Jesus is the rock, and He rolls my blues away. Bop-she-bop… (Have you ever heard that song?)
This one, white, heart-shaped rock, in a giant bed of red rocks, caught my attention. It was as if Jesus were giving me an object lesson in His redemptive love for me, and for YOU.
The generations of humanity are like those red rocks, numerous, common, and infiltrated with junk. But God sees us as so much more than we are! This lone, heart-shaped rock is representative of Jesus. Because He made Himself as one of us, made His dwelling and walked among us, took our sinful state upon Himself and gave us His Holy Spirit, we can receive God’s love.
God loves us all, my friends. That includes YOU! Have YOU opened your heart to receive His love? Have YOU let yourself love Him back?
“Know therefore that the Lord yourGod is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
Deuteronomy 7:9 (emphasis mine)
(Want to head to the beginning of this series? Click HERE.)
Our “Treasures of Truth” Sunday series has been waylaid by “28 Days of Love” in February. But make no mistake about it, God’s love for YOU is true and it is definitely a treasure. In fact, God’s love and forgiveness are the most valuable (and yet free-of-charge) treasures you can ever obtain!
Do you think the beams of the old, rugged cross could have been hewn from a heart-shaped tree?
My friend, Jesus loves YOU with the greatest of loves!
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”
John 15:3, 1 John 3:16a (emphasis mine)
(Want to head to the beginning of this series? Click HERE.)
A heart in the sky is like a natural neon sign declaring God’s love!
My friend, read the verse below and know it describes God’s heart for YOU. He loves YOU! He wants to reconcile with YOU. Relationship with YOU has been His intention since Day 1.
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
Exodus 34:6b, 7a (emphasis mine)
(Want to head to the beginning of this series? Click HERE.)
Folded dollar-bill hearts ready for insertion into a Valentine's Day card.
Forgive me, my friends, I’m a dollar short and a day late. Do you ever feel feel that way? If so, let me encourage us all – God loves us just the way we are!
A Dollar Short
My husband and I made a pivotal decision when our kids were still very young. It left us a dollar (or several) short. In fact, it is easy for me to imagine how a different choice could have changed the wealth trajectory for our entire family.
God is extremely merciful and redeems, what’s more – even plans for, our ignorance.
Mama Lava
If a different family trajectory is what God had intended for us, I believe He would have stepped in by now. He is extremely merciful and redeems, what’s more – even plans for, our ignorance. More likely, the valuable lessons we have learned in the aftermath of our decision have been God’s intended provision.
What purposeful love, right? God wants what is best for us. We’ve been talking about that here on the Back Porch and on your blogs as well. It is a recurring theme He is weaving all around us. And we have been seeing, time and again, that what is best for us is not always what we want in a given moment.
God’s best is not tied to our wealth, health, or stealth. It is about our character and holiness. It is about the peace, joy, and fulfillment we experience from making Him Lord of all. And it is tied to our ability to receive His love!
A Day Late on Love
I said I was a dollar short and a day late. To be honest, I’m not certain about the dollar. I will ask God for His perspective on it when I get to Heaven.
But I know without a doubt I’m a day late. For what? I should have written this post yesterday.
I’m a day late on love. I wanted to fill February with Valentines from God.
I’m chuckling as I type. Do you know why? God has gone so far as to even redeem my tardiness. It’s leap year! I can still do the “28 Days of Love” series I’d planned, even though I’m a day late.
Oh, my friends, He loves us!
If you’ve been visiting the Back Porch for a while, you may know that I enjoy looking for what I call Valentines from God. These are hearts shaped by God, which I find in nature. For several months I posted photos and stories of how I felt romanced by my Savior when I encountered them. This one particularly touched me.
I haven’t written about them lately, but I have been collecting their photographs. My plan is to share my favorites with you his month, along with God’s words of affection for you. My prayer is that you feel special, romanced, and incredibly cherished by the God of sacrificial and unconditional love, who shaped you with creative intentionality.
I’m focusing on the truth of God’s Word this year and bringing you along with me. God’s words are true. His love is real.
“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, intruth and love.”
2 John 1:3
I may be a dollar short and a day late on love, but God’s timing is perfect! And His love is infinite! I hope you’ll join me, starting tomorrow, for “28 days of Love”.
Folded dollar-bill hearts ready for insertion into a Valentine’s Day Card. (For a tutorial on how to make them, click HERE.)
Her call tore me up inside. I wanted differently for her. I had been asking God for-what-seemed-like-forever for an outcome that was the complete opposite of what she told me.
Do you know what I mean? It happens in our lives and in those we care about. What we want, what we hope and believe for, is not what God does.
The degree to which we resist surrender to God is the degree to which we lack peace.
Mama Lava
My precious friends, I dare you to embrace this with me. The degree to which we resist surrender to God is the degree to which we lack peace. When we try to push our ideas, opinions, and desires in opposition to what He is doing, we will not be satisfied. He is more about cultivating holiness than happiness.
If we trust God to do what is best, moreover – if we want His best for ourselves and others, we can relax, give in to the process, and know that in His hands, everything will work out as it should.
Mama Lava
We know what we want. He knows what we need. If we trust God to do what is best, moreover – if we want His best for ourselves and others, we can relax, give in to the process, and know that in His hands, everything will work out as it should. In the end we get it all; what we need and what we want, holiness and happiness.
When what we want and what makes us happy is the holiness God knows we need, there is no conflict between us. When what we pray for is in line with what He is doing, we cannot be disappointed. When our hearts delight in what the Lord plans for us, we rest knowing everything we desire will come to pass. This is the key to happiness:
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:4 (emphasis mine)
We may gravitate toward the “getting what we desire” part of this verse, but that is not the intended emphasis. The key to happiness is to delight ourselves in the Lord. That is where we align with what God wants, and thereby become blessed beneficiaries of it all. (“Blessed” and “happy” are interchangeable in the Greek language.)
Which highway heads to happiness?
After her call, I realized I needed to change my prayers on her behalf. I was praying for what I wanted – her happiness. But I was not giving room for God to cultivate her holiness.
She needs to delight herself in the Lord. And that requires her to first be convinced that delighting in herself is futile. It will likely mean one setback after another until she understands. I need to want that for her.
If happiness is a destination, it is down the highway called holiness.
Mama Lava
God is working in her life and that is what I’ve been asking Him to do. The process is unfolding differently than I’d imagined but ultimately, He is giving me the desires of my heart. If happiness is a destination, it is down the highway called holiness.
My precious friends, do you believe this? Delighting in the Lord is the key to happiness – by way of holiness – for me, for her, and for us all.
Mama Lava's Back Porch 