We Are Loved!!!!

I pray that this letter finds you doing great and running the race that God has set before you!! I believe that He has great things for all of us in 2011

Over the next several weeks, I would like to share with you from the book of Ephesians, seven wonderful blessings you and I have been given! As Children of God, we have so much to be thankful for because we are:
Blessed!
Forgiven!
Redeemed!
Chosen!
Adopted!
Loved!
Accepted!


Take a look in Ephesians 1:3-8

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Today, I want to begin with Love because without it, we wouldn't have any of these wonderful promises!
The definition for Love is, " strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties ."
Here are some synonyms for love; affection, adoration, beloved, friendship, tenderness, fondness, devotion, worship, and passion!! ( I really do love these words!)

Throughout the Old and New Testament, there is a thread of God's love woven on every page! From the beginning of Creation and even before that!!!
God created the Heavens and the Earth so that we could enjoy everything we see today and even the things we can't see like the air we breathe!!

Have you ever went outside on a starry night or when the moon is at its fullest; Or seen a sunrise on a beautiful summer morning with its sunset all the beautiful colors in the sky; Or took a drive on a cool, fall day, and looked out at all the breath-taking colors of the leaves! Have you ever been to the ocean and looked out as far as you could see, with all it's beauty and mystery and feel the the presence of our Creator, and the love He has for us!!
Our Father was thinking about you and I when He created all of this!!
Oh, how He loves you and me!!

Psalms 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God;And the firmament shows His handiwork.



God loved us before we were ever born. One of my absolutely favorite chapters in the Bible is in Psalms 139! Take a look for yourself!
" For You formed my inward parts;You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!!! Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You,When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;"
.
He knew our names before we were ever born!! He formed us and made us in His image!!
Wow, that's amazing just to think about! He took time to form us personally and make us just who we are! What love that is!!

Clearly throughout the Bible, we see the word "Love" mentioned almost double than the word "wrath". God loves His children but I also know that God is a "jealous" God and longs for us to love Him. When He looks at the world that He so wonderfully made for us, and sees the sin and the wickedness of man, there is no doubt it breaks His heart and even angers Him!
As parents, our hearts break and we too can become angry when our children do wrong but we never stop loving them!! Never!!
We continually break God's heart and do things that bring such pain to Him and yet, He is so patient and loving and is always there with His arms stretched out to us! God's love for us is so much more than we could ever imagine!
"Thank You, God!!"

One of the most perfect examples of His love for us is when He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for a world that continually denies Him and tramples His name.
If you go back in your Bible and take a look at the Crucifixion, there you will see just how much God loved this world, and continues to love today!

John 3:16 is a verse, that if polled, most people could quote verbatim, but if you stop and really take a look at this verse, here you will see the Love of God like never before; "For God so loved the world, that He gave us His ONLY Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life!!!"

He just didn't love the world, He SO loved the world!! He gave His ONE and ONLY Son!! If that isn't love, I don't know what possibly could be!! That's amazing Love!!!

There is a song that comes to mind when I think of God's unfailing, merciful, abundant and gracious love for us. It is titled "The Love of God" Take a look at these lyrics and think on them for a moment;

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

The great news for us is NOTHING can separate us from this amazing and perfect Love if we are Children of God!!! No matter how far we stray, no matter what we do, God loves us with an everlasting love!!
If you are not a Child of God, you too can experience this love! All you have to do is ask Jesus to come into your heart and believe that He died and that God raised Him to life, and you shall be saved!!
Romans 10:9-10 says, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved!"



Charles Spurgeon once said, "When the time comes for you to die, you need not be afraid, because death cannot separate you from God's love."

Romans 8:38-39 says, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Praise His Name!! Nothing or no one can take His Love from us. Friends may hurt us and even turn their backs on us; family may fail us, but not God!!! No, His love is unconditional and it is from everlasting to everlasting!!
Jeremiah 31:3 says, “ Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.

Psalms 103:17 says, "But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,

Lastly, let me say, "love one another as Christ has loved us and gave Himself for us!!"

John 13:34 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another"
I John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God
I John 4:11 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to love one another! It's not a matter if you feel like it or not, we are commanded to love! How can we as Christians say we love God and hate our brother or sister??? YOU CAN'T!!! It's completely impossible.

Matthew 5:43--44 says, "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

Today, may we begin tearing down walls of hurt and hatred and begin building up walls of crazy, amazing love that our Father has given to us freely and unconditionally!
May we take this love and go out to reach a world that so desperately needs Him! The world is "looking for love in all the wrong places!" What makes me sad is the church has the answer! We have been given all things and sometimes I feel we want to keep them for ourselves.
People, let's get busy for God! Let's do the things that really matter! Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost!! What we do for God will be last and everything else will burn up in the end! (I Corinthians 3:9-13) There's a harvest wating for us to bring in! Let's show the world that there is still hope and there is still true, genuine love!

If you feel that no one loves you, let me re-assure you that there is someone who loves you like no other and that person is God!! Oh how He loves you!!!
If you have bad feelings in your heart towards anyone, ask God to help you let it go! Let God's love fill your heart and mind and watch those chains be lifted!! What a feeling of peace and joy that will flood your heart!

In closing this letter to you, I would like for you to take a minute and give yourself the "love test!" If you answer "yes" to all three, Praise the Lord!!! If you can't answer yes to all three, stop and ask the Lord to help you love like never before!
He will give you the desires of your heart!!

Do you Love God with ALL your heart? Deuteronomy 6:5
Do you Love others with the love God has for you? Romans 12:10
Do you Love the lost?? Matthew 18:11 says, "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."

I John 2:9-11 "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Get busy loving in 2011

"Encouraged in heart. . . United in Love"
Jenny
II Timothy 1:12