Based on “What God Did for Us at Easter” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 3/8-9/08,
Message #MB363; Daily Devotional #3 - “Yes, God Truly Loves You!”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18) What do you fear? Is it nuclear war, pandemic disease, our shaky economy, or the dentist? Our enemy wants us to live in fear because when we fear, we are not trusting God. God tells us often in His Word to not be afraid. Why? We need to learn to trust Him, and we need to know that He loves us. All of those things listed above are things that we face each and every day. War, illness, disease, and death are products of sin and Satan. God never intended any of this. His creation was very good! (Genesis 1:31) God loved us so much that He gave us a choice. That included the choice to love and obey Him just as He loved us. In order for there to be a mutual relationship, love has to come with a choice. We must choose to get to know our Heavenly Father. Adam and Eve made a disastrous choice, and, as a result, sin entered the world and everything changed. But God, in His love, had a plan that would restore the separation caused by sin because God could not bear to be separated from His children, the very ones that He created in His image. You are created in the image of God. You were created to know Him.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): As a non-believer, you live in fear and try to find answers to the problems of the world on your own. You can't. The problems are bigger than you. You will never find an answer or peace in the things this world has to offer. As a Christ follower, if we are not careful, we can let the circumstances of this world trouble us. When we do that, we have not completely surrendered to Him, and as a result fear sets in. We all have a choice. We either surrender our lives totally to Christ and let that perfect love drive out fear, or we succumb to that fear. When we accept the fact that God truly loves us, the fear will fade. God knew you before you were born. (Psalm 139) He has a very detailed plan for your life, and you are no accident. This world may have scarred you, but the Lord can heal each and every scar. You are precious to Him. God's heart breaks at the pain that you have had to face. It doesn't matter what caused the pain, whether it is a result of your own sin, the sin of another, or just the state of the world that we live in. He made a way to heal those scars. It is Jesus. Not only did the Father send His only Son down to earth to die for our sin, but Jesus loved us so much that He willingly died for you and for me. Jesus took the entire penalty for our sin, once and for all. It is finished. Who else would love you enough to do that? Who else would sacrifice their only child for your sin problem? Jesus' blood covers us and washes us clean. We are pure before our Heavenly Father, and we have been restored to enjoy fellowship with Him again. We just have to choose that gift. This world will leave you with some scars, but our God is bigger than the world, and we do not have to fear. Accept His perfect love, it will expel the fear.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): I love the story of David. He was a fearless warrior. He didn't rely on his own strength, but on the strength of God. David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:45) At that moment, God stood in front of David and protected him while David struck the giant with the fatal blow. What was impossible for David was possible for God. Do not fear. God loves you and is standing before you protecting you. I will tell you this again, He loves you. Let that settle into your spirit and let the fear go away. No weapon formed against you shall prosper!
Cultivating (Additional Reading): 1 John 4, Galatians 3-4, Romans 8
HS
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
New King James Version = NKJV, King James Version = KJV.