Through Jesus' Love

There are few sins worse than self-pity.  Self-pity erases our acknowledgement of our loving Heavenly Father who is holding our riches and is able to make all grace abound in our lives.  Self-pity also cuts off our ability to be vessels of the loving kindness that Our Lord has shared with us.  No matter how hard our circumstances seem, let us always seek comfort in our divine provision and not in ourselves.

Considering the abundance that awaits us for an eternity, whining over our trials here on earth seems a bit foolish.  How could we ever feel shortchanged in anyway with the King of the Universe residing within us, preparing us to spend the rest of eternity with Him?  Our joy should be so immense that all things of discomfort should pale in significance.

One of the greatest beauties in all of nature is the full moon.  Yet the moon has nothing to do with its radiance.  It is a simple earthen body that only has to be in concert with the gravitational pull of the earth for it to reflect the light of the sun.

We are like the moon.  All we have to do is be in proper position with Our Savior and the light of the Son will shine brightly for the world to see.  Our earthen bodies are vessels of His glory.

Jesus Christ alive in us – what a marvelous thought that is.  The King of the Universe has chosen to reside in each of us that have received Him.  He has chosen to let His power flow through us.  He has chosen to reveal Himself to the world through us.  

Could we ever receive a greater reward for anything from this world?  It is certain that we could not.  We already possess that which is greater than anything this world has to offer.

What is it that God is asking you to take out of your life?  You know what it is.  You are disturbed by the Holy Spirit each time it pops up in your life.  You are probably debating with yourself each time it occurs.  

Drop it at once.  The longer that you hold on to it, the weaker the voice of the Holy Spirit will become.

The Holy Spirit is our in-dwelling guard that protects us from our sinful nature.  We must be certain not to separate ourselves from the urgings provided by the Holy Spirit.  We must not allow our inner communion with God to be diminished.  Our spiritual growth is dependent on our obedience.

When we were children we delighted to be in the presence of our father.  We could not wait for him to come home from work.  His presence was a powerful and joyful force in our lives.  

Unfortunately, the encounters were all too brief.  As a matter of our culture, our fathers were not around during most of our waking hours.  In the mind of the child, our fathers were away from home more than they were at home.

How wonderful it is that we are in the presence of Our Heavenly Father at all times.  How wonderful it is that we can have that powerful and joyful place available to us at our beckoning.  How wonderful it is to know that He will never be absent from us.

Any love that is felt for another person will be challenged at some stage in the relationship.  Without the love of Jesus strengthening us, we will readily withdraw our love for others when they fail us.  And they will fail us.  It is only a matter of time.

With the Holy Spirit within us, we are called to keep the flow of love for others constant, as constant as the love that Jesus has for us.  It cannot be done without His presence in our lives.  He is the source and the cultivator of our ability to love.

God sets the vision for our lives and puts all things in place for us to fulfill our plans.  Along the way, Satan will challenge every step in some evil manner.  He may create simple distractions, inconvenient illnesses or perhaps he may even create what we perceive to be a major obstacle to our success.  

Satan is dedicated to breaking us down so that we lose faith and give up on our plans.  Once we really start making spiritual progress, Satan will pull out all of his tricks.  These tricks will often include attacks on those closest to us.  We must keep ourselves ready for his assaults through prayer and reading of God’s Word.  Fasting may even be necessary depending on the nature of the assault.

We can be certain of one thing.  God will never leave us to fend for ourselves.  His power will prevail over the enemy.  All honor and glory will be His.  

God wants to give each and everyone of us a vision for our lives.  He wants us to see not only beyond where we are, but also beyond what we can even dream that we are capable of doing.  

God wants us to come to the realization that He is going to fulfill His plans through us as we become His instruments through the power of the Holy Spirit.  But before we can be given the visions for the bigger plans that He has for us, we must first establish our relationship with Our Heavenly Father through obedience to the small things that He asks of us.

God is the great potter.  He keeps His hands on us, His clay, at all times.  He is in no hurry to form us according to His purpose.  He knows that He will take whatever time necessary to get us to conform to the purposes that He has for our lives.  

As the great potter, God will break the clay if He sees that the clay is not going to yield the final form that He has chosen.  As the clay, we must yield to Him, knowing that He will form us perfectly.  In faith, we can rejoice in knowing we will be perfected in our final finishing.

Our plans are of no value unless they were first planted in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Once planted by God and planned through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our plans are certain to be fulfilled no matter how big or small they may be.  And they will have great value because they will bring honor and glory to God. 

God does not know defeat in any manner nor does He know failure in any fashion.  If we have gone to Our Heavenly Father to secure our plans,  we have made certain of their success.  And we have made certain that our plans are pleasing to the Father.