Day 176: One Heart, One Soul, One Love- Day 6

Deuteronomy 7:21

You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

Recently there was a terrorist attack at the venue where Ariana Grande was having her concert. The attack claimed the lives of many people including an eight year old. THe attack was the deadliest UK attack since 2005. It devastated and scared a nation, and was devastating all over the world. However what Ariana Grande did to give back to this country was nothing less than beautiful. Although one performance seemed to take the cake, and that is Justin Bieber’s performance. Where he reassured the people of this country that God is always in the midst. He stood on the stage of a stadium and declared that even in all this havoc and trouble, he won't let go of God. And i quote,

“God is good in the midst of the darkness. God is good in the midst of the evil. God is in the midst, no matter what’s happening in the world. God is in the midst and He loves you. He’s here for you.”

-Justin Bieber

In all the craziness that goes on in the world we should be reminded that God is in the midst. Even when darkness seems to take over, God is the light that breaks it up. There is a hope in Jesus that we must hold on to. We can’t let go of hope because sometimes it’s the only thing getting us out of bed in the morning. I know things are crazy and people are suffering all over the world. One of the most conflicting questions I get is, “If God is so good why do bad things happen?” or “Why are there children starving all over the world.” “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It’s conflicting because sometimes I honestly have the same questions, but I know that God is good I know that even though bad things happen God is in the midst. I know that He has a plan. I know that all the bad in the world is a result of the fall, when sin entered the world through man. With that being said, bad things happen, and they happen to good people. But, whatever happens God is in the midst. I am reminded of Jesus and the disciples and how they suffered for the gospel. How they were martyrs and find hope because there is satisfaction and peace in eternity with Christ. So all we have to do is survive the world all we have to do is thrive here now through the good, bad, and the ugly and eternity will be more peaceful and fulfilling than we could ever imagine. We must have faith in that, and find comfort in knowing that even though the world can be evil and corrupt, we serve a good and incorruptible God.

Response/Prayer Time

Respond however you feel led, and pray through that response. Talk to God about what we discussed today. Take the time to open your heart to Him and talk to Him. As this series comes to a close, pray for the world, pray for humanity and pray for yourself.

I love you and I want you to have an amazing day or evening. Keep me in your prayers and I will pray for you. I love you. Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 177!

Day 14:God's Love

1 John 4:8

God is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away

We cannot know what true love is until we know God, because God is love. Without God we do not have the capacity or ability to love correctly. Once we get to know Christ and understand His love we will realize that love is the one thing that will never fail. God’s love never fails. I know this can be hard to believe at times. In our early twenties most of us have had our hearts broken a couple of times by now, and it feel like the worst thing ever. It’s terrible, but God loves us right through the pain He picks up the pieces and put our hearts back together again. God doesn’t break hearts, He repairs them.

Thinking about how much God loves us brings me so much joy. I love knowing that at every moment of my life for all eternity I can turn to God because He is the one person who will love me through any and everything. He loves me through my rebellion, my sin, my pain, my happiest moments, my lowest moments. He loves me in whatever state I am in and I find so much peace in that, so much joy. I did not understand what it meant to be loved unconditionally until I experienced God's love. I'm hit by a wave of emotion whenever I think about it and I just have to tell people, that God's love is greatest, there is no greater love than His.

-Dyamond

Throughout the entire bible God’s love and compassion for His people is not only talked about but experienced by the people over and over again. It never stops, it’s continuous, nowhere in the bible does it say that God ever stops loving His people.

By far one of the greatest examples of God’s love is Jesus Christ. God didn’t want to be separated from us, and sin caused that separation. He loves us so much that He cannot help himself. He went through drastic measures, very drastic, just so we can be reunited with Him and have a relationship with Him. So that we can love Him, be loved by Him, and love others.

John 3:16 (the scripture we started learning at 2)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

This scripture alone shows just how much God loves us, but it’s not this only scripture. The entire Bible is like sixty-six book love letter from God to us, his people.

But let’s go through the steps. We all know that the fall separated us from God. Adam and Eve decided to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree and ruined everything for all humanity. 😜Throughout the Old Testament we see the people falling from God and God having compassion on them and forgiving them. The Israelites in the wilderness, it took them 40 years to get to the promised land because they kept turning on God. We see how sin separated the people from God daily.

Fast forward to the New Testament when God sends Jesus. Here’s where it gets drastic, God chose a virgin woman, Mary, to carry the Messiah. A VIRGIN!!! TO CARRY A BABY! The Holy Spirit comes upon her, and a child is conceived in her womb. Mary was due to be married to Joseph, who knew for sure that the baby wasn’t his. But an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. When it was time for Jesus to be born, he was born in a manger, a dusty dirty manger. Not only that, but in Nazareth. Nazareth was where all the thugs were, this place did not have a good name, back then that was probably the worst place to live, but the greatest man to walk ever this earth (past, present, and future) came from there. They had to flee because King Herod was trying to kill Him. He wasn't even a full toddler before people were coming for His life. Fast forward thirty three years, Jesus, who was a carpenter before He started his ministry, would become the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He would die the worst and most painful death known to man. He would have thorns stuck in His head, be beat all night, his skin would be ripped from his bones. He would be mocked and spat on, punched in the face, by the very people He was there to save. He would have nails hammered through His hands and feet, and sphere stuck in His side. He would die on a wooden cross between a thief and a murderer. He would take on our sin, and carry it to the grave. Jesus became sin and died so that we wouldn't have to. God would have to turn His back on His own son because God is a spirit and he cannot dwell in the same place as sin.  Jesus would be buried in  Joseph’s tomb and stay there for three days. But the best part is that HE ROSE AGAIN, and He lives today. He was dead, for three days, and He was resurrected. He conquered, death, sin, and the grave!!!

God did all of this because He loves us. Jesus gave up His life because He loves us. He could have come down off that cross when people were mocking and ridiculing Him, but love kept Him there. Our need for salvation, and God's desire to be close to us kept Him there.

That’s true love, God’s love is bigger than our sin, it’s bigger than our flaws, bigger than our mistakes, it’s bigger than us. But one thing is for sure is that we can always turn to God’s love. It’s not going anywhere, and I know that we can find peace and security in knowing just how much He loves us.

Reflection/Prayer Time

Use today to rest in God’s love. Go over the scriptures, and stories spoken about today and rest in the love of God. Fall inlove with Him all over again. Go through today knowing that no matter where you are in your life, or what you’ve done, where you’re from. God loves you, I cannot stress that enough. Every day of every hour, every second of the day God spends it loving us. Rest in that.