Original Love

The Original Lover of You and Me!

There are many thoughts this February 14, 2014 about Valentines.  In this text you won’t learn about the history of Valentine’s Day but rather His Story as it relates to you and me.

Did you know that before you were born God’s love letter to us states that He knows how we are formed?  Psalm 103:13, 14 proclaims that God was there for us loving us as a Father and that He the Triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit remembers how we were made.  Why???  Because He formed us and put the Breath of Life into our mother’s womb.

At this point you might be saying “Great” He was there from the beginning but I have to tell you the last few days have been really difficult and I’m not sure that He is still with me.  Another wonderful promise from God’s love letter to us the Bible communicates what Jesus said and is still saying today: “"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  The GREAT NEWS is that God hasn’t went anywhere.  God is a GENTALMAN and He is waiting for us to ask Him into our lives so that He can give us REST for our SOULS.  Now, I do have to add a disclaimer.  Your external circumstances may remain the same.  In the same love letter God tells us that this life will not be easy and that we should expect hardship but the internal peace and joy you will experience will be limitless!

Is this the first time you are reading this truth about God and His REEDEMING LOVE for you?  Then let’s take a moment to review the essentials.  I mean let’s face it you not going to marry someone before the first date.  You’re not going to sign up for a dating service without reading all the fine print.  Well are you???  I sincerely hope that you go into each relationship with your eyes as fully open as you can.

Now before we begin it is important to know who we are meaning God, me, and you. 

First, God is fully three persons; Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  Each has their own distinct personality and attributes.  Come to think of it, God was perfectly pleased before the creation to be in the presence of Himself.  God loved us sooo much that He didn’t leave His creation namely humanity alone but rather He sent the God/Man Jesus.   The Bible in the Book of Romans chapter 5 verse fifteen explains that Jesus was fully man and that through him the grace of God is available to all men. 

Second, Jesus died a very, very cruel death.  Imagine, Jesus’ clothes stolen, he was beaten, wearing a thorn of crowns forced to carry a wooden cross up a hill where then stakes were driven into his body so that he would be able to hand from that cross where in the minds of the executioners and judges he would breath his last breath.  It is important not to overlook the point that this is God fully God and Man who chose to be on that cross so it wasn’t the nails that kept him on that cross it was his love for you and me.  No longer would people be asked to make a yearly sacrifice to God in order to remain in relationship with Him.  As Jesus said from the cross; “It is finished” and that statement can be found in the Book of John in the nineteenth chapter thirtieth verse.

Third, O how everyone was surprised the third day after Jesus death on the Cross.  The tomb where he had been laid to rest was empty!!!!  Yes, Jesus was gone.  No you might ask, isn’t this where God leaves His creation?  Absolutely not, in fact, Jesus has made breakfast for Peter and some of His other followers on the beach.  This truth is found in the Book of John in the nineteenth chapter.   Amazing, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten breakfast with a previously dead person.

Forth, Jesus did return to Heaven, but He promised the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.  It is because of the Holy Spirit lives in a person who has committed to believe and follow Jesus that we can be encouraged.  And this is really where the rubber hits the road.  You see if you believe all that we have discussed in these four points but you choose not to follow Jesus and His words as they are recorded in His Bible then you will not be counted as a person who loves him.  Think about it.  When you are single and you like someone you don’t continue to like that person on a deeper level unless you are in communication with that person.  The same is true with our relationship with God.  It only works when we are in relationship with Him.  I will say it again.  Being a Christian, follower of Jesus, means you are in relationship with Him not the aloof, see you some time relationship but the kind of relationship where He is the first person you want to speak with in the morning and the last person you want to speak with before you go to sleep.

As I wrap this post up, my hope and my prayer for all those who read it is that they will be encouraged.  Encouraged to either walk more closely with Jesus as they are reminded all that He did for them personally or that as a person who has never heard this before you are interested in praying to God asking Jesus to be the sacrifice you needed to be close to God once and for all.  Now if you have made that choice, please, please, get into contact with Jesus’ family.  What is that family, those are people just like you who have trusted in the Bible and Jesus as the only way to God.  Not adding one thing like a catalog requiring you to do countless things after trusting in Him and committing to follow Him.  So, contact me, I would love to rejoice with you on your new life and commitment, in addition to helping you find a place where you can be with other people who will celebrate and encourage you also.

Modern day Garden?

Is it possible to re-enact the Garden Experience from Genesis 3 again in 2014?

Do you think it is possible this modern day of 2014 to relive the Garden experience as Adam and Eve did?  I think the answer may surprise you.  Yes, as it happened to me last night and each time I’m confronted with a choice to do the right / healthy option or to pick one that isn’t.  Let me describe to you what happened.

I spent the day enjoying the Word of God at church through preaching, teaching, and worship.  It was really a wonderful day.  Then it happened.  I was literally not a few feet away from the wonderful experiences of the day when I was confronted by a box of cookies.  I must confess these weren’t ordinary cookies.  These cookies were fresh from the store chocolate chip cookies.  The box of cookies in and of themselves were a harmless sweet treat.  So what went wrong????

You might remember in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve were walking through the Garden when they came across the one tree that God had told them not to eat of.  What were they doing so close to it?  Why were the cookies in my house?  And then it happened.  Adam and Eve took their mind off of God and began to examine the possibilities.  It didn’t help them that along with this really great looking fruit there was the Serpent.  The Serpent asked them to hedge around the truth of what God had commanded.  “You will not certainly die” from verse 4.  The cookies while they are sweet will not make you unhealthy, you may need to do a little extra walking that’s all.  The cookies are so small and tasty.  Just like Adam and Eve the minute I took my eyes off of God and the truth which is more than a serving of cookies really will make me unhealthy I had hurt my relationship with God.  You see I believe that God knows everything.  That my present and future are in God’s memory.  That being said I forfeited the closeness with God by finishing the box of cookies last night. 

Now you might be thinking, Larry, that is really said.  Are you worried about God being mad at you?  Taking away your health?  Striking you with lightning at any point today?  The answer is no.

How can you be so confident that you haven’t ruined your relationship with God forever?  There is only one reason, and that reason comes by way of my Savior Jesus Christ.  You see I’m not perfect.  I will try not to hurt my relationship with God by eating too many cookies again but the truth is I might.  And the disobedience that God sees in me has already been dealt with on the Cross at Calvary.  You see when Jesus was on the cross God put the penalty of my disobedience on him.  If I were to die today and stand before the almighty God and was asked ‘Larry, why should I let you into heaven?’ the only answer I can give is that Jesus paid the price for me.  Romans 5:8, Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2, and 1 John 4:10.

As you read this today I hope you’re not shocked to find out that I’m not perfect!  But instead I write this to you as an encouragement.  It might not be cookies that have caused you or someone you know to lose sight of God.  Truthfully it doesn’t matter what it is.  But as I’ve said this should be an encouragement to you.  Please if you haven’t done so please confess your disobedience to God, tell Him that you would love to start over, to have a mulligan, and to experience re-birth.  Acts 4:12  I’m not sure how it happens but I do know that when we confess our sin and admit to God that Jesus is the only way back into relationship with Him we are granted the Holy Spirit to come live in our hearts and minds and nothing is the same.  All past, present, and future disobedience has been paid for by what Jesus did on the cross.  You and I are finally free to live by the Holy Spirit and seek after what pleases Him.  

No Detail Escapes His Eye!

Amazing & Wonderful is my God!

For those in and around Chicago land this weekend you know that we saw some snow fall.  Snow falling by itself is a beautiful thing.  It is clean and damp and will on it's own clean off your windshield.  Through in some street dirt and other things from the cars on the road and your window can get pretty dirty.  Imagine that dirty window for a moment and then reaching for the windshield wiper button to dispense the windshield wiper cleaning fluid.  Now let's leave the world of make believe for a moment and that is where you will find me Sunday morning.  I was traveling down the road pressing the windshield cleaner button and nothing came out.  Not even a bubble from where the cleaning solution had once lived.  I immediately became nervous because it was becoming increasingly more difficult to see out the windshield.  Just then I saw the sign for a gas station!  I pulled in and was thanking God for this oasis and thinking I would soon have a clean windshield again.  As I exited my car the empty shelves of windshield wiper cleaner stared at me head on!  I wasn't worried because I hadn't yet checked the inside of the station.  I went inside and more empty shelves where windshield wiper cleaner should be looked back at me.  The sinking feeling in my stomach was back.  I went up to the cashier and asked if they had any more windshield wiper fluid left.  He looked back and said I think there is some at the end of this isle.  I went back and found one remaining bottle of windshield wiper fluid.  A peace that I couldn't understand began to settle over me and while I didn't hear the audible voice of God I know doubt felt his peace and began to sense his telling me, "Larry, I know the future right now seems a little unclear but trust me.  I can provide windshield wiper fluid when there doesn't appear to be any so imagine what I can do with the other issues in your life."  God knew exactly what I needed, not only did I need the windshield wiper fluid when I began driving again but I needed to know that I was still being taken care of.  This is what makes my relationship to Jesus so much different than any other religion I have read about.  I know for sure that my God and Father knows my name and my every need.  I just need to be willing to call out and wait on him for He has my very best interest in mind!
I hope this entry is an encouragement to you along your journey.  You to can have this peace when you find yourself in a relationship with Jesus Christ.