Devotions 21-30

21.  EXCELLENCE

Lord, it is true that You have done all that can be done to redeem me,

rescue me, and make me Yours.

There is nothing left for me to do---I cannot earn Your favor or improve

upon Your provision.

I can only humbly and gratefully surrender to Your love.

Yet my heart yearns for more...more of You,

more evidence of Your power and presence in my life.

I want to reflect Your glory and to live in such a way that when

others see me, they are seeing You.

I am afraid there is nothing that outwardly sets me apart

from those who are simply good, moral, honest people.

I know I am more than that because it is You in me

who is moral, honest, good, and anything else that is right and decent.

I know it's You and not me, but how would anyone else know?

I do not ever want you to be afraid, not ever.  Fear has no place in your life, for your life is hidden with Me and in Me.  I especially do not want you to be afraid concerning what others may or may not think about you and how you are perceived.  I am the One who knows your heart, am I not?  I am the One you are living your life before, am I not?

I know your passion to make a difference in the world, to not be left out of what I am doing and how I am moving.  You long to see Me work with power and authority and to see the miraculous with your own eyes.  You long that I would do My works through you unhindered, and you long that you would be brave enough to step out into those works in faith.  Dear one, I know all these things.  I know also how weak and inadequate you feel and how far away these possibilities seem to you.

I did not create you for mediocrity; I created you for excellence.  My excellence is to be evident in everything you do, every word you say, every encounter you have.  It does not matter whether the work is spiritual or secular, for every part of your life and everything that touches you is sacred.

Live your life with excellence.

Love those around you with excellence.

Do your work with excellence.

Pray with excellence.

Speak with excellence.

Sing with excellence.

Enjoy Me with the greatest excellence.

I take great pleasure in you, and I want you to take great pleasure in Me.

Will your life look very different from someone else's?  Perhaps not, but it will give off a different fragrance---the fragrance of Me and of life.  Many will not be able to identify it, and some will not like it, but some will be drawn by it---not to you but to Me.  Could you imagine anything more miraculous than to witness your own loved ones and others that you know coming to new life in Me?  You can be a part of that and more.  I have no intention of leaving you out.  I didn't, after all, save you with no plan of multiplying that miracle beyond you.  There are people and areas that I created you to touch, and you are the one I have called to that task.  They may be few, they may be many, but your eyes are to be fixed on Me, and your heart is to be praying always for them.  I will hear and answer your prayers---persevere in prayer as you sow seeds of love.

Take My hand and come with Me---we have much to do yet, and there are things awaiting that you would not have dared to dream.  Let's go together in excellence.

Colossians 3:3; Matthew 10:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; Romans 2:5-10;

2 Corinthians 2:14-17; Isaiah 44:3-5; Ephesians 2:10; Luke 11:5-13

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22.  GOOD NEWS FOR THE AFFLICTED

You have promised good news to the afflicted, Lord, and freedom to those

who are prisoners and captives.

I have come to see, at least in part, what it is that afflicts my soul

and would keep me prisoner.

It is a very real difficulty that I have no influence over.

It hangs over my head and discourages me.

It makes me sad and even lonely at times.

It creates within me a burning desire to see You honored and glorified;

while at the same time suffocating my own sense of freedom,

expression, and worship.

I need Your good news and Your living word spoken to my heart.

Let it go, My child, let it all go.  It's going to be all right.  Let the chains of those things that afflict your soul and oppress your mind drop away.  What you are identifying is true and real, but you have allowed genuine difficulties to become giants in the land of promise.  I have promised you My very presence wherever you are, My Spirit given to the fullness that you seek, and My unfailing word both written and spoken to your heart.  I have promised the same inheritance for your children for generations to come.

Do not idolize the altars set up by the enemy of your soul.  He would make the problems appear to have greater power than I have, and that is not so.  Have you forgotten the greatness of the One who is on your side?  I keep you every moment even in the midst of your enemies---more than that, I set a table for you in their presence.  I have declared that you are to rule in the midst of them.  That does not mean that they will change or go away, but they cannot touch your soul unless you let them.

I have taken away the shame and reproach of your youth, and My lovingkindness will not be removed from you.  I rescue, redeem, and revive you as you cling to My word.  My word is the key to My wisdom which will keep you, exalt you, crown you, and direct you.  As you avoid wickedness and seek this wisdom, your path will grow brighter and brighter.  Love and treasure My word over every other prize in the world.

Do not hesitate to love Me lavishly and follow Me fervently.  Speak what I put on your heart, listening always for My gentle, quiet voice and waiting for Me with great anticipation and watchfulness.  Do not shrink from declaring My counsel and that which helps others to follow Me.  Be strong in faith, for it gives Me great pleasure to see you trusting Me rather than shying from an opportunity to let Me live through you.  You do not need to be confident in yourself---be confident in Me.  Never forget who I AM.

Isaiah 61:1-4; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Corinthians 2:12; Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 44:3-4;

Romans 8:31-39; Isaiah 27:3; Psalm 23:5; Psalm 110:2; Isaiah 54:4;

Isaiah 54:10; Psalm 119:153-160; Proverbs 4; Psalm 119:65-72; Ezekiel 33:7;

Psalm 130:5-6; Acts 20:20, 27; Hebrews 10:38; Hebrews 13:6

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23.  WHEN I SIN


Lord, do You change Your heart toward me when I sin?
Do You love me less?
How do You look at punishment and consequences?
We hear it said that although You forgive, there are always consequences.
Is that true?

Did you ask Me if My heart changes toward you?  Ever?  I am the God who changes not.  I am the One who created you, loved you, and died for you before you were even born.  You are inscribed on the palm of My hand.  I can no more change My heart toward you than a mother can forget her child.

When you sin, when you choose your own way rather than the one that I had planned, your life at that point turns a different direction.  That choice will have results.  The results are not a product of My anger or disfavor; they are simply results of your choice.  I love you just the same.  I am just as fully on your side as I am totally committed to you, and not even your wrong turns change that.  You cannot begin to know how many times My love has protected you from painful consequences.  I will see you through the difficult circumstances that may follow, and your repentance allows Me to work freely to turn even these things for your eternal good.

You are not disqualified or short-changed in My kingdom because you are not perfect.  I know that you are dust and that you are weak.  You are the one who needs to be convinced of that truth. When will you stop depending on yourself to meet temptation and realize that only I am able to overcome?  When will you trust My love enough to not be afraid of Me?  I am not looking for an opportunity to punish you; I long to bless you even in the midst of consequences and difficulty.  I plan to use you in spite of your sins.  I see your heart, and even when it is rebellious I love you and have provided full payment for that rebellion.  I am the One who draws your heart back to Me and gives you the grace to repent.  It may be painful and humbling, but it will fill you with healing and peace.  I long for your heart to be whole and healed, and I have done everything needed to accomplish that.  All that remains is for you to come to Me.  Don't be afraid.

Hebrews 13:8; Isaiah 49:15-16; Micah 7:18-20; Romans 8:28-39; Psalm 103:14;

Zechariah 1:3; Isaiah 54:10

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24.  GOD'S MERCY

As I've grown to know You, Lord, I have come to realize,

at least in part, my sinfulness and wretchedness.

There is no part of me that is untouched by the stain of selfishness

and wickedness.  You have faithfully brought areas of sin to light and 

have helped me to repent many times.  Sometimes my focus gets stuck

on Your awesome holiness and my consistent shortcomings.

And since I never want to make You less than You are,

I can get lopsided in my perspective.

Then, for no reason, You interrupt my day with unexpected mercy and

undeserved blessing.  I am swept away again with the awareness of Your

vast kindness, love, and mercy.

And I see that You are even more awesome than I had thought,

and I love and trust You even more.

Your view of Me is too small---always too small.  I AM bigger, higher, wider, deeper, and more dimensional than you can ever begin to imagine.  Whatever attribute of Mine that you see at a given time is not the only attribute at work in Me.  I AM just and merciful at the same time, always.  I AM infinitely patient with man's free choice and completely sovereign in the same circumstance.

You will never know Me completely, but I love your pursuit

and your delight as I reveal Myself to you.

I treasure and enjoy your fellowship and the times

of conscious communion that we share.

I value just as much your determined obedience and trust

when evidence and circumstance would steer you away from Me.

I delight in the sweet-smelling sacrifice of your praise in the face of

difficulty or simply monotony when you do not have a sense of My presence.

I do love to pour out My mercy and My gifts on you.  Never take these things from My hand and call them luck, or circumstance, or ordinary.  It is My gift that your heart beats and that you can breathe, walk, talk, see, hear, and think.  Your very life is because of My mercy, and I have given you so many loved ones to be thankful for as well.  My dealings with you and with them are never on the basis of merit but always on the basis of My mercy.

I AM kinder than you will ever know.

I AM more patient with the wandering than you can begin to fathom.

I keep you in the hollow of My hand, and as you pray for those you love,

rest assured they will not escape the breadth and length of My mercy.

I reaches inside them where you can never go yourself.

Be faithful to sow seed, and to pray, but remember that they are in My hand.

I will not let them go.

John 14:21; Zephaniah 3:17; John 15:7-11; Hebrews 13:15; Acts 17:28;

Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 2:4; Luke 15:11-32; Ephesians 4:1-3;

Ephesians 3:14-21

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25.  LOVING OTHERS


Loving You seems to come so easily, Lord,
but loving others can be a huge challenge sometimes.
I know that they are to go hand in hand, but that
doesn't seem to come about naturally for me.
I want to obey You; I want my heart to change,
loving more freely.
Will that ever happen?

I created you with a personality and temperament unique to you.  My creation has been marred by sin and by what you call human nature, but it still bears the marks of uniqueness.  You do not have the same natural tendencies that any other person has.  Perhaps someone else may feel more affection toward others, but the love I ask you to have for them is not merely a feeling; it is a choice, an action, something I empower you to do.

Choosing to show love out of obedience to Me is not less real or valuable than loving out of natural affection.  I treasure your obedience when you offer it with a heart full of love for Me.  I do not ask you to mimic the actions of others in the way love is shown.  I may call you simply to pray for a person, to smile at and greet them, to write a note of encouragement.  Do not wear yourself out wondering what more you should do.  I will tell you.

Your circle may be small, but I ask you to serve it well.  Keep Me first in your heart, and give your best to those I bring into your path and your day.  Some will receive the love you show, and others will not.  The same was true for Me when I lived and walked among you.  Do not be surprised or dismayed.  Do what is right according to the way I lead you, and rejoice in My abundant love for you and for others.

My favor lasts a lifetime, My lifetime, and it reaches across generations.  Your obedience, however simple, may affect the lives of your descendants forever.  I inhabit all of time and space, and you can never know the ripples of blessing that are sent forth by your loving obedience to Me.  Do not let mere feelings interfere with My life and blessing flowing through you.  I created you for this. Your highest joy will be found in Me, for Myself, and in fulfilling the destiny I have designed through you.

Be yourself.  I created you for great things.  I have blessed you abundantly, and I am not done yet.  Know for certain that each time you submit your heart to Mine, there the river of blessing flows freely into places far beyond your awareness and even beyond your lifetime.  Enjoy the adventure, for I am with you.

Psalm 139:15-16; Romans 12:10-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:13-24; Mark 3:31-35;

Isaiah 51:7-8; 1 Peter 3:8-17; Psalm 30:4-5; Exodus 20:6;

John 15:8-12; John 17:20-26

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26.  MINISTRY


Lord, I need to give.  I need an outflow that is personally
suited to me.  I need a ministry.  I need to find a way to reach out
with Your love to others who need Your help,
Your healing, and Your touch in a way that You have wired
and equipped me to do so.  I do not see how that reaches beyond my
own family.  What would You do through me?
What steps do I need to take?

Lift your eyes to look upon My heart, and see from My heart through My eyes.  I am your first ministry; you are to give yourself totally to Me and let thanksgiving and praise flow from your heart.  You are to receive My love and life from My hand to nourish and sustain your heart.  Yes, beyond that there should be a flow outward to others so that My love reaches others through you.

You long for personal involvement that will allow you to share

My heart with someone in need.

You have a passion for those who are unfairly treated

and those who feel unworthy to approach Me,

or even to venture too far into a church setting.

You desire to bring healing where religion has

bombarded a searching soul with judgment or rejection.

You cheer for the underdog.

You long to bring others into a relationship with Me

that is based on the truths of repentance and lordship

rather than feeling good about themselves.

If they only knew how much I love them, they could not

so easily resist My claim upon their hearts and lives.

They need large doses of My love shown

to them along with unwavering truth.

I show My love differently through different people.  I do call you to minister to those I have already placed in your heart.  They are everywhere around you, but you don't always see them.  Your vision is clouded by your expectations of how I will work, and you are hampered by unnecessary timidity.  My methods and ways are so vast and varied that I will always surprise you. Ask Me at each encounter to open your eyes.  I will show you how to pray or how to speak to that individual so that they can receive love from My hand.  Do not labor over this; it is not a restrictive thing I place upon you, but a yoke that I have built just for you.  You are not competing with anyone else's style of ministry; this is yours.  All the right words are not always the balm that a hurting heart needs; My loving presence through an imperfect vessel may be the agent of healing that I prescribe.

A ministry that would lead you to rely on your abilities to perform it would not serve My total purpose even if it helped others.  Pride could poison the fruit that may be produced.  I may bring you into a more defined ministry someday, but in this present role you must depend constantly on My heart and leading.  I find great joy in that.  Your dependence ministers to Me bringing Me the prize for which I went to the cross---your whole heart.

Colossians 2:6-7; Colossians 3:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:6-14; Isaiah 55:6-11;

Colossians 4:2-6; Matthew 11:29-30; Ephesians 5:1-2; Romans 12:15-16;

Proverbs 26:12; Hebrews 13:20-21

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27.  WAGING WAR

I have been allowing idols in my heart, Lord, and I 

didn't even know they were there.

I have allowed myself to take Your place because I

thought that You were working through me.

But I was having my own way in my thoughts and in my words,

rather than letting You have Yours.

I sometimes can't tell the difference between my thoughts

and Your thoughts when they are inside my head,

but when I quiet my heart and really listen, You are there

speaking to me in unmistakable ways.

It's just that I don't always like what You have to say as well

as I like my own ideas.

Forgive me, and help me to know how to resist

an idol that I cannot physically escape.

Welcome to the war.  The battlefield of the mind is the most constant arena that My children encounter.  I speak to you many times in ways that seem like your own thoughts, and it can be difficult to know whether it is My desires you are hearing or your own.  I know it would be easier if I wrote everything  clearly in the sky along with your name and address so that there would be no confusion, but I speak instead to your heart.  I am willing to risk that confusion in order to have a relationship with you that requires your willful attention.  Remember that My words to your heart will never contradict the written word that you already have.

It is easy for your thoughts to spill over into sarcasm and cynicism.  That is a clear indication that you are not listening to My voice.  You do not need to speak your mind at every given opportunity, but do not shrink from speaking Mine.  My word speaks often of a perverted mouth and perverted speech.  These are the result of twisting something that may be true into something negative, harmful, bitter, or without hope.  Sarcasm, cynicism, and bitterness are perfect examples of this tendency.  Perverted speech starts with a perverted thought.

You are in a war.  You must take every thought captive; look at it closely to see if it squares with My word.  Let Me show you truth, and speak only from that outflow.  This is an active, deliberate choice in each thought process.  You cannot passively ask Me to change your heart or thoughts.  I have already given you a new heart.  I have also given you weapons; you must pick them up and do battle.  Actively subject each thought to My Spirit and word and test it.  Reject what is false and replace it with truth.  As you do this, the fortresses of the enemy are destroyed in your life and in lives around you.  You will be destroying speculations and the lofty things that comprise the high places of idolatry in your own mind.  It is only pride that would prevent you from following My instruction in this; and it would break My heart, for it would mean that My children are taken captive by another.

Thankfulness and humility are the safeguards of your mind

and essential to bringing your thoughts into obedience.

They change your perspective and your heart.

They free you to express love and worship.

They become your mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting or heaviness,

your beauty for ashes, and your oil of gladness instead of mourning.

Walk in them and you will be able to serve from the overflow of My love for you.

Do not fear the enemy's accusations against your soul.  Your own thoughts and emotions are not the truest thing about you; Christ in you, the hope of glory is your true identity.  Walk humbly and thankfully.  Be strong and of good courage as you wage war.  Remember you belong to Me, and I win.

Proverbs 8:8, 13, 36; Proverbs 11:20; Amos 6:12; Ephesians 4:20-32;

Hebrews 12; James 3:1-4; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Jeremiah 13:17;

Isaiah 61:1-4; Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 4:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:18;

Joshua 1:6; Revelation 21:1-7

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28.  INTERCESSION


What is it Father?  What is it that You are stirring up in my heart?
What is it that You want me to hold loosely and be willing
to walk away from, and what is it that You want me to fervently
commit to for the rest of my life?
Through what channel in my life do You want
to release blessing?
To what are You calling me?

You know the beginning of My answer to you.  You are to be totally committed to Me forever.  But I know that is not the question you are asking.  I call you first and foremost to prayer, fervent, constant prayer for those people and situations that I bring before you.  I call you to sacrifice your time and comfort in order to pray for others and for My kingdom seeking always to advance My purpose in every prayer you breathe.  The privilege of prayer is given to you that you may be blessed and be a blessing to those around you.

Intercession is a nearly invisible ministry, but it is My very heart.  Sometimes no one, including you, will know whether your prayer moves My hand and heart.  Pray before Me and never to gain the attention of others.  Pray more in private and solitude than in public to guard your heart from religious pride.  When I call you to fast, listen to My instruction rather than the advice of another.  There are many ways and things to fast, and you must be in obedience to Me if your prayers are to be effective.

Pray in the Spirit often in order to build up yourself and commune with Me in a way that reaches beyond your own thoughts.  Be confident that My Spirit prays with you and perfects your requests.  You can pray in My will even when My will is unknown to you.

Be committed to prayer in every situation and opportunity.  Hold loosely the methods and structures that people attach to prayer, but use what they have to offer.  Be flexible enough to adapt to changing needs and methods, but never lose the passion for true prayer.

Do not become entangled in controversy over the right way to pray,

just pray.

Do not stumble over the trappings that some may attach to prayer,

just pray.

Do not get stuck on other issues and questions that arise,

just pray.

Join with others who want to pray, and together become My body bringing My kingdom to earth.  I hear every prayer of every child of Mine and every prayer that comes from a humble, contrite heart.  It is My plan to bring blessing and the manifestation of My kingdom everywhere, and I choose to use intercessors to do it.  I call you to be a part of that process anywhere that I place you at any time now or in the future.

This is how I want you to leave your comfort zone and enter into a position of eternal significance.  This is how I want you to make a difference.  True prayer is the hardest thing to actually do and the very lifeblood of My kingdom.  It will require great sacrifice, compassion, patience, discernment, and love.  Do not shrink from the call.  You have heard it before and allowed distraction to pull you away.  I call you afresh.  Come and see what I will do.

Matthew 6:33; Luke 18:1-8; Numbers 6:23-27; Hebrews 7:25; Matthew 6:5-8;

Matthew 6:16-18; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Romans 8:26-27; 2 Timothy 2:1-7;

Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:6-11

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29.  MOVING CAMP

I can identify myself in a picture, Lord, of a person working

his or her way up a mountainside.  I've come part way up and made

a campsite.  I've broken camp and started higher,

only to find that I am unable to make progress and 

must return to my former spot to make camp again.

I have left camp during the day and explored the land higher up

finding wonderful places to live,

but I am unable to stay there, and I return again to my original site.

I have not been able to actually break camp and relocate to

a higher level of living.

I know that You are calling me there, but I know that

my effort cannot bring me there.

What is it that You are wanting to do in my heart

to make that move possible?

You have come to your present campsite only by My power, grace, and mercy.  Without My forgiveness, love, and life you would still be dead in your sins and existing in that death far below in the valley.  You depended not on your goodness or worth to bring you life, but on Me, and the pull you are now feeling on your heart can only be accomplished in the same way.

The area between the life you are now experiencing and the one you long for is full of issues that lie deep in your heart.  These are the strongholds of the enemy that seem so much like normal life that you can hardly identify them.  They include laying aside your own preferences and cultivating a thankful heart.  You need to trust Me, finally, and believe that I am not only good, but infinitely kind.  The fear in your heart is not a premonition from Me but rather a flaming missile sent by our enemy to destroy you.  Remember to take up your shield of faith:  faith in My goodness, My kindness, My sovereignty, and My love.  I am the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.  Do not give the devil opportunity by allowing disaster scenarios to be played out before your eyes or in your mind.  I have given you discernment as a protection for yourself and, if used in the body of believers, as a tool for edification.  Do not allow it to be twisted into a critical spirit.  Listen to My heart and pray always for those who need Me.  Be willing to give up personal comfort or time for the purpose of interceding with Me as I direct you.

You can do none of these things by yourself.  You haven't the strength for the trip.  You've tried that before.  You are more than helpless; you are dead.  You were crucified with Me, remember?  You were buried with Me and raised to a new life in Me.  It is no longer your life but Mine resurrected through you.  The temptations of bitterness, worry, fear, and criticism have no power over a dead person.  It's not your life anymore; it's Mine, and these must all answer to Me.  My life not only conquers temptation but is proactive through intercession as well.  My Spirit is all-powerful but shows itself to humanity in gentleness, humility, and the sweet aroma of a life intimate with Me.  My Spirit brings you liberty and transforms your life into one lived at great heights, moving upward yet bestowing blessing to help others who are finding their way along the journey.

Leave the burden of your old ways behind you, and I will carry you to the places you long for.  I can keep you there and make them your home.  I died and rose again that you might have a newness of life.  Come and receive it.

Ephesians 2:1-10; Ephesians 5:20; Isaiah 54:10-17; Psalm 31:19-24; Ephesians 6:10-16;

2 Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 6:1-4; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 1:9-11; Galatians 2:20;

Romans 6; Titus 3:1-11; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Romans 6:4

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30.  BLESSED


I am so blessed, Lord, that I can hardly believe Your goodness to me.
Why would You, a righteous God, shower me, of all people,
with such blessings?
You are gracious and generous beyond my puny little belief.
Thank You for loving me.

It gives Me such joy to give to you and to bless you.  You know the pleasure that it gives you to give to your children.  My pleasure is far greater and accompanied by the power to give from the endless resource of Myself.  I love to give.  I love to bless.  I love, more that these, to walk in honest fellowship with you and share My heart with you.  I am delighted when you share your heart with Me.  It doesn't matter whether you are sharing joy or sorrow, anger or pain, gratitude or requests.  I love you.

Do not hesitate to tell Me your needs, your wants, and your dreams.  I am the One who has placed them there in their original design, and I alone am able to purify and fulfill them.  Your dreams are from Me and are meant to be brought to Me at the cross, crucified there, and resurrected to all that I purposed and more than you hoped.

Do not listen to the voice of mediocrity that tempts you to believe that there is no use in reaching higher, going deeper, or pursuing Me to a greater degree.  That voice comes from the enemy of your soul trying to lull you to sleep in order to rob your inheritance.  The inheritance of My child is to rise up and be strong, to be of good courage, to seek My face continually, to dwell in My presence, and to watch at My gates.  My child is to ask and receive, to receive and then give, to hunger yet be fed with honey from the rock, and to thirst yet be a channel of living water.

There is so much more available to you than you will be able to experience, for to experience it all would consume you.  Yet it is all here, in Me, for you.  It will take an eternity, yet I will not be in the least diminished as you receive from Me.  I am endless in every way, so take freely from Me.  Enjoy Me, and love Me, and know that I am not stingy or cruel.  I am full of mercy, grace, and love for you.

I have told you before that faith, hope, and love remain, and the greatest of these is love.  I did not say that to diminish faith and hope, but I want you to see that love is the culmination of the other two.  There must first be faith that I am good and kind.  That faith will bring hope, and the two together will result in love; love both for Me and for others.  They must all be at work in order for My love to reach the world around you by living through you.  Trust Me even more.  Let your hopes soar.  Fall in love with Me again, and hold out that hope and love to others.

Ephesians 6:10; Joshua 1:5-7; 1 Chronicles 16:11; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 27:8;

Psalm 91:1; Ephesians 3:14-19; Proverbs 8:34; Matthew 7:7-8; Matthew 10:8;

Matthew 6:6; Psalm 81:16; John 7:38; 1 Corinthians 13:13

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