Love

Looking at Calvary Part 1

John 19: 34 tells us when Jesus hung on the cross the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side and blood and water came out. We have heard sermons on the blood but I personally have not heard teachings on the water symbolism.

“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” Zachariah 13:1.

There are five parallels I will explore with you in these blogs. Imagine a public square with a huge cascading water fountain without a ledge around it. You could walk right into it if you were so inclined.

The fountain gushes up with great force if it is working correctly. Jesus’ blood is a mighty force against the powers of evil that try to snare and entrap us. Imagine a bed of stinging ants that you walk into as you are strolling through the park. They are crawling all over your feet and legs and making you miserable. You walk into the fountain and they float away dead. The stinging ants are symbolic of our enemy Satan and his attacks.

Our savior overcame Satan when He rose triumphantly from the grave. We, His followers, have the promise, “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37.

Earthly Fathers/Father God (part 4)

Parental generosity can be done out of guilt or to “buy” a child’s love. Father God is generous because He loves us and wants the best for each of us. He pays attention to every detail of our lives, in fact the Bible says even the hairs on our head are numbered.

God is generous. He has created a beautiful world with so much color, design, and variety for us to enjoy. He uses His creativity to bless us. He pays attention to the details of our lives. Sometimes we receive a totally unexpected touch of His generosity. I am especially blessed by often being able to find a parking space right at the location I need. In fact my friend and my husband comment “There is your space.”

Let us remember to thank Him for His generosity.

Earthly Fathers/Father God (part 3)

Parental faithfulness is the next attribute we will explore. Many of us have not experienced the faithfulness on the part of our fathers that our hearts longed for. We may have a mistrust of God based on this lack in our own earthly father.

Our father God is consistently loving. He is the same now and always. Heb.13:5; Matthew 28:20 declares, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you….I am with you always even until the end of the age.”

There is a God of love who wants to welcome each of us into His family and His care. He says “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 NASB

Our heavenly father is the perfect father. He is always there for His children, loving us, picking us up when we fall, and encouraging us as we journey through life.

Earthly Fathers/Father God (part 2)

I will be discussing six attributes of fathers the first being parental authority. The example is given of a dog who trembles with fear when his master approaches knowing that he will be mistreated. Other animals know they have a loving master and they respond accordingly. So it is when God approaches man. Some of us are fearful and pull away. We have ignored His heart of love towards us, blamed Him for things that He was not responsible for, and we have hidden ourselves from His love. He is not like the flawed fathers we had. He is the perfect Father even though we may have to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures that tell us of His love before we come to accept that love. It is well worth the effort it takes to embrace the love He has for each of us.

Developing Passion For The Lord (part 3)

Previously I wrote about two ways to increase our passion for the Lord. Now I want to address the importance of knowing how He gifted us to fit into His body on earth.

We can find out through taking the spiritual gift tests found on line, in Christian book stores, or sometimes available through churches. In addition our close friends may point out strengths we did not know we had. We also have the witness of the Holy Spirit within us who will confirm what He has designed us to do, as we take note of what makes us feel fulfilled. I compare it to finding a pair of leather gloves that fit after digging through a stack of them in the department store. Finally we come up with, “it fits.” We fill fulfilled, and we are at peace when we are ministering in our gifts.

Sometimes He may stretch us and call us out into areas where we are not comfortable, but if we persist we will find areas of ministry that are our calling and do fit.

There is no need to compete or compare ourselves to others which is a human tendency especially among women. We are only responsible for what He has put within us. Let us discern where He wants us to minister remembering that there are
no “super stars.” Some ministries may not be very visible (such as visiting shut-ins), but they are just as important as other more visible, out-front ministries.

Developing Passion For The Lord (part 1)

Recently I have been contemplating ways to feel more “connected” with the Lord. In doing so I have revisited the concept I wrote about in a brochure entitled Loving Jesus which is available on my web site www.parkpraisepublications.com. It lists some attributes of Jesus , the son which are unique to those of God, the Father. I encourage speaking aloud and thanking Jesus for specific attributes. We all like to hear our names spoken, and I think Jesus must like this too. For example: “Jesus, I thank you that you are the bright and morning Star.”

We find our love and appreciation for Him growing as we focus and verbalize His special attributes one at a time. I encourage you to try this giving it a few weeks as it will be rote to begin with but then connection will come if you preserve.

Many of us have found in our earthly relationships that intimacy builds as we compliment our loved ones and focus on their unique attributes.

Constrained by Love

Galatians 3:13 tells us “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law.”

When we really come to know the one who redeemed us by the sacrifice of His blood sin loses its appeal. We have encountered the person of grace – the one who gave His life’s blood for our salvation. His indwelling Holy Spirit is the power source for overcoming temptations and giving us a “forgiven consciousness.” We are indeed a blessed people who can draw on that power source as we meet the challenges of life as we face our own inadequacies as well as interact with the imperfect humanity around us.

Hebrews 8:10 tells us the law is now written on our hearts. As we fall more in love with Jesus we have an increasing desire to please Him and embrace His holy standards as revealed in His word. We will be quick to confess, “Lord, I did wrong, I thank you that you have forgiven me.”