"Accepted Just as You Are"

"For God so Loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.'  John 3:16-17

The Love of God is deep and wide enough to embrace every kind of person and situation.  It may appear to some that there is no hope for them considering the many evils they have committed.  But the truth of the Gospel is that God loved the whole world with a everlasting, unconditional kind of love.  It's not the love that we can earn or work towards by anything that we do, it is simply God's very nature.  It's exactly who He is.  He even loves us when we don't love Him back.  Imagine that for a moment and how we tend to compare God's loving embrace with anything we have experienced on this earthly realm.  The fact of the matter is that there is absolutely no comparison.  This gives us unending peace and hope when we are faced with trials and circumstances beyond our control, and to know that God's love is covering our minds and hearts.

As I listen to the heart of the youth in this generation, I am starting to recognize one of their greatest needs.  They are crying out to be accepted!  For so many of them, they have been rejected by their parents, loved ones or even society.  My heart breaks as I hear some of the emotional pain and heartache that they have endured already in such a short lifetime.  But God!  God in His great Mercy has given us a way to rise up out of our ashes and to become all that we could ask or think.  He is a God of more than second chances, His Love for us is greater than any pain or suffering we have endured.  When I think of some of the lowest points in my personal journey, they have usually involved some form of rejection.  Whether or not it is on the same level as someone else or not, still the Love of God is able to heal, restore and rebuild any broken life.  The only reason I did not give up when life hit hardest, is simply because the Love of God was shined into my life in some way or another.  Thank God for Christians who operate fully in the Love of God.  We can have all the talent in the world, but if we do not have love, we are only as a clanging cymbal or a noisy gong!
(I Cor. 13:1)  And I don't know about you, but I want my life to make a difference and I'm not impressed with dead religion.  Why even bother with going to church meetings and doing all of the "good works" that impress people, while being a stench in the face of God and not making any difference in eternal matters.  But before we can actually Love the world with this heavenly love, we have to know it and embrace for ourselves first!  You absolutely cannot share something you do not have yourself.  God loves you and accepts you just as you are.  You were not an accident, but rather were created on purpose, by purpose and for a purpose!

"Rise and Shine"

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."  I Peter 1:3-5

One of the many ways God refreshes and restores us is through His Word.  What an amazing privilege we have been given to be called sons and daughters of God.  Through him, we can be strong and do mighty exploits in His name.  He has clothed us with holiness and righteousness and has given us a shield of faith and victory in every situation we face.  Every morning we can wake up and know that our steps are ordered and directed by Him, as we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts and lead us.   It also says that His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.(Psalm 119:105)

When I am distracted by the various methods and marches in Hollywood, politics, science and academia, designed by the enemy and instituted by the ungodly to bring world peace, I remember that still small voice that says, "Be still and know that I am God."  The Lord Jesus Christ is the only source of peace that will always calm the storm in our lives.  It is astounding to me how there are so many good people who have trusted in the arm of flesh (material wealth, fame and influence) to be their source of hope.  God has promised us that we can rest assured as His people, that mockery will not overtake and consume us.  God will not be mocked.   This is the hour and the day that God's people will arise and shine (Isaiah 60:1)  like the brightness of the stars in a dark sky.  That is the Glory of God upon His people shining throughout the earth.  What a beautiful promise of the undeniable faithfulness of our Mighty God. 

Today I declare God's word over your life!  You were born for such a time as this.  There is greatness inside of you and the glory of God shines upon you today, illuminating His Word and Presence inside of your heart that you may walk firmly established and confident that He is Your Strength!  Nothing is impossible for Him and what He has started in you, He has promised to complete.  Little is much when God is in it.  Never again will you fear the future and be consumed with the thought of giving up. The Lord would say to you today that He will help you defeat the giants in your life.  No longer do you have to feel alone and afraid,  because the rivers of living water (John 7:38) will begin to burst forth as your faith becomes ignited and your heart connects to the lover of your soul.  He will cause you to hunger for His Word and to be nourished daily in His loving presence.  Life with the Lord is good.  Your journey is just beginning and the best is yet to come.

Today's Prayer:  Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for Your Word that brings life and life more abundantly! No longer will I live in defeat, because I discipline my mind and my heart today and everyday to hear your voice and walk daily in the blessing of God. I choose today to arise and shine, and live in victory through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.   In Jesus Name, amen.