God's Pure Love for You

Is your family too busy for family Bible time? Feel like there are too many good shows on TV to take time to read the “Good Book”?

Consider some vital reasons to take the Bible down off the shelf, give it a good dusting, and open its pages. As part of  ”grandma’s corner” now, I can speak with some wisdom of hindsight, which always seems to be 20-20. We still have two of four children at home, though, so this can very much apply to me as well!

1. If you’re a Christian blessed with children, it’s your responsibility to teach them in God’s word. We’ll look at Deuteronomy 11:19.

2. What should influence your children more – secular television & music, the internet, peers, or God’s word?

3. Abuse of the internet can be detrimental to teaching God’s word to our families. It’s also a place of easy access to pornography and the beginning of sexual addictions and broken lives, all because we haven’t taught our children to guard their hearts against Satan’s attack. Oh, my dear readers, we parents need to step in and grab the reigns once again by establishing a consistent routine of family devotions to avoid these pitfalls!

4. If you don’t read/study the Bible with your children, you will increase the odds of them growing up not have trusting faith in the Lord Jesus.
Romans 10:14 (NIV) says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

I realize that children don’t want to be “preached at” by their parents, but I believe they will listen to Scripture being read to them if you start this practice at an early age. You will, in effect, become your child’s first “preacher” of the word of Life, an immense privilege and responsibility! Oh, Mom and Dad, you need to “get on the same page” at pursuing this very important task. Don’t pass the buck, as it were, to your spouse. Both parents need to be active participants in this exciting venture with the family! Your marriage will find the way to blessing as a result! Men and women following Jesus in this way will never regret it.

5. God tells us in Deuteronomy 11:19 (NIV), when to teach His words : “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

I believe we Christian parents will be required to give an account to God about whether or not we obeyed this command of His and taught our children His word.

6. Big reason for a family Bible time: It will be a great substitute for liberal mass media that has invaded our homes. Spending hour upon endless hour with our eyes and ears glued to the TV was never God’s plan for His people, the church, especially in these last days! Do we want to be in the middle of another episode of blood & gore on TV, when Jesus comes for His church in the Rapture, or do we want to be doing things like reading His word, praying, witnessing to the lost, and helping those in need? So choose the path to let your light shine!

7. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV). “… ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

We must allow these words of Jesus to immediately spur us on to carving out time for personal and family Bible study, prayer, and witnessing! God calls us to take up the Sword of the Spirit (the word of God) in Ephesians 6:17. I believe we can through Bible study with our children, teaching them about who God is from its pages. This plan is about something so much better than some strict and stern other method enforcing our rules. Instead, family Bible study can be about teaching our children about the real meaning of life – having a redeeming relationship with the one true God who loves them. It’s about teaching them how to love and worship the LORD God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who made us and willingly gave His life for us on the cross, and now gives us a resurrection, even Promised Land, type of living that can free us from the penalty and power of sin, so that we and our children (whoever trusts in Christ) may live the life of freedom and holiness in Christ, by His life and presence!

Let’s ask ourselves: Can this life of submitting to the Kingship of Christ be learned by sitting on the couch night after night, taking in secular TV, with all of its foul language, blood and violence, sex, and immorality? I think not! From what I’ve seen, most of TV and family don’t mix. Let’s shut those TVs off! (I do love to watch Christian TV channels while I do my exercise routine, but we must not succumb to surfing the other channels.) There are a few good specials on sometimes, but as a whole, TV is a time-waster. If we are tormented by this, let’s take a bold stand and cart the television(s) out to the roadside for trash pickup! Then, we’ll be more open, as part of the body of Christ, to seek God with all our hearts…and teach our children to do the same!

In a July 29, 2011 post  ”Jesus Feeds 5000; Will You Be Broken?”, I share how Jesus fed the multitude with bread. As parents and/or grandparents, we have the blessed opportunity to feed our children/grandchildren with the “Bread of Life”. Let’s not deprive them!

Do you need some words of encouragement as the holiday of Easter approaches? First, please let me pose to you a question? Is Easter-Resurrection Sunday still relevant to us in this postmodern world?

To help us answer that, let’s start by looking  at who God is and what He’s like.

I remember when my children were still very young, I was in church choir rehearsal before our Easter-morning worship service. I had this very exciting word from God that I had just received a day or two before! Our choir director asked the group if anyone had a word from the Lord that they would like to share, something he rarely asked.

I know that the Bible is complete, and we can’t add to it, but God still speaks to us by His Holy Spirit as He applies His written word to our hearts. Ephesians 6:17 talks about the Sword of the Spirit, which is the “rhema,” or the spoken word of God. (Please see my post about that very topic: “Full Armor of God: Sword of Spirit.”)

I knew that I had to share from my heart what God had given me. That burning in my heart was like God saying, “You go, girl!” So I shared about 2 Peter 3:8. Please stick with me as I quote the passage, and then I’ll tell you the treasure that God spoke to my heart! Here’s the verse along with verse nine, a very inspirational quote coming from the heart of God!

8 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:8,9 NIV).”

The Message, a paraphrased Bible by Eugene H. Peterson says it this way: 8 “Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.”

I see now that this passage is talking about waiting for the return of the Lord and possibly the rapture, but God used verse 8 that day to speak to me about His resurrection. Here’s the “Easter blessing” that God gave me and that I shared with the choir! We know that Jesus’ resurrection happened about 2000 years ago, and we might feel like it was so long ago that we can’t feel its significance as much for us today. God reminded me that since a thousand years is like one day to Him, those 2000 years that have passed since His death, burial and resurrection are actually like two or three days ago to Him. This makes His death, burial, and resurrection very relevant to Jesus. These are His crowning accomplishments, Jesus’ greatest miracles!

So we can celebrate this Easter, knowing that it’s very relevant and can be worth everything to us! Let’s live as if Jesus had just died on the cross for us, was buried, and rose again on this Easter weekend! That’s the attitude we should always have as we walk by faith in these end times. How’s that for relevance? In other words, God is timeless. What He does, especially for us, is always contemporary, current, and up-to-the-moment! Resurrection Sunday is of utmost relevance. He will bring everything into right focus, if we are seeking Him! Amen and amen!

Please leave a comment if this has helped you.

Enoch is an Old Testament picture of what a Christ-follower today should look like, what your walk and my walk with Christ should look like. Even though many things were different during his time, he obviously knew the meaning of life, that of worshiping God as King, out of a deep faith in Him.

Genesis 5:21-24 reveals: 21 “Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

Do you and I want to truly walk with God in holiness? If so, we need a ~WAKE-UP CALL~ !

What does walking with God look like? The Bible doesn’t tell us too much about Enoch, only that he lived 65 years, had Methuselah, walked with God 300 years after becoming a father, had other sons and daughters, and lived 365 years altogether. The most important part of his life, though, was that he walked with God, so closely that God took him! How would you like to be taken up into heaven without going through death? That’s what happened to Enoch!

That can happen to you too! It’s called the Rapture for us during this day and age in the church. Jesus is coming one of these days to get His bride, the Church! His desire is that every Christian walk with Him as closely as Enoch did. He will take all of His Church – people who are blood-washed, forgiven saints of God. It would be your best choice to be an on-fire-by-the-Holy-Spirit Christian! This again, is God’s whole desire for each of us, to be filled up with God, controlled by Him. Anything less is missing all God and life have for us!

Walking with God may mean saying “No!” to worldly things and worldly entertainment. Do we want to be busy watching ungodly TV shows or  movies that we are calling “not so bad” when Jesus comes to get us? Or do we want to be abiding (living) in Christ, studying God’s word, praying, and going out to tell the world about Jesus with our words and also with our loving actions, at any available moment before Christ returns to get us. Time is a-wastin’! Let’s get off of our couches and computer chairs and go share Jesus! I’m telling myself this too!

God does want us to care for the orphans and widows and all those in need, but He also wants us to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit… (Matthew 28:19).” As we share the love of God by caring for the needy, we must also be telling them about Jesus the Savior! This cannot easily occur if we are too busy with our own little lives of entertainment, i.e., video games, TV, internet, and other pursuits that can turn into something selfish.

Let’s get back to living as the Church, united in fellowship with other believers and especially with Christ! We must be the Church that is seeking Christ, examining the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) daily as those in Berea did: 11 “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

God’s ~WAKE-UP CALL~ to us in Ephesians 5:14-17 is: 14 “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. 15 Be very careful, then how you live – not as unwise, but wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

So we are to make the most of every opportunity, redeeming the time!

Live as if Jesus might come today, for He very well could! Are you doing His will right now? Are you walking with God the way Enoch did? Are you saying “No!” to earthly things and living to please God and to tell all those you can about Jesus?

Please leave your comments.

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I am confident that women of all ages, both teens and older women, need friendly encouragement and inspiration to help them not only survive but thrive in today’s world! If you are looking for an abundant life filled with joy, peace, love, and contentment, this exciting life as a Christian woman is awaiting you!

At God’s Pure Love for You, we will explore together this new life in Christ. Are you looking for this kind of life? Then please read more here!

My prayer is that this website will be more about Jesus than it is about me, for He is where we can find real hope. Let’s discover more of Jesus together in these end times! May you and I together live with the focus of our lives to be to see Christ increase in us and for us to decrease. The Christian life is about thinking about Number One, that is about Christ, not us! John the Baptizer said, “He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).

His desire, as well as mine, is for us to “trim our lamps” in preparation for the return of the Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13), so that we will be ready when Jesus comes to take His Bride, the Church, away! Please see more on this subject in an upcoming post: “Parable of the Ten Virgins”!

Please leave a comment if you like this website. Thank you!

Jo

Here’s a night-time prayer I raised to God recently, as the Holy Spirit laid it on my heart!

Please know that it’s not being shared with a “holier-than-thou” attitude, but more like an essay of sorts, in hopes of being words of encouragement to you (and me)…to pursue Christ anew with God-given inspiration. Please forgive some repetition that may be present, due to the passion felt in this prayer as God awakened me with conviction over sin and with thoughts of Him, while urging me to get up out of bed to write it down!

“Come, Lord Jesus, come! The world is bad enough. Wash me to be whiter than snow. Make me shine like a million diamonds (like the blinding snow shining in the glorious light of the sun) shining in the light of the Son of God…as You shine down on me, a blood-washed child of God, reflecting your purity, glory, and holiness – your light, Lord Jesus! This is a glorious, spiritual mystery: to shine your glory, your essence as You pour down on me your Holy Spirit and light, and as You fill me with  your presence and love. Please make me shine from the inside-out, as You live in me. Have Your way in me, Lord Jesus!

Set me on fire for You again and make me clean! Take away the lukewarmness, the attitude of “It’s not so bad!” when the world tries to squeeze me into its mold. Take me to a new level of holiness, of being set apart from the world and unto You, Heavenly Father! Make me be “in the world, but not of it,” shining as your light to those who need You. All the world needs You, including me! Make me and the generations to follow me…until Jesus comes, to be walking and shining in your light.”

More on holiness:

John 17:15-18: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As you sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” We so need to make sure that we fulfill Christ’s mission to us, in His strength!

Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” May we Christians in this world be that light and let our lights shine!

I believe God’s desire for us is to go from being  sinful sons-of-the-devil (John 8:44), or as it were, of the serpent, to being holy servants of God (2 Corinthians 6:4), and then, not just servants, but “sons (or daughters) who live in the house.” This is seen in Galatians 4:7 (KJV 2000 Bible) – “Therefore, you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” We find this idea of “servant (slave)” versus “son” again in John 8:35 (NASB) – “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.”

Living as a child of God in His house is what being set apart unto God or being holy is all about! Let us be sons and daughters in Christ that truly please the Father, as He lives and increases in us, while our “self” decreases…in these end times!

Romans 12:1,2 –  1“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy , to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

Do you want this kind of new life?

Please comment.