First Cause
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Global >
      • United States
      • Africa
      • Democratic Republic of Congo
      • Guatemala
      • India
      • Kenya
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Nigeria
      • Peru
      • Rwanda
      • Sweden
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
    • Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Our Statement of Faith
  • Training
  • Leader Resources
    • Outreach
    • Quotes A-C
    • Quotes D-F
    • Quotes G-K
    • Quotes L-O
    • Quotes P-R
    • Quotes S-U
    • Quotes V-Z
    • Worship
    • Testimonials
    • Annual Newsletter
  • Leader Podcasts
  • Blog
  • Prayer
    • A Link In The Chain
    • Prayer Request
    • Long Eternal Line
  • STORE
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Inicio
  • Nosotros
    • Liderazgo
    • Equipo
  • Capacitacion
  • Eventos
  • Blog Devocionales
  • Galeria
  • Contacto
  • Link Page
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Global >
      • United States
      • Africa
      • Democratic Republic of Congo
      • Guatemala
      • India
      • Kenya
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Nigeria
      • Peru
      • Rwanda
      • Sweden
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
    • Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Our Statement of Faith
  • Training
  • Leader Resources
    • Outreach
    • Quotes A-C
    • Quotes D-F
    • Quotes G-K
    • Quotes L-O
    • Quotes P-R
    • Quotes S-U
    • Quotes V-Z
    • Worship
    • Testimonials
    • Annual Newsletter
  • Leader Podcasts
  • Blog
  • Prayer
    • A Link In The Chain
    • Prayer Request
    • Long Eternal Line
  • STORE
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Inicio
  • Nosotros
    • Liderazgo
    • Equipo
  • Capacitacion
  • Eventos
  • Blog Devocionales
  • Galeria
  • Contacto
  • Link Page
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Reveration Blog

9/19/2002 0 Comments

Understanding

​If someone were to ask you what the secret for living a fulfilled life is, what would you say?  There are probably a dozen great responses.  
Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John recorded Jesus’ prayer for Himself, His disciples, and all believers in John 17. Jesus asks God to make it clear to the world that He loves them even as He is loved.  Of all the things Jesus could have asked God I find it profound that He focused in on His Father’s love (vs.23-26).  Then I discovered that all 27 books of the N.T. share vital truths about love!  Hmmm.
 
Meditation
2 Thessalonians 3:5—May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God and the endurance that comes from Christ. (NLT)
 
I believe the key to living a fulfilled life comes through a commitment on our part to understand and embrace that God is love and that God loves us.  Let me explain why.  Love is patient, kind, humble, others-focused, truth-affirming, protecting, trusting, hopeful, long-suffering and never fails(1 Corinthians 13:4-8).  When we grasp that this is what God is about for us, our lives cannot help but be profoundly changed. 

Now it might seem rather obvious to you that God’s love is important.  But knowing this is not the same thing as understanding it.  The former speaks to a mental awareness while the latter reveals a Christ-centeredness.  A man can know God loves him and end his life because of depression.  But no man who understands his significance, by appreciating God’s love, can commit suicide—no matter how depressed he is because his life is not his own—it belongs to the Lord.  A woman aware God loves her can operate independently from Him.  No woman who fathoms the depths of her Father’s love can stand a day separated from Him!

To understand God’s love requires effort on our part. His love is not capricious.  It is extended to those obedient to His will. It is magnified by purity.  It necessitates faith.  We must believe that He knows what is best for us and accept His plan even when it counters what we would naturally choose.  It is jealous and rewards those resolved to place Him first before all else in priority and principle.  

Understanding God’s love liberates us from legalism, the need to have all the answers, and the driven mindset that we must do significant things to be significant.  It gives us the ability to rest in the midst of tempests.  Animated joy replaces mechanical, by-the-numbers living.  Hope is the speech of choice.  Peace transcends physical suffering. Confidence bounces above persecution. Value is attained regardless of our upbringing, circumstances, or the voices of demon-accusers.
​
I cannot think of any situation or circumstance which God’s love cannot cure!  Understanding His love enables us to persevere!  Our nail-spiked Savior willingly hung on the cross confident of His Father’s love; deeply determined in His own love for mankind.  When divine love is misunderstood, ignored, rejected, and rebelled against, people wilt beneath the suns of strain and moons of melancholy.  Test your own heart.  Are you living a meaningful life or is life just mean?  
 
Inspiration
Earth’s crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God; 
But only he who sees takes off his shoes the rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.—Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Many see, but few understand.—Jewish Proverb
Don't try to reach God with your understanding; that is impossible. Reach him in love; that is possible.—Carlo Carretto
The insight that relates us to God arises from purity of heart, not from clearness of intellect.–-Oswald Chambers
 
©2002 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)

0 Comments


Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Abiding
    Accountability
    Accusations
    Action
    Adaptable
    Adversity
    Advice
    Agreement
    Alert
    Alliance
    Ambition
    Angels
    Anger
    Anointing
    Arguing
    Aspiration
    Assumptions
    Attitude
    Authority
    Available
    Balance
    Baptism
    Belief
    Betrayal
    Bible
    Bitterness
    Blessings
    Blood
    Bold
    Boundaries
    Bribery
    Burn Out
    Busyness
    Calling
    Calm
    Causes
    Challenges
    Change
    Character
    Choices
    Christmas
    Comfort
    Commitment
    Communication
    Communion
    Community
    Comparison
    Compassion
    Complacency
    Complaining
    Compromise
    Concern
    Conduct
    Confession
    Confrontation
    Confusion
    Conscience
    Consent
    Considerate
    Contentment
    Context
    Corruption
    Courage
    Craving
    Creation
    Creativity
    Criticism
    Curiosity
    Dark
    Death
    Deception
    Decision Making
    Dedication
    Delay
    Deliverance
    Demons
    Depression
    Despair
    Discernment
    Discipleship
    Discipline
    Discouragement
    Dishonesty
    Disobedience
    Disrespect
    Divine Appointment
    Divisive
    Dogmatic
    Doubt
    Duty
    Easter
    Edify
    Empathy
    Encouragement
    Endurance
    Envy
    Eternity
    Ethics
    Evangelism
    Evolution
    Example
    Excuses
    Experience
    Failure
    Faith
    Faithful
    Fasting
    Fathers
    Favor
    Fear
    Feedback
    Fellowship
    Flesh
    Focus
    Follow
    Foolishness
    Forgiveness
    Freedom
    Friendly
    Friendship
    Fruit
    Gentle
    Giving
    Glory
    Goals
    God
    God Fearing
    Godly
    Gods Love
    Gods Promises
    Good Friday
    Gossip
    Government
    Grace
    Grumbling
    Guidance
    Habit
    Happiness
    Healing
    Healthy
    Heart
    Heaven
    Hell
    Help
    Heresy
    Heroism
    History
    Holidays
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Honor
    Hope
    Humility
    Hypocrisy
    Idolatry
    Image
    Immorality
    Incompetent
    Inconsistent
    Ingratitude
    Inheritance
    Initiative
    Inspiration
    Integrity
    Interference
    Isolation
    Israel
    Jealousy
    Jesus
    Joy
    Judgment
    Justice
    Justification
    Kindness
    Knowledge
    Language
    Laughter
    Law
    Lazy
    Leadership
    Learning
    Legalism
    Life
    Light
    Listening
    Lonely
    Love
    Loyalty
    Lying
    Marriage
    Meaning
    Meditation
    Memorial
    Mercy
    Mind
    Ministry
    Miracles
    Money
    Music
    Name
    Obedient
    Observation
    Opportunity
    Opposition
    Pain
    Parables
    Parenting
    Passion
    Patience
    Peace
    Perseverance
    Philosophies
    Plan
    Poem
    Possessions
    Power
    Praise
    Prayer
    Prayer For Leaders
    Prejudice
    Preparation
    Pride
    Priorities
    Profiles
    Promises
    Protection
    Providence
    Provision
    Prudence
    Psalms
    Punishment
    Purpose
    Questions
    Rebellious
    Recognition
    Reconcilation
    Redemption
    Relativism
    Relevance
    Religion
    Repentance
    Reputation
    Respect
    Responsible
    Rest
    Restoration
    Revenge
    Revival
    Reward
    Righteous
    Role
    Sacrifice
    Safety
    Salvation
    Satan
    Security
    Selection
    Self
    Sensitive
    Serving
    Sickness
    Silence
    Sin
    Sincerity
    Sorrow
    Soul
    Speech
    Spiritual Disciplines
    Spiritual Gifts
    Spiritual Growth
    Spiritual Warfare
    Status
    Stewardship
    Strategy
    Strengths
    Stress
    Stubborn
    Submission
    Success
    Suffering
    Suicide
    Teaching
    Team
    Temptation
    Testimony
    Testing
    Thankful
    Theology
    Thinking
    Thoughtful
    Time
    Tradition
    Training
    Travel
    Trinity
    Trouble
    Trust
    Truth
    Understanding
    Unequal
    Unity
    Values
    Victory
    Virtue
    Vision
    Warning
    Weakness
    Will
    Wisdom
    Witness
    Work
    Worry
    Worship
    Youth
    Zeal

Picture

Contacts

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Photo used under Creative Commons from Rachel Maxey Miles