Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Perfect Love



Perfect Love

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…
1 John 4:18, NIV.

TODAY’S WORD
When unexpected things happen—trials, difficulty or tragedy—the enemy sends a whirlwind of fear to try to shake our faith and steal our focus. His goal is to take our eyes off of God and cause us to feel overwhelmed by circumstances. But if we will choose to stay focused on the love of God, if we choose to meditate on His goodness, the truth will set us free from fear and ground our hearts in confidence.

Today, know that God loves you perfectly. He is a good God. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that His plans for us are for good. He has thoughts of peace, not for evil. He wants to give you a future and hope. Anytime thoughts of fear come, replace them with words of love. Just declare, “Thank You, God, for loving me. Thank You for leading me into peace. Thank You for hope for my future.” As you meditate on His love and goodness, you’ll feel faith rise up in your heart. You’ll feel hope, you’ll feel strength, and you’ll feel empowered to move forward in the good path He has prepared for you.

PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for Your hand of grace upon me. I trust that You are with me, that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to always keep my eyes on You, the Author and Finisher of my faith in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

***
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLT)
Some people believe calling someone spiritually lost is a put-down. But it’s not. It’s actually a great compliment to be called spiritually lost. There’s a difference between losing something and misplacing something. If I misplace something, it means it wasn’t important to me. But if I lose it, it’s valuable enough for me to try to find it. You misplace a bobby pin; you lose your glasses.
People are only lost if they’re worth finding. Think of it this way: The value of a masterpiece that’s lost doesn’t go down when it’s lost; it goes up.
Human beings lose a lot when they aren’t connected to God. We lose our direction, God’s protection, our potential, our happiness, and our future home in Heaven — just to name a few. But there’s one thing we don’t lose: our value.
You’re so valuable that God paid the price of his Son to find you on the very first Christmas. The most famous verse in the Bible says, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT).
You matter so much to God that he underwent a rescue mission to come get you. He came to Earth as a little baby so that one day he could die on a wooden cross for your sin.
The Christmas story reveals your value. God loved you enough to send his very best — Jesus.
Never forget: You matter to God.
Talk About It
  • Make a list of all the ways your family celebrates the Christmas season.
  • How do your celebrations reflect the eternal significance of Jesus’ birth?
  • To find out more about how you can have a relationship with God, watch the video “A Fresh Start with God” at saddleback.com/resources/freshstartwithGod.

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