OTHERS RECEIVE GOD’S BLESSINGS, BUT WHERE ARE MINE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you
with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
(Jeremiah 31:3)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever paused and spent some time meditating about the love of God?
His love is baffling and beyond our understanding, isn’t it? Our love is often
conditional (it is often dependent on the actions of the target of our love). But
God’s love is unconditional – it remains constant regardless of our actions.

His love is an incomprehensible and inexplicable mystery. Mankind cannot
adequately illustrate the righteousness of God and His love. His love cannot
be measured or explained, yet we could not live without it. Imagine how
different our life would be, if God withdrew His love for us.

His love pursues us, even if we are not pursuing Him. We might wonder
why we are being pursued by God, and if we are, we can better understand
it when we read God’s Word.
    The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand
    slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
    perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
    (2 Peter 3:9)

We have been born into sin, which creates a gap between God and us.
As long as that gap continues, we are destined for eternal punishment,
which is the fate of all sinners. But that’s not the destiny God wants us
to have, and because of His love for us, He pursues us and offers us the
opportunity to change our destiny.

How do we change our destiny? We pursue God and His righteousness,
and we prove our desire to bridge the gap between God and us when we
believe in, and accept His Son, Jesus. God has given us option of choosing,
and we must make the right choice to reestablish our ‘connection’ with our
Creator, who loves us.

As proof of the sincerity of our choice, we also choose to forsake sin and
surrender our lives to Jesus. That means that we also choose to pursue
God’s Son and His righteousness. That might sound like a break from
our natural tendencies, and it is. Instead of succumbing to our natural
desires of the flesh, we choose to take the road of righteousness, which
doesn’t include the ‘potholes’ of sin.

The choices we make either prove or discredit our love for God. When
we understand the impact on our destiny, and the rewards associated
with making the correct and righteous decision, we should be motivated
to pursue God and His love as our highest priority.

Because of God’s love, He has many blessings for those who love Him.
    However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard, and what no human mind
    has conceived” – the things God has prepared for
    those who love Him.
    (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Some people say they have not received God’s blessings. They might
feel this way because they have overlooked the blessings they have
already been given. Or they could be missing His blessings because
they don’t love Him as they should. Some want to give God a token
expression of their love and expect His best blessings for them.

For instance, there are some CEO Christians who go to God’s house
to praise and worship Him on – Christmas and Easter Only (CEO’s).
Others may join the Lord at His house less than fifty percent of the
year. The love relationship between God and believers doesn’t work
like that. We can’t expect His all when we give Him our partial – that’s
not love. Love says,
    “God I want Your all and Your best,
       so I will give You my all and my best”

When we meditate on God’s love, we can see how it ‘draws’ people to Him.
His love doesn’t demand anything, but rather attracts people through His
loving kindness. In other words, once we become aware of how loving and
kind He is, we should have a desire to know Him better. The more we love
Him, the more time we will want to spend with Him.

However, while God is loving us, Satan is busy ‘drawing’ people away from
the Lord and causing them to miss out on His blessings. Satan even plants
reasons in our minds to justify why we only give God a portion of what we
could give, and a partial of what He wants from those who love Him.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Am I receiving all the blessings God has for me?
       If not, then how am I failing to show my love for Him?
    – Do I believe His Word is true?

God says He has prepared much for those who love Him. His work in
us has only begun; He has a wonderful, exciting and thrilling future
for all people who love Him and show their love through their actions,
attitudes, dedication and commitment.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, although I can’t fathom the vastness of Your love
for me, I know that You do love me with an unchanging love. I also
realize that You have many blessings for me that may be locked away
because of my failure to love You as I should. Forgive me for not giving
You the priority You deserve in my life. Help me to make the changes I
need to make so I will love You more, and want to spend more time with
You and the rest of Your family. I want to unlock the door to the additional
blessings You have for me, and according to Your Word, the amount of my
love for You is the key to those blessings. Thank You that Your love for me
is constant! Teach me to love You and others in the same manner that You
love us.”

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