It Pleases God

Galatians 1:15-16 - But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood...

Someone posted the underlined parts on Facebook. The revelation of who Jesus is in our lives is truly amazing...and a miracle. Everyone born of the Spirit is a miracle. This happened for me April 18, 1999. I've gone into detail previously. 

Just imagine, God being pleased to reveal Jesus to us. He knew us before we were ever born. He has known us since the beginning of time. These are difficult concepts for finite-minded people to understand. But God....

His love for us is never-ending. He is eternal and His love is eternal. He's the same today as He was yesterday and He will be the same tomorrow. What's also difficult is this: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)  When someone rejects or betrays us how do we react? You have to be honest and say it bothers you to some degree, at least for a time. Imagine the vast number of people who have rejected God. Yet this verse still stands true. An all-loving, yet judgmental, God ...so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) 

It pleased God to reveal Himself to me. I am grateful for this. His revealing is amazing. It's exciting and encouraging. It's hopeful, peace-giving. Nothing else can be quite like it. And it's available to everyone. No matter who one is, what someone has done, how long they've fought against God. His love never fails and He is patient. He will take those people in, no matter what. 

Proverbs 8:17 - I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.

Inscribed!

Isaiah‬ ‭49:16‬ ‭- See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.

The first time I heard someone talk about this I was undone! I realized to what extent our God loves us. 

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If we are God's children, He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. He knows the hairs on our head. He formed us in our mothers' wombs. He is in the details of all our lives whether we know or believe it or not. Why? Because we are His creation. 

Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100:3‬)

The Good Shepherd. It takes me to the verses about His sheep and how if just one were lost, He'd leave the others behind to search for it. He searched for me until He found me. I was that lost sheep. Perhaps you are a lost sheep also that He is searching for. 

I acknowledge that He is my Creator. I thank Him for who He is. I am thankful I was able to respond to His call to come to Him when I was sorely lost. I am thankful for the life He has since given me and for His protection over me through salvation in His Son Jesus. Not even my death will result in death, but life. 

Although He watches over us, we are never promised to be without troubling incidents in life. But if we keep our eyes focused on Him, we can realize, when all is said and done, that He had us inscribed in the palms of His hands!

I try to imagine being inscribed or engraved in that palm. That means He is gripping tightly. Even more amazing, I'm not the only one He firmly holds, though it seems as though it's just me.

This is our awesome God! He can be so personal to each one of us (if we want Him to) but He cares equally for all. His love is 
unconditional. He loves us with an everlasting love even if we do not return the sentiment.  I wonder how He feels when we do not want to know that love?

Are you engraved in the palms of His hands? It's the best place to be. We can grow in faith that He will be our comforter and protector in times of trouble. His grip on us is tight. He is our shelter in the storm.

He waits for unbelievers to hear His call. He is ever present; look out the window at the expanse of the skies, the multitude of the stars, the brightness of the sun, a brilliant sunset, the power of a thunderstorm, the great number of trees, flowers and water, the seasons. He is in the brilliance of of them all. He is in the details. 

Isaiah‬ ‭49:13‬ ‭- Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His 
afflicted.

Mystery of Reconciliation

Ephesians 3:14-19 - For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

I read this this morning. In the Bible it was entitled Appreciation of the Mystery. What He has done is a mystery. My heart wept and also rejoiced. It wept for those who do not know Christ Jesus. Who do not know the love He has for every person. And I rejoiced because I have had a glimpse of it. And I know there's more. It's never ending. It's all encompassing.

...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory... Not our own idea of riches, but His. Not our own idea of achievements, but His. It has everything to do with Him and not ourselves. He is the one who gives as we need, not we who look to our own desires for what we need.

We must be rooted and grounded in Him. We must be found in Him in our last days to receive everlasting life. If we have any doubt about this we must reconsider His words.

His love, which passes knowledge, was nailed to a tree 2000 years ago. He did this for each of us. He suffered the the agony of all our sins. Can you imagine this? This too surpasses all understanding; we cannot imagine. We cannot imagine.

And yet He did this that if we would lay aside our lives for Him He would fill us with more than we could ever know. If my heart cries out for people to understand this it is only a very small amount of the desires of the Lord. Very small.

I read the following verses. They were entitled Reconciled in Christ. What Jesus did for us. What happens when we come, starting out as enemies...enemies...of Christ, to the saving knowledge of Him...and reconciled. Our works, achievements are considered wicked before receiving Christ. We are saved by grace through faith in Him and nothing else. If it were not so Jesus would not have had to die at all. It would have been a pointless act if we could achieve sinless lives on our own.

If you have read more than one of these blogs you have heard the Gospel and what is necessary. I may not present it the best way all the time, but God's Word can stand on its own. I know what is necessary, what happened to me and what can happen to anyone who puts their trust and faith in Christ and not self.

Colossians 1:19-23 - For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. 

Love of God

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?...to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul... (Micah 6:8, Deuteronomy 10:12)

Oh, I love Micah 6:8! As I typed this scripture, I could hear the voice of my pastor back in 1999! That was the day God spoke life I to me. The day God became very real to me. The first day of the rest of my life.

I mentioned yesterday how our God is our Creator. The wondrous works of His hands...or just His voice...is totally beyond comprehension. All He requires is for us to acknowledge Him in our lives. There are some who find that so difficult to do.

Oh, how science has dismissed Him. How scientists cannot believe in anything but facts and figures. What a boring life they must live...unless or until they have come to the amazing realization that there is a God out there somewhere...or as close as the chair next to you.

A friend sent this remarkable YouTube video. It's just one more example of this amazing Creator God. It shows, at least to me, how detailed He is. It proves to me how intricate He is in all His creation. If scientists can't see this is all part of His incredible nature, I don't know what will. Please take the time to watch this 3 minute video right now.

This also tells me that if all His creation and all the things His hands or mind have touched, then how much more does He love us? With that, how much should we return that love? How can we deny receiving Him and all that He has for us?

He loves us all so much that He gave the most important thing in His life so that we might have life too. It doesn't get much better than that.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.