I Called You to Know Me: God's Love - Day 8

You can sometimes work you butt off to make sure your family is taken care of, or enjoy a certain amount of material blessing, and to live a better life. But as the years pass you will discover they had a greater relationship with the "stuff" and "trinkets," but not you.

While they appreciated everything I did and enjoyed my hard labor; many times they just wanted to spend time with me.

I always answered that I was working so hard for them and it was a good excuse in the beginning. But I started to notice they became immune to that answer. One child said "Nope, you're not doing it for me; you're doing for you."

I'm old now and all that work I did for 'them" left me an outsider in my own family. I wanted to be angry and have an attitude, but I realized I became consumed with working and doing in exchange for the minimal time I spent in my relationship with my love ones.

Working and doing has its place, but it will NEVER trump the intimacy of relationship with the ones you love. And one day... the need for that intimate position in your love one's heart will REALLY matter!!

God's message to His Children: I appreciate all that you do, but often it is in competition with our relationship. Whenever I call you to do something, it is a byproduct of our intimate relationship. The calling on your life will always flow from the relationship. It will always be empowered from the relationship. It will be anointed from the relationship. It will have social impact from the relationship. It will have eternal significance from the relationship. Do not be fooled by all things people are doing and saying in Jesus' Name or Mine. Most activities are coming from man's own efforts no matter how big or magnificent they appear. The spirit of busyness and doing is attacking, blinding, and overpowering the ability of my children to have a relationship with me through my Son, Jesus Christ. Remove yourself from going in this direction or living in this realm. Return to the simplicity of our relationship and trust me to make your life great through the love I have for you. I love you and I really want to know you.

²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ Matthew 7:22-23

³ And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ⁹ not the result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.Titus 3:4-5

I Called you to Know Me: God's Love - Day 6

Its amazing how we always follow the cliches without really thinking them through. We quote them when they are convenient for our lifestyles. Like the one that says, "Variety is the spice of life."

There are a variety of flowers, a variety of animals, a variety of butterflies, a variety of trees, a variety of ethnicity's, a variety of birds.. but they all come from ONE source or through ONE WAY.....the Living and Creative God.

So when you are witnessing variety in life; you are actually witnessing the glory of ONE WAY or ONE SOURCE.

If God is the ONE WAY to many varieties why would we not follow Jesus (the WAY) who leads us to the SOURCE of  ALL VARIETY.

If the SOURCE of ALL VARIETY lives in You, how would that ONE WAY (ONE SOURCE) increase your life's options?

God's message to His Children: My Dear Children, it is hard watching you look for ways to prove you are somebody. I watch you choose from an variety of the world's beauty in order to be somebody based on their standards. I watch you perform for others as a way to prove you're somebody. I watch as you gravel and walk over each other in other to reach a level of social status as a way to prove you're somebody. You will never find your identity in those things and eventually, even if you gain all that you want, you will end up unhappy and unfulfilled.  It is my love for you that makes you somebody and gives your life meaning and purpose. When you come to know that truth; it will set you free. I will make your life a variety of things. I am your ONE WAY. I am your ONE SOURCE. I will make your one life into options, varieties, and abundance. Do not believe what you DO determines who you are. It is knowing Me, God and learning your identity in Christ that will determine the variety of things I, God, will wroth from your life. Come to me. I have EVERYTHING you are looking for. If variety is the spice of life; then I am the Spice in the variety.

I Called You to Know me; God's Love - Day 5

When I got married, I could have swore I was Cinderella and I was going to live happily ever after. I didn't hear the part of the vows that said we would be together "for better ....or for WORST."

Don't get me wrong "Worst" doesn't mean you aren't happy with each other, but it means you go through things together you didn't imagine in your happily-ever-after scenario.

Married couples' hard times don't always include infidelity like the media makes you believe. It can include the death of a child, a sudden disability of one of the spouses, months of unemployment, foreclosure on a beloved home, a long-term sick child or one of the spouses, mental illness, or a host of other things.

When difficulty, challenges, pain, or sufferings happen couples often discover what's truly in their own hearts and will either remember the vows they made on that wedding day or abort them.

If the commitment between the couple was authentic and the love real; they will get through it together. Its the same with God.

God's commitment to us is authentic and his covenant love has been demonstrated through Christ's atoning death for each of us.

God's message to his children: I love you and I am fully committed to you my child. I promise to go through every situation with you and promise you an outcome that works every thing that happens together for your good because you love me (respond to my love for you). I knew you would have trouble in a fallen world; that would cause you pain and heartache, but I am with you every step of the way. Trouble will not defeat you! Many have asked me about their troubles, "What good could come out of this?' If you trust me through your trials and tribulations I will open up a new way for good to come forth from you pain and heartache. If I have to, just because I promised you an outcome of good, I will create another miracle just for you. I will heal the pain. I will provide the comfort. I will move heaven and hell for your victorious outcome. Nothing is impossible for me and not one of my promises have ever failed. Will you trust me? I won't let you down.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: has he said, and shall He not do it? or has he spoken, and shall he not make it good." Numbers 23:19

"There has not failed ONE WORD of all his good promises." 1 Kings 8;56

"Have faith in God,' Jesus answered." Mark 11:22

I Called You to Know me: God's Love - Day 4

I used to blame my mother for playing favors with my sister. My sister got new dresses, hugs, phone calls, visits, shoes, and other things. My mother, of course, denied she favored my sister over me and I didn't believe her until I listened to my phone messages one day.

My mother had invited me to go shopping, asked could she come visit, said she had a gift for me whenever I came by, and she even said she missed me. Over the months her mother's phone calls became fewer, even though she kept calling.

All this time I wanted my mother to show me favor, when I had not responded to the favor and love she tried to offer me.

What made my sister appear to be closer to my mother than I was; is that she responded to the love that was being offered to her.

I had the same opportunity, but I wanted my mother's favor just because she was my mother and she was "supposed" to give me favor whether I responded or not.

That's not the way it works with people and that's not the way it works with God.

God's Love will always favor you and increase your blessings when you lovingly respond (with your God-given Faith).

"The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. so Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Genesis 4:4b-7

"This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us (reached out to..) and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" 1 John 4:10

"I love those who love me (respond to the love), and those who seek me find me." Proverbs 8:17
 
"They who have my commandments and keep (respond to) them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” John 14:21-22

"However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those WHO LOVE HIM ..." 1 Corinthians 2:9

I Called You to Know Me: God's Love - Day 3

I often think about how many times I've been too busy with life to spend time with God. But even worst, is being too busy doing ministry, to spend time with the God of Ministry.

I was on this path called the busyness of "doing" that I lost sight of the importance of "being" and even more important "being in a intimate relationship with God."

My busy life and busy ministry never provided me with or led me to intimacy with God. When did I start believing that my busyness would explain or reflect or give some kind of credence to my relationship with God?

No matter how much good I was "doing" for others, for myself, or for my family each activity was taking me further and further from my relationship with God.

I have followed the way of doing and busyness in exchange for knowing and having an intimate relationship with God. John 17:3 says, "Now THIS is eternal life, that they may KNOW you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

Can I have eternal life and not know God? There is a difference between "knowing" and "knowing about." Its the same difference as knowledge about something and experience about something.

God's message to his children: "Dear Children, doing services and activities for the kingdom and the glory of God is wonderful, but the first call on your life is to know me personally. My primary call is not for you to do something for me, but it is fellowship and devotion. Did you know that all you do for ministry will be useless and non-effective unless it flows out of your relationship with me? That's why people are burntout, weary, and unfulfilled because they are trying to do more ministry activities without covering it first through spiritual nourishment and growth from my indwelling Holy Spirit. I want to spend time with you. I want to freely give you my heart and I would like it if you would give me your heart. Will you come with me to a quiet place, so we can renew our relationship?

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men" (Matthew 15:8-9).

"Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son" 2 John 9

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

"Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:8a


"But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds" Psalm 73:28

I Called You to Know me: God's Love - Day 2

It's funny how we grow up with certain values, but seem to forget about them when we hang out with people who don't share those values.

God chose me and appointed me to live a certain way that reflects I'm his child and I can do it as long as I stay connected to him.

But what I've learned is that I often pick up the habits of people or other interests I spend the most time with, even if those habits don't agree with the way God wants me to live.

I find myself trying to be godly around church people and live worldly around secular people. Unfortunately, I can't live out true godliness without staying connected with God, so I actually end up living like the rest of the world.

I need God's help in order to make a supernatural difference in the world. God is that difference.

God's message to his children: My chosen and appointed children, I am your sufficiency for godly living. You will never be able to live a fruit-filled life without me. I designed it like that as a way for us to spend time together and so you could receive the benefits of a fruit-bearing life that comes only through the relationship with me. I love you, dearly. Trust me. Will you take my hand?

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you" John 15:16.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" Galatians 5:22.

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing" John 15: 4, 6

"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals" 1 Corinthians 15:33

I Called you to Know Me: God's Love - Day 1

 God, gave me a gift one day and sent it special delivery to my heart's mailbox. When I opened it; it was his Son, Jesus Christ.

I received it, accepted it, kept it, and carried it around with me just like everyone else who has this gift.. I let others know, who had the same gift, I had one too.

We gift-carriers spoke the same language, acted in the same ways, and went to the same places. Then I met a person, who not only opened the gift and found Jesus, but they had also opened Jesus (the Word) and found the Living God.

Do you have the gift? Have you really opened it yet? It contains everything that pertains to life and godliness.

But most importantly is pertains God's awesome and endless love for you.

You are DEEPLY loved.

God's love is expressed, openly, through Jesus Christ, the Word of God. "...and His name is called the Word of God" (Revelation 19:13b).

God message to His children: "I love you. I have everything you need. I want to tell you all about me and my feelings for you. I want to tell you all about the promises and benefits I have made for you. Please my blessed children, I want you to Open the whole gift."

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10