Homely and Courteous

"Thus it fareth with our Lord Jesus and with us. For verily it is the most joy that may be, as to my sight, that He that is highest and mightiest, noblest and worthiest, is lowest and meekest, homeliest and most courteous."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 7)

The Lord Jesus shows us a God that is homely and courteous with us. Even though our God is great and mighty, the King of all, so amazing and awe-inspiring, He became flesh and experienced being a human being. He walked with us and talked with us and treated people as equals, as friends, as family. When a great King treats you as a friend and equal, it makes one feel so special and valued, and that is how He is with us. He is courteous with us, refusing to dominate or rule us as a lord and choosing rather to be our friend and confidante. He is homely with us, not standing aloof as an awesome 'other' but instead being comfortable and familiar, so that we feel at ease and at home with Him. The One who is highest of all chose to be the lowest, the One who is mightiest of all chose to be the weakest, and the One who is Lord of all chose to be a servant. He is so vulnerable, friendly and humble that little children feel at ease sitting in His lap. He breaks down all barriers and frees us from all fears. He shows God is fully accessible and safe. He shows God is our Friend!

"Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth."

John 1:14 (TLB)

A Prayer: I feel at home with You!

We Want God

"For our natural Will is to have God, and the Good Will of God is to have us; and we may never cease from willing nor from longing till we have Him in fullness of joy: and then may we no more desire."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

We don't naturally rebel from God or run from God. We naturally want God and run toward God. Our deepest will is not to be against God but to align with God, to be with God. In fact, nothing else will ultimately satisfy us. Sometimes we doubt that our motivations are good or pure, but truly, we can trust the deepest desire of our heart. Our deepest desire and motivation is good, for it is to have God in fullness of joy. Through this innate will to connect with God, we seek and long for God until we find Him. The place we find Him is inside our own hearts. He has been there all along. We discover that we already have what we have been searching for - we already have Him! He satisfies our souls from within, and we have all we have longed for right inside our hearts, where He dwells in us, one with us forever. All we really want is Him and all He really wants is us, and to be together is perfect joy!

"He satisfies the longing soul."

Psalm 107:9 (ESV)

A Prayer: You are the One I have longed for, and in Your presence I find joy and rest!

Inestimable Love

"For our soul is so specially loved of Him that is highest, that it overpasseth the knowing of all creatures: that is to say, there is no creature that is made that may [fully] know how much and how sweetly and how tenderly our Maker loveth us. And therefore we may with grace and His help stand in spiritual beholding, with everlasting marvel of this high, overpassing, inestimable Love that Almighty God hath to us of His Goodness."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

"Look with wonder at the depth of the Father's marvelous love that He has lavished on us!"

1 John 3:1 (TPT)

We are especially loved by God, loved in a special and intense way, each one of us loved in a unique way that perfectly suits us and meets our deepest needs for love, acceptance and affection, loved for the unique and special person each of us is to Him. This love goes beyond all knowing or imagining. It is a love vaster than the heavens and deeper than the deepest sea. All earthly loves are just faint echoes of the immense and immeasurable love God has for us. It's like His love is a vast ocean and we are standing on the shore just dipping our toes into this love. It's also and sweet and tender love. We can think of the person on earth who has loved us the most, been the most tender and caring towards us, and see that our heavenly Father's love for us is infinitely more sweet and tender and sure than that earthly love. It's a love that accepts us just as we are with no demand for change, a love that goes on loving us when everyone else has given up on us, a love that always sees the best in us and won't ever let us down. He stands before us right now adoring us, looking at us with tenderness, delighting in everything about us, simply loving all that we are with all that He is. And so we can stand before Him right now, endlessly marvelling at such a love, the unconditional and faithful love we were made for and have always wanted, and we can just be in awe and wonder at this beautiful love, and be so happy and satisfied with Him, and with the way that He loves us!

A Prayer: I love the way You love me!

Clad in God's Goodness

"For as the body is clad in the cloth, and the flesh in the skin, and the bones in the flesh, and the heart in the whole, so are we, soul and body, clad in the Goodness of God, and enclosed. Yea, and more homely: for all these may waste and wear away, but the Goodness of God is ever whole; and more near to us, without any likeness.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

"Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change."

James 1:17 (TPT)

We are not having to somehow 'get' God to be good to us. We are actually clothed in, wrapped in, enclosed in, enfolded in the goodness of God at all times. We are not having to get 'into' some state of grace where we will experience His goodness. We are already and always in His goodness. We cannot be 'out' of it. And this goodness of God, which is just God being good to us, will never stop. We will never be able to do anything to make God stop being good to us. It's impossible because His goodness is whole and complete and always near. He is all good to us and only good to us. He is not half good and half bad or good only if we behave or believe well. He is always good, and He is always good to us! We can rest assured that nothing that happens, nothing we could do, nothing at all could ever cause us to lose the goodness of God upon our lives and in our hearts. God will always do only good to us, no matter what. He will never change, He will always be good and give us good things. We are safe in this totally, wholly good God!

A Prayer: Thank You for always being so good to me!

[Pg 14] 

He Cares for the Whole Person

"For He hath no despite of that He hath made, nor hath He any disdain to serve us at the simplest office that to our body belongeth in nature, for love of the soul that He hath made to His own likeness."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

"You are His personal concern."

1 Pet.5:7 (PHILLIPS)

He is a God who serves us in our most rudimentary needs. He meets every need and cares for every concern, no matter how simple or small. He cares about all the workings of our bodies, right down to the most basic ones. He is watching over our physical health to keep everything running well and in order, and He is watching over our psychological and mental health, giving support and strength, doing it all for love. He cares about every ache and pain we have in our bodies and every sadness, fear, anxiety or frustration we have in our souls. And He is always at work to bring His wholeness to each of our wounds. We are made in His likeness and He understands and sympathizes fully with the workings of our soul, mind, emotions and body. He takes care of our whole person.

A Prayer: Thank You for caring not just about my spirit but about my soul and body needs, too.

Already in His Embrace

 "He hath us all in Himself enclosed."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

Deep down we all search for someone to love us and be good to us, and we hope that there is a good God out there who loves us and gives our lives meaning. We may seek for meaning, goodness, love and God in many ways. But the truth is that we don't have to seek or search for God, because God in His goodness has enveloped us, wrapping us in Himself. Once we realize He is a good God and He has always held us in His embrace, and that is where we have always been and always will be, we know we already have what we are longing for. It is such a relief to find out God is here, and God is good, and we are safe in His arms!

"His huge outstretched arms protect you - under them you're perfectly safe."

Psalm 91:4 (MSG)

He Takes Care of Us

 "For the Goodness of God is the highest prayer, and it cometh down to the lowest part of our need."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me."

Psalm 103:2 (NLT)

To rest in the goodness of God is the highest prayer. He truly is good and so He will certainly hear and answer all our prayers. He is always thinking of us, and He cares about whatever is on our mind. Nothing is too trivial to be prayed about or cared for by God. He is a kind God who serves us and loves meeting our most basic needs. He is nothing but good and won't send pain or sickness or sorrow or suffering on us, but only give good gifts like love and healing and peace and joy. Our Papa is good. He's taking care of everything for us. We can truly rest in the goodness of God.

A Prayer: I'm so thankful that You are only GOOD to me.

Overpassing Goodness

"For His Goodness comprehendeth all His creatures and all His blessed works, and overpasseth without end. For He is the endlessness, and He hath made us only to Himself, and restored us by His blessed Passion, and keepeth us in His blessed love; and all this of His Goodness."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

"The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation."

Psalm 145:9 (NLT)

God is good to every single person, and His goodness overflows all of His creation. It is an overpassing goodness that never ends. He is endless goodness, always being kind to us, always loving us, always showing us tenderness, always taking care of us, always doing good things for us, always blessing us. Our lives are simply filled to overflowing with the goodness and love of God. The most beautiful ways He has been good to us are that He made us all to be His very own beloveds, He restored us all through Christ when we had lost sight of that relationship with Him, and He keeps us within His tender and safe love always. We didn't have to do a single thing to 'get' God to be good to us in these ways or in any other way. He is just plain good to us because He loves to be good to us. That's just who He is. He is good. And that's ALL He is. He is just ALL goodness, overflowing and overpassing goodness that passes all human understanding!

A Prayer: You are always so good to us!

We Have Him, We Have All

"For this is the natural yearnings of the soul, by the touching of the Holy Ghost...'God, of Thy Goodness, give me Thyself: for Thou art enough to me, and I may nothing ask that is less that may be full worship to Thee; and if I ask anything that is less, ever me wanteth,—but only in Thee I have all.'"

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

"So you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ."

Col. 2:10 (TLB)

In Christ God has given us Himself to be joined with our humanity forever. He has given us Himself, and that is more than enough. In fact, He is an infinite supply of all we seek - all the love, all the help, all the companionship, all the peace, all the joy, all the healing, all the goodness, all the victory. And it isn't that He gives those things but that He IS those things! It's all wrapped up in Him; He is the total package and total answer for us. Anything or anyone else that we seek after will eventually not be enough for us. But He is enough for us! In Him, we have all we need. All seeking is at an end, all yearnings cease, and we have rest. All is complete, all is well. We already have Him; we already have all. Anything less leaves us wanting, but with Him we are filled full in completeness, with nothing missing or lacking, nothing we need to reach for or to gain, because we are filled full of God Himself. 

A Prayer: In You, I have everything!

True Rest

"For this is the cause why we be not all in ease of heart and soul: that we seek here rest in those things that are so little, wherein is no rest, and know not our God that is All-mighty, All-wise, All-good. For He is the Very Rest. God willeth to be known, and it pleaseth Him that we rest in Him; for all that is beneath Him sufficeth not us. "

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

Other people and things can be interesting and helpful to us, but ultimately, only God gives us true rest for our soul. He is the One who gets us through the darkness, He is the One who truly loves us unconditionally, He is the One who will never let us down, He is the One who has the answer no matter what the situation, He is the One who truly satisfies all the deepest needs of our heart. He knows everything about us and loves us, loves us, loves us. He is so intimately familiar with us that He knows just how to help us - one little word from Him spoken into our heart brings us peace, one touch of His presence in our soul brings us wisdom and strength. He is true rest and He longs and loves for us to rest, relax, find peace and be at ease in Him.

"Only in God do I find rest."

Psalm 62:1 (CEB)

A Prayer: You are the only One who truly satisfies my heart and brings me to rest.

Made, Loved, Kept

"In this Little Thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second is that God loveth it, the third, that God keepeth it." 

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

All of creation, which is to God so small, like a little hazelnut in one's hand, is made, loved and kept by God. This has always been true, is true now, and will always be true. This is true for every person, every creation of God. We are all made by God, loved by God, kept by God, without any condition or exception. Everyone is included. There is never any doubt who we belong to, who loves us, and who is taking care of us. 

"I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe." 

Isaiah 46:4 (CEV)

A Prayer: I am safe in Your Hand, O God.

Like a Hazelnut in His Hand

"Also in this He shewed me a little thing, the quantity of an hazel-nut, in the palm of my hand; and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereupon with eye of my understanding, and thought: What may this be? And it was answered generally thus: it is all that is made. I marvelled how it might last, for methought it might suddenly have fallen to naught for little[ness]. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasteth, and ever shall [last] for that God loveth it."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

All of creation, the entire vast universe, is so small to God that it fits like a hazelnut in the palm of His hand. Yet it is so precious to Him that He sustains it in His great love. He loves every part of creation, every being, right down to the smallest ant on the smallest blade of grass. Each person, each creature, is so beloved of God, so special and important and cared for, held so tenderly and supported so faithfully. No matter how small we may be, we are precious and upheld in life by God Himself. It is Love Himself that holds all creation in life, in being, in existence. It is Love Himself that breathes the breath of life in us and keeps us alive. It is Love Himself that tenderly, faithfully, endlessly supports and cares for all!

"He holds all things in His hand - every living soul, yes, every breathing creature."

Job 12:10 (MSG)

A Prayer: I love being loved by You.

 

God Our Clothing

 "He is our clothing that for love wrappeth us, claspeth us, and all encloseth us for tender love, that He may never leave us."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

It is such a beautiful image of love to think of God wrapping Himself around us like clothing. We are clothed with God, in tenderness and love.  He is always enclosing us, sheltering us, protecting us, holding us, embracing us. He will never leave us. We are always wrapped and held in the love and goodness of God, the very presence of God!

"God encircles His people - always has and always will."

Psalm 125:2 (MSG)

A Prayer: Right now, I am wrapped in Your presence.

Good and Comfortable

"He is everything that is good and comfortable for us."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

He is everything that is good. Every thing He does relating to us, every way He is with us is good and kind. And He is a comfortable God. He makes us feel comfortable, not nervous or awkward or insecure. He fits us perfectly. He puts us at ease. He makes us feel everything is just perfect, just as it should be. Everything good and comfortable that comes to us in this life is a picture Him, a gift from this good and comfortable God. We can relax and sink into this wonderful God who is always good to us and always comforting to us. He is like a big soft easy chair we can curl up in and fall asleep on a warm summer afternoon, feeling so cozy and fine!

"I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Matt. 11:30 (MSG)

A Thought: O God, You are so easy to be with!

Filled with Joy

"Suddenly the Trinity fulfilled my heart most of joy. And so I understood it shall be in heaven without end to all that shall come there."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 4)

All He has for us is joy. He wants us to be filled with joy, and not just any joy, but the joy of the Trinity, the joy of their communion and of their being. We will be full of God's joy for ever and ever in heaven without end! And that sheer happiness and elation begins now in our hearts, for the fruit of the Spirit within us is joy. It's a joy that can't be extinguished or taken from us by anyone or anything. It's God's joy in us, and it's God's joy over us! The main experience one has in the presence of God is bliss...Just to be in His presence is fullness of joy. That is what we have now and forevermore - the enjoyment of the happiness of God!

"In Your presence is fullness of joy."

Psalm 16:11 (KJV)

A Prayer: Thank You for lightening my heart; You are my reason to be happy!

He Became a Mortal Man

"Our Lord Jesus..for love would be a mortal man."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 3)

He didn't have to take on flesh and blood and become a mortal man, but He chose to. He became on of us to enter into our situation, feel what we feel, go through what we go through, and deliver us from all that hurt us, helping us from the inside out. He could have chosen another way, but He chose to bear our pain and suffer with us in order to bring us healing and relief. It was all for love. That's why He did it. It was all for love!

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

John 1:14 (ESV)

A Prayer: I know You understand what we go through, because You became one of us.

All Love

"God is All Love."

Julian of Norwich, Revelation of Divine Love (Ch. 1)

I believed for so long that God is love but also other things, like wrath and judgment. It has been such a relief to find out that He is ALL love. Nothing else. Just love. He isn't a God of two faces, like love and anger... or love and rejection...or love and hatred. A two-faced love isn't real, pure love at all. Truly, He is a God of one face - perfect, beautiful, pure. lovely love with no hint of anger, judgment, or rejection. This is a God we can feel safe with, knowing He will never be anything but LOVE in us and towards us. This is a God we can sink down into and rest in, knowing we are enveloped and embraced by the perfect acceptance and care of the One who is All Love!

"God is love."

1 John 4:8 (ESV)

A Prayer: Thank You for being All-Love. Your love drives away all my fears.

Not To Destroy But To Save

Jesus came to expel from our minds every destructive image that we have ever had of God.

"For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."

Luke 9:36 (KJV)

Jesus did not come to destroy people but to save them, because God is not a destructive God but a saving God. At times people have thought that God was destructive, but this was not a true picture or image of God. Christ came to give us a true picture of God in the flesh, visible, standing right before our eyes. And Jesus never destroyed a single person. Instead did the opposite of destroying - He saved people, meaning He restored, rescued, healed and made whole. He never made someone sick or crippled anyone. He never struck people down, blinded them, or caused calamity to happen to them. He didn't ever command the wind to storm and destroy villages; He never commanded the waves to drown people; He never sent fire to burn people. All Jesus ever did was loving, healing and constructive. He went about doing good (Acts 10:38)! He gave us a true picture of God as He healed the sick, made the lame walk, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, held the weak and vulnerable, loved the outcast, befriended the lonely, returned good for evil, and forgave anyone who hurt Him. Jesus showed us we never have to be afraid God will destroy or hurt us! The true picture of God is of a helper, a healer, a restorer, a lover. He is a safe God!

A Thought: Jesus came to heal me, to protect me, to help me and to save me from all that could destroy my life!

We Cannot Disappoint Him

Since God's love is an unconditional love with no expectations or conditions, there is no way we can fail Him, let Him down or disappoint Him.

"You know every step I will take before my journey even begins."

Psalm 139:3 (TPT)

God saw every moment of your life before you were ever born, including all the mistakes and failures. And He still chose to create you! None of your failures phase Him. He has known all about them forever and has already lovingly taken care of them and healed them in Christ. What we see as our ruinous acts, rebellions, deficiencies, and unsolved problems, He sees as pain and suffering we've gotten caught in by accident. He ever looks on us with compassion and never with blame. He chose to create you knowing all the mistakes and wrong turns you'd make. Those things did not matter at all to Him. He wanted you, mistakes and all! He knows how challenging it is to live on this earth, and He is not disappointed in you. On the contrary, He calls you His masterpiece. He is simply celebrating you because you are a perfect creation of God, always beautiful and precious in His eyes! He has unconditional love for you, which means a love with no conditions, expectations, or possibility of being offended or disappointed. You have always been known and loved, and every part of you has always been accepted and embraced. You can never disappoint your tender-hearted Father!

A Thought: I have never disappointed God. I will never disappoint God.

Love Is Natural for Us

"The soul is a creature in God which has the same properties as God."

Julian of Norwich

"God made them like Himself."

James 3:9 (ICB)

We are made in the image and likeness of God, which means we are by nature like God, who is pure Love. Love is our core and essential virtue. It is our natural state and our natural response to others. Trauma, harsh teachings, self-hatred may make us think we are not loving by nature, but that is not true. The flow of love is always there within us, like an undercurrent in the sea, like a breeze blowing in the trees. Christ comes to show us we are loving by nature just like God our Father, and He breaks the hold of lies, trauma, and fear, and we find that the love we have desired to show is already at our center, and that in the deepest sense that love is truly Christ Himself in us. He is the source of the love in us. That is how we know our love is pure. We have pure love for others. This love is spreading more and more as we wake up to Him within us, loving us, loving all, in and through and as us!

A Thought: I naturally want to love people. I am not naturally selfish but kind.

Let Him Love You

The secret of life is to let God love you.

"We know and rely on the love God has for us."

1 John 4:16 (NIV)

Right now He is looking at you with such tenderness, smiling at you with such delight. His heart swells with the love He has for you, a love that is constant and free, a love beyond comprehension. Can you stop for a moment and just let Jesus love you? Can you take a moment and just listen to His words of love for your soul? Can you just look with your inner eyes up into His eyes and see the love that is there? Can you give yourself a moment to feel His embrace? All He wants to do is love us. We need not fear being vulnerable or quiet before this vulnerable and quiet God. 

A Thought: Thank You, Jesus, for loving me right now.

How He Sees Us

Real love isn't out to judge and condemn; real love values, helps, lifts up, and heals. This is the saving love and compassion of God, which is called Grace.

"When He saw the crowds, He was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

Matthew 9:26 (ISV)

God didn't see us as criminals needing to be punished, as rebels needing to be subdued, as evil ones who needed to be crushed, as transgressors who needed to 'pay' for their wrongs. NO!

He saw us as children needing to be loved..

He saw us as sick ones needing to be healed..

He saw us as lonely ones needing to be befriended..

He saw us as captives needing to be freed..

He saw us as sleepers needing to be awakened..

He saw us as scared little ones needing to be reassured..

He saw us as helpless ones needing to be taken care of..

He saw us as those in the darkness who need light..

He came in the flesh, came and entered into our messed up conditions and rescued us, healed us, embraced us, took care of us, freed us, LOVED us. He came to show us how special we are to Him, who we really are to Him!

Now we can know ourselves as He has always known us, see ourselves as He has always seen us...for He has always seen us:

...as His treasures that He values..

...as His masterpieces that He admires..

...as His children that He is proud of..

...as His friends that He loves to be with..

...as His dear ones that are His pride and joy!

A Thought: Humans are not a problem to God; humans are simply children needing help and love.

The Light Inside Us

"In him ... there is more than enough light to displace the darkness in every human life. He is the true light that enlightens every man!"

Francois du Toit

"The true light gives light to every person."

John 1:9 (EASY)

Jesus is the light inside every person. Each one of us has a light inside us, and it's Christ in us, and we are invited to let that light shine. But also we need to know that darkness cannot overcome or put out that light; in fact, the opposite is true, the light overcomes the darkness and extinguishes it! Darkness is shown to be a 'nothing' that disappears when the light shines. God has shone from within our hearts to light up the face of Christ within us. He has been in us all the time and we can just BE and let that light, Christ, naturally shine forth from us to all around, spreading the light of love and grace to all the world! You light up the world. That's amazing and beautiful. God has been in you all along as your light, and He shines in you and shines forth from you. He overcomes all the darkness you may feel inside, and He will overcome all the darkness in everyone and everything!

A Thought: Christ shines out of you.

Our Defender

"Jesus said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He has overcome all the negativity. He has already overcome everything that is against you in the world."

Graham Cooke

"My God is my protection, and with Him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; He defends me and keeps me safe."

Psalm 18:2 (GNT)

I used to always feel like I was going through all my troubles alone.  I felt so vulnerable.  I felt like I could get squashed by some crisis at any moment.  I felt like I was always getting overwhelmed by fear, anxiety and trouble. I felt I was in a boxing ring without any gloves, a puny little runt standing there facing a giant.

But God renewed my mind with His wonderful Spirit.  He showed me that I am not alone.  I am not vulnerable!  I am not alone in that ring.  In fact, Someone has entered the ring to fight for me on my side, a Super Gigantic Giant God is with me that makes the 'giant' problem I'm facing appear small.  He is there, a Strong Advocate, to defend me against the 'giants' that come against me.  In fact, according to Him the fight is already over and He won! As Romans 8:31 says in The Message translation, "With God on our side like this, how can we lose?"

I have learned that the word for the Holy Spirit, Paraclete, means advocate, or one who comes by our side to take our part.  He comes to enforce the victory He already won for us.  To uphold our end and be our strength for us.  This makes me feel so safe, secure, and loved -  not helpless anymore or vulnerable.  It makes me feel like laughing at the enemy! 

A Thought: The Holy Spirit is with us, to fight for us, to stand up for us, to defend us, to give us hope, to lift our burdens and carry them for us, to keep us when we can't keep ourselves, to bring us through, to be what we could never be in and through us, to laugh and cause us to celebrate, because the victory is already won! 

Our Shepherd

Jesus takes care of me.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."

Psalm 23:1

Sometimes it is good to put scripture in our own words in order to see it in a fresh way. Here is Psalm 23 in my own words:

He takes the best care of me.

I never lack, I'm complete in Him.
He causes me to rest in the green meadows of His grace,
He brings me to float peacefully in the river of His love.
He gives me back my life and I feel renewed just being with Him.
Even in the worst situation, there's really nothing to fear
Because You're there with me.
You put Your arm around me and comfort me, make me feel safe and secure.
You've put so many blessings into my life, I feel like a princess at a banquet..
Even in the midst of opposition - opposition can't stop Your blessings from being upon me!
You shower me with love and accept me as I am,
I feel greatly loved, my life overflowing with You!
Your goodness and grace will be upon me always,
And I'll always be with You, at home in Your heart!

A Thought: Thank You for supporting me in every possible way!

Nothing Is Wrong, Everything Is Right

Even when we feel that something is wrong with us or that something is wrong between us and God, God is reminding us of reality - that nothing is wrong, and that everything is right!

"And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature]." 

Colossians 2:10 (AMPC)

Let's have a holy rant: Nothing is wrong with me - I am PERFECT before Him, since by one sacrifice Christ perfected me forever! 

And nothing is wrong with the relationship between God and me - Jesus has brought me into this grace in which I stand.  That's where I always am, in a perfect grace relationship with God.  Actually, I have been put into the midst of the relationship of the Father and the Son - now THAT'S a perfect relationship, one that is never lacking or "off" in any way!

There's nothing missing, nothing "off", nothing lacking, nothing incomplete between God and me.

I am perfect and complete before Him, in a perfect and complete relationship!  Whether I always feel it, realize it, experience it, or not!

Because of Christ, NOTHING is wrong with us and EVERYTHING is right with us!

Because of Christ NOTHING is wrong with our relationship with God and EVERYTHING is right with our relationship with God!

We walk around today as perfectly loved and perfectly righteous saints in a perfect relationship with the God who perfectly acts on our behalf!

We've got it so good...  Oh, what a happy gospel!  That means when I have those old lying feelings of lack and condemnation, I can just rejoice in the truth that EVERYTHING is really fine between God and me.  I can just ignore those lies and keep enjoying the perfect fellowship I have with Him in the Spirit, because that fellowship hasn't been disrupted or changed at all, no matter what thoughts or feelings may have insinuated.  I love it!  Thank You, Lord, for reminding me of this..

We are living in the Spirit in PERFECT fellowship with Him today.  There is nothing between us.  We are so bonded with Him that we are ONE forever.  Our Perfect Friend is in perfect relationship with us forever. Nothing is wrong; everything is right!

A Thought: Thank You, Holy Spirit, for being that perfect, always understanding, always present, always uplifting, always loving friend to us!  You never stop pouring out that waterfall of love and grace upon us!  Hallelujah!

Our Origin

"Man began in God. You are the greatest idea that God has ever had!"

Francois du Toit

"...Adam, the son of God."

Luke 3:38 (NIV)

Who do we come from? We are the human race and say we are sons of Adam. But scripture tells us that we go back farther than that, for Adam was the son of God. We are from God! He is our source, origin, and ultimate father. We were created in Christ Jesus and partake of His nature. We are in the image and likeness of God and truly His children. Our origin isn't dust, or atoms, or stars, for it is truly divine, coming from the mind and being of God. So we can see that we truly belong to God and truly have a good nature of love, just like our heavenly Dad! We can know that we have dignity, worth, beauty and goodness, for we are children of the Most High God, we are royalty. We come from God, exist in God, and are always connected to God! We are thus connected with all Christ (God incarnate) did, and we are pulled along with Him through His death, resurrection and ascension. All that He has flows to us and all that He did applies to us. He is the true head of the human race, not really Adam at all. He defines us, so we are not defined ultimately by Adam's sin but by Christ's righteousness! We are not just earthly beings, we are also heavenly beings and heaven is our true home. Since we are all tied and connected to Him, Christ draws us all back to our home inevitably. What an origin we have in God, and what a destiny we have in God! We can truly celebrate that we are of God!

A Thought: My origin is in God.

Bubbling Up Inside Us

"Life is extraordinary! Even in the saddest of times, there's a joy that runs deeper. In the darkest, we're lit from within! In the angriest, there's beautiful mercy, and in grief, there's resounding joy. In the most trying of times, there's abounding, exceeding grace, empowered by a God who fuels us. There may be a reason to be downtrodden, but frankly, I prefer to dance!"

Therese Reece

"He will fill you with refreshment even when you are in a dry, difficult place. He will continually restore strength to you, so you will flourish."

Isaiah 58:11 (TPT)

He is bubbling up inside us like a fresh, pure spring of refreshment. All through life we find He has always been there inside us. He has been there in every moment, whether we sensed Him or not. In the times of sorrow He has comforted us. In the happy times He has celebrated with us. He has had just the right word to calm our anxiety. He has carried us through the challenges. And in the coldest moments when we felt nothing inside at all, He was still there with us like a friend who sits with us in silence, just being there with us. He is the still small voice that keeps reminding us of His love and nearness. He is the living water that just keeps on bubbling up within us, always abundant, always refreshing, sustaining us through every moment of our lives, strengthening us with His joy, His love, His life!

A Thought: His life in me is triumphant over everything.

Love is the Whole Purpose of God

"In love did He bring the world into existence; in love does He guide it during this its temporal existence; in love is He going to bring it to that wondrous transformed state, and in love will the world be swallowed up in the great mystery of Him who has performed all things; in love will the whole course of the governance of creation be finally comprised." 

Isaac the Syrian (c. 613 - c. 700)

"And in LOVE he chose us before he laid the foundation of the universe! Because of his great LOVE, he ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence. For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous LOVE that cascades over us would glorify his grace —for the same LOVE he has for the Beloved, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!"

Ephesians 1:4-6 (TPT)

Love was God's whole purpose for bringing this world into existence, for bringing us into existence. He planned to lift us up into the family circle of the Trinity, to share in the life of the Godhead. He planned to shower love on us, to enjoy fellowship with us, to have a family that included us. He had such wonderful hopes and dreams for us all, and they all come true through Christ! His finished work of salvation brought eternal life to us all and the joy of knowing God face to face as His innocent children forever. He will manifest the wonderful love He has for us every moment for all eternity. He did it all for us, and He did it all for love! Love is the ultimate meaning behind it all. Love that always delights in us, love that always embraces us, love that always values us. We will know His beautiful, tender, infinite, joyous, perfect, heavenly love forever!

A Thought: All He wants to do is love us forever!

He Is Salvation

Salvation is not a system or a doctrine; salvation is a Person.

"God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life."

1 John 5:11-12 (ESV)

God gave us the Son. Christ came to us, became incarnate, made Himself one with us in the flesh. We have the Son. So we have the life. We have eternal life, life knowing God, life in union with God. To have Him is to have salvation. Salvation isn't a plan or belief system. It is a Person. He is one with us, He is in relationship with us on the inside of us. We don't have to worry about believing all the right things or maintaining good works or anything like that. It's not about all that. It is just about Him! We have the Person, Jesus Christ. So we have salvation, we have life. He is the Life in us. He is the peace in us. He is the joy in us. He is the security in us. Because we have Him, we have all that. Because we have Him, we are safe. 

A Thought: Because I have You, Jesus, everything is alright!

Dear to God

Do we really know how dear we are to Him?

“My dear, dear son, my child in whom I take pleasure! Every time I mention his name, my heart bursts with longing for him! Everything in me cries out for him. Softly and tenderly I wait for him.” GOD’s Decree."

Jeremiah 31:20 (MSG)

He is the One who watches over us while we sleep. He is the One who cries with us when we are sad and celebrates with us when we are happy. He is the hand on our shoulder when we feel alone. He is the One who sends us flowers on our daily walks and rainbows after the Spring rain just to make us smile. He is the One who loves to hear all our thoughts and laughs at all our jokes. He is the One who can't stop thinking about us, whose heart flips at the mention of our name, who loves being with us. He is the best Father, the best Friend, the best Companion one could ever have. Do we really know how dear we are to Him?

A Thought: Right now, you are adored by God.

The Spirit at the Center of the Universe

"I believe that at the center of the universe there dwells a loving spirit who longs for all that's best in all of creation, a spirit who knows the great potential of each planet as well as each person, and little by little will love us into being more than we ever dreamed possible. That loving spirit would rather die than give up on any one of us."

Fred Rogers, Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way

"Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone."

Ephesians 1:12 (MSG)

God, who is Love, is the secret center of the universe and all of history, and He is working out His beautiful love plans for all of us. Plans for a future so bright and wonderful, plans for joy and love and happiness, plans for communing together with Him and having fellowship with others, plans for living in His glory! He won't give up until that future comes true for us. He will keep loving us, blessing us, wooing us, supporting us, helping us, till He brings that glorious future to pass. He wants us to fully experience the love union that is our birthright as His children in fullness of joy. He's working this plan out in everyone and everything, bringing everyone and everything to the best possible state and best possible life. He wouldn't be happy till that happened for every one of us. We have everything to look forward to in Him!

A Thought: Because Love is at the center of it all, everything will be the very best it possibly could be for us!

Heaven on Earth

"When I think about heaven, it is a state in which we are so greatly loved that there is no fear and doubt and disillusionment and anxiety. It's where people truly look at you with the eyes of Jesus - the eyes of an advocate who sees you as good, valuable, and lovable."

Fred Rogers

'Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Matthew 6:10 (NIV)

Heaven is a place of complete safety and lack of fear. Everyone is accepted, loved and cherished, and honored. Everyone is treated well. Noone feels left out or misunderstood. Pure love saturates the heavenly atmosphere. And we are already part of that reality in Christ and can spread that reality here on earth. We can treat others with kindness and dignity. We can accept others as beautiful creations of God and look on others with the eyes of Jesus, seeing them as good and worthy of care. We can share the love of Christ and speak the words of Christ to people, words that uplift and encourage. We can give a taste of heaven to people here on earth!

A Thought: When I love people, I am bringing heaven to earth.

Holy Appreciation

I believe that appreciation is a holy thing - that when we look for what's best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something sacred."

Fred Rogers

"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."

Romans 12:10 (TLB)

We are accepted, included, appreciated, loved, safe and well no matter what. This is the gospel! This is the message we all need to hear so badly.

This good news is the most healing and life-transforming message in the world, for it fills our deepest need to be loved and accepted and valued. Once we find out how loved we are, we can relax, we are okay, we feel the pain start to subside. For we are not alone, we are accepted in our mess, we don't have to be perfect, we are embraced, we are special, we are safe. We are even beautiful and special in the midst of our mess. And we can start to see others that way as well and let them off the hook - they don't have to be perfect either, they are okay  and beautiful even in their mess as well. For perfect behavior is not required in the presence of Perfect Love; Perfect Love doesn't even look at behavior. Noone has got it all together, but we are all special, we are all equally valuable, we are all His dear children, we are all one in Him.  We are all in this journey together, walking along with Him together. We can appreciate each other, celebrate each other and encourage each other. We can value each other, see the best in each other, see God in each other, because we are all one big family of God, all beloved children of God. We're in a 'holy appreciation society' where we just appreciate each person for their uniqueness and belovedness, because of how healing is love is for us. Judging goes out the window when acceptance flows in! Everything else melts away in the presence of the One who is Perfect, Unconditional LOVE. In His loving gaze, we see the ultimate value in ourselves and every other person. And all that flows out of us and among us is love.

A Thought: Thank You, Papa! I love the way You heal our hearts with Your grace and love!

Building Ourselves Up

God always has a good word for us!

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)

God asks us to always build people up instead of tearing them down, because that is how He is. Every meeting with God is uplifting! Every word He speaks to us brings life and healing. He always builds us up, never tears us down. And Christ within us is doing the same thing, building up people, saying uplifting and encouraging words to each person we meet. And Christ is doing that within us, saying kind and uplifting words to us always. So along with Christ we can speak to ourselves kindly, never putting ourselves down or demeaning ourselves but always building ourselves up. We can speak good words to ourselves, saying "You are important and valuable. There's nothing wrong with you. You are never alone. You are always loved. You are a good person. You are God's child. You are beautiful just as you are."

A Thought: I will build myself up because that is Christ-like - that is what Christ does with everyone, including me!

Loving Ourselves as God Does

It's okay to forgive yourself, to be kind to yourself, to love yourself. In doing so, you are being just like God.

"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." 

Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

We are called to be kind and loving, tenderhearted and forgiving, because that is how God is towards us. He looks at us so tenderly and is so gentle and kind with us. He has freely forgiven us all our sins and has such understanding and compassion for us. Together with Christ, we can love and forgive others, and we can even love ourselves, be tender to ourselves, be gentle with ourselves, forgive ourselves. We can say to ourselves, "Hey, it's okay that you just blew it. I love you and I'll stick with you. I understand why you acted that way. I know you have been through a lot and I care about what hurts you. I understand. I just want you to know I'm here for you and accept you as you are. You are safe and you are known and you are loved."

A Thought: I have compassion on myself for all I have been through, and I forgive myself for all I have failed at. 

Loving with Unconditional Love

We can embrace every part of ourselves because God does.

"We love because He first loved us."

1 John 4:19 (NIV)

God invites us to love with unconditional, perfect love..THAT is exactly how HE loves..how HE loves US!  God loves us with His whole heart, His whole soul, with all of His mind, and with all of His strength..with all that He is..He loves us as Himself. 

Wow!   He loves the hurting and wounded people, loves the littlest and the least, loves the ones others have forgotten, even loves the one we try most to forget and deny, the part of ourselves that we may call 'enemy,' the part we are ashamed of and may despise or try to hide- our own needy, helpless, hurting and hurtful selves!  He loves that part of us that is wounded and little and lashing out in fear and bitterness, who has forgotten how to love, forgotten what it ever felt like to be loved..that is the one He loves, the one we think is our 'true inner selfish self'...when in reality it is only the hurting and confused and tormented mind, not the deepest part of ourselves at all. Who we are at our core is part of God, one with God, and therefore always perfectly lovable and loving!  

We love with an infinite, unconditional love because that is Who we came from and are part of, that is how we were always loved and always will be loved, that is the swaddling blanket we are eternally wrapped in, that is the core of our existence, that is the hub of our universe and the center upon which all of time and eternity is grounded..that LOVE is WHO WE ARE, Who we came from, and Where we are going to be forever! 

A Thought: He loves all of us, every part of us, in sunshine and shadow, waking or sleeping, rising or falling, living or dying..HE loves us and holds us and that is the ground of our whole lives.   

Carried

The message of grace says to me that whatever you do or have done, wherever you go or have been, whoever you are or have become, it doesn't matter, because no matter what, God carries you, and He will carry you all the way home.

"Since the day you were born, I have carried you along. I will still be the same when you are old and gray, and I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe."

Isaiah 46:3-4 (CEV)

You never did have to carry yourself or your life..this life was never 'all up to you,' was never in your hands to 'make or break.'  That's law, anyways, and HE has always been Grace!  He has always had your life in His hand, always had the end safely wrapped up from the beginning. You could never have messed this up!  You have never been in any real danger.  You have always been SAFE in His arms.  This God has been our Home for all eternity, from all eternity TO all eternity!  From everlasting to everlasting He is our God, the God who carries us, who daily bears our burdens, who believes all good things about us, who never lets us down, who is faithful and true even if we are not, who never fails even when we fail!  

So what if we fail!  When we fall, we fall right into His strong arms, for underneath us are the everlasting arms, holding us up no matter what!  It was never up to us to fail or succeed, or even believe or doubt - it was always up to God, who shows mercy, compassion, heartfelt love and kindness that never ends but is new every morning, surer than sunrise!  It was always all about Him, and HE never quits, never gives in, never fails..He is the Love that lasts forever, goes on without end!  If it were up to us, things would be in doubt..but since it is up to God, it's DONE!  Love never fails!  Love is always there to catch us, hold us, bring us through anything..Love always will always carry us through!

A Thought: I have always been safe in His hand and I always will be.

God as a Little Baby

He is as gentle as a baby with us.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7 (KJV)

When God wanted to reveal Himself to us in our world, He wrapped Himself in the soft folds of baby skin, coming as the most lovable, innocent, sweet and non-threatening being you could imagine - a newborn baby, a little tiny baby! 

A baby couldn't harm anyone. He came to show us He means us no harm.  Love does no harm.  He came to show us He loves us, He just loves us, He ONLY loves us.  That His plans are always good, to give us hope and a future, NEVER to harm us or hurt us. 

A baby has no agenda.  God came to show He has no agenda from us. He doesn't want anything from us.  He's not exacting, demanding, or pushy.  He is good and kind.  He just wants to be our friend.

A baby is non-threatening.  God wants us to know we are in a safe place with Him.  Safe in His arms.  We are safe with Him.  Secure and wrapped in love.

A baby is endearing.  God is so endearing.  So attractive and sweet!  He is the most delightful, happy-making, smile-bringing being we could ever meet!  All He does is bring laughter and joy and delight, just like a baby's laugh brings delight to us when we hear it!

A baby is innocent and pure.  God is so pure.  There's no dark side to Him.  His words, actions and ways with us have to hidden agenda.  He wants nothing from us, loves with no expectations or conditions, gives asking nothing in return.  He is simply pure light in a radiance of love for us, pure joy in His delight with us, pure grace in His generosity towards us, pure cherishing in His care for us.

A baby is lovable.  Vulnerable.  Open and friendly.  Sweet and gentle.  Soft and pure.  A delight and a joy.  A treasure.  God is all these things and more!  Our God is so lovable, gentle and soft.  He's so delightful and fun and happy.  He such a treasure!

A baby is the expectation for new life, for long and happy life, for a beautiful future together as a family.  God gives us that same hope and expectation.  He came as a baby to bring us a smile, a hope, a joy, a life better than we ever had before, a life in the family of God forever!

A Thought: He chose to be a vulnerable baby to show us He means us only good, not harm!

Infected with Life

Christ infects us with life!

"A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. "I am willing," He said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy."

Matthew 8:2-3 (NIV)

When a leper came up to Jesus, Jesus reached out and touched him. And the leper didn't contaminate or taint or infect Him..He infected the leper with perfect health! Jesus' life trumps all forms of sin, corruption and death. He dissolves death and sickness and pain and impurity whenever He touches it. Because of the incarnation where Christ joined with our human flesh, He has absorbed and dissolved all our sin, pain, suffering, brokenness and death, and we are filled with all Christ has - holiness, life, understanding, wholeness, wellness, and strength.

A Thought: Christ joined Himself with humanity, infecting us all with life and purity and wholeness!