The Fullness of Christ

 

And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.  Ephesians 1:22-23

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:10

     When I taught Bible studies, I used this example. On a table sits a pitcher filled with sand, an empty jar and three rocks. Imagine taking the pitcher of sand. As you pour it into the empty jar, you list the ways you spend your days. Pour in the work, time with the kids, cooking, watching TV, reading, laundry, phone calls, computer and anything else that comes to mind.

     The jar is plum full. You love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and strength. The three rocks represent the Bible, prayer and service. You try to squeeze them into the top of the jar but they just won’t fit. Now picture the sand being poured back into the pitcher. The three rocks are placed into the bottom of the now-empty jar first. And the sand? As it is poured back in, it all fits!

     We think we do God a favor by sitting in a church pew for an hour each week. One hour out of the 168 available to us. If the service goes over an hour, we look at our watches, think about the game about to begin or what we will have for lunch. A distracted faith. It’s there, but we place little value on it when all is said and done.

     Jesus wants a real relationship with us, not a ritual, not a religion, not squeezed into the last five minutes of our days The Bible is His gift to us. It is a way to get to know the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit intimately. I guarantee when you soak yourself in the word you will develop a hunger and a thirst for more.  Remember the living water yesterday? It is always available.

     And reading Scripture and time with Jesus won’t feel like an obligation or duty, it will be the most important and valuable portion of the day.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Matthew 5:6

     And you will be filled.

    And to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19

 Dear Lord,

We long to sit with You on a daily basis, filling up on Your word and praying and talking with You. Let that be the desire of our hearts from this day forward. Develop in us a hunger and a thirst for Your righteousness.

Amen

Soul-quenching Love

 

     Is your soul thirsty and parched? That abundant love and contentment Christ offers can fade into the background of our daily existence, when the urgent takes precedence over our needs, our physical, mental, and spiritual needs. The Samaritan woman at the well during the hottest part of the day, met the One who would fill the dryness in her life. Here are His words for her and for you and to me.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

     The lost woman believed. She would become one of Jesus’ first evangelists as she offered the Messiah’s truth to her family and the surrounding area. Soul-thirsty answers, life-quenching truth, free-flowing living water available whenever and wherever we need it. Is it time to stop and drink?

    How do we receive this flowing spring water that will last until eternity?

“Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  John 7:38

   Believing in Jesus begins with His abundant love. We realize our need for a Savior and His offer is iron-clad. We are His until He will wipe the earthly water from our eyes and we will walk with Him beside the streams of living water forever.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Revelation 7:17

    Heaven will provide perfection one day. What about our dry, cracked souls today? He offers us thirst-quenching answers for every tear-stained question, for every deep longing, for every pit of shame. The water is satisfying. Thirsty? Dip into the life-quenching well of Jesus.

Dear Jesus,

Walk with us beside the still, cool waters of Your saving grace in our uncertain lives. Take our hands as we search for answers and lead us to the Words of life. Refresh our souls. You are the answer to our longings. Fill us to the brim.

Amen

Overflowing Love

 

     The ordinary events of everyday life can be filled with the presence of Jesus. It takes practice. It takes time. It takes a deepening sense of who He is and how to seek Him in the middle of the muddle, in the sorting of the laundry piles, in the sneak peek out the kitchen window while cleaning the dinner dishes, in the warm embrace of your spouse. His presence is everywhere, anywhere, anytime. Ready?

The grasslands of the wilderness overflow, the hills are clothed with gladness. Psalm 65:12

     Creation overflows with gladness. Ok, our Minnesota winters may not fill our hearts with gladness. But this fall has been glorious. The last couple of days have been around 60 degrees with bright blue skies and vibrant colors.  God gives us these spectacular colors before the cold sets in.  With Jesus we can overflow with hope.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

     Trusting Him allows us to live in hope.

All this is for your benefit so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4;15

      God’s extravagant love, His overflowing grace is available to us in His presence and in His word Weaving through the intricacies of our lives we find balance and a rhythm as we walk with the Holy Spirit of God. As our knowledge grows and our lives change, the love that has filled us miraculously begins to overflow.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.  1 Thessalonians 3:12

 Dear Father in heaven,

Thank You for Jesus. He gives us a life overflowing with grace and love that rises up to eternity, that extravagant love that fills our hungry souls. Overflow our lives with that love, so we can give it away, just as You gave it to us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Extravagant Love

 

     Extravagant love. What comes to mind? Is it a bracelet dripping with diamonds, a trip around the world, a love poem written just for you? Our world tells us, “You deserve the best.” “You are worth it.”  “You need this to be happy.” Jesus turns all of that upside down with His sacrifice on the cross. While we were yet sinners, He took it all upon Himself, suffered and died, because He loves us.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  1 John 3:1a

     Extravagant love may not come in the way we envision it. It comes in the heart of the mom with the disabled child. There is not much time to think about herself or her needs. She would not have wished or dreamed about this life for her family, but would she have it any other way? No, the love is deeper than anything she has or will ever experience.

     Sacrificial love. It’s all around us, in the care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s or cancer, in caring for the poor, in missionary work in other cultures, in the service of our country, in the front-line heroes. These lives are all around us and they are beautiful. The extravagant love of Christ is available and ready to be absorbed and shared.

     This sacrificial love is often found in places and with people the world would rather avoid. The difficulties and sufferings we are called to endure, often become the very places we witness the holiness of Christ and His love. Don’t be afraid of His lavish love. It is there for the taking. He gives it richly, abundantly, extravagantly, sacrificially. Can we do the same?

Jesus,

You, the pure light of the world, washed the filthy feet of Your disciples. Show us how to love in the ways of Your heart. Take away our fear as we step a little closer to serving others sacrificially in Your name. After all, that’s what you taught us to do.

Amen

Satisfying Love

 

     It was a summer, Saturday evening about 30 years ago. The picture is etched in my mind. Our daughters were somewhere around the ages of six and four. The house was clean. The gardens were planted. The yard freshly mowed and trimmed thanks to my husband. Our girls sat quietly with their French braids, clean from their baths in their freshly laundered nightgowns.

       “Ahh.” Pure satisfaction. You may have noticed the time frame. This is not a daily experience. Far from it. We have those moments when all seems right with the world; when the jobs are done, the tough project complete, after enjoying a satisfying meal, or a day off. Then hunger returns. Another project rears its ugly head. Dishes are dirty. Laundry is piling up. The house is in chaos, the kids squabbling, just too much to do.

     Jesus offers us this deep and satisfying, soul-quenching contentment. All day. Every day. When we place our lives totally in His hands, we recognize the kids are from Him, the grass and all of creation was breathed into existence, just for us. And our lives can be given completely to Him, the satisfying days, along with the frustrating and chaotic days. What Jesus offers us is more than a momentary feeling of satisfaction. He offers us the abundant life, grace-given, love overflowing assurance of the more-than-enough life.

But Godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

     Contentment with Jesus is available in the midst of the chaos, in the fear of the moment, in times of hunger and peril. Every moment can be entrusted to Him. Let’s dig into the abundant life this week. In the meantime, breath out a satisfied, “Ahh” with me. He has you in the palm of His hand. Be content there and then go tackle that mess.

Dear Father,

You gave us Your Son. He gave everything up for us and loves us too much to ever let us go. Give us that Godly contentment every day no matter what is in front of us.

In Jesus name

Amen

Teach Your Children

 

     Raising our children to love Jesus in the world today is vital. As we see disrespect grow, violence increase, drug use as an epidemic, our youth need Jesus. The Jewish people were taught to have God’s word on their hearts and minds each day.

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 11:19 (Deuteronomy 6:7)

    God has promises for us as believers. As we teach our children about His love and His word, they will never forsake Him.

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

     I have such special memories of our girls growing up. Reading devotions with them each night before bed. Praying with them when they were having difficulties at school or with friends. And they love Jesus. They are passing their faith and love on to the next generation!  Our grandkids are blessed.

     Our faith will never leave us. Jesus is always here with us. Faith does not have to be and should not be a once-a-week duty. It is a life. A life lived for Christ. A life filled with His everlasting love. Believe and your children will never depart from it. God’s love is everlasting.

The Lord appeared to us in the past saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him and His righteousness with their children’s children. Psalm 103:17

Father,

Your everlasting love will flow from generation to generation as we speak of you as we walk through our days as we sit down and as we rise. Help our younger generation to find You again, for our country to trust in You again. We love You as You first loved us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Happy birthday to our daughter Lauren!

Loved By God

 

     As we age, we can appreciate our memories, our life-long friendships, our families and our Christian family. I am beyond blessed and I am feeling the love of Jesus.  The sunny vibrant skies of fall have been a reminder of all that God has given us.  Feel loved today and take in every single blessing in your life.

     Years ago at a Bible study I facilitated, we studied the books of the Thessalonians. The study included these words:

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you. 1 Thessalonians 1:14

     You, dear brothers and sisters, are loved by God, chosen in fellowship to worship, to pray, to sharpen the faith of one another.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

     The Bible reminds us to stay close to our fellow Christians as we witness the times leading toward Christ’s return. Stay in the word. Rely on your Christian family and continue and appreciate the glory of the earth God has given us.

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Let all of the trees of the forest sing for joy. Psalm 96:12

The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1

Father,

Your love for us is so deep and overwhelming. Thenk You for surrounding us with a family of believers. Keep us united in Spirit as we live out our lives with Your amazing grace and love.

In Jesus name,

Amen