God is Love

I have been thinking about love alot this week (I think Valentine's Day does that for you).  The Bible says that God is love.  If this is true, another way of reading 1 Corinthians 13 could be:

^{1 Corinthians 13:4-8}

⁴ [God] is patient, [God] is kind. [He] does not envy, [he] does not boast, [he] is not proud. ⁵ [God] does not dishonor others, [he] is not self-seeking, [he] is not easily angered, [he] keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ [God] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ [He] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸ [God] never fails.

So if you want to know some attributes of God, take a look at the attributes of love.   :)

No Greater Love Than This

 To all my friends, family and of course Wesley... Happy Valentines Day!  

To go along with this day, I thought I would share some of the cool things I have been learning in my most recent read "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.

I highly recommend this book and will not go over the whole thing but one thing I found interesting was the topic:
"If God is a loving God why does he threaten me with the idea of Hell if I do not love him in return?"

At first glance, I am sure that I am not the only one who at some point just thought that being a Christian and loving God was the right thing to do... you know the thing that keeps you out of hell.   But the thing is we are so blessed to be even given the chance to love God, and even more so to have him love us back.   Just taking a moment to stand in awe of our wonderful Lord, we will see that he is a powerful and wonderful Saviour.  He showed us the greatest love of all by sending his Son to die for us.

So coming back to the question presented above:
If God is a loving God, why wouldn't he point us in the direction of the best thing there is for us, even if that is himself.

Like a father would, he warns us of the future.  He tries his best to direct us away from danger... but in the end the choice is ours.  So in fact, God isn't being unloving by telling us and steering us away from Hell, but this is one of the most loving moves anybody could do.  


Happy Valentines day!  I hope your day has been full of outgoing and incoming love (and I hope this continues throughout the year, not only one day of the year).   Don't forget to get a hold of the greatest love there is out there- the love of God, and to allow this love to overflow into the lives of others.

Father's Love Letter

Often we find ourselves being labelled with earthly standards... Sometimes It is good to just read a love letter from the Creator.    (This is not my writing, but I heard it at camp a few years back and absolutely love it!)

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love Your Father, 

The Almighty God

Have you ever just thought about how big and powerful our God is?  Often, we are so quick to speak, we can miss the "small things", which in reality are amazing signs of the power of our God.  

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." 

Colossian 1:16 

Just a few:

- An ant can lift over 50 times it's own weight

- A human's lungs contain over 300 000 million tiny blood vessels, that if laid end to end could stretch 2400 km!

- though all snowflakes are hexagonal in shape, no two snowflakes are the same 

- 50,000 of the cells in your body will die and be replaced with new cells, all while you have been reading this sentence!

- The human liver performs over 500 functions.

- According to Jefferson Lab, an average 70 Kg person, that's about 150 lbs, will have approximately 7*10 to the 27th atoms in their body. That's 7 followed by 27 zeros (7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). 

-The number of stars in the Universe, which is estimated at 10*10 to the 21, or 10 followed by 21 zeros. (10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). 

Take a look at this video to show God's wonder!

There are so many more things and facts that show how wonderful God is.   

What else can we do then to be still in awe and know that he is God?   

Really God?

Please watch to the end.  

Being Accountable

We have heard before how important accountability partners are.  They help keep us on the right track, and stay accountable to our goals for the future.  Often a close friend or two are perfect accountability partners.

The Bible has much to say about being accountable to each other and how we are to do it:

Love each other. (John 15:17)

Serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)

Be kind and compassionate to one another. (Ephesians 4:32)

Carry each other's burdens. (Galations 6:2)

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. (James 5:16)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

Accept one another. (Romans 15:7)

Encourage one another and build each other up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)

It's not easy though, being accountable is tough.  This means you must tell them not only your items of praise, but your failures.  Gaining the confidence to do this can be tough.

I think more often than not, if you do not stay accountable to certain actions as time goes on these actions become more and more difficult to confess.  The thing is sin can often bring forth awful feelings (you know that deep gut bleh you get).  Is it worth staying tangled in sin rather than confessing it?

It is important to find accountability partners that will encourage you and help you, rather than judge and embarrass you.  As you become more open to your partner, it will become easier to stay on track.  And if you are being approached by a friend or family member, realize the step of faith that they are taking and be kind about the situation they are in, rather than judgmental.

We all have faults---rather than hiding them from each other what if we were honest and helped carry each other's burdens?