His Love doesn't run!!!

 God's Love doesn't Run!!!
Now I admit that the last post was a little mean, I guess!! I sort of left everyone hanging out to dry!! So, where were we?? Without further delay, let's continue my story about a boy, a California beach and a dream for something that only God could give.  Now, I'm going to rename this person because it's one thing to talk about your own testimony and quite another to name someone else, alright?  Let's call him Timothy! So there I was enjoying the peace of a breezy and peaceful day at the beach, when I saw a young teenager, about my age, coming out of the water.  From rich brown hair to tanned skin and dark, mysterious eyes, Timothy had my full attention!! My heart began to race and I suddenly became very aware of every little hair that might be out of place and how every single inch of me might appear to anyone that was watching!  Notice please that I cared very little about how my heart was doing, only how my physical attributes might measure up to a worldly standard that suddenly mattered to me.  Noteworthy for us all is the fact that the moment we exchange the truth of God for a lie, we are following the world and not God..we are being led astray!!!!!!

Romans 1:24-26

New International Version (NIV)

 ²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.  

Alright I'm sure the readers are thinking that is a bit extreme?? The moment we desire something of the world more than we desire God, who stands in judgement over this world, we are worshipping something else!! Perhaps the reason that we don't become convicted by certain verses of the Bible is because we do not fully grasp how personally they were written for us! Moreover, we remain unaware that these warnings are very applicable to our situations and struggles; never detach yourself from any admonition in His Word lest you fall into sin and stumble. Again, in 1 John 2:15

On Not Loving the World

 ¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.


Friends, if you are loving the ways and the things or anything of this world, you are not loving God; the two are diametrically opposed! Yes, we are to love the people with God's love to save and to redeem them, but we are not to love them and treasure what they offer at any point in time!!


 Treasuring every moment of the rush I felt and craving to have a shot at the fairytale, I shoved my sister and told her to look over where his towel was and frantically asked her if I looked alright! My sister just completely laughed, "It's about time you noticed boys! Well, which one is he?  Wow! He's actually pretty cute!" she admitted.  "So what do I do?" I asked quickly with a slight edge of nervous energy.  "Go say, 'hi'", she retorted, not believing for a second that I would actually have the courage to do or say anything.  Well, in short, she was wrong! I walked right up to where Timothy was sitting and said, "Hi"! A little surprised, he said, "Heah!"  "I'm Jennifer! What's your name?" I asked on sheer adrenaline as my sister stared over at us with her mouth open! We began to talk and to exchange real small bits of information. For instance, Timothy gave me his name and asked if I was here with my family! After telling him that I was here with my mom and dad and brother and sister, the one who still had her mouth open in shock, something inside me started to stir!  You have to understand that when you have given your life over to God at an altar and then been baptized in front of the body of believers that those actions are not just outward signs; every outward sign is followed immediately by an inward grace! I remember thinking I could just get lost in those deep brown eyes, so full of mystery and the promise of a love that I thought I understood to be good! Yet, something beckoned me to ask him if he believed in God and in fact was a Christian!!  Even though my little 13 year old brain had subconsciously chosen a fairy tale over the Love of God, I still knew that I needed to keep God in the picture! We're very good at understanding that God can be useful to us and we therefore attempt to keep Him at arms length! Well, Tim answered, "yes, and in fact we go to the Nazarene Church in Glendora, California! Oh my heavens, how incredibly perfect!!  With God in my pocket and a very cute "Nazarene" boy right in front of me, love was in the air!! The truth is that I was being convinced of so many things based on nothing other than feelings and distorted fantasies! Don't get me wrong!! I still love the Little Mermaid and I still love to watch my son and my nieces and nephews light up inside when good conquers evil and Cinderella meets the prince!! However, there is a really big point here that I don't want us to miss!! Somewhere in the poor imitation Walt Disney or Hollywood have to offer and the moment when we realize that fantasy is not real and that people are not perfect, we forget that there is a God that IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!  Yes, the ideas that Disney puts out really do beckon us all don't they?? Yet, what is the real message and the real hope behind each fairytale?? Behold, the lie: somewhere out there is a person who is perfect!! Did you get that?? The lie we are all being told is that there is a person who is perfect, who can rescue you, who can be the answer to any problem and who can overcome insurmountable odds!!! Friends, we have all hopefully come to understand that no PERSON is perfect, and that no PERSON can save you from anything!! Yet, once we discover that people are fallible, we simply have the tendency to lose hope in any good purpose for our lives. Tragically, we forget that just because people cannot save you doesn't mean that that's it for us!! Praise the Lord, He offers us sooo much more than the fairy tale!! A few posts ago, I asked you to read Jeremiah 29:11 because God knows He has great plans for you!! When we first meet someone like Timothy, or any other that becomes significant to us, we have a very small window into who they are or what we can really know about them. Remember always that man is fallen and we cannot know the heart of a man like God does; we only know that we are all sinners and that not one is righteous.  Romans 3 declares that "not one is righteous for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"!! Put your trust in God because His Love is unfailing..it never ends and His light will never lead you astray!! When you long for peace in a trial and when you yearn for something to take away the pain consider the truth God wrote to you in Lamentations 3:7,

⁷ I have been deprived of peace;

   I have forgotten what prosperity is.

¹⁸ So I say, “My splendor is gone

   and all that I had hoped from the LORD.”

 ¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,

   the bitterness and the gall.

²⁰ I well remember them,

   and my soul is downcast within me.

²¹ Yet this I call to mind

   and therefore I have hope:

 ²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,

   for his compassions never fail.

²³ They are new every morning;

   great is your faithfulness.

²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;

   therefore I will wait for him.”

 ²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,

   to the one who seeks him;

²⁶ it is good to wait quietly

   for the salvation of the LORD.

²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke

   while he is young.

 ²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence,

   for the LORD has laid it on him.

²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust—

   there may yet be hope.

³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,

   and let him be filled with disgrace.

 ³¹ For no one is cast off

   by the Lord forever.

³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,

   so great is his unfailing love.

³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction

   or grief to anyone.

Consider that what most of us want is the security that we will be loved for who we are and that that love   will be perfect and eternal! Friends what we are longing for is God and we forget that so easily!!
To continue with reality, Timothy and I talked on the beach, went swimming together in the ocean and then in a few days the whole romance was over!! Regrettably, I went back to Kansas and Tim continued to go to Jr. High School in Glendora! The truth is that, "Happily Ever After" always ends right after it begins with humanity!! There is not one person that can claim to love perfectly, or who can claim that their life will last one moment beyond what God allows!! All men are like grass and the body withers and the flowers fail..but the Word of the Lord stands forever!! Verily, there is only One Everlasting Father, who's voice is like the rushing waters and who's light fights for you with all consuming fire! Praise the Name of Jesus, Praise the Name of Jesus...He's my Rock, He's my deliverer, He's my fortress and in Him will I trust...Praise the Name of Jesus...!!!!!! The greatest news of all....guys and gals...is that He is available..and He is interested in YOU!!!!! He is pursuing you!!!!!! He has conquered death...even death on a cross and is sitting on His throne as King..asking you..to let Him Love you with a love that doesn't run...!! A Scripture to ponder...

Jeremiah 31:2-4

New International Version (NIV)

 ² This is what the LORD says:
   “The people who survive the sword
   will find favor in the wilderness;
   I will come to give rest to Israel.”
 ³ The LORD appeared to us in the past,^[a] saying:
   “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
   I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
⁴ I will build you up again,
   and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.
Again you will take up your timbrels (tambourines)
   and go out to dance with the joyful.

Also remember that Zephaniah 3 brings us great promises of Love and Mercy concerning our God,

"The Lord you God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV).

Just a question: When was the last time you hoped for something good to come from a person? When was the last time you hoped Man would love you with an everlasting kind of love?? Perhaps even as adults, we desire something from people that we can only receive from the Lord God almighty!! Only when we choose God to be our Love, our only Love will He fill our surrendered hearts with unbelievable fullness of Joy, blessing, mercy and peace! "Oh fill my cup Lord! I lift it up Lord! Come and fill the thirsting of my soul! Bread of Heaven fill me till I want no more..I lift my cup, come fill it up and make me whole" (Fill my cup Lord, Nazarene Hymnal). More on the Prophet Jonah tomorrow!! Get ready to get shipwrecked, and a bit bewildered, beguiled and then beckoned by God!!