Humbled by love, I declare that which the Lord has burdened my heart deeply with.
Let my children know my love. Holy Spirit, allow me to take that which burns inside my heart and present it before my brothers and sisters with patience and reason. Amen.
I come before you now, to simply be with you. To simply enjoy you, my Lord. There is no other place I would rather be than in your arms.
I love you.
Show me.
Christ’s sacrifice, becoming eternally man, His miracles, the Word.
Lord you say you love me. What way should I go? I feel abandoned and alone without direction or encouragement.
Did I not give you my Word and my Spirit? You are never alone or without guidance.
You gave us your mercy! You hear us! You are greatly to be praised, for you hear our every word. You value our words, our every thought.
Should not every word, every thought, then be spent praising Him? How beautiful is He? How great a friend, to listen always, to be wholly committed to us? Commune with Him without ceasing, do not simply be in His presence, but acknowledge His presence always. Praying without ceasing is not too lofty a goal; it is a lifestyle diligently pursued, allowing God to forever captivate our hearts. He desires that we would be in continual communion with Him, leaving no room for complacency or wasted time. Every moment is spent with God, and as such, it is being a wise steward of the Lord‘s time. It is the practice of the presence of God.
Why did God send His Son to die for us? To free us by His mercy and grace from the bondage of sin. All sin separates us from the Lord. So, as a result of Christ dieing on the cross, we are freed from sin; we are now free from that which separates us from God. We are free to commune and be with the Lord at all times. The veil was rent in two and God’s Spirit was given to us and now Christ intercedes for us in heaven. Thus God’s ultimate joy, His desperate desire, to simply be with us, was made possible by Christ’s work on the cross. All for love. How strategic and awesome is the Lord? It is the joy of God’s heart to simply be with us; He is desperately desiring our attentions, the affections of the ones He loves infinitely. What kind of love do we have for Him to know He is always so near, yet so commonly we ignore His presence? Is it so hard to believe that God wholly desires communion without ceasing, to be with Him always?
Do you not notice that there is a simple desire in our hearts to be with those we love? The Father’s desires are not so different, only more powerful and more desperate than our hearts can fathom. We cannot comprehend the magnitude of the burning desire in His heart to be with us. Do not fall into the trap of thinking we must plead and beg for God’s attentions. He is fully attentive and alert to your every breath, your every thought, your every word (Psalm 34:17, 69:33; Proverbs 15:29). His heart yearns for you to come to Him, humble and broken by His love, so that He may pour Himself out to you. This is no measly droplet of God, it is a flood, a crashing wave; He will fill you, choose to simply be with Him. The Lord does say He lavishes His love on us because of our obedience to His commands, BUT! It is more simply because of God’s exceedingly perfect and infinite love, that He joyfully lavishes fullness of love upon you and me (1 John 3:1). Friends, the Lord is ravished by the glance of your eyes. That you would willingly choose to be with Him, forsaking the pleasures of the world, (that which he utterly hates) utterly ravishes His heart.
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You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace."
~Song of Songs 4:9
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So you are no longer a slave, but a son;
and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."
~Galatians 4:7
Our relationship with the Lord should not be like a slave to his master, but as sons to our Father, as the bride of our eternal Lover, Christ. We have been called sons by the Father very purposefully. For beyond calling us sons, He has called us heirs. We are no longer slaves, but heirs to the inheritance of the Kingdom of God! The Lord in His perfect goodness and kindness has taken us as adopted sons, called us His own and given us an inheritance greater than can be conceived. O joy unspeakable and love so pure to take the undeserving and wretched and call it beautiful, deserving of such a reward! Yet we have been called the bride very purposefully as well. It is the bride’s place to have complete respect for her husband, the leader. She serves her husband out of love, out of joy for serving the man she loves and respects. Likewise we should serve the Lord because of the joy set before us, out of the love we have for God. Be wary of our calling to be “servants.” The name servant is commonly misconstrued for service simply out of obedience, out of loyalty to a cause or master. This is not but slavery, we are servants, but also sons, daughters, and the bride of our Savior, all for love. God says, “I am no longer your master, but your husband I will be” (Hosea 2:16). Christ is forever romancing our hearts, captivating us not by obligation and obedience, but by love. All for love.
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Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
~Hebrews 13:8
God having always been, and always been omniscient, knew we would be a fallen people. He knew we would rebel against Him. He knew beforehand that we would cast Him aside, yet still He created us just as we are. He showed us mercy, just as we are. He loves us just as we are. Christ takes us as His bride, just as we are. He calls us beautiful, though we see nothing but fault, loving us just we are. We hear Him singing over us, singing of His infinite love toward us. He sings of His endless devotion to us. He sings of the yearning in His heart to commune with us. He loves us just as we are. You are beautiful in His eyes.
What is this perfect love the Father has for us? It has no bounds. It extends to all depths with the absolute fullness. It is forever. It is pure, blameless, without fault. It is the reason we serve. All for love: Jesus became 100% man forever, He literally made Himself nothing. I beg of you not to take for granted such a sacrifice and notice this, Christ(though still remaining 100% God) became 100% man forever, being made in human likeness not just for His time on earth, but for all eternity! (Philippians 2:6-7; John 15:13) How great was His sacrifice to willingly, for the joy set before Him, do such a thing for us? All for love: “
This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His One and Only through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us” (1 John 4:9-10). When we did not love Him, He made the ultimate sacrifice for us. His Son gave up all for our sins, when we didn’t even love Him! Or even acknowledge Him!
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This is love for God: to obey his commands.
And His commands are not burdensome."
~1 John 5:3
Do you consider yourself to love God? Do you follow His commands? Not only do you follow them, are they burdensome? Or, is it a joy to do His commands? When you serve the Lord, do you find joy in the simplicity of serving God with pure motives? Is service to the Lord an act of obedience and loyalty, or is it for love’s sake and for the joy set before you? We should serve Him for the joy of simply serving a God who loves us. Let each act for Him, each choice of holiness be a statement saying, “God I love you.” Let us be wary; however, of begrudgingly following God, of considering his commands a burden. It is understandable that not every one of God’s commands will bring you instant happiness, but then it is good our joy is independent of our happiness. Trust in God’s love and in His goodness, showing your love for Him in your unwavering devotion and simple joy in serving.
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May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
~2 Thessalonians 3:5
The journey to understanding God’s love is slow, it is very easily head knowledge rather than understanding inscribed in our hearts. Be diligent and strategic in your prayers, believing that God will reveal His love to you. Ask and know that it is His joy to pour out His love. It is the joy of His heart to show you the depth and character of His love. Humble yourselves before the Lord and let Him overwhelm you with His perfect love. It is by the Lord alone that you will understand the love of God and the love of Christ’s perseverance. It will not be found even with the most profound of head knowledge, but only by the Lord stirring in your heart. Keep in mind, there must be room in your heart for His love. If your heart is overcome by the influence of idols, attachments, or cold love, they must first be dealt with before you may receive the fullness of love and joy.
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I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."
~Exodus 20:4
Let us choose to bring to Him a love that is pure, a love that is whole. A love that is wholehearted, that is not consumed or taken by idols or anything in Heaven or on earth but God. Choose to submit the idols of the heart which God jealously despises. He hates these things, He hates sin, He hates idols, He hates everything that separates Him from His beloved creation, Christ’s beloved bride. If we are to experience His love in full, we must cast our crown at his feet (Revelation 4:10-11), offer our hearts before the cross, submitting the idol of self and the idol of worldly pleasures to Him. Only then will our hearts be free to worship Him in continual communion with undivided devotion and unhindered love. Always remember, God LOVES to commune with you; you ravish His heart with one glance of your eyes, so simply be with your Lover.
This is a poor summation of knowledge about God’s love. It cannot truly be put into words and is only properly understood by experience and hearing the Lord’s love song sung over our lives. I would urge you to use these words to stir up truth and meditations in your heart of God’s love. By patient and diligent meditation on His love, you will discover the truth of love with God in your own heart, understanding rather than simply taking in knowledge. If your heart is to be set ablaze for the glory of God, the love of an adoring Husband and Father must be the fire that kindles your flame. All for love, choose to simply be with Him!
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You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!"
~Song of Songs 4:9-10
To Him be the Glory
