How Do I Love Thee?

     Great comfort is mine when I digest the verses in which God declares His love for me. I have written some, such as these, on paper hearts which I then taped to my bathroom mirror:

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." 1 John 3:16

"This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

    The true cause to pause for reflection comes with the question Jesus had posed to Simon Peter during his reinstatement: "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15) The joy of having breakfast on the seashore with the resurrected Christ was still fresh on Peter's heart when the Savior got to the heart of the matter three times by asking, "Do you love me?"

    I imagined Jesus inserting my own name in this very telling query: "Rachel, daughter of Russell, do you truly love me more than these?" 

    How much do I love you, Jesus? When I was drowning in a sea of selfishness and grasped your extended hand, did I tell you then that I loved you? When you blessed me beyond reason with two daughters and one grand, did my heart overflow in gratitude to you? When, in sickness of the heart I wept bitter tears and you held me close to your breast, did I, like the one leper in ten, return to hug you? Would I recklessly pour my most expensive possession at your feet, or would I join the rich, young ruler, walking away with a closed fist?

    Do I truly love you more than anything or anyone else? With the grace of the Holy Ghost, may I, like Simon Peter, avow: "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." (John 21:17)

    Then may I hear the voice of Jesus say, "Then feed my sheep. Follow Me!"

"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." John 14:21

Untouchable

 "We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him." 1 John 5:18

    About a decade ago, while my husband and I lay asleep one night, I was awakened by something. Upon opening my eyes, I was stricken with such terror, the likes of which I had never known. There, at the foot of our bed, loomed a large, dark form. It bore no discernable features other than a ghoulish outline, but the evil it emitted was palpable and unmistakable. 

    It spoke not, nor did it move toward me, yet I instinctively grasped my husband's arm as I buried my head in his side. Though he awoke, he could not see anything, nor could I convey the reason for my fear since I was unable to speak. When my gaze returned to the foot of the bed a second time, the presence was still there. After a third time, it was gone. Trembling, I poured out to David what I had experienced. 

    I had cried out to Jesus to purify the room and surround our home with a battalion of angels before I would reenter it. The reasons behind this encounter eluded me. Had I unintentionally invited a demon into my home? 

    The answer came to me just the other night while reading a devotional entitled, "Who I am in Christ," by Neil T. Anderson. It's a marvelous book filled with thirty-six readings and prayers, based on the truth of Scripture which expound upon all the glorious riches we have in Christ Jesus. Protection from evil in one of them.

    Imagine my reaction when, in chapter twenty-four, I read: "Have you ever awakened at night feeling terrorized? You may have felt a pressure on your chest or an evil presence in the room." The author explained that, as a child of God, evil cannot touch me. If I live in submission to God, just proclaiming the name of Jesus will make the devil flee; I am safe in the arms of God. He is my sanctuary. 

    Looking back on this experience, though it had filled me with such terror, I am grateful to have been shown just how deep the demonic darkness can be, thereby drawing me closer than ever to my Savior's side. Satan, the father of lies, cannot stand in the face of Truth. Thanks be to Jesus, who has been given all authority and supremacy over all things, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. (see Colossians 1: 15-20) In Him, I am untouchable.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." John 10:27

The Rock

 "He is the Rock, his words are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He." Deuteronomy 32:4

    MercyMe. Lauren Daigle. Casting Crowns. These are all Christian music artists I love, but every once in a while, I am drawn to the old, familiar hymns. Their lyrics are powerful poems, based upon the truths of Scripture.

    Listen to these, taken from "The Solid Rock," written by Edward Mote in 1834:

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name. 

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found!

Clothed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne!

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

    Upon what other foundation could I build my life that would guarantee my trip to spend eternity in heaven? Let's see.

    If I built upon family, they, too, must leave this world, so I can't count on tagging along with one of them. Besides, how can I be sure of their destination? Hmm.

    What if I relied upon the government for my needs? Do they offer some type of after-life payment plan? No, their track record is not that great on this side of the sod.

    Well, if only I stockpiled enough money, then I could buy my way past the pearly gates. No, the Egyptians tried that, but those riches were all discovered in the pyramids. Besides, those funds are all left behind to beneficiaries. That won't work. 

    How about attending church religiously, serving at a soup kitchen and tithing ten percent to a worthwhile cause? Certainly, my good deeds will get me in. Though that is a popular belief, God says otherwise: "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2: 8, 9)

    I know! A couple of college degrees is what's needed. Then I will outsmart God. The Lord says, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1: 20, 21)

    The only way I can be assured of my salvation is to put all my hope on the Rock, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4) He created me, He sustains me, He redeemed me by his precious blood. He has promised to come back for me and take me to be with Him where He is. (John 14:3) All other ground is indeed sinking sand.

"He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal." Isaiah 26: 3, 4

    

What's New?

 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:1, 27

    Gaily wrapped gifts have been opened by now. Ribbons rolled and saved until next year; reusable boxes have been stacked in the basement, hollow and waiting. All things that were exchanged from hand to hand, house to house or shipped o'er land and sea were not new items. They were made from pre-existing materials that have been around since the creation of the world.

    While reading from my "Today in the Word" devotional this morning, the author's thought spurred my soul: "We are valuable not because of what we produce or not because of what we can give to God. The most we can do is simply rearrange and reorganize what God already created."

    Though, this Christmas, I received and gave some lovely gifts, the true gift is what Jesus has created in us. The Scripture tells me, "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:17) The true gift is ME! It's Christmas every day when we live in Christ.

    Dear Lord, today as I rearrange and reorganize the living room, may my heart bend in true worship to You, my Creator. May I reflect on the new me that you are working on every day. It is really miraculous to think that You are making all things new, beginning with the hearts of believers like me. Let your light shine in me, like the star that guided the wise men, drawing others to the Light of the World. I love you, Jesus.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17