Our Father's Love

Good morning, Friends! I am sorry it has taken me so long to post again, I have spent the better part of the week preparing this blog post, praying over it, thinking back on many of the things I heard at the Cowgirl Get Together. I wanted to make sure I get this right! It's a message very close to my own heart, as I was writing it and searching verses God was speaking and ministering to me more than anything. He is preforming good works in my heart each and every day and I feel him urging me to share it with others. I know I must sound like a broken record by now, but if only one person is touched by something written in these posts I would be thrilled. To touch even one life and help them find a personal relationship with my sweet Jesus would be the highest honor of my entire life. Well, enough of that... let's get to it!

Friends, for many years I lived in darkness, knowing about God, but never knowing God; believing in God but not truly believing Him. I knew only the basics and had never gone very deep in the word to find out more. I had never really sought after God. I thought I knew all I needed to know. If you have heard or read my testimony I touched on this briefly. Today I would like to walk with you through some verses of scripture that have helped me discover who and what God really is and how He cares for us. I could just about reference the entire Bible when I start thinking of the many verses where he reveals his deep, passionate, unending affections for us. But let's start with one of my favorites:

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him!" 1 John 3:1

Friends, don't skim over this verse. Read it slowly, even out loud, so you can hear it. You. Are. A. Child. Of. The Living GOD! You are special and loved and not of this world. When people of this world don't understand you or your beliefs, or your love for God, pay them no attention! They beat and KILLED Jesus... they didn't understand him either! But He overcame their opinions, He overcame DEATH! Who cares what they think? Your Father is THE King of ALL Kings! You are a princess [or prince] and your home is now here, it is in Heaven! Knowing and understanding that you are God's child will make accepting and understanding his love for you a little easier, at least for those of us who are parents ourselves. But others of us have been hurt too many times, even by parents, so maybe we need more proof.

If you are anything like me, or come from a background similar to mine, maybe you are still hearing Satan's favorite lie about you: that we are bad and terrible and that God's love for us is performance based or conditional. Well thankfully God knew the hard heads like me would need to see it clearly, in writing, that Satan is a big, fat, lying, LIAR. He gave us some very specific passages that debunk the thoughts that we need to earn his love.

Let's go to Romans, one of my very favorite books. It is full of God's promises to us, almost like a love letter to us. I could quote page after page of Romans for y'all [don't worry I won't], but Romans 4:25 states it pretty clearly to me.

"He (Jesus) was delivered over to death for OUR sins and was raised to life for OUR justification." emphasis mine

Because we were/are sinners who did not deserve God's love, Jesus, a perfect being, died for us. If you think His love needs to be earned, bought and paid for, rest in the truth that Jesus Christ has already paid your tab. But continue reading, it gets even better!

"Therefore, since we have been justified through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:1-6 emphasis mine

These verses make me want to just close my eyes, lean my head back, open my arms, and feel that love pouring into me. I can just imagine God wrapping his arms around me and whispering in my ear, "see how much I love you, Jordan? See what I have done for you? There is NOTHING that could ever hold back my love for you, just open your heart and receive it."

I get choked up just writing this. His love is so big, so endless, so beautiful, it takes my breath away. And if that weren't enough he backs up all those promises throughout his word. When he tells me nothing can hold back his love for me, I know it's true because Romans 8:38-39 says:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

When he tells me I have been justified and no sin can be more powerful than that salvation, I know it's true because Romans 8:1 says so:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

And 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."

You see, like any good and loving parent, our flaws and failures do not stop or change our Father's love for us. Even when my son screams and yells and throws a fit, and tells me what a mean and terrible momma I am and he hates me, I still love him. I still want to wrap my arms around him and tell him it's all going to be OK and mommy loves him no matter what. God feels that same way toward us. Even when we sin, when we mess up and fall down, and kick and scream, throw a fit, and blame everything and everyone but ourselves, God still wants to gather us up, kiss away the boo-boos, and tell us everything will be OK. In Zephaniah 3:15 we are told this wonderful promise:

"The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm."

And verse that same passage in verse 17 he goes on to tell us:

"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."

Take comfort in this friends. When the Bible calls him the Father it is not just to sound pretty. He loves us as a father does, with a fierce, strong, passionate, perfect love that will NEVER go away. He will guides us, some times gently, other times not so gently, through life just as a father does. He will care for us and protect us, support and uphold us. Just as he promises to us in Isaiah 43:1-4

"But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, and I have loved you."

Isn't that a comfort to read? See, friends? No matter what past experiences you have with "fathers" who fell short, no matter what old scars or wounds you still have, know this: You are made BRAND NEW in Christ Jesus. You are now a child of the living God, the king of ALL kings. And he says you are justified, you are redeemed, you are reconciled, you are loved, you are cherished, you are protected, you are FREE from ALL Judgements or condemnation of this world. GO AND LIVE IN THE FREEDOM OF HIS LOVE, MERCY, AND GRACE!!!

I love you all and my thoughts and prayers are with you always!