Today’s devotional is from Rizeup.us (Marc Koch). (This is a wonderful prayer program for men, check it out.)
He emails out devotionals occasionally and I thought this was very timely.
Smile… I love you!
“I have always loved you, so I continue to show you my constant love.”
– Jeremiah 31:3
Why God loves us is a mystery… one we will never solve. The good news is that we don’t have to understand why; He just does! The Bible says that God’s love is a gift… pure and simple. It’s not something we have earned. We haven’t charmed our way into God’s heart. We haven’t impressed Him with our selfless acts or great charitable contributions. God loves us because He chooses to.
So why do we struggle so hard to receive it and why do so many people pass through this life without ever feeling the warmth of God’s loving smile? Perhaps it’s because we are so busy working to make ourselves worthy of His love that we somehow miss the simple truth of it.
You will never be good enough, cute enough, bright enough, accomplished enough, or rich enough to earn God’s love. Nor will you ever be able to understand it. But receiving it is easy. All you have to do is reach out and take it.
Open the door to your heart today. Look up into God’s loving face and smile at this blessing. Then close your eyes and imagine Him smiling back at you. God loves you!
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Maybe I should have used the word timeless, instead of timely? In these challenging times, I think it is so important to remember God Love’s us, and once we accept that, we can reflect it back to others as we go about our daily tasks.
We work so hard to earn this and earn that. Remember the timeless adage: “You don’t get something for nothing.” or the simplified version “Nothing in life is free.” Well that is true, nothing on earth is free, but God’s love from heaven is free, all we have to do is accept it, just like our salvation.
One of my favorite scripture verses is Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
So I guess another adage is correct as well: “The best things in life are free.” God’s love and salvation!
Take a moment to think about that. Is there no simpler way of showing God’s love and doing His will than simply smiling?
Peace be with you!
myBlessedHope 