"God's love will never fail you." Jamie Weeks
"Love...always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Co. 13:7-8
His love will never fail us.
Underneath us are the EVERLASTING ARMS.
Those arms of love will always hold us, protect us, keep us, persevere in loving us, and impart hope to us.
His arms are ALWAYS strong enough to support us up and carry us through, no matter what.
A little crying child immediately begins to calm down when placed in his mother's arms. That's where we are today..
No Condemnation
"God's voice is not on the frequency of condemnation." Joseph Prince
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Rom. 8:1a
NO condemnation means NONE! Any feeling of condemnation, therefore, doesn't come from God. He only seeks to build us up and remind us of our righteousness before Him!
The law, the world, the flesh, and the enemy seek to condemn those who fail, those who don't always live, act or look godly. But we can thank God, because God JUSTIFIES the ungodly! HE makes us righteous through Christ's finished work and continues to declare us righteous!
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Rom. 8:1a
NO condemnation means NONE! Any feeling of condemnation, therefore, doesn't come from God. He only seeks to build us up and remind us of our righteousness before Him!
The law, the world, the flesh, and the enemy seek to condemn those who fail, those who don't always live, act or look godly. But we can thank God, because God JUSTIFIES the ungodly! HE makes us righteous through Christ's finished work and continues to declare us righteous!
Jesus, You're Beautiful
Jesus, You are beautiful!
Your heart is 100% Perfect Love!
I am overwhelmed by what You did for us, taking away our sin and sin nature and rising again to give us life and Your nature!
To top it all off, Your very own Spirit abides in me!
I have the very Spirit of Christ living in me. The One who walked on the waters. The One who fed 5000 with a single boy's lunch. The One who looked at the rich young ruler and loved him. The One who reached out and touched the leper and made him whole. The One who held the little children in His arms. The One who stretched out His arms and died for me, then rose conquering Death, Hell, Satan and Condemnation!
The very Spirit of Christ is in me. He is so loving, so kind, so gentle and humble, yet so powerful against my enemies, so delightful, so joyful, so happy, so safe, so strong to keep me, so loyal..the Truest Friend I'll ever know and yet God in all His reverential power at the same time!
I love You, Jesus! I love having You in me! I love that we are in intimate union and fellowship! I love You - You are beautiful!
Mistakes Don't Matter
Life can get so messy, can't it? Thank God our messes don't put Him off, He just stays with us and keeps working..
He is so good. One thing He has been showing me lately is that "Mistakes don't matter" - that nothing I do can change the fact that His Spirit is in me working and loving me. No mistake I make can ever drive Him out. "He will be with you forever."
That's such a comfort to someone who grew up in performance-based acceptance. I need to hear that every day because sometimes if I fail, I get to thinking there's a barrier between us, when He says there isn't, ever.
I think His grace overcomes the shame of our failures, and when He sees us He only sees beauty. He sees no sin.
Why do we sometimes stress out about our struggles? We want to be better, I guess. For Him and as a witness to Him. But He is delighting in us every day, saying that those mistakes and struggles just don't change our relationship one little bit. His is a perfect acceptance, not based on our behavior but on Christ's. And His is a perfect love, not based on our "worthiness" but on His heart!
I want to rest in that unconditional love. I want to admit I'll never be perfect and accept myself right now as a whole person and a loved person. And be able to be honest about my mistakes and move on.
Maybe for the first time, it seems possible to be able to just live with joy in the skin I'm in, not wanting so much to change my quirkiness and be different, but just be me in Him. And enjoy living in this place where mistakes don't matter.
If mistakes don't matter in my relationship with Him, then I want to focus less on those mistakes and more on being loved by Jesus..living out of that place deep inside where my spirit is joined to His Spirit, where it is just Him and me, and everything is okay between us! Actually, better than okay - it's great, it's perfect!
If mistakes don't matter in my relationship with Him, then I want to focus less on those mistakes and more on being loved by Jesus..living out of that place deep inside where my spirit is joined to His Spirit, where it is just Him and me, and everything is okay between us! Actually, better than okay - it's great, it's perfect!
When God Sends You Flowers
And today, a friend of hers brought her not one dozen or two dozen, but FIVE dozen roses of all different colors! One dozen for each member of the family, actually. The friend said that as she was praying, God spoke to her and told her to do this.
When life gets so drab and colorless and wintry cold, when you are feeling numb and wounded and sad, it's just like God, isn't it, to break into your world and send you flowers! That's just the way He is..
His love is unfathomable. It's BIG. It can handle any problem. It laughs at danger and trouble. It melts away despair and replaces it with bright hope! It embraces those in sorrow and fills our hearts with the light of His presence.
In her own words, this is how my friend describes Him: "God is love and has at His disposal the zillion pieces of His creation to prove it, to break through into the confines that we make ourselves. He bursts through in full color, ........everyday!!"
I thought of the following song when my friend shared what God did for her today..
Oh, how He loves us...
You Are a Work of Art
"You are a beautiful work or art, God's treasure. He is with you, in every breath...I hope you enjoy every minute with Him as much as He enjoys you." Rebecca Armstrong
"For we are God’s masterpiece...." Eph. 2:10a
The precious lost sheep that He left the fold to come to find is - you!
The valuable lost coin that He searched and found is - you!
The dear lost son He scanned the horizon for is - you!
The one He moved all of creation to get back is - you!
The one He gave His own life to rescue is - you!
The one He recreated perfectly holy is - you!
The one He fashioned in Christ's own image is - you!
The one He made without spot or blemish is - you!
The one He calls His masterpiece, like the finest painting in the universe, is - you!
"For we are God’s masterpiece...." Eph. 2:10a
The precious lost sheep that He left the fold to come to find is - you!
The valuable lost coin that He searched and found is - you!
The dear lost son He scanned the horizon for is - you!
The one He moved all of creation to get back is - you!
The one He gave His own life to rescue is - you!
The one He recreated perfectly holy is - you!
The one He fashioned in Christ's own image is - you!
The one He made without spot or blemish is - you!
The one He calls His masterpiece, like the finest painting in the universe, is - you!
In His Oneness
Here's a wonderful quote from Graham Cooke on living in His oneness, a place of intimacy, love and joy:
"The oneness of the Father and the Son is absolutely crucial in our relationship to them. We step into everything that they are for one another and we live that. It's a place of absolute joy because joy is the atmosphere of heaven. It's a place of intentional love. It is a place of deepest affection. And you're in that place, and you're in Christ and He's in you, and you stand in the relationship of their oneness. So they both look at you in the exact way that they both look at each other.
"When the Father sees you, He doesn't see anything wrong with you. He's not obsessed by sin... He is consumed by Life and He has dealt with sin once and for all... So when God looks at you He's not dealing with sin, He's dealing with righteousness...
"There's now no condemnation to those who are in Christ. Why? Because you're dead. You're dead. This is the good news. Your old nature is dead..Your new nature lives between the nature of the Father toward the nature of the Son. You've got it made. And your life is about discovering who you are. God is not trying to fix you. He's given you everything that belongs to Jesus. The Holy Spirit's job is to disclose to you everything about Jesus that you need to know and experience so you can have a brilliant life. He teaches you to stay in this place between the Father and the Son where first love is always going to be your truest experience of life. Your role is to be the Beloved."
Graham Cooke
"The oneness of the Father and the Son is absolutely crucial in our relationship to them. We step into everything that they are for one another and we live that. It's a place of absolute joy because joy is the atmosphere of heaven. It's a place of intentional love. It is a place of deepest affection. And you're in that place, and you're in Christ and He's in you, and you stand in the relationship of their oneness. So they both look at you in the exact way that they both look at each other.
"When the Father sees you, He doesn't see anything wrong with you. He's not obsessed by sin... He is consumed by Life and He has dealt with sin once and for all... So when God looks at you He's not dealing with sin, He's dealing with righteousness...
"There's now no condemnation to those who are in Christ. Why? Because you're dead. You're dead. This is the good news. Your old nature is dead..Your new nature lives between the nature of the Father toward the nature of the Son. You've got it made. And your life is about discovering who you are. God is not trying to fix you. He's given you everything that belongs to Jesus. The Holy Spirit's job is to disclose to you everything about Jesus that you need to know and experience so you can have a brilliant life. He teaches you to stay in this place between the Father and the Son where first love is always going to be your truest experience of life. Your role is to be the Beloved."
Graham Cooke
That's Grace
When you sin something awful, and He's still there..that's grace.
When you lose your bearing on life's highway, and He finds you..that's grace.
When you're sick of yourself, and He whispers He loves you..that's grace.
When you are rejected by others, and He reminds you He'll never leave you..that's grace.
When you try to push Him away in anger, and He sticks with you anyway..that's grace.
When you cry in the middle of the dark night, and He cries with you..that's grace.
When you are sitting in the gutter, and He lifts you up in His arms and hugs you..that's grace.
When you've lost hope, and you suddenly feel His hand in yours..that's grace.
When He answers a prayer that you didn't even pray..that's grace.
When no matter what you do no matter how bad, you keep finding yourself in Daddy's lap..that's grace.
When you can't keep all the rules, and He throws out the rules and declares you a winner..that's grace.
When you can't make it anymore, and He carries you through..that's grace.
When you can't accept yourself, and He accepts you..that's grace.
When you can't believe anymore and His miracle finds you..that's grace.
When you find there is nothing you could do that would cause Him to reject you..that's grace.
When you're friendless and find out you've got a true-blue Best Friend for the first time ever..that's grace!
When you don't deserve love, and you get the best Love there is..that's grace!
When you find you have a relationship with Him that you can't mess up..that's grace!
How the Holy Spirit Ministers Grace To Me
I love how the dear Holy Spirit is always within, delighting in me and being there for me, no matter what. He truly is an "ever-present help in trouble" and a wonderful Comforter.
He reminds me just by being inside me and loving me that I am totally acceptable and right with God, no matter what.
He reminds me that I am part of the new creation and destined for heaven, for I am already there in my spirit.
He ministers peace to me when I am worried, and He directs my thoughts to truth when I am confused.
He rises up in me to fight against fear.
He continues to love and help me whether I fail or not and whether I always focus on "spiritual things" or not.
He fills me to overflowing and pours out of me as the Life I could never live on my own power, the Perfect Life of Love and Freedom and Grace!
Here are some ways I see in scripture that the Spirit ministers grace to us:
He fellowships with us - 2 Co. 13:14.
He lives through us - Gal. 2:20.
He pours out God's love in our hearts - Rom. 5:5.
He reminds us we're adopted into God's family - Rom. 8:16.
He is God dwelling in us - 1 Co. 3:16.
He is in union with our spirit - 1 Co. 6:17
He has freed us from the law of sin and death - Rom. 8:2.
He is the way we serve God, not by law - Rom. 7:6
He comforts us - Acts 9:31
He assures us of our abiding union with God - 1 John 4:13
He stays with us forever - John 14:16
He reminds me just by being inside me and loving me that I am totally acceptable and right with God, no matter what.
He reminds me that I am part of the new creation and destined for heaven, for I am already there in my spirit.
He ministers peace to me when I am worried, and He directs my thoughts to truth when I am confused.
He rises up in me to fight against fear.
He continues to love and help me whether I fail or not and whether I always focus on "spiritual things" or not.
He fills me to overflowing and pours out of me as the Life I could never live on my own power, the Perfect Life of Love and Freedom and Grace!
Here are some ways I see in scripture that the Spirit ministers grace to us:
He fellowships with us - 2 Co. 13:14.
He lives through us - Gal. 2:20.
He pours out God's love in our hearts - Rom. 5:5.
He reminds us we're adopted into God's family - Rom. 8:16.
He is God dwelling in us - 1 Co. 3:16.
He is in union with our spirit - 1 Co. 6:17
He has freed us from the law of sin and death - Rom. 8:2.
He is the way we serve God, not by law - Rom. 7:6
He comforts us - Acts 9:31
He assures us of our abiding union with God - 1 John 4:13
He stays with us forever - John 14:16
I Don't Live
I love this quote by Rob Rufus!
It is very cool to walk around living, yet not living, but really watching Someone else live out of us! He is the One fighting the lies, being strong in us, welling up with faith, loving our neighbor, bringing clear thoughts back to us in our confused times.
It's a mystery, it's a miracle, and it's a beautiful reality, having such a wonderful Someone live out of us!
He is alive and living the Christian life in us, by His very Spirit within us!
"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." Gal. 2:20
Heaven's Got Our Back
HE is our righteousness! The righteousness we have is HIS righteousness, His very life and nature, put within us!
If our righteousness is from God Himself - and is actually Jesus within us - then we are perfectly righteous!
We may not feel righteous and we may not act righteous. Satan, other people, and even thoughts that come to our mind may say that we are not righteous. But God says we are righteous, the Holy Spirit within testifies we are righteous, and Jesus has given us His own righteousness, so what is left to say? We just stand up and give our testimony: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and nothing can ever change His righteousness in me!" Yes!
"But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord." Is. 54:17 (AMP)
He's the Spirit of...
I feel like I am getting to know the precious Holy Spirit more right now, and He is so wonderful!
He's the Spirit of Grace. He ministers acceptance. He accepts me and unconditionally loves, helps and keeps me. He delights in me whether I act right, believe right, think right or feel right. He is always reminding me that everything is okay between us. He is always with me, carrying me through, no matter what!
He's the Spirit of Glory. He manifests the true nature of God to me and through me. He displays the splendor of God's love to me and the greatness of His power. He also shows me God's good opinion of me, convincing me that I am righteous before Him. He displays the glory of Jesus through me and glorifies me in Him!
He's the Spirit of Life. He regenerated me, and He gives me life. He IS my life, for He is in me, the very Spirit of Christ, to be my very life. Eternal life is HE in Me! He even maintains us in life and makes us grow. He refreshes and rejuvenates me - His Presence within me truly satisfies! He is my vitality and invigoration, my very source of life.
He's the Spirit of Truth. He always tells me the truth. He defeats the lies that pop up and confuse me. He always points me to the truth of Christ and His finished work. His revelation and reminder of truth to me always lifts me up, never burdens or depresses me. He is trustworthy because He always tells me the truth and that truth will never be bad news but good news!
He's the Spirit of Supplication. He imparts the sense in me that I am qualified to come boldly before the throne of grace with my requests. He imparts the confidence that God will hear and answer my prayers. He gives me the desire to pray and talk with my Daddy. He guides me on what to pray. He even prays through me when I don't know what or how to pray. He prays the perfect prayer in, through, and for me.
He's the Spirit of Holiness. He purified my heart when I first believed into Christ. He regenerated me as a holy person, set apart for God. That's why I can be called a saint. He is holy in me, as the "Holy" Spirit. Not only has He made me holy, but He also lives the holy life in me. He is the One who causes me to walk in God's ways. And He keeps me totally pure and holy in God's sight at all times.
He is the Spirit of Adoption. He cries out, "Papa, Daddy!" from within the depths of my soul, the very cry of my heart coming through His words! He gives me assurance of my sonship, that I am truly God's child with full rights to the inheritance! He testifies that I belong in God's family and belong on His lap! He reminds me that I'm wanted, loved, cherished and held securely as a little child in the Father's arms.
He always relates to us in grace, love and acceptance. He always relates to us in a way that is perfect for us, that is healing, uplifting, comforting, and empowering.
I love the way God relates to us in the Holy Spirit!
With love from
He's the Spirit of Grace. He ministers acceptance. He accepts me and unconditionally loves, helps and keeps me. He delights in me whether I act right, believe right, think right or feel right. He is always reminding me that everything is okay between us. He is always with me, carrying me through, no matter what!
He's the Spirit of Glory. He manifests the true nature of God to me and through me. He displays the splendor of God's love to me and the greatness of His power. He also shows me God's good opinion of me, convincing me that I am righteous before Him. He displays the glory of Jesus through me and glorifies me in Him!
He's the Spirit of Life. He regenerated me, and He gives me life. He IS my life, for He is in me, the very Spirit of Christ, to be my very life. Eternal life is HE in Me! He even maintains us in life and makes us grow. He refreshes and rejuvenates me - His Presence within me truly satisfies! He is my vitality and invigoration, my very source of life.
He's the Spirit of Truth. He always tells me the truth. He defeats the lies that pop up and confuse me. He always points me to the truth of Christ and His finished work. His revelation and reminder of truth to me always lifts me up, never burdens or depresses me. He is trustworthy because He always tells me the truth and that truth will never be bad news but good news!
He's the Spirit of Supplication. He imparts the sense in me that I am qualified to come boldly before the throne of grace with my requests. He imparts the confidence that God will hear and answer my prayers. He gives me the desire to pray and talk with my Daddy. He guides me on what to pray. He even prays through me when I don't know what or how to pray. He prays the perfect prayer in, through, and for me.
He's the Spirit of Holiness. He purified my heart when I first believed into Christ. He regenerated me as a holy person, set apart for God. That's why I can be called a saint. He is holy in me, as the "Holy" Spirit. Not only has He made me holy, but He also lives the holy life in me. He is the One who causes me to walk in God's ways. And He keeps me totally pure and holy in God's sight at all times.
He is the Spirit of Adoption. He cries out, "Papa, Daddy!" from within the depths of my soul, the very cry of my heart coming through His words! He gives me assurance of my sonship, that I am truly God's child with full rights to the inheritance! He testifies that I belong in God's family and belong on His lap! He reminds me that I'm wanted, loved, cherished and held securely as a little child in the Father's arms.
He always relates to us in grace, love and acceptance. He always relates to us in a way that is perfect for us, that is healing, uplifting, comforting, and empowering.
I love the way God relates to us in the Holy Spirit!
With love from
Love Beyond Reason
To me this quote means He doesn't have to find a reason to love us. He just does! There doesn't have to be something amazing, wonderful, beautiful, or even holy in us to cause Him to love us. His love is caused by His own heart. Therefore it is not possible for us to change it or make it disappear!
This quote also tells me that God's love is not some means to an end. There is not some hidden reason or agenda behind His love for us. He isn't loving us just to get us to do something for Him in return. He just LOVES us - freely and without any conditions!
His is truly a love "beyond reason."
"He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us." Eph. 5:1
White Christmas Photos
Here are some photos from our recent White Christmas. It was a beautiful snow! God's handiwork is awesome. (The last one is of the world's most adorable snowman, by one of the kids..)
Grace Thoughts
I would like to post some of my favorite quotes or verses about God's love and grace. I was going to try to do it every day, but I think I'll just put some up every now and again. Here are a few:
Bringing Us Into Joy:
"Everything God says is designed to bring us into joy." Graham Cooke
"I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." John 15:11
His Delight:
God is happy with what He made - US!
"...the LORD delights in you.." Is. 62:4b
Love The One God Loves:
"It's alright to love who God loves - you!" 'Elaine'
"God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will.
Expect love, love, and more love!" Jer. 31:3
The Way He Is Toward Us:
"God is in the business of restoring people, not labeling people." Darin Hufford
But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. Ps. 3:3
Safe from Condemnation Forever:
"God's voice is not on the frequency of condemnation." Joseph Prince
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Rom. 8:1a
Why We Were Made:
"We were created by God to be loved, not punished." Joel Brueseke
"Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love." Eph. 1:4
His Faithfulness:
"God's love will never fail you." Jamie Weeks
"Love...always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Co. 13:7-8
Bringing Us Into Joy:
"Everything God says is designed to bring us into joy." Graham Cooke
"I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." John 15:11
His Delight:
God is happy with what He made - US!
"...the LORD delights in you.." Is. 62:4b
Love The One God Loves:
"It's alright to love who God loves - you!" 'Elaine'
"God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will.
Expect love, love, and more love!" Jer. 31:3
The Way He Is Toward Us:
"God is in the business of restoring people, not labeling people." Darin Hufford
But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. Ps. 3:3
Safe from Condemnation Forever:
"God's voice is not on the frequency of condemnation." Joseph Prince
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Rom. 8:1a
Why We Were Made:
"We were created by God to be loved, not punished." Joel Brueseke
"Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love." Eph. 1:4
His Faithfulness:
"God's love will never fail you." Jamie Weeks
"Love...always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Co. 13:7-8
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