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Love Is Not Fuzzy Feelings

Scripture Focus:

1 Corinthians 13
“Praise be to the Lord, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a
besieged city” (Psalm 31:21). “Through the unfailing love of the Most High he will
not be shaken” (Psalm 21:7).
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When catastrophic events happen, we wonder how our loving God can allow such
pain in our lives. We weep in anguish, “Lord, this doesn't feel like love!”

This has been my cry the past five years. During this time, I was diagnosed with a
genetic disorder leading to blindness and diagnosed with chronic Hepatitis C. My
neurologist thinks my brain tumor, operated on 21 years ago, is growing back. And
our youngest child, our only son, Rick, was murdered. Some days I feel I'm under
God's wrath and not His beloved child.

I reveal this to emphasize the fact that I’m not writing as an expert on God's love. I
am someone who desperately needs to know God loves me unconditionally and
forever -- no matter what happens, no matter how I feel. I suspect this may be the
same with you some days.

God asks us to trust Him, no matter how we feel. As I open His Word I also open
my heart with quiet expectation that He will show me His love.

INSIGHT: God's love is not fuzzy feelings. It is a fact. Realizing this, we can say
with the psalmist, “Lord, I trust in your unfailing love” (see Psalm 13:5).

God's Pursuing Love


Scripture Focus:

Isaiah 54:7-10
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love
for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed” (Isaiah 54:10).
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When trials assault, some people get angry and turn from God's love. The murder
of my son Rick shook my universe. Though tempted to walk away from God, I
reasoned that I needed Him to get me through this ordeal. It didn't make sense to
leave the One I needed in order to survive.

I began wondering, When did God’s unfailing love begin? Was it when we were
born? When we were conceived? Since God has no beginning and love is an
element of His eternal nature, there has never been a time when God did not love
us. From eternity past, God's desire has been to have a close, loving relationship
with us.

Since God is all-knowing, He has always known the trials, the difficulties we will
face. He knows we cannot endure life's nightmares on our own. He knows we need
Him, His love and His strength to endure them, so all our lives His love has pursued
us. When we yield to His pursuit, His promised peace and His unfailing love wrap
around us like a comforting blanket.

INSIGHT: All the experiences of our lives are interwoven with God's pursuing love.
Are you aware that God is faithfully loving you today?

Unanswered Questions
Scripture Focus:

Romans 8:15-17
“You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received
the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, `Abba, Father'“ (Romans 8:15).
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“Abba, Father, I just don't understand,” was my prayer after my 23-year-old son's
murder. The overwhelming pain made it difficult to believe God loved me -- or even
that He was real. I felt God had failed me. How could I possibly believe I was His
beloved child? I yearned to experience God's comforting love, and I cried out for
answers for all my questions.

As a Bible study assignment, I took a walk to meditate on God's pursuing love for
me. I chose to go to the cemetery where Rick's body lay. There, as I meditated on
God's Word, my Father whispered His love to me. He did not answer all my
questions, but He assured me that He was real and that He loved me. He gave my
frazzled brain and my shattered heart the ability to trust Him. The Holy Spirit
opened my understanding that the answer to all my questions is in the person of
Jesus Christ.

Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, we can become God's dearly-loved children.
The Spirit assures us of this priceless relationship.

INSIGHT: We do not need all our questions answered before we can believe our
Father loves us, or for us to love Him and trust Him with our lives.

God's Agape Love


Scripture Focus:

1 John 4:7-21
“The greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). “May the Lord direct your
hearts into God's love” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). “We love because he first loved us”
(1 John 4:19).
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The New Testament we read today was written originally in the Greek language.
Several different Greek words are translated “love” in our modern versions.

One Greek word is “eros” meaning physical, sensual love. It is pleasure-seeking,


self-centered, self-absorbed love.

Another word is “phileo” which means brotherly love or love between friends.
emotionally-based love that says, “I love you because of what you do for me,
because of how you make me feel.”

Then there is the pinnacle of love: “agape,” a spiritual, selfless love. It is not feeling-
based or self-centered. It focuses on what will benefit the person loved. Agape
says, “I love you unconditionally, no matter who you are, no matter what you do.” It
loves even when it receives nothing in return. Agape is the way God loves us. He
poured out His love for us even while we rejected it. He sent His Son to give His life
for us even while we claimed we did not need a Savior. That's agape love.

INSIGHT: It is God's nature to love us. We can experience true love only when we
accept His amazing agape love for us.
God Is Love
Scripture Focus:

1 Corinthians 13
“Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. . . . God is love” (1
John 4:7-8). “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).
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What is God like? The Bible says clearly that God is love (1 John 4:8). Since it is
His nature to love, we could read 1 Corinthians 13 replacing the word “God” with
“love.”

God has unwavering, unending love for you.

Others lose patience, but God is patient and always deals with you with kindness (v.
4).

Others put you down because they have inflated opinions of themselves, but God is
not proud or arrogant in His treatment of you (v. 4).

Others ignore your needs, but God is never rude or selfish (v. 5).

Others may be irritable with you, but God never gets angry without cause, nor does
He harbor lists of your wrongdoing (v. 5).

Others gloat when you stumble, but God longs to see you walk in truth (v. 6).

Others make headlines of your failures, but God stands by you, enabling you to do
right (v. 7).

Others turn away, but God never fails you. His love lasts forever (v. 13).

INSIGHT: God's love sustains you today, no matter what happens. His love will
sustain you throughout all your tomorrows and on into eternity.
Line Upon Line
Scripture Focus:

Psalm 119:9-16
“The word of the Lord was unto them . . . line upon line” (Isaiah 28:13, KJV). “The
Holy Spirit . . .will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said
to you” (John 14:26).
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I attend a study in which we go through various books of the Bible verse by verse.
This seems to be the way God told Israel to study His Word -- line by line (Isaiah
28:13).

One way to do this is in your daily time with the Lord. Select a book of the Bible to
read and study verse by verse. Read until a phrase catches your attention, then
meditate on it. What is it saying? What does it mean? What does it mean to you?
Write down insights from these questions in a journal, then pray to God the truths
you learned.

For most of us, the best time to do this is first thing in the morning. Otherwise, you'll
get busy and never find the time to squeeze reflective time with God into your
schedule.

Since the Bible contains thoughts that God wants to share with you from His great
heart of love, shouldn't you make it the number one priority in your life to search for
them -- line by line, verse by verse?

INSIGHT: To know God's love for you, spend time with Him on a regular basis, time
to be quiet enough to hear His Spirit whisper to your soul.

The Excellent Way


Scripture Focus:

1 Corinthians 12:12-13:3
“I will show you the most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). “God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
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Christ loves the church and has given spiritual gifts so that each member can
contribute meaningfully to others. Each individual is a part of the Body of Christ and
is given what is needed to help the Body function effectively.

We recognize and greatly value the spiritual gifts God gives us. But Paul speaks of
something better than extraordinary gifts. This better “way” is the way of love. We
may have a triple-digit list of accomplishments and spiritual gifts, but these count as
nothing if we live loveless lives.

Jesus is our example. In the ultimate act, Jesus hung on the cross and allowed
Himself to become engulfed in the blackness of humanity's sin. The Father and Son
love us so much they were willing to endure separation from each other so that you
and I would never have to be separated from Christ, so we could experience His
forever love.

God loves you so much that He sent Jesus so that you could understand His love
for you, so that you would have the ability to respond to His love.

INSIGHT: God sent His Son into our world, not to condemn us, but to save us.
Today would be a good time to respond to His love.

Noise Without Substance


Scripture Focus:

1 John 3:16-20
“I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1
Corinthians 12:31-13:1).
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When our grandson sits at our piano, he bangs away, hitting all sorts of jarring
chords. The noise is anything but soothing. If my aunt played it, the results would
be entirely different. She's a concert pianist.

When played at the proper time by the proper person, a gong or cymbal gives a
delightful sound. But that is not the metaphor given in our verse. Paul refers to an
irritating clanging.

This also describes our lives devoid of God’s love. We may speak eloquently as we
give the Gospel message to others, but if our lives do not back up our words with
loving actions, our efforts lack the beauty God intends. When we do not know and
accept God's love for us, His love cannot flow freely through us.

The world’s love is shallow, selfish, and self-seeking. God's holy love always seeks
to benefit the objects of His love. When we have His love in our hearts, we will
reach out with deeds that match the words we speak.

INSIGHT: When we believe God loves us and experience His love, our actions and
our words will be in harmony.

What If God Did Not Love?


Scripture Focus:

Romans 8:31-39
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if
I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1
Corinthians 13:2).
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Can you even begin to imagine God without love? He would be isolated in the
universe, alone in eternity. Can you imagine our desolation if the Bible contained
accurate prophecies but did not include assurances of God's love and care?

We often quote John 3:16, but do we really believe its message? God loves us so
much that He gave His Son -- not only so we could live with Him forever, not only so
we could escape the torments of hell, but so we could realize His love today and
experience it for all eternity.

Sometimes we believe God’s love extends to our future joys in eternity, but we don't
relate that love to our todays. When we live without the warmth of God's loving
smile on us, our Christian lives become burdensome. We read verses about God's
judgment and fear stalks our days and nights. “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 John 4:18). Accept God's love for you. Trust His
forgiveness.
INSIGHT: We do not have to wait until we enter heaven to experience a love
relationship with God. It begins the moment we open our lives to Him.

God's Patience with Jacob


Scripture Focus:

Genesis 27-28
“Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). “When Jacob awoke from his
sleep, he thought, `Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it’”
(Genesis 28:16).
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The dictionary describes patience as the capacity of calm endurance of a difficult


situation or person. God gives us many examples of His calm endurance. His
dealing with Jacob is one. Jacob’s name means cheater. In our Scripture

reading today, we see Jacob at his worst, deceiving his aged father and cheating
his twin brother Esau. He bulldozed himself into a place of prominence, not thinking
about the repercussions. Because of his outraged, murderous brother, Jacob had to
leave his home and his beloved mother.

How would we react to this trickster? Probably we would begin with a severe
tongue-lashing. “How could you trick your poor old father?” we might ask. Or,
“Jacob, you got what you deserved.”

What did God do? He encouraged despondent Jacob with a vision of Himself. Then
He gave Jacob four promises: He would always watch over him, He would bring
Jacob back to the land, his descendants would be many, and they would be a
blessing to all the people on earth. Now that's patience!
INSIGHT: We need to remember that God is always patient with us. He promises to
watch over us, encourage us, and bless us no matter how like Jacob we are.

God's Look of Love


Scripture Focus:
John 18:25-28
“Love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to
receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
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A friend once confided painfully that she imagined God looking at her with an
expression of disgust. Have you visualized God vindictively scrutinizing your life,
searching for some reason to punish you? But God is kind. He reaches out with
love, promising, “With everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you” (Isaiah
54:8). He reaches out to draw us to Himself.

When we sin, God’s look may be one of deep sorrow or grief. After Peter denied
Jesus three times, Jesus' gaze broke his heart.

We can be assured of God’s loving-kindness toward us even when we do wrong.


He promises that when we confess our sin and turn from it, He graciously forgives
us and cleanses our sin away (see 1 John 1:9). He sets us on the right path and
promises to help us live in ways that honor and please Him. We are never out of
His sight. “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those
whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

INSIGHT: God is not looking at you through angry eyes but with eyes filled with
loving-kindness.

God's Enduring Love


Scripture Focus:

Philippians 1:3-11
“Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). “Being confident of this, that he
who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ
Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
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Our natural inclination towards impatience makes it difficult for us to fully


comprehend the concept of God's enduring love.

Jesus the God-man came and walked this earth. He understands the turmoil we
face. Long before God created time, He knew everything we would encounter. He
was aware of our trials, temptations, foes, failures, losses. While on earth, He
endured every temptation we can ever face -- yet without sin. He sympathizes with
our weaknesses! That's why we can count on Him to supply grace to help us cope
(see Hebrews 4:15-16).

The good work God has begun in us will be completed some day. God won't get
tired or disgusted and give up on us. He will finish the good work He has begun, but
He is not into quick fixes. His love sees the extended view. He knows who we will
become because of Him. He loved us from eternity past, and His love will last far
into eternity future.

When we see Jesus face to face, we will finally understand the fullness of His love
for us.

INSIGHT: Despite our failures, our setbacks, our having to learn the same lessons
repeatedly, God's love for us endures long enough for Him to complete what He has
started.

Always the Gentleman


Scripture Focus:

Revelation 3:14-22
“Love is patient, love is kind. . . . It is not rude” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). “I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and
eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
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Though we need God desperately in every part of our lives, He does not come
uninvited. God is not rude. He waits for us to open our hearts to Him. Jesus pictures
Himself standing at the door of our lives knocking, waiting for admittance.

It’s inconceivable that the God of the universe, our Creator, does not break down
the door and enter. Further, it's unthinkable that anyone would refuse Him entrance
when He comes to bring help and healing. But we do!

As believers, we keep certain areas closed to Him. We put up a “No Admittance”


sign and stubbornly deny Him entrance to private places. We shrink from having the
pure light of His holiness expose our shame. We need His discipline, but we want to
avoid it.

God waits lovingly, patiently. He is always the gentleman. He will never intrude
where He is not invited. He is standing now, knocking, waiting for us to open
ourselves to Him. When He comes, His very presence brings joy and peace.

INSIGHT: The greatest dignitary in the universe loves you enough to stand outside
your life waiting to be invited in. Open your heart to Him today.

Tears in a Bottle
Scripture Focus:

Psalm 84
“Love . . . keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). “Put thou my tears
into thy bottle” (Psalm 56:8, KJV). “As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they
make it a place of springs” (Psalm 84:6).
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Big girls don't cry. A friend accepted this false and hurtful statement. She also
thought that God saved all her tears to show her what a crybaby she was!

We read that godly love keeps no record of wrongs. Then what is this about God
keeping our tears in a bottle? If God lovingly keeps no record of our wrongs, why is
He saving our tears?

We find a beautiful insight in Psalm 84:6. The Valley of Baca is the Valley of
Weeping. As a grieving person goes through the valley, his tears fall to mingle with
the water in springs, which will provide refreshment for exhausted travelers. His
tears become a source of blessing to others. These blessings are not in spite of his
tears but because of them!

This is the reason God saves our tears. He wants to show us how He takes each
tear-filled event in our lives and turns it into blessings.

Further, in the midst of our pain, we can know that He understands that our hearts
are crushed and He weeps along with us.
INSIGHT: Big girls do cry. So do big boys. When we weep, Jesus weeps with us.
During our times of deepest sorrow, we may have the deepest fellowship with Him.

A Day in Court
Scripture Focus:

Romans 3:21-28
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). “God
presented [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood” (Romans
3:25).
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In a dream, I walked into the courtroom. My mouth was dry, my hands sweating, my
legs wobbling.

“How do you plead?” the Judge asked.

My body almost collapsed under my weight of guilt. Keeping my eyes lowered, I


could only respond, “Guilty, Your Honor.” Terrified, I realized my sentence was
eternity in hell.

Then I heard movement from the Judge’s bench as He stood. Expecting His rage, I
looked to see what was happening and found myself gazing into His eyes. To my
amazement, instead of condemnation, I saw His look of love.

Behind Him a cross appeared. It seemed I could see Jesus on the cross, writhing
from the physical and spiritual pain He was experiencing. His eyes too were filled
with love.

“Guilty as charged,” the Judge said solemnly. Then He added, “But My Son took
your punishment. You are set free.”

INSIGHT: Jesus' blood is God's means of saving you from the fury of His wrath
when you place your faith in Him. Because of Jesus, God is not angry anymore.
Lies, Lies, Lies
Scripture Focus:

Revelation 12:10-12
“I heard a loud voice in heaven say . . . `the accuser of our brothers, who accuses
them before our God day and night, has been hurled down’”(Revelation 12:10-11).
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Pain scrambles my theology. I reason, I’m in pain because I’m being punished. I’m
being punished because I’ve done something wrong. When I try to figure out what
I've done, accusations flood my mind -- accusations caused by Satan, masking
deception with enough truth to trick me.

Satan’s Lie: I have strayed too far from God. I will never find my way back.

God’s Truth: Jesus said, “I am the way” (see John 14:6). The way back is simple.
Say Yes to Jesus instead of No.

Lie: True Christians always do right, but I do many things wrong.

Truth: Only One does everything right. His name is Jesus.

Lie: How can a Christian act like this? I must not be a child of God.

Truth: I want Jesus in my life. If I did not receive Him years ago when I thought I did,
I accept Him now. Because of Jesus' love and forgiveness, God does not accuse
us.

INSIGHT: God's loving conviction comes to us in the gentle whisper of His Spirit,
not in the accusing half-truths of our enemy.

More Lies, Lies, Lies


Scripture Focus:

Ephesians 6:10-18
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). “Put
on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's
schemes” (Ephesians 6:11).
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Satan ruthlessly assaults us with his lies, but God has provided us with a full armor
for our protection, and His Word, which we can use to be on the offensive.

Satan’s Lie: My past (even my past of a few minutes ago) is too terrible for God to
forgive. I have failed. I always fail. I am a failure. I am condemned.

God’s Truth: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
(Romans 8:1). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Lie: I’m too weak to endure this temptation.

Truth: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

Lie: I am falling out of God’s reach.

Truth: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms”
(Deuteronomy 33:27). “[He] is able to keep you from falling and to present you
before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 24).

INSIGHT: God always desires to do us good, not to do us in. God loves us too
much to leave us without answers for our enemy's assaults.

No Condemnation
Scripture Focus:

Romans 8:31-38
“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who
justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus . . . is at the right hand of God and
is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:33-34).
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Sometimes when bad things happen, I forget the thought in 1 Corinthians 13:6 that
God does not rejoice when I falter. He is not sitting in heaven waiting for me to do
something wrong so that He can punish me.

Then why do I often feel so condemned? It is because I know myself so well! I am


not perfect either in my thoughts or actions. Doesn't that mean there is always
some sin, some wrong between God and me?

When accusations assault us, we need to remember the comforting words, “There
is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
“Whenever our hearts condemn us . . .God is greater than our hearts” (1 John
3:20). We need to remember that Jesus is in heaven standing as our defense
attorney against all of Satan's accusations. “He is able to save completely those
who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them”
(Hebrews 7:25).

INSIGHT: When our hearts are troubled, peace takes over when we remember God
does not condemn us. He loves us.

The Test of Love


Scripture Focus:

Romans 5:6-11
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John
15:13). “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
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We read that love bears all things (see 1 Corinthians 13:7, KJV). Someone has said
that love can be measured by our willingness to be inconvenienced. How have we
inconvenienced God?

Because He loves us, Jesus gave up His mighty power and “made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians
2:7). He left His glorious place in heaven to suffer the torturous death of the cross.
God the Father experienced the horror of separation from His beloved Son. In all of
eternity they had never been separated. But, as Jesus hung on the cross, all our
sins rolled on Him, and God had to turn His back on His Son. The Father
abandoned Jesus during the time of His greatest suffering. The agony of that
separation is more than we can imagine. Jesus gave up His relationship with His
Father and suffered the hell we deserve. Jesus endured it all because of His love
for you and me. It was the ultimate inconvenience.
INSIGHT: If we weigh God's love for us by His willingness to be inconvenienced, we
discover His love is beyond our ability to measure.

The Endurance of Love


Scripture Focus:

Isaiah 53
“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are
healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
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Love “always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:7).

Jesus gave us the supreme example of enduring love. Eternal hell was what He
suffered when He hung on the cross and took our sins on Himself. Not only did He
experience separation from His Father, He also felt God's full punishment for sin.
Jesus is the only One in the universe who has ever experienced the fierceness of
God's unbridled wrath against sin. We cannot begin to imagine the horror that was
to Him. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of His love for us,
Jesus was willing to endure our death sentence.

Jesus is not frail. His love is not fragile. His love is stronger than anything in the
universe, mightier than any evil force, stronger than hell itself. His love was
powerful enough to hold Him on the cross. Doesn't that forever prove how much He
loves us?

INSIGHT: No matter how many times you have turned away from Jesus, He still
loves you and offers you full forgiveness.

The Way God Sees You


Scripture Focus:
1 Peter 2:9-10
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen
you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured
possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6).
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What motivated Jesus to give up His heavenly position, to indwell a human body,
then allow Himself to be crucified? His motivation was His love for His Father and
for us. He gave Himself because we are precious to Him. He wanted to present us
as love gifts to His Father.

Many days we do not feel like anyone’s treasured possession, like anyone's love
gift. But feelings are not the accurate measure of our standing with God. His Word,
the Bible, is our reference point, and He tells us that He cherishes us. Even before
He created the world, He chose us in love to become His adopted children and to
trophies of His favor(see Ephesians 1:4-14).

What does it mean to be treasured by God? He takes special care of us. He knows
how fragile we are and how much we need Him to protect us from mishap. He
keeps us clean and displays us to the universe as proofs of His amazing love and
grace. What a privilege to have been chosen as His treasured possession!

INSIGHT: As you face today, realize how treasured you are by God and how much
He loves you.

Fragmented Lives
Scripture Focus:

1 Corinthians 13:8-12
“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are
tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away” (1
Corinthians 13:8).
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We live fragmented lives, and this should not surprise us. We are meant to be
incomplete, because this creates a hunger in us for heaven.

Today we rely on prophecy, tongues, and knowledge for spiritual understanding. But
some day these will become obsolete. I believe this is when we see Jesus face to
face. Then prophecy will cease, because it will be fulfilled. Tongues will cease
because we will all speak the same language. Knowledge will pass away as truth
supersedes it. In heaven's economy, they no longer have purpose. While
prophecies, tongues, and knowledge pass away, love will last forever.

While we are on earth our knowledge of God and His love for us is marred by our
humanness. For this reason, we often try to do things to make God love us more.
We feel the need to earn His love. When we truly believe that He loves us
unconditionally, He calms our uneasy spirits. Then, when we finally see Jesus face
to face, we will know the full extent of His love.

INSIGHT: God's unfailing love for you is complete and perfect. He loves you as
much as He loves His Son. This is all the love you will ever need.

Learning to Lean
Scripture Focus:

2 Corinthians 12:1-10
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me,
`My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'“ (2
Corinthians 12:8-9).
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Note the colorful articles in current magazines and books. We are promised tips on
how to enjoy fitness, health, fulfilling relationships, wealth, sports, and travel
adventures. The implication is that we can experience all these, but the reality is far
from it. The Lord has good reason for not allowing us to have carefree lives. He
wants us to learn to depend on Him.

Paul wrote of a difficulty, a problem he referred to as a thorn in his flesh. The Lord
used it to keep Paul leaning on Him for strength to go on.

We lament, “Lord, I’m not strong enough for the things You've allowed in my life. I'm
too weak, too fragile.”

“Of course you are too weak,” He seems to whisper. “You're unable to bear these
things alone. That's why you need Me. Learn to lean on Me. Learn to rely on My
strength.”

We all need God’s strength to help us make it through our difficult days and our
long nights of trial. He will never fail us.

INSIGHT: God loves us too much to let us struggle with our trials alone. He uses
our difficulties to teach us to rely on Him.

God's Wisdom
Scripture Focus:

1 Peter 1:3-9
“We know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9). “`For I know the plans I have for you,'
declares the Lord, `plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).
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Can we measure God's wisdom? The average human IQ is around 100, the highest
is about 220. We admire a genius and perhaps envy his knowledge, but his IQ
cannot compare to God's wisdom. His infinite knowledge cannot be measured. He
knows everything about everything, including all that concerns us. He knows the
outcome of the situations that trouble us today.

God has the big picture in mind. His plans are always for our good, never for our
harm. His plan always gives us a future and a hope. Because He loves us, God
always seeks our good -- even when hell unleashes its worst against us.

We only see pain and confusion in the storm that threatens to consume us. He sees
the person we will become because of our trials. All that has happened in our
yesterdays has molded us into the persons we are today. All our todays are shaping
us for tomorrow and beyond into eternity. “We know that when he appears, we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

INSIGHT: Consider God's infinite wisdom and our minuscule brain capacity. Can
you trust Him in every area of your life?
Childishness to Maturity
Scripture Focus:

Isaiah 55:8-9
“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a
child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
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My young grandson is at the stage when he knows more than anyone: his mother,
father, teacher, even his grandmother. As he matures, he will come to realize how
little he actually knows.

I used to think God would allow only good things in my life. I thought He would
protect me from the dreadful things. Though I didn't expect to be free of trouble, I
assumed He would keep at bay the difficult trials -- the biggies.

I think this is what Paul is referring to in our verse today. He had discarded his
childish thoughts about God. He put away his ideas about what God would -- or
should -- do for him. He quit thinking he knew more than the infinite mind of the
universe.

Children fail to see the entire, broader picture. God always keeps the big picture in
mind. He is always seeking our good, no matter how horrendous our circumstances
are today. Some day we will thank Him for not answering our cries for those trials to
be removed.

INSIGHT: Are you surprised and disillusioned with the things God has allowed in
your life? What childish ideas about God do you need to put away today?

For People With Gaps


Scripture Focus:

Psalm 66:10-12
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians
13:12).
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There's a reason for the restlessness and the feelings of incompleteness in our
souls. These feelings are caused by gaps in our lives, in our personalities, perhaps
caused by painful events in our past. Why would God allow past and present
experiences that leave such cavernous holes in us? Don't these breaches harm our
Christian walk? Doesn't God want us to be perfectly complete?

God uses these gaps to draw us to Himself, to make us dependent on Him, and to
help us understand the pain of the people around us. If we didn't have scars and
flaws, we would never recognize our need of Him. We would never benefit from
depending on Him. And we wouldn't be able to help others who suffer similarly.

If we experienced total fulfillment with all our gaps filled and goals realized, we
would not yearn for a better relationship with Christ. We would not long for our final
home, heaven. We would root ourselves deep in this world, rather than being
rooted in Christ's love.

INSIGHT: Let's thank God for the gaps in our lives rather than agonize over them.
Let's trust Christ to fill them all with Himself.

God's Infinite Love


Scripture Focus:

Ephesians 3:14-21
“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power . . . to grasp
how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love
that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17-19).
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Our human need for love is a gaping, bottomless pit. Who can fill this deep need?
No other human can give us the vast amounts of love and affirmation we require,
not our spouses, children, family or friends.

I have often felt depressed over this. Then I read in Isaiah that God inhabits eternity
(see 57:15, KJV). Joy filled my heart when I reasoned that if God can fill all eternity
with Himself, He is surely able to overlow my bottomless-pit need for love.

It is futile to expect anyone else to do what only God can do. If we look to others to
meet all our needs for love, we put them in the place of God. While we are doing
this, we are missing out on the experience that God wants us to enjoy.

Paul prayed that we would understand the vastness of God's love for us. His love is
unconditional. It is not bound by time, distance, by anything we do or don't do. It's
wider, longer, higher, and deeper than we can imagine. It is vast enough to fill that
bottomless pit of yearning that we have.

INSIGHT: God's love is larger than the universe. When you have Him, you have all
the love there is, and His love is all you need.

Face to Face
Scripture Focus:

1 Thess. 4:13-18
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1
Corinthians 13:12). “When I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness”
(Psalm 17:15).
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Heaven has been on my mind a lot, especially since my son’s murder. The thought
of coming face to face with Jesus is awesome, overwhelming, as I imagine being
engulfed in His love when I open my eyes in heaven.

Think: what will it be like coming face to face with the Creator of the Universe, your
Creator, your Savior, the One who has heard your cries again and again and has
become so precious to you?

On earth, we exist on oxygen. In heaven, Jesus' dazzling presence and His


awesome love will sustain us and will invigorate our souls. Just imagine
experiencing endless existence without sin, knowing total peace, being totally
fulfilled!

Today we know and experience only a small portion of God's love for us. As we step
through the doorway into heaven, we will experience the fullness of His love.
Though there has never been a time when we have been out of God's love, we will
become engulfed in that love that has pursued us all our lives.
INSIGHT: What a privilege to know that the glories of Christ's presence will one day
be yours. Live in the light of this today.

Pursue Love
Scripture Focus:

1 Corinthians 13:13-14:1
“These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Follow
the way of love” (1 Corinthians 13:13-14:1). “[Nothing] will be able to separate us
from the love of God” (Romans 8:39).
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God wants us to pursue love. Pursuing love does not mean trying to make
ourselves more lovable. It does not mean doing things to earn God's love or to
make Him love us more. He already loves us as much as He loves Jesus.

Pursuing love means that our goal is to learn the vastness of God's love for us and
to respond to His love with trust and obedience in our daily lives.

Pursuing love means that we seek to live within the safe boundaries of His love. He
has given us His guidelines in His Word.

Pursuing love means that we endeavor to apply His love to every situation of our
lives – and toward all the people in our lives.

Pursuing love means that we ask God to make us more loving to others. We
depend on Him to accomplish it in our lives.

Pursuing love means that we depend on God's Holy Spirit to produce His love in
our lives.

God’s love is the greatest gift given to us. It’s the greatest love we can give to
someone else.

INSIGHT: Pursuing love means contentment in our relationship with our loving
Father. Pursuing love means a discontent that urges us on to know Him more.
Love Is the Greatest
Scripture Focus:

Psalm 52:8-9
“Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1
Corinthians 13:13). “I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever” (Psalm 52:8).
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Faith -- we sing about it, we read about it, and pray for it. We admire people from
Bible times to the present who have demonstrated faith. It is important in our
spiritual lives, but still it is a human response, not a characteristic of God. Faith had
a beginning; it will end on the day when our faith is superseded by sight. In eternity,
faith is fulfilled and becomes obsolete.

Hope is a human trait that grows out of faith. It had a beginning and will be done
away with in the future, when all we hope for is realized in Christ, all His good
promises fulfilled. In eternity, hope becomes reality. We will be forever in the
presence of our Savior, on whom our hopes have been focused.

Love is a trait of God. It never had a beginning; it will never end. It has existed as
long as God has existed. It will go on as long as God goes on, which is forever.
That's why our key verse says that love is the greatest. As we grow in true love, we
grow in likeness to God.

INSIGHT: So long as there is God there is love because God is love. His desire is
to shower His abundant love on us today and forever.

Keeping Inside God's Love


Scripture Focus:

1 John 4:7-21
“We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love
lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us” (1 John
4:16-17).
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Jude urges us, “Keep yourselves in God's love” (v. 21). How do we do this? If we
rely on our feelings, we may worry that we are out of His love. Sometimes when I
pray, I am restless and painfully aware of my shortcomings. An agitated, guilty-
feeling state is not keeping ourselves in God's love.

Jesus spoke to His fear-ridden disciples, promising to send the Holy Spirit to
comfort them and to confirm His love for them. He also spoke of the need for
obedience. He said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one
who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him
and show myself to him. . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father
will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:21,
23).

God’s Spirit produces love. It is not something we generate ourselves (see


Galatians 5:22). The Spirit helps us rely on God's love. When we love Jesus and
know He loves us, we are able to relax and enjoy being in His presence.

INSIGHT: We keep ourselves in the love of God by remembering how much God
loves us and by reminding ourselves how much we mean to Him.

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