Roots Sent Deep

 In a vision I saw roots being sent down and growing downward into the ground. As they extended downward, eventually they tapped into hidden rivers that were running deep underground.  There were rivers of revelation of the mysteries of God.  And there were rivers of the revelation of the depths of the love of God.  I had the sense that neither of these types of rivers are easily accessed, but are available to those who will persevere.  They are available to those who will press to send their roots deep to find these rivers.  As they draw the revelation from these rivers into their lives, they will be greatly enriched and will bear much good fruit in the kingdom of God.  

 

God Is Love

God is love.  Love is the nature of God.  Thus God is always loving.  He never changes.  His love never changes.....So God always loves me.  He can't be any other way.  I am not powerful enough to change the very nature of God.  I am not powerful enough to change the love of God for me. Nothing can separate me from the love of God, not even me.

1 John 4:8-10  ESV 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Romans 8:35-39  ESV  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Love Of God

We serve an awesome God.  His love is so vast I believe it will take all of eternity to begin to plumb the depths of it.  The love of God has substance to it. It has length, and breadth, and depth and height.  It is something we can send our roots down into and have as a foundation in our lives.  It is something that cannot be known with our minds.  It is beyond being known by mental assent.  It can only be known by experience, by experiencing God Himself. God is love. 

It is only as we daily experience the love of God and really allow it to impact the depths of our being, that we can really love others.  All love really originates in God.

We can only truly love others with the measure of the love of God that we have experienced ourselves.  We cannot give away something we do not have.  Love gives.  God so loved that He gave His only begotten son. 

These are a few of my thoughts today about the love of God. 

Ephesians 3:16-21 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; ¹⁷ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; ¹⁹ And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. ²⁰ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, ²¹ Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Nothing Can Separate From God's Love

Romans 8:38-39  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Nothing can separate us from God's love, not even sin.  Sin will bring a separation in the relationship, but doesn't change God's love.  God is and always will be love.

God always loved Israel, even when they were in sin.  Judgment had to come upon them, not because of lack of love, but because of love.  God's judgment on sin and love are not opposed to one another.  Just like when a parent disciplines a child it is because he/she loves the child.

I believe our perceptions concerning this get distorted when we get disciplined or punished out of anger or frustration. Or when we receive inappropriate discipline because of the mood of the parent. God never has a bad day.  So we never have to walk around "on egg shells" hoping not to upset Him.
The following two commonly known scriptures from Jeremiah are found in the midst of God telling Israel of the coming judgment upon them for their sin. Within these we see God's continued love and care for them in spite of their disobedience and the need for judgment/discipline.

Jeremiah 29:11-14  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 

Jeremiah 31: 3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

In the following verses Jeremiah is remembering that God is indeed a loving and merciful God, even as he grieves over the condition of Israel/Jerusalem as a result of the judgment.

Lamentations 3:21-24 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

NEVER FORGOTTEN

Sometimes we may feel like God has forgotten us. Although it may seem that way because of how we feel or what we see going on around us, it is not true. Sometimes the enemy will be blasting that lie into our ears.  It is just that, "a lie."  The truth is found in God's Word and we can stand on that.  And at the times we feel forgotten or hear that lie in our ear we can declare the truth.  We must declare and stand on the truth of God's Word to us.

Isaiah 49:14-16 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Hebrews 3:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Because Of Jesus

Ephesians 1:3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

This scripture blows me away every time I read it.

Before I was even conceived, God chose me. Actually before the foundation of the world...that is so incredible!!! He loved me. He wanted me. He had a plan for my life. He has always loved me and always will. His love for me has never been nor ever will be dependent on what I have done or have not done. It is and always will be a fact. Jesus loves me for the Bible tells me so.

I am fully accepted by God in Jesus Christ, because of a relationship with Christ by which I become one with Him. Because of what Jesus did I can stand before God, holy and without blame. Because of Jesus I am acceptable to God, not because of anything I have done or ever will do.

God, You sent your Son to this earth and He was rejected and despised by most, and yet went to the cross that each of us would have a means of being forgiven all and to come into a heavenly inheritance in Christ.

God, You chose me by the good pleasure of Your will. You chose me to be born in this time to be part of what You are doing in the earth at this time. The fact that all of this would bring You pleasure is amazing to me. The God of the universe can take pleasure in my life. How awesome!!

The Overwhelming Love of God

God is good and His love endures forever. This is something I have meditated upon quite a bit recently. Forever is a long time. God's love has endured a lot of things over a long period of time and yet His love still continues.

God's love for me has endured through my many failures and sins. Through the many ways in which I have disappointed God. Through the heartache I surely have caused Him. God's love has endured through the outright rebellion in my heart that manifests at times. Yet His love for me continues on and on and on.

Not only does His love for me continue but for all of mankind. It is the love of God that sent Jesus to the cross not only for me but for all the world. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I guess if God's love stopped then there would no longer be God because God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). So love has been as long as God has been and will continue to be as long as God continues to be.

Lamentations 3:22-24 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Micah 7:18-19 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Oh praise the wonderful name of the Lord God Almighty for His great and wondrous love!!!!