Jun 29thDevotion Jude 1b Called, Loved and Kept Part 2

CALLED

2 Timothy 1:9 – He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.

LOVED

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

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

1 John 4:10-12 – This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Romans 8:37 – No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

1 John 4:19 – We love because he first loved us.

Colossians 3:12 – Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

John 15:9 – “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

John 16:27 – No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

John 13:1 – It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

John 13:34 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16 – May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,

When my sons were babies my first words to them, the first thing I sang to them (while still in the womb) was “Jesus loves you.”  The second thing I told them was I love you.  All of their lives I have told them that nothing is more important than the love of God through Jesus in their lives.  The second thing I have always told them is that I love them.  Surely there have been times that they doubted my love.  I told them anyway.  I kept telling them.  To this day I sometimes text them, or tell them, “Did you know I love you?”  It may have gotten old. I tell them anyway. I will tell them as long as I have breath that I love them.  I tell my family I love them.  I tell my brothers and sisters in Christ that I love them.  I tell my friends on FB that I love them.  I’m sure many find it odd.  I tell them anyway.  It’s nice when I hear it back, but really, it’s not necessary (well, maybe sometimes it is really nice to hear).  But truly, it’s not necessary.  I love them deep in my heart and the Lord said “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart…” (Matthew 15:18a)  So from my heart and out of my mouth comes what is in my heart.  If you haven’t heard me say I love you, wait, it will come.  I only hold back not to “freak out” those who are not used to that.

God has loved us since before there was an “us.”  From infinity past He has loved us.  In His Word He has told us many times and in many ways that He loves us.  The preceding verses are a mere sampling of His expressions of love to us.  Love for us is what is in His heart.  John 13:34 is not something that we make ourselves do, it is something that is within us because the love of God is upon us and within us.   His infinite love brought Jesus to pay the price of our sins.  His love resurrected Jesus.  By His love Jesus is at His rightful place beside the Father.  Our God the Father loved us in our mother’s womb, even then He sang His love to us.  He was there when we were born and there He whispered to us that He loves us.  Through all of the many hurts, disappointments and extreme pains in life, He has spoken to us His love for us to quiet our hearts and minds.  Every step of the way in the history of humanity God has loved us.  In fact, to an omniscient God who knew that so many would reject Him, and His love, it was an extreme act of love to even go ahead and create us.  He did it because He loves us.

He called us because He loves us.  He keeps us because He loves us.  He will bring us to His home to live with Him forever because He loves us.  He always has.  He always will.  So He calls to us “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)  We exist because He loves us.  We continue to exist because He loves.  It has been said “I think and therefor I am.”  Yet a stronger truth is that we are because He loves us.  If He did not, there would be no us.  We exist because of and in His enduring love.  Praise God!  Oh shout joyous praises to God who loves us!  Praise God!  Praise God!  Praise God!

Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord!

Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.

Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”