Hosanna
Well-known member
37 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37–39
In this passage the Apostle Paul assures us that regardless of what may come against us in this life, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ Who loved us enough to give His life for us.
In John 3:16 Jesus Himself says, ♥ “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.”
Jesus loves you, personally, so much that He would have given His life for you, even if you had been the only person on earth.
John the Beloved Disciple tells us that ♥ “there is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection]” (I JOHN 4:18).
When we have fear in our hearts, that is a sign that we still lack the knowledge of how much God loves us.
If you know the magnitude of God’s love, it will cause all of your fears to fade away.
In John 16:27 Jesus said, ♥ “For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father.”
Is it difficult for you to believe that God cares so much about you? For many years I was unable to receive God’s love for me because I thought I had to be worthy of His love. But now I know He loves me, even though I still have imperfections.
In John 14:21 Jesus reminds us, ♥ “The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]”
Jesus wants to make Himself real to you.
Obedience is a fruit of true love, but you will never be able to love God enough to obey Him unless you first receive His love for you. You cannot earn it. You cannot buy it with good works, or purchase it with good behavior. God’s love is a free gift; it is unconditional. It comes to us through the sacrifice that Jesus made when He died for us on the cross.
Receive God’s love right now. Sit in His presence and say, “I believe You love me, Lord, and I receive Your love.” In 1 John 4:19 we read, ♥“We love Him, because He first loved us.” Perhaps you have been going about it backwards as I did for so many years. You may be trying to love God enough and do enough so He will then love you in return. But look at 1 John 4:19 again, ♥“We love Him, because He first loved us.”
David was confident of God’s love when he said in Psalm 36:7, ♥“How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.” I would like to share with you passages of Psalm 139. David had a unique way of communicating with God, and we would do well to follow his example. Confess with your mouth the words of this psalm:
♥ O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment, you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head. This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God!.… How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!
38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37–39
In this passage the Apostle Paul assures us that regardless of what may come against us in this life, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ Who loved us enough to give His life for us.
In John 3:16 Jesus Himself says, ♥ “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.”
Jesus loves you, personally, so much that He would have given His life for you, even if you had been the only person on earth.
John the Beloved Disciple tells us that ♥ “there is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection]” (I JOHN 4:18).
When we have fear in our hearts, that is a sign that we still lack the knowledge of how much God loves us.
If you know the magnitude of God’s love, it will cause all of your fears to fade away.
In John 16:27 Jesus said, ♥ “For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father.”
Is it difficult for you to believe that God cares so much about you? For many years I was unable to receive God’s love for me because I thought I had to be worthy of His love. But now I know He loves me, even though I still have imperfections.
In John 14:21 Jesus reminds us, ♥ “The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]”
Jesus wants to make Himself real to you.
Obedience is a fruit of true love, but you will never be able to love God enough to obey Him unless you first receive His love for you. You cannot earn it. You cannot buy it with good works, or purchase it with good behavior. God’s love is a free gift; it is unconditional. It comes to us through the sacrifice that Jesus made when He died for us on the cross.
Receive God’s love right now. Sit in His presence and say, “I believe You love me, Lord, and I receive Your love.” In 1 John 4:19 we read, ♥“We love Him, because He first loved us.” Perhaps you have been going about it backwards as I did for so many years. You may be trying to love God enough and do enough so He will then love you in return. But look at 1 John 4:19 again, ♥“We love Him, because He first loved us.”
David was confident of God’s love when he said in Psalm 36:7, ♥“How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.” I would like to share with you passages of Psalm 139. David had a unique way of communicating with God, and we would do well to follow his example. Confess with your mouth the words of this psalm:
♥ O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment, you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head. This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God!.… How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!
