God Cherishes You

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God Cherishes You

Thanksgiving to God

Remember this Thanksgiving Day to also offer your thanksgiving to the one who makes it all possible – Jehovah God.

He does so much for His children – beginning by packing every day with the potential for happiness:

This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Ps. 118:24 NASB

            How about thanking God for giving us a manual (Bible), that helps us make the most of our entire lives?

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. Ps. 1:1 – 3. NLT

            Take time to reflect on just how much Jehovah cherishes you:

For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zeph. 3:17 NLT

“I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. For thus says the LORD…I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them.” Jer. 32:41, 42. ESV

            We are the recipients of His loving provisions:

LORD, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Ps. 16:5, 6. CSB

“…ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.” Jn. 16:24 AMP

            Our Father’s greatest provision is our redemptive pathway into His arms:

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Ps. 16:11 NLT

I rejoice greatly in the LORD, I exult in my God; for he clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness… Is. 61:10 CSB

            Jehovah God loved you before you were born – before you knew who you were, before you knew who He was:

God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins…We love because he first loved us. 1 Jn. 4:9, 10 & 19. CSB

            Are you starting to feel a little thankful? I hope so, because even if God is immeasurably loving, we can’t access that love unless we reciprocate it:

The LORD protects all those who love him… Ps. 145:20 NLT

Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Ps. 37:4 NASB

            When you demonstrate gratitude for your loving Father in heaven, you bring Him glory:

Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God. 2 Cor. 4:15 CSB

He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me… Ps. 50:23 AMP

Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. Ps. 95:1, 2. NLT

            How God loves it when we celebrate Him! As we do, we are thanking Him for our most precious gift – our very lives, which are an extension of His love.

            Being thankful is a small price to ask for, in exchange for a full and satisfied life, with a promise of an eternal abundance in the very presence of our Maker. Moreover, that grateful attitude spills over and makes for a joyful journey in the here and now…

            Happy Thanksgiving!

            Goodnight and God bless.

Are You A Child of God?

Forty years have elapsed. All of the original Israelites who left Egypt are dead. Only their children survive – just as God said (as well as Moses and the two spies, Caleb and Joshua). Moses tells the second-generation Israelites to set up camp.

            There was no water in sight, so the people began to complain – just like their deceased parents! Jehovah tells Moses to stand before a certain rock and tell it to bring forth water. Instead, Moses rebukes the Israelites:

“Hear now rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Nm. 20:10 NKJV

            Then Moses angrily struck the rock and water gushed forth. God immediately scrutinized Moses. Did he follow Jehovah’s instructions? Noooo. Instead of honoring God, Moses vents his anger and frustration at the people. And you can see that Moses takes partial credit for making the water come out of the rock 

            Moses was God’s first major prophet. Jehovah speaks directly to him, and he is supposed to be the primary example of godly obedience; but he blew it, briefly demeaning the glory of God, and He chastises him:

“Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore, you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Nm. 20:12 NASB

“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do so; you shall not add to nor take away from it.” Dt. 12:32 NASB

            God demands justice; but He also abounds in Mercy. He told Moses that he could not go into the Promised Land. Seems harsh. However, Jehovah did not remove Moses from his leadership position – allowing him to remain His mouthpiece.

            Moses called all of the children of the Israelites together, and appointed Joshua (the spy) as his successor. Then he began to teach:

“And now Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear [and worship] the LORD your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], to walk [that is , to live each and every day] in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart with all your soul [your choices, your thoughts, your whole being], and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statues which I am commanding you today for your good?” Dt. 10:12, 13. AMP

            God rewards obedience:

“If you carefully obey my commands I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and worship him with all your heart and all your soul, I will provide rain for your land in the proper time, the autumn and spring rains, and you will harvest your grain, new wine, and fresh oil. I will provide grass in your fields for your livestock. You will eat and be satisfied. Dt. 11:13 – 15. CSB

            However, before you can enjoy all of what your Creator has prepared for you, you must become a child of God. Are you a child of God? The children of God are special; and yet, He loves all humankind equally:

For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another]. Rm. 2:11 AMP

            Every person that has ever existed, and all that will exist, begin their lives as a child of God. It’s automatic because God loves you so much. Yet there will come a time, as you mature enough to process information, and someone has exposed you to the gospel, where you will have to decide to seek Jehovah continually, if you want to remain a child of God.

            The choice to do so, or not, has eternal consequences; and it must be made while you still draw breath on this earth. Seeing as how you have no foreknowledge of when that last breath will occur, it is imperative that you make this choice to reinstate yourself as God’s child today. You may not have a ‘tomorrow,’ and the chance of remaining a child of God will be lost to you forever. That ‘forever’ is not a place where you want to spend eternity.

            Everyone has the potential to continually tap into God’s infinite love. It is up to them to make the conscious and free-will decision to enter into a relationship with Him to receive it. You know the drill: confession + repentance + accepting the personage and sacrifice of Jesus Christ with faith + walking your best in His word. Then, and only then, will you be cleansed from your Adamic sin as well as those that you have perpetrated.

            Once you become a child of God, does that make you better than one who does not choose to do so? Absolutely not. What choosing to be a child of God does, is that it allows Jesus to remove any barriers that block you from receiving Jehovah’s love.

            Since you have facilitated the way for God to connect His love to you, you are very special in His eyes, because of the love reciprocity established in your new ‘holy’ relationship.

            God chooses those who choose Him – not for their special qualities, but simply because they made that choice to love Him:

For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen your to be his own special treasure. The LORD did not set his heart upon you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply because the LORD loves you… Dt. 7:6 – 8. NLT

            God accepts us as His children, not because we are superior to anyone else, but because we make the ongoing choice to try our best to be holy.

Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments… Dt. 7:9 NKJV

            Also, being a child of God has its advantages:

And because you listen to these rules and keep them and do them, the LORD your God will keep you with the covenant and the steadfast love that He swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you…You shall be blessed above all peoples. Dt. 7:12 – 14. ESV

            Jehovah covers every aspect of His children’s lives, and He brings them along a path (nudging them back on it if they stumble), that leads them to their greater good:

He led you through that great and terrible wilderness…that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Dt. 8:15, 16. NASB

            It’s always about the love with God. If you partner up with Him, He will let nothing stand in your way of receiving His love:

Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours…No man shall be able to stand against you. Dt. 11:24, 25. NKJV

            Finally, and most importantly, your child-of-God relationship with Him guarantees an eternity of love at the end of time:

“Then the king will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:’ Mt. 25:34 NKJV

Goodnight and God bless.

First Step Toward Being Cherished by God

The reality is that God cherishes everyone. However, most of the people living in this world aren’t interested in God’s love, or, they think His love is unavailable – because they believe that they are bad people or have done unforgivable things. Others believe that they must earn love, or worse, that God is an unfair and unloving God.

It isn’t that God does not love and cherish them, it is that they don’t know how to position themselves to receive His love.

Perhaps you might see yourself in one or more of these categories, which leaves you unconnected to Jehovah God. He loves you with an eternal unconditional love. The only time you are not connected to that love is when you build a barrier between your heart and His.

During our journey to being cherished by God, (towards living the highest and best life, which is a life filled with God’s presence and where we are doing His will), we will find out just how we have constructed our opinions and beliefs and how we built our lives around them.

Once we know how we are ‘being’ presently, we can correct our misguided thinking to be in alignment with God’s will, by seeking His help. We can’t do it without Him. God wants to cherish you:

For no one has ever hated his own body, but [instead] he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church… Eph. 5:29 AMP

Christ is the expression of God’s love. He does what His Father does; and if you get a relationship with them, you are a part of the ‘church.’

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rm. 8:38, 39. CSB

So, we can see that we are not only cherished, but that nothing can keep that love from us except ourselves. Our goal is to relate with God and to become His child – which we will achieve by learning to get out of our own way! Only then can we live the life that He has waiting for us.

Now, we have a reachable target, because God is going to get involved, and there is nothing that He cannot achieve with a person who is willing to seek Him out. You must have a relationship with God, (who is the Author of relationship), before you can be successful in earthly relationships.

When we are guided by the word of God, we can’t miss. And so, our first step towards being cherished by God, is to lay down a little foundational work to bolster our faith in those words…

Everyone would want to connect with God if they realized how much He loves them. But as we saw, we must build a relationship first, to be able to do so. Providentially, God made it easy to know Him (He already knows us). God left us a love letter that we know as the Bible.

As we examine God’s word, we will see how our Creator thinks, feels, and know the nature of His plan for us, and how much He loves us. The truth in it is plain to see; after all, it was written for ancient sheepherders. It was written to be understood – authored for us to gain an intimate relationship with Him so that our joy may be complete.

I stand on a preamble that states that the Bible is the inerrant word of God – all 66 of the ‘books’ contained within it. I offer the following proofs:

1.      The Bible was written over a 1500-year period, in 3 separate languages, on 3 different continents, by 40 different Holy Spirit-inspired authors from all walks of life. Yet, it displays an incredible thematic continuity without contradiction. In fact, the books within the Bible explain each other. The theme of the Bible covers the beginning of all things and progressively describes their ultimate end.

2.      The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls proved that the Old Testament has warded off corruption for thousands of years. Moreover, the Bible has withstood over 2600 years of worldly assault, yet the truth of God persists.

3.      The historical accuracy of the Bible has been proven archeologically – supported by a plethora of historical extra-biblical manuscripts, more so than any other book.

4.      Biblical scripture is the only holy scripture containing prophetic glimpses of the future that came to pass, e.g. every Old Testament prediction of Christ’s coming and His nature was fulfilled.

5.      The word of God connects us to Him, which has inspired people to make the Bible the most translated and best-selling book in history.

6.      The word of God transcends that natural ways of humankind – revealing all our spiritual, relational, and moral needs. When applied, we are changed for the better.

7.      Many scientific facts are revealed in the scriptures, centuries before their human discovery.

8.      While we do not have an original manuscript for the New Testament, there were thousands of letters circulated by the early church fathers, that when assembled, present a 99.9% accuracy with regards to the content of the New Testament.

9.      Lastly, the New Testament was canonized in 393 A.D. This was not about creating new content but was an indexing of pre-verified Holy Spirit-inspired writings. Furthermore, the Bible declares itself as complete; and God Himself prohibits altering it.   

In order to have the Bible be effective in your life, you must visit it daily:

The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. Josh. 1:8 AMP

In fact, it is an imperative from God:

Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; but happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]. Pr. 29:18

Reading the Bible teaches you how to talk to God, brings you closer to Him, and makes for greater efficacy in your prayers.

It is your rock:

“…you know in all your hearts and all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.” Josh. 23:14 NASB

“…The word of the LORD is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 2 Sam. 22:31 NASB

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Is. 40:8 NASB

“Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Mt. 4:4 CSB

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph. 6:17 NASB

…as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its inherent, supernatural power in those of faith]. 1 Thess. 2:13 AMP

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit…and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Heb. 4:12 NASB

Yes, God is your rock, found in His word – your strong foundation, where you meet your Creator, who cherishes you…

Goodnight and God bless. 

Meeting God Up Close and Personal – part 2

“Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified.” A.W. Tozer

Last time, we saw that God, through His word, fills us with a hunger to have an ongoing intimate experience with Him – to come to know and love Him in His fullness, which must include building a relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit as well. 

It can be a lengthy journey, but God guarantees that we will find Him if we persist in our seeking. (Dt. 4:29). Once we do, we must persevere in our efforts to remain in God’s presence, by our earnest labor in transcending the ways of the world – preparing and keeping our hearts in a holy state where God can come to live. 

You do that by embracing HIs salvation through HIs Son. Concomitantly, you must leave your ‘old self’ to die; and through God’s grace, He makes you worthy for your encounter. 

Let’s continue…

The only way to overcome having just a philosophical construct of God, is to perceive Him and be acquainted with Him on an intimate, personal level – beyond rote religion. We must know Him in His creations and in His incarnation of Jesus. In order to do that, God has granted us the ability to know Him in both a physical and spiritual sense; and they both require an exercise of our faith:

But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him. Heb. 11:6 AMP

That means living, eating and breathing Jehovah God and Jesus, knowing that they are around us and in us in every conceivable way, and beyond – in a spiritual sense, every bit as real as the natural, regardless of how the world lies to us to try to convince us it’s untrue. Indeed, a Christian leans upon his or her Savior to reinforce their faith in the Truth:

“Did I not say to you that if you believe [in Me], you will see the glory of God [the expression of His excellence]?” Jn. 11:40 AMP

…keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. Heb. 12:2 CSB

In that, you are deciding to be a citizen of the kingdom of God, which exists now, and in the future in its final glorious manifestation. Then, the Holy Spirit goes to work, zeroing you into the presence of the Father and the Son, making you more acutely aware of their presence. 

God is omnipresent. So, if we are in right relationship with Him, we can embrace and enjoy Him in every moment, everywhere and in all things:

“Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD, “and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD. Jer. 23:23, 24. NKJV

God wants you to find Him, to be close with Him; and He’s right in front of you, already in your presence, waiting for you to reach out:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Jas. 4:8 NKJV

For that, we must do our best to remain in our spiritual walk, which keeps ourselves in a state of readiness – by walking in the Word, instead of modifying it to fit the world. In our walk, we keep an open ear to hear Him. The Bible prepares us to live rightly, but the voice of God (Jesus) still speaks:

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.” Rv. 4:11 NKJV

We can hear His exhortation when we are on the right path, and thankfully, His conviction when we fall off, so that we might return. It is good to remain acutely listening in the spirit, because sometimes the voice of God can come in a whisper:

…behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and a strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it…behold there came a voice… 1 Kin. 19:11 – 13. ESV

Too often, we listen to ourselves or others first:

“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.” Ps. 46:10 AMP

That means too that we must un-busy ourselves with the trivialities of life, so that we may hear what He has to say today. We pray and pay attention…

God loves us so much. While we are seeking His presence, He is at work preparing our souls to be blessed by that same presence forever: 

I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. Phil. 1:6 AMP

That preparation began when your connection with God was re-established through the shed blood of Christ, i.e. in righteous relationship. That relationship can only be nurtured when we recognize His ultimate lordship over our lives, and do our human best to surrender completely to that hierarchy. This moment-by-moment choosing helps maintain our Divine deliverance from the world, into the kingdom of God. It’s rooted in a determination to put God first in everything we do or think:

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Mt. 6:10 NKJV

God takes up residence in your heart, and then you will have truly come home. You’re living in His grace, above and away from all that He is not; which means your walking in the footsteps of Christ. Ultimately then, you get to enter Jehovah God’s rest:

For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Ps. 95:7 NKJV

Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. Ps. 116:7, 8. NKJV

And it frees you from giving any validity to the damnations and vilifications hurled towards the godly, by those who reject their Creator, because, hey, God thinks you’re pretty special. You’re finally free to be who you are, who God made you to be. Plus, you have an Ally: 

“For I will contend with him who contends with you…” Is. 49:25 NKJV

Finally, when we stay in God’s presence, we can navigate this world that we must inhabit until we enter the final manifestation of His kingdom – drinking in the joy of bringing Him pleasure by transcending its cretinous ways:

And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God… Rm. 12:2 AMP

We do it all for God’s glory; Who in turn, reflects it back:

“…for those who honor Me I will honor…” 1 Sam. 2:30 NKJV 

Praise God! Here we are, in His presence…

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Ps. 16:11 NASB

Goodnight and God bless. 

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