Tag: unfailing

Let Your Love Increase & Overflow

Let Your Love Increase & Overflow

Our love for ourselves and for other people should be increasing and overflowing as we mature in Christ and in our relationship with Him.  Here are some key Scriptures:

A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  (Mt 22:39 NLT)

We can’t learn to love our neighbor, until we learn to love ourselves—by the grace of God.  God loves us as we are, even though He knows all about our weaknesses and our past.  God’s love is mature and steadfast and doesn’t accept offense.

And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight . . . (Phil 1:9 AMP)

As the verse quoted above says, our love will display itself in greater depths as the years and our experiences in Christ continue.  This will make us better spouses, parents, neighbors, and witnesses for the Kingdom of God.

And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.  (1 Thes 3:12 CSB)

As we grow in our awareness of God’s steadfast and unfailing love for each one of us, individually, the Lord will trigger a yearning in our hearts to show God’s precious and anointed love to everyone with whom we come into contact. May your joy abound and be shared with everyone you meet!

God’s Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

God’s Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

When we understand and comprehend God’s perfect love for us, it drives out all fear.  Let’s see what the Bible has to teach us.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  (1 Joh 4:18 NIV) 

The perfect love that we receive from God is unending, unfailing, and persevering.  Glory to God!

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  (2 Tim 1:7 NKJV)

The spirit of fear is not from God but comes from not being able to trust God completely and comprehensively.  God has given us the Holy Spirit as well as the fruit of the spirit which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  (see Gal 5:22-23)  The Holy Spirit is the spirit of power.  (See Acts 1:8)

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  (Rom 8:15 NIV)

The spirit whom we received when we accepted Christ as our Savior is the Holy Spirit.  (See Acts 2:38; Eph 1:13; Rom 8:16)  Once we accepted Christ as our Savior, we became children of God.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  (1 Joh 4:12 NIV)

The Bible verse above reminds us that no one has ever seen God in His complete, divine revelation.  Even Moses only saw the back of the Lord in Exodus 33:18-23.  However, as we believers imitate the love of God for mankind, we demonstrate God’s love to humanity. 

The perfect love of God—which has forgiven and cleansed us of all of our sins—drives out fear.  It drives out the fear of eternal punishment, as well as the fear of what other people think of us.  It drives out the fear of the unknown because we know that God holds us in the palm of His hand and has provided all that we need for life and godliness.  (2 Pet 1:3) As we believers experience God’s love inside of us, it empowers us to live for Him and to love others.  As we mature and grow in grace and walking in the love of God, we model the love, forgiveness, and mercy of God toward all with whom we interact.  Praise God!

Stay in the Love of God

Stay in the Love of God

There are practical ways to stay spiritually strong despite the enemy’s efforts to destroy our faith.  We will stay strong if we remain focused on God’s love for us and continue to do His will.  John 15:10 reminds us that we will abide in His love if we keep His commandments.

Let’s read God’s Word on this topic:

. . . keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.  (Jude 1:21 NKJV)

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”  (Joh 14:21 NKJV)

. . . and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  (Rom 5:5 NIV)

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?  (1 Joh 3:16-17 NIV)

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  (1 Joh 4:16 NIV)

Our God is love.  His love is perfect, endless, and unfailing.  When we’re secure in the knowledge of God’s love, we then can trust in His goodness and mercy.  God manifests Himself in various ways to people who trust Him and are sure of His love for them.  He hears and answers their prayers; he surrounds them with favor and protection; and He fights for them.

God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  Because of the reality of this truth, we are enabled to reach out in love and mercy to help others.  This also motivates us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who are lost and hurting. In whatever way that we are able, we are called and given the gift of grace to show God’s love to all whom we encounter.  In so doing, we share the love of God and shine forth the light of God’s goodness into the world and remain in the love of God.  God bless you.

Abide in God’s Word & Be Made Free

Abide in God’s Word & Be Made Free

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  (John 8:31-32)

The word KNOW in verse 32, above, means to perceive; understand; recognize; or realize.  This is a knowledge that has inception, a progress and an attainment, according to Strong’s concordance (#1097).  It is the recognition of truth by personal experience.

This personal experience suggests a close, personal relationship.  And verse 32 states that we need to abide in [accept, stand in, obey] God’s Word and thereby confirm ourselves to be Christ’s disciples.

In that context, as we personally come to experience the truth of and dependability of God’s Word, it is that same truth that shall set us free from various challenging and destructive experiences in our lives.  It also sets us free from the hurts that other people have inflicted upon us.

God’s steadfast and unfailing love for you can give you such strength and stability in your emotions that you can be made emotionally whole and healthy. 

The best kindness that you can do for yourself is to abide in the Scriptures and become more and more stable and secure in their truth—because you know that God does not lie.  (Num 23:19) 

Rest in Jesus, who has given you the grace, freedom, and strength to live your life to His glory daily!

Note:  This is a reprint of our blog article dated 11/21/2016.

Can Anything Separate Us from God’s Love?

Can Anything Separate Us from God’s Love?

Here’s something positive to focus upon and to meditate upon.  God’s love for us is stronger than any force that would try to interrupt it or stop it.  His love for us is eternal, unfailing and sacrificial. 

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom 8:38-39 NKJV)

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  (Eph 5:2 NKJV, underscoring added)

“I made your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have for me may be in them and I myself may be in them.” (John 17:26 ISV)

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  (1 Cor 13:8 NKJV)

Most human beings desire and need to feel loved.  It is a normal and healthy need that I believe our creator God instilled in us.  And since God is love (1 Joh 4:8), He is the perfect One to fulfill the need that we have for love.

From the Bible verses I’ve included above, you can see a small sample of what God has to share with us in His Word about His wonderful love.  The best way to learn about His love and the enduring nature of it is to read and to meditate upon His Word.  His Word is not only His promises to us but His Word is also His will for us!

God has created each one of us to be in a loving and lasting relationship with Him.  Turn to Him when you need comfort and reassurance.  Pray to Him when you need human arms to hold you, help you and to comfort you.  He will send you some friends or relatives who will be able and willing to meet your need for love.  Glory to God!

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God Holds Us

God Holds Us

The Word of God tells us that the Lord has engraved [inscribed, imprinted, etched] us on the palms of His own hands!  Wow!  What a concept!  That’s worth meditating upon.

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands . . . (Isa 49:16a ESV) 

God also tells us that He holds us by the hand, and He reminds us that He is the One who helps us.  What an honor and a blessing to be helped by the all-powerful, living God!  He is not only “close” to us, but He is actually holding us by the hand.  Glory!

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  (Isa 41:13 ESV) 

Even if people who are blood relatives of ours desert us, our Savior God holds us close to His heart.  He will never leave us nor disown [reject] us.  (Hebrews 13:5)  God’s love is constant, enduring and unfailing.  (Ps 136:26; Rom 8:39)

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.  (Ps 27:10 NLT) 

NO ONE has the strength, might or power to be able to take us out of our Father God’s hand.  Praise the Lord!

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  (Joh 10:29 ESV, emphasis added)

The Lord says that He is our God for our entire lives.  Once we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, He cares for us and will carry us and save us—even into eternity!

I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.  (Isa 46:4 NLT) The Lord upholds [sustains] our very lives.  (Isa 54:4 NLT) 

Did you realize that?  Return His perfect love and worship Him today!

Longing for Our Heavenly Dwelling

Longing for Our Heavenly Dwelling

Here’s a truth worthy of deep reflection: 

Our spirits within us long for our heavenly, eternal home.  We yearn to have our flawed, imperfect humanity swallowed up by eternal life and eternal love.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  (2 Cor 5:1-4 NKJV, emphasis added)

He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.  (Isa 25:8 NKJV)

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  (1 Cor 15:53-54 NIV)

When Isaiah 25 speaks of God wiping away tears from all faces, I believe that He is referring to our arrival in heaven, when all of our past shame and guilt AND any possibility of future sin will be extinguished forever.

All sorrows, sins and shortcomings from our earthly lives will be forgotten, and the prospect of eternity in the presence of our God and King will be our entire focus and purpose.

Just think about eternity spent in an atmosphere of perfect, unconditional, unfailing LOVE!  That is our beautiful, blessed destiny.

Mercy: A Ministry of Love & Service

Mercy: A Ministry of Love & Service

Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.  (Ps 25:6 NIV)

Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.  (Ps 69:16)

And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He [Jesus] said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.  (Mk 3:5 NKJV)

Healing is a merciful act of God toward those who are ill.  In the case of healing a woman of barrenness, in bible times, that was a removal of disgrace—a stigma attached to the woman.  God is motivated to show mercy by His incomparable and unfailing love for us.  Here are biblical examples of healings:  Mt 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 20:30; Mk 5:19; 10:47; Lk 1:58; 17:13; Phil 2:25-27.

Jesus has authorized us, His followers, to accept the same mission which He received from His Father God.

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”  (Jo 20:21)

So, we are to bring salvation and healing to the lost, the wounded, and the hurting.  We can only do that by operating in the love of God and the mercy of God, even as Jesus did.  This is the ministry to which all believers are called.