God loves you. He doesn’t just love a part of you, He loves all of you. His love has a requirement attached to it. You are called to love God in return. He wants you to respond to the love that He offers every person. Let’s look at Psalm 146 to get a glimpse into God’s most wonderful love.
A heart that has been radically changed by God’s Holy Spirit sees life in a whole new way.
“Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.”1-2 When a person responds to God’s love, that person becomes fully alive in Christ. Every cell in your body is now alive in the Spirit, and you can’t but help to praise God for loving you. The idea that God chooses you is more than your mind can handle. It is mind-blowing! Take a minute or two and ponder that. What does God want you to do with such a wonderful revelation?
“Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.”3-4 God wants you to trust Him way above any powerful person on earth. Just like you, everybody else is sinful and falls short of God; see Romans 3:23. Yes, even presidents, celebrities, and goats (greatest of all time). The plans of the Lord last forever, just like His Word. He will lead you by His Word and by the voice of the Holy Spirit. “But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”5 For added insight, read Ecclesiastes 3:14-15.
Having God in your life gives you hope like no other.
“He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but He frustrates the plans of the wicked.”6-9 Pay attention one sentence at a time in these verses. What radical changes does God desire to see in you? As you ponder each sentence, see yourself in the midst of it.
Here’s an example of studying one sentence at a time: 1. He made you. Why is that a big deal? You may want to gloss over that because you struggle with insecurities or you doubt God’s love, but let God speak to you deep in your heart and soul. 2. God keeps His promises. Why is that good to know? Maybe the radical change God is looking for is that He wants you to fully trust Him with your life. 3. Are you oppressed in any way or spiritually hungry? He fights for you so you won’t be lacking in any good thing. Look at the next sentence from verses 6-9, the Lord frees the prisoners. Read Galatians 5:1-15 for added insight into the mind-blowing way that God helps you to walk in freedom. Continue on studying and processing the verses. Pay attention to that little voice giving you peace and clarity.
God desires nothing more than for you to walk fully surrendered to His ways which is following in reckless abandonment with His Son Jesus Christ. You will live in a radical way for God’s love surpasses worldly love tainted by sin.
Finally, “The Lord will reign forever. He will by your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the Lord!10 The God of Heaven is the only God that walks intimately with you. He is the only God that proclaims that He is the Living God. God of Heaven is the only God that did something to offer sinful man a way out of bondage. All other gods want you to please them first. Many follow these false gods that aren’t even real. Read John 14 for added insight.
May you allow our wonderful God and Father to deepen your faith in such a way where your mind is blown by His audacious love that He has for you. You and I are loved beyond any words that could describe it. Let’s praise the Lord morning, noon, and night.
Carol J German 