Can God's love be measured?_Ephesians 3:16-20

We love to measure things. We see things in terms of numbers -- how much, how many, how long, how deep, how wide, how tall. How does one measure God's love for us?

John 3:16 tells us "For God so LOVED the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life."

Romans 3:8 also says, "But God demonstrates His LOVE for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." And,

Ecclesiastes 3:3:22-23, "Because of the Lord's GREAT LOVE, we are not consumed, for His COMPASSIONS never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

We are not capable of full grasping how much -- how deep, how wide, how high, how long -- He loves us.  We must only BELIEVE it because He tells us throughout the Bible, His love letter, and because He has demonstrated it to us so many times.  We can believe it because it is real and present in our lives, even when at times we don't "feel" it.  We hold on to this -- His love is unfailing, constant, never-changing and immeasurable.

Thank you, my Lord, for loving me the way You do. Thank you for yout undying love for me for which You died on the cross to save me.

God doesn't play favorites_Acts 10:34-35

God doesn't play favorites.  While the Israelites may have been His Chosen People, Jesus, Son of God, died for ALL that ALL may be saved.

While we may be different fro each other in form, colour, and culture, we are all created by Him in His image and likeness. Inside our outward shells, we are "constructed" in the same way and have the same colour of blood running through our veins. yet, there is so much hate around us as people have become wary of "what is different".  But different does not equate to danger not should it be a wall to separate us from fellowship with those who differ from us.

We have to look past the physical, and seek the heart of others, just as Christ did when He walked the earth.  1Samuel 16:7, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as a man sees: man looks on the the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Thank you, Lord, for how clearly You love all! Your salvation through Christ is for all nations because You do not play favorites.  You are good and just! Remove from me any bias or prejudice. Help me to always see  people the way Jesus did -- through eyes of love.

Don't turn your back on Jesus_John 6:66

Today's verse for the devotional on Our Daily Bread which I follow, John 6:66, dwelt on how many times the Jesus who IS doesn't fit into what we expect Him to be. We, of course, have only a limited understanding of the depth and width of His Majesty and Power. It was written in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways ,your ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways and thoughts than your thoughts." We cannot even begin to think we truly know our God in heaven!

But what struck me with the chosen verse is that it had the number 666. Revelation 13:18, "This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of man. That number is 666." In Revelation 13:7, 14:11, 16:2, 19:20 and 20:4, all speak about what happens to those who have the "mark of the beast" or "mark of its name" -- all those who, like those in John 6:66, "...turned back and no longer followed Jesus." Our salvation rests on the saving grace of Jesus, His sacrifice on the cross. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

Lord, Your coming is drawing near! Give me the boldness share Your gospel to those who haven't heard it yet, or those who have turned away from following Jesus.

Yet we worry_Matthew 6:25-34

Yet we worry despite memorizing these amazing verses that should give us comfort and hope. Despite our faith, despite our proclamations that "God is good", "God is in control", "God is faithful to all His promises", we still go on and have our anxious thoughts. Why then do we still worry?

Not to shift the blame but it goes back to the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eve. The serpent played on the very thing that made us uniquely human--our free will, and our downfall--our pride. Adam and Eve could have very well lived comfortably in the presence of God without having to worry about anything, but when the serpent offered them something more -- the ability to discern good and evil -- by eating from the forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and to become "like" God, they walked right in his wily trap. We are no different. We still want to be in control, no matter what we say otherwise. Our pride compels us to take charge...and then worry.

To stop worrying, therefore, we need to surrender our will to the Father's. He, is after all, God who is in control; he is faithful to all His promises; and, His plans for us are good.

How does my heart look?_1 Samuel 16:1-7

When the Lord sent Samuel to Jesse's family to anoint the new king, Samuel most likely had in mind what a king should look like -- tall, handsome, strong, a commanding presence, maybe a loud voice, fighting skills, etc. Like a beauty pageant, each candidate among Jesse's sons paraded before Samuel only to be rejected by the Lord. David, the youngest and relegated to watching the sheep while everyone else was invited to the assembly with Samuel, the Judge, was finally called in, as a last ditch effort. It was he that God had chosen.

Why didn't the Lord just tell Samuel right away to call for David? God wanted to teach Samuel, and us, that the world's standards are not God's standards. What we may think to be right is not right with God. Our worldview is to look at "looks" -- height, facial features, body build, color of skin, social status, income etc. Our Father who created all of us, knows every single cell in our bodies. He calls us to serve Him according to the status of our HEARTS, our obedience to Him and willingness to serve Him are what matter most.

Giving Glory_John 17:1-5

The Hebrew word kavod (K-V-D) has meant "importance", "weight", "deference", or "heaviness", but primarily kavod means "glory", "respect", "honor", and "majesty". In translating the Hebrew Bible, the Greek word used is δόξα, a word also appearing extensively in the New Testament which was originally written in Greek. (www.en.wikipedia.org) Sadly, in today's world, people often glorify other mere mortals who are as flawed as they are; many times, it is precisely for the flaws that they are glorified! Celebrities, artists, musicians, and yes, even politicians, are "idolized".

While I find nothing wrong when we admire others for their values, and how their lives impact positively others, it becomes wrong when admiration or even inspiration becomes obsessive to the point that the person is put on a pedestal. Only One deserves the praise, honor and reverence, and that is Jesus. In his prayer to the Father, he expresses that he has brought the Father glory on earth (humans now have seen the Father through Jesus) by completing the work you have given me to do (reconciling sacrifice through His death on the cross).

Temptation and Sin_Genesis 3:1-10

The story of the Fall of Man in Genesis 3:1-10 is one of my favorites, not because I like sin but because it shows how the original sin of Adam and Eve is lurking to make me fall as well. How easily we are deceived by the devil, the father of all lies! The serpent easily planted doubt in the minds of Eve, and of Adam who there beside her, by the way. The serpent asked, "Did God REALLY say, 'You must not eat from ANY tree in the garden?" By subtly twisting the truth he set the trap for the humans. How easily we are snared by our own lusts! When Eve saw the fruit of the tree, she saw that it was "good for food" (lust of the flesh), "pleasing to the eye (lust of the senses), and "desirable for gaining wisdom" (pride). How easily we think we can hide our sin from God who created us! Once they ate of the fruit, their eyes were indeed open, not to the wonders as described by the serpent but to their own nakedness (vulnerability, ugliness of sin). And as God called out to them "Where are you?" -- as if he didn't already know where they were -- they both hid, mistakenly thinking that God wouldn't find them.

Lord, how many times have I been deceived and succumbed to the temptations of the flesh, senses and of pride? Forgive me Lord! Help me see my own nakedness and how much I need Your Holy Spirit for discernment and faith. Help me to know that I am victorious over the serpent because Jesus has already won over sin and death on the Cross.