Faith Archives – Page 18 of 36

Reckless Love Endures. Receive It.

11.27.2018 by Erin Thompson //

This month FACETS of Faith continues its exploration of God’s most enduring attributes, inspired by Psalm 136. This week, we invite our friend and guest contributor Erin Nicole Thompson to share what she finds most enduring about God. Erin is the founder of Be Brilliant Ministries and the author of Daughters: Your Identity Rescued, Your Value Restored. For more information about her ministry or Bible study, check out her website.

And for more inspiration of God’s enduring attributes, check out Tracy’s piece on God’s faithfulness and Jennifer’s piece about God’s graciousness.

Without further ado, let Erin’s words wash over you, revealing God’s heart for each of you precious readers. We pray you are changed because God met you in and through it.

What is your best attribute? Your most enduring, inherent quality? What do others count on you for? Mercy? Wisdom? Kindness? Are you stumped? It can be a hard question to answer for ourselves.

Well, how about your spouse? Your parents? Or what about God?

What attribute of God do you just love? Appreciate most? Which is most precious to you?

For me?

It’s nice you asked.

My initial response was goodness. God’s goodness. That must be it.

But no.

Sometimes I struggle to understand His goodness in a situation, at least due to my limited perspective. Sometimes His goodness feels far off. Maybe you can relate.

So what is my most constant, consistent conviction of who God is to me?

Love.

Reckless love. Relentless love.

Ever-present. Ever-reaching. Ever-lasting. Never–ending.

God’s love – the reality of it, my experience of it, and my response to it – has to be His most precious inherent attribute to me.

It is more than an attribute. It is a reality. “God is love” (1 John 4:16). His very essence. His being. Love. He doesn’t just give it. He is it.

And because of that, His love is unlike any that has been experienced or existed on earth.

His love is unfailing. It is described as such a whopping 141 times in the Bible. I think that deserves a mic-drop.

We all can sing, “Jesus loves me.” But it seems more often we struggle to be satisfied by God’s love.

If that is you, I understand. Because for more years than I would like to acknowledge, I knew God loved me but I struggled to feel His love. To receive it.

So if you’re like me, here is a five-step-start down the road to be satisfied by the love of God.

“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” (Zephaniah 3:17).

Each line of Zephaniah 3:17 is like the guidance of a GPS. Each line shows us where to start and where to turn next. It guides us into an experience of the love of the Father.

“For the Lord your God is living among you.”

First, recognize God’s presence. We need to acknowledge it. When we rise in the morning and moan, “must have coffee,” realize God is with you. As you stumble to the coffee maker say, “Good Morning.”

“He is a mighty savior.”

As your fingers feel the reality of the heat through the mug, request God to fight for you in the day’s battles. Lay your worries at His feet. And realize that He is a mighty savior and no match for what faces you that day. Our second turn is to request God to fight for you and realize He will prevail.

“He will take delight in you with gladness.”

After we invite the Lord into our worries, we can allow our eyes to be lifted to His face. And let’s not stare at the floor but look into His eyes. Deep into His eyes and see how He feels about us. What He thinks of us. Because He calls us beloved. Chosen. His. Adored. Sought out. If that is what He thinks of you, what is His gaze like? May those realities allow you to feel His delight. Receive it.

“With his love, he will calm all your fears.”

Next, we rest in God’s love. “Perfect love expels all fear” (1 John 4:18). Do you have any fears? I do. But when I stand in God’s perfect love, it is the closest I come to being fearless. To rest in that love maybe you need to sit. Or kneel with your face to the floor. As He sings over you because…

“He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

God serenades you. Loudly. Boldly. Proudly. You are His, He is yours and He wants everyone to know it. He rejoices over you. You bring Him joy. Let that sink in and then respond. Show Him how you feel about that. Respond to God’s adoration and see if you feel blessed. Free. Forgiven. Released from the burdens of this world and the baggage you have been dragging around. And then run, run into His arms and allow your soul to be surrounded in His embrace.

His reckless love is present. It is pursing you. Fighting for you. Delighting in you. Calming you. Rejoicing over you.

We must receive it. Respond. And soon God’s enduring essence will become our defining feature. Reckless love.

Take a moment to receive. Enjoy and receive.

What enduring attribute of God’s do you value most? Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.

God is…Gracious!

11.13.2018 by Jennifer Howe //

This month the FACETS are thinking about the character of God, the precious attributes revealing facets of Almighty God to us. Tracy wrote on God’s faithfulness here. Visit next Tuesday to find out which attribute Kim chose. Finally, we have a guest sharing the following Tuesday. I love each writer’s choice and voice. I hope you will, too.

Then the Lord passed in front of him [Moses] and proclaimed: Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth Exodus 34:6 CSB

Sweet friend, can I be honest for a pair of minutes? I need grace. I need more of it than the average Jo, no lie. Some days I’m more sensitive to my failings and have to admit Paul’s words both pierce and offer healing balm to my soul:

But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16 NLT

I’m a writer who lives in a world of words. Those same words are weapons I draw on a terrible, horrible, no-good day. Anyone can dip into “strengths” for the wrong reasons or intent, right? Then an insidious whisper hisses, “Jesus can’t love me. I’ve messed up too much. I’m disqualified. Again.” The voice of the liar gets in my head, sometimes my heart, too often. Maybe you’ve heard the voice with an accusation. It can crush us if we’re not careful to make intentional choices.

Accept the gift of grace. A precious gift was given. We see it in John 3:16-17—

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but rather so that through him, the world might be saved… CJB

The Son, Jesus, came for a purpose. He came to represent the Father and us—to fix the gap between holiness and humanity. He was both God and man, all on a rescue mission for us, who could do nothing about the problem on our own. Since we couldn’t earn it and don’t deserve it, that’s grace! Jesus is the display of God’s gracious character on our behalf. I just love that. And I desperately need it! (You too?)

Once upon a time, I made an intentional decision. I wanted that. I wasn’t clear on how it the gift of grace happened, but I knew I wanted it, and I asked wholeheartedly. I was a beggar doing what beggars do. Sometimes when you have a need, you ask…and ask…and ask again. I needed some kind of do-over. The Good Father meets the need through Jesus. The Father’s child knows to come, ask, and shelter in the Father’s house. Then the child becomes an heir to the inheritance, in this case, beautiful grace!

Be willing to accept the gift and accept what He says. The gift of grace is for you, through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Whatever you do, hang on to that truth with all you’ve got. Grasp it like your life depends on it. Never let go! This is daily acceptance or rejection of truth, in my experience. We choose daily, friend; let’s choose well.

Beware the lies! The enemy of our souls wants nothing more than to destroy any hope, truth, or connection to our Father through the Son. So he strews a path of lies to obscure the way. Root out the lies by comparing the voice you hear to the Bible. When the voice matches the Word of God in good context, you can rest in the truth. When lies come, you’ll see them for what they are.

Let’s allow God to love us through words in Scripture. Let’s be loved. Then we can love others.

Remember my struggle with word weapons? Some conviction is truth mixed with lies. It’s true my words must become increasingly filled with truth and love and grace (because God’s people become more like the character of God). But there is no shame with truth because “no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). There’s a chasm of difference between Holy Spirit’s whisper of conviction to repent and the shame-filled hiss of the enemy. One leads to freedom; the other spirals into a trap.

Practice receiving the gift of grace. The longer we’ve listened to the hiss, the more difficult it may be to meet it with truth. We need to sit with Scripture, wash the mind with it, and counter the lies with truth. That takes time, repetition, and practice!

It’s a choice to receive grace. If we choose not to receive it, we land in a pit of pride. We isolate and insulate. In my experience isolation leads to anger, frustration, and sadness. Hope is absent. That’s a choice—but not a life I want. (None of us wants that.)

I practice receiving truth and love by spending time with Him throughout the day. I read what He has to say. I want to talk to Him often. Good habits to cultivate, for sure, but the relationship doesn’t rest on some fuel I generate through effort (it would for sure fall flat!).

Grace is a gift created and given by the giver. We can’t earn or deserve it. Because He is compassionate and gracious, His gift is always more than we can think or imagine. Think of how lavish that is!

Grace. I’m thankful for enduring grace! Now I want to respond in love to Him for that amazing gift—I want to live differently because grace leads to repentance…and fierce and fiery love for Him and others.

Which attribute is precious to you? We all want to know. Share in the comments below or at our Facebook Page.

What Enduring Attribute of God’s is Most Precious to You?

11.06.2018 by Tracy Stella //

Welcome! Whether this is your first time or you are a regular reader, we pray God meets you in the midst of these pages. We don’t write from a position of “having arrived”. Rather, we share what God is doing in our lives as broken jars of clay in the hands of the Heavenly Potter who holds us, forms us, and sends us forth to make disciples.

This month the Facets team decided to engage with our question differently. We’ve never taken a passage of the same Scripture and explored it together, but from our own unique perspective. Tune in throughout November to see what Jennifer, Kim, and our guest contributor have to say. It’s always interesting to see the themes God brings forward.

There is much to be grateful for, and our passage of Scripture reminds us of that this holiday season. It’s a longer than normal excerpt, but I encourage you to read it through. Please don’t skim it like a too-thin coat of paint that doesn’t cover. Take your time. Linger with it. Let the words saturate your spirit as you consider God and what He wants to say to you through it.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
²Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
³Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:

⁴To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁵To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁶To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁷To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever—
⁸The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁹The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.

¹⁰To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹¹And brought out Israel from among them,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹²With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹³To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁴And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁵But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁶To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁷To Him who struck down great kings,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁸And slew famous kings,
For His mercy endures forever—
¹⁹Sihon king of the Amorites,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁰And Og king of Bashan,
For His mercy endures forever—
²¹And gave their land as a heritage,
For His mercy endures forever;
²²A heritage to Israel His servant,
For His mercy endures forever.

²³Who remembered us in our lowly state,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁴And rescued us from our enemies,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁵Who gives food to all flesh,
For His mercy endures forever.

²⁶Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures forever.

─Psalm 136 NKJV

Of course, our ministry team couldn’t help but notice the theme repeated ensuring none of us would miss it. For His mercy endures forever.

Those words got us thinking, what attribute of God’s endures forever – and which were we presently most thankful for?

Today, it is one word. He keeps bringing me around to it.

Faithful.

God is so faithful!

In His mercy, His faithfulness endures forever.

It’s His mercy that helped (and helps) me to be in a position to experience His faithfulness. It’s because He is good, that I can experience His goodness.

He is faithful. Forever. On our best day, we can’t say we are faithful 100% of the time. But God is. Forever! He is Steady and True. Constant. Never-Changing. He won’t leave us by the wayside. He meets us along the way, wherever we are at, wherever He finds us.

And in His faithfulness, He doesn’t leave us there.

I have so much to be grateful to God for, so much! Where He found me, isn’t where He left me. It’s important for me to remember, to pause and reflect, and then to ponder where He might bring me next. Until I die, He will be faithful to transform me. You too. He loves us that much!

When I lean in and “let Him” change me, it’s a beautiful thing. Transformation takes cooperation.

A few weeks back God spoke to me in an intimate, sweet way, helping me to remember just how faithful He has been in my life. From when we first met to where I find myself today, I stand amazed. It’s really quite incredible what God can do in His faithfulness. When we stop throwing fits. When we lean in and listen to His sweet whispers. When we let Him lead. He is faithful to lead us to green pastures. The places of peace and love, joy and hope, strength and perseverance.

Often, God catches me off guard. He takes my breath away. Not always am I able to articulate it. He’s God after all, and not always explainable.

But if you notice when you read the numerous examples in Psalm 136, time and time again God was faithful to Israel. He is STILL FAITHFUL to His children today.

I stood in the crowd, lights dim and stage lit up as I listened to the words I’d heard and connected with even before I’d officially crossed the line of faith. I identified with the woman in the song, ripped jeans, dented fender, a little worse for the wear when I’d met God.

You may be familiar with Francesca Battistelli. You may not, but it was her song Free to Be Me. It’s as if that song was a promise to me back before I could believe it. (Click here if you’d like to listen to it.)

I felt like damaged goods. Perhaps, my shelf life expired. Past my prime. Used up. Broken.

But somewhere, somehow God broke through my brokenness. He gave me hope that He had a good future for me in spite of the fact that I was a bit banged up.

He is faithful. So very faithful. Take hope if this is where you find yourself, feeling like damaged goods, expired, past your prime, used up and broken.

It’s not true if you let the Heavenly Potter fashion you into what He intended all along. He wants you to feel free to be you, who He really intended for you to be all along. (Me too.)

I stood in the concert, so touched. Overwhelmed, I stood next to my husband, worshiping God with joy, dancing with movement and in spirit knowing God had brought me out into this spacious place. In Christ. I am not who I once was, but I am most free to be me, who He really intended me to be.

Floods of gratitude and incredulity at the contrast of where I once was to where God has brought me, I cried silent tears of joy. Spirit tears. With God my life has turned out much better than I could have hoped or imagined back then.

God is faithful.

To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
─Psalm 136:4 NKJV

God is still in the business of doing GREAT WONDERS in and through you and me. He is Faithful. He’s not just faithful to some. He is faithful to all. To you. To me. To all. Let Him show you. Let Him remind you. Let Him reveal His faithfulness to you.

Perhaps one day about a decade later you’ll listen to lyrics He’ll use as a spiritual mile marker showing you just how far He has brought you. He’ll etch into your memory who you were, who you are, and who you are becoming.

This is a message for us all, His beautiful masterpieces being molded into His image. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is Royalty. And so are we!

This is what I believe God wants me to leave you with, no matter where you find yourself on the spectrum of understanding who Christ is, how much He loves you, and His faithfulness to bring us into the fullness of our identity as His sons and daughters.

He is Royalty. So are we … dents and all. Don’t let the enemy steal one more day of your destiny. He will try, but God is Faithful and True, and the enemy has already been defeated. The enemy can’t win, because he’s already lost.

If you are in Christ (having accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior) you are an heir to the throne. Royalty. Because God is faithful!

As I continued to stand in the crowd singing along, a song came on I hadn’t heard before. It’s from Francesca’s newest album. (Here is a link to the song, Royalty.)

Another spiritual mile marker. It was as if God leaned in and whispered to my heart, You know who you are, Tracy. You are mine. And that makes you royal. More spirit tears. Sweet tears at the Heavenly Potter’s tender touch.

Talk about being free to be me! God is faithful. You are royal, sweet friend. Royal!

And in case you need a spiritual mile marker of your own, listen to the song and claim it for yourself too. Treasure it up in your heart. Because God wants you to know you are royal.

We are, we are, we are … royalty.

His mercy endures forever. Isn’t He faithful?

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.