Love of God

John 16:27: "for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God" (NKJV). During one of the services at the meeting in Bucyrus the Spirit of God reminded us of this great principle. As I began to worship God and concentrate on His presence my heart was refreshed and renewed as I began to receive the love of God. There are times in which we "think about the love of God" but do we truly open our hearts to receive His love into our lives? Many of us know the principle of the love of God (John 3:16, 1 John 4:8-10) but do we walk in the practical application of His love to our lives? Much of humanity can recite and announce all of the reasons that God does not love them but very of us take the time to walk in the revelation of His love toward us. Each of you reading this blog need to take a moment and refocus your attention on the fact that God's Word declares that He does love us and that He is interested in revealing that love to us. Life is full of perplexities in which we need a "fresh" revelation of that love. We will face times of illness in our lives and in the lives of our family members; we may face a layoff from our job; we may face the death of a family member or a dear friend; we may face internal struggles in our marriages; or we can face an inexhaustible list of events that will challenge our peace of mind. It is during those moments that we learn to run to Abba Father and allow His love to flow over our lives. Many of the above mentioned moments offer us the opportunity to grow bitter against God and bitter about the events that are taking place around us and even taking place to us. But God "who is rich in mercy" is prepared to reach out to us and soothe our fears and calm the inner turmoil that we are feeling. It is during these moments of life that the Word of God and the Spirit of God will reveal and declare the love of God over us and in us. Our responsibility is to take the time and make the effort to receive His love. I can remember times when our children would push us away when we wanted to give them a hug. But I can also remember the times when those same children would readily accept and receive the embrace that we were offering them. I need to encourage someone today; don't push God away but readily receive the love that He is offering you. The release of God's love in your heart will give you the strength and courage that you need to face the challenges that you are confronting today. You can find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28-29).