Love and Peace

    
     Philippians 4:6-7 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
     Anxiety is the opposite of peace, and worry falls into a similar category as anxiety. Paul warns against the first and Jesus the second. Both actions reveal circumstances have overcome us rather than us them. Prayer-along with believing God is in control, is the key to peace. Whether God allows or brings the circumstances is immaterial. We can trust his love in either case. Rest in the fact that God’s plans for you are for good and not disaster.

Judgment Cometh

     Matthew 3:12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (NIV)

     How does God’s judgment and wrath mesh with his love? God is holy other. His nature is perfection. Anything sinful must be changed, punished or eliminated. Sin has tainted God’s good creation and in the end he will create a new heaven and earth that will exhibit the first one’s goodness and purity. Our natures are tainted as well, and only as they are changed can we have fellowship with God. His love makes this possible. God makes us new creations and promises an eternity with him free from pain, crying, depression, disease, sorrow, death and all other things distorted and damaged by sin.

God Tells The Truth

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? (NIV)

God chose a strange one in John the Baptist. A fiery wilderness preacher who wore clothes made of camel hair and ate locusts and wild honey. But his appearance and preaching attracted a crowd, and John took the opportunity to tell them the truth. He called on everyone to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus, God’s Son, the Messiah sent to pay for the sins of mankind. Aren’t you glad God loves us enough to tell us the truth instead of letting us go our misguided way? God loves, but he requires obedience.
(photo courtesy of www.christianphotos.net)

God's Gift

     Matthew 1:20-21 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (NIV)
     Adam and Eve disobeyed God but Joseph didn’t. The first pair was punished and removed from the Garden. Joseph-as a reward for his obedience, was privileged to serve as the earthly father of God’s Son. God could have left us to suffer the results of our disobedience, but in his love he gave a gift. Through faith in his Son, we can receive the gift and along with it forgiveness and freedom from condemnation.

God's Care

     Genesis 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (NIV)
     You would have thought Adam and Eve’s disobedience to Almighty God would have brought immediate death, but it didn’t. God gave them a choice, and they chose the road of disobedience. In spite of their unwise decision, God cared for them. The nakedness they didn’t notice before was now evident and along with it shame. Instead of letting them wallow in their embarrassment, God made a sacrifice and provided skins to cover their vulnerability. Jesus would later encourage us not to worry about the necessity of clothing or any other essentials. He promises to provide (Matthew 6).

Loved Everywhere

Psalm 139:7 I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence. (NLT)
I can't go anywhere that God isn't or hasn't already been. He is in my present, past and future. His protection is promised and his love is guaranteed. I take him with me everywhere I go, and when I leave this earth, he will take me with him to my eternal home in heaven.

God's First Act Of Love

Genesis 1:1, 26 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God said, Let us make people in our own image. (NLT)
Under no obligation at all, God chose to create-and not only plant life and animals. He chose to make us. More importantly, he chose to form us in such a way that we could enjoy a love relationship with him. So he created us in his image.

God's Protection

Genesis 4:15 But the LORD said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. (NIV)

Scholars have debated what the mark placed on Cain was. Regardless of what it might have been, it was a mark of God's love for it protected him from those who would have attempted to take his life because of what he had done-killed his brother. God protects his children-not always from danger or trials but always through them. He will never allow us to slip and fall.

Good News

     Genesis 3:15 From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heal. (NLT)
    
     God spoke these words after Adam and Eve sinned against him. In spite of their disobedience, God whispered good news. In theological circles, it is known as the Protoevangelium-the gospel before the gospel and is the wonderful news that Christ and all believers will be victorious over Satan and his forces of evil.