Archived Devotion
Tuesday // June 27 // 2006
Maybe you don't believe God is good. Maybe you think that God is out to ruin your life. Perhaps someone misrepresented God to you somewhere along the line. Maybe you had a bad experience years ago. Maybe someone did or said something that disillusioned you.
Perhaps you had a father who mistreated you, and you may have transferred those feelings onto your Father in heaven. You think of God the same way you thought of your earthly father. I don't know what your earthly father was like, but I do know that God is good. You need to realize that about His nature, about His purposes in your life.
Not only is God good, but God is love. It is not merely that God has love or is loving. The Bible actually says that "God is love" (1 John 4:16). There is a Hollywood version of love today that is very shallow. It's probably closer to lust than anything else. This version of love says, "I love you as long as you are lovable. I love you as long as you are beautiful or handsome. But the moment you cease to interest me, I am going to move on to another relationship."
In contrast, God's love is unchanging. It is consistent. It is inexhaustible. He always loves us. He loves us when we sit in church with smiles on our faces and Bibles in our laps. But He also loves us when we are failing and when we are sinning. Though He is displeased by our sin, He still loves us no matter what we do.
We need to remember that about God. So don't run from Him and His love.
Perhaps you had a father who mistreated you, and you may have transferred those feelings onto your Father in heaven. You think of God the same way you thought of your earthly father. I don't know what your earthly father was like, but I do know that God is good. You need to realize that about His nature, about His purposes in your life.
Not only is God good, but God is love. It is not merely that God has love or is loving. The Bible actually says that "God is love" (1 John 4:16). There is a Hollywood version of love today that is very shallow. It's probably closer to lust than anything else. This version of love says, "I love you as long as you are lovable. I love you as long as you are beautiful or handsome. But the moment you cease to interest me, I am going to move on to another relationship."
In contrast, God's love is unchanging. It is consistent. It is inexhaustible. He always loves us. He loves us when we sit in church with smiles on our faces and Bibles in our laps. But He also loves us when we are failing and when we are sinning. Though He is displeased by our sin, He still loves us no matter what we do.
We need to remember that about God. So don't run from Him and His love.
Copyright © 2006 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000
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When Jesus was on Earth, He didn't empty himself of His divine attributes, but accepted the limitations of humanity. For example, we know that Jesus . . .
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A while ago, I was having problems with my German shepherd whenever we went for a walk. If another dog came anywhere near him, he . . .
For the Long-Term // Monday // June 29
If you're married, then you remember when you first met your wife or husband-to-be, and how you probably had the feeling of butterflies in your . . .