future. The lines have fallen for you in pleasant places; indeed, you have a beautiful Inheritance in Him. (Psalm 16:5-6) The Hope that He holds out for you in your surrender is more of Himself. Will you say no to this? Because His love is stronger than our fears, stronger than anything that may keep us from surrendering completely, let's go and live like we're loved.
Songs the Holy Spirit brought to mind this week:
"You Speak" by Audrey Assad
"Welcome Home" by Dutton
"Live Like Your're Loved" Hawk Nelson
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