Does God Really Love Me?

I was recently having a conversation with a young person and the question came up about the love of God. "How do I know that God really loves me?" she asked. "That is a very good question," I responded. It brought about some stimulating dialog. Unfortunately, I am not sure she went away from this conversation convinced.

Life's trouble can often get us distracted from the amazing Love of God. And, as a Christian, I can't understand how a person can not see God's love around us every day. I can't understand how anyone can go through life without the hope of eternity with Jesus. And I can't even conceive what life would look like if I had to go it alone... At least at this stage of my life I can't understand it.

There was a time when I was this girl. (Figuratively speaking of course) I had no hope in the afterlife. Streets paved with gold. Eternity with Jesus. No more pain and no more tears. This all seemed like a fairy tale to me at one time in my life. But then something changed. I would love to boast that the day I was converted some 20+ years ago was when I discovered all of His love. However, it wasn't until just a few years ago that all that God had taken me through began to sink into my thick skull.

"How can that be?" you ask. "If you were a Christian a very long time ago, how did you just discover the Love of God a few short years ago?"

I am glad you asked...

We assume as Christians that everyone who claims salvation is filled with God's Love. That's not to say He isn't there to fill us. On the contrary. We often just don't have the capacity to receive it. In my case, I was consumed with the pain and struggles of my past difficulties. The concept of true forgiveness, unconditional love, and peace were as foreign as learning a new language.

I had no doubts about my salvation, I just didn't understand the concept of God's Love and Grace.

So rather than writing about His Love here in this post, I decided to post some links to previous posts regarding the Love of God. If you are like this girl I spoke with recently, then I encourage you to take a couple of minutes and read each post. It helped me to solidify in my heart the Love of God as I read through them to re-post.

• God's Steadfast Love Never Ends
• How Much Does God Love Me
• God's Love Never Ends
• Why God Shouldn't Love Me
• God's Great Love For You And Me
• Don't Worry Be Happy

I pray that you can discover the love of God in your life today.

Blessings,
Keith

What If... I Trusted God For My Happiness?

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself,
because it is not there. There is no such thing. ~ C. S. Lewis

How often have you tried to find pleasure in the things of the world only to be eventually let down? Simple pleasures do bring temporary comfort and short term happiness, but they cannot compare to real happiness that comes only from God.

I read this quote from C. S. Lewis recently and it caused me to really assess where my happiness came from. Do I rely on the pleasures of this world to fill the space that was designed for only the Creator to fill? When I pursue worldly happiness I am, in a way, actually seeking after my own unhappiness.

I may "feel" happy for awhile, but that feeling will eventually give way to dissatisfaction. Therefore I will ultimately be unhappy and attempt once again to travel away from the path of God seeking pleasures that I know will ultimately not satisfy.

What if I sought after God whole heartily and was happy in Him? What would that look like?

It might take the shape of giving up some of the things of this world for eternal things. It may look like putting the needs of my neighbor before my own. It could, and should look like sacrifice in one form or another.

If Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him then, why can't I? Can I find joy in giving and sacrifice? Does God want me to be happy by holding the hand of a child or giving a cup of water to one who thirsts? What if I sought after True happiness?

What if I sought after my happiness in following Jesus?

Don't Worry, Be Happy Now!

Does God want me to be happy? This question I have wondered may times in my Christian walk. We suffer trials of many kinds in our life and often we will hear a well meaning friend tell us that God is building holiness in us. Or maybe that God is testing our character during this time of difficulty. And yes, it is true that God does allow many things in our life to occur for the purpose of building us up, or to strengthen us. I have said it many times myself, "One never knows the strength of a rope until it has tension put upon it." A worn out rope will break and become useless while a well cared for rope on the other hand will endure the load and be successful for its intended purpose. We need to be pulled and stretched and tested in our life. It is a barometer for our faith.

Jas 1:2-3 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Job 5:17-18 "Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. "For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal.

But does God really want me to be happy? I have heard it many times over the past several months that "God doesn't want you to be happy, He wants you to be Holy." I heard it again just recently and it caused me to ask myself one question. "Are happiness and holiness exclusive of one another?" My short answer is, no! Actually, unequivocally NO! I believe that scripture clearly shows that true holiness creates joy, and pure joy is very often expressed through happiness. When we pursue God and His righteousness and our life is to glorify Him in all things, then we are authentically happy. Holy and happy are not an either/or but an and/both.

I think to see that it is ok for me to be happy, I must first realize that God himself is happy. For years I thought of God as being like an ancient Puritan sitting in the clouds looking down on all of His creation in a somber Holiness. Kind of like the stoic's of old, He would sit there and endure the pain and torment that was taking place here on earth. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

God is the creator of happiness and joy. He delights in His creation and finds great joy in His children. (Happiness can be defined by many words: Joy, delight, good pleasure, happy, gladness, rejoice etc...)

Psa 104:31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works,

Zep 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Joh 15:11 These things I have spoken to you,
that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Jesus, in John 15:11 says "these things I have spoken to you." What things is He referring to that should bring us great joy? Jesus is referring to our abiding in Him. Our fruitfulness, our obedience, our perseverance, our pursuit of holiness. In addition we should find overflowing joy when we experience His love that He pours out on us. These things will produce His joy in us. We will be so filled with it that it spills over the sides and all over the people we come into contact with each day. When we are pursuing holiness and we abide in Jesus, then the outward expression in even some of the most difficult trials will be a genuine happiness.

"I do not know when I am more perfectly happy than when I am weeping for sin at the foot of the cross." - Spurgeon

"There is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, but to those who love Thee for Thine own sake, whose joy Thou Thyself art. And this is the happy life, to rejoice to Thee, of Thee, for Thee; this it is, and there is no other." - Augustine

This post can only scratch the surface on the topic of holiness and happiness. I believe God does desire for us to be happy when we are in hot pursuit of Him. I also believe that happiness is not a direct opposite of holiness as some well intended Christians may say. But happiness is a genuine byproduct of a holiness rooted deeply in Christ.


I would love to hear your thoughts?


Blessings,
Keith