Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
It’s been a great week filled with lots of sunshine here in the Pacific Northwest. I have spent some time doing things in my yard and the needed catchup on some home projects. We had an excellent time here again as a church family at Alife. Holy Spirit moved through many with the Father’s love through body ministry. It was good to hear an encouraging word from the next generation. God is truly good.
God’s nature is to give. He gives life, He gives breath, and He gives all things. He doesn’t desire a relationship with us that is based upon a perception of giving God something He needs or requires. Our relationship with God is based upon what He desires. He desires to love us! He desires to give us life, and life more abundant.
Isaiah 55:1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you—the sure mercies of David.”
God’s gift of life to us all is because of His love. He desires to love us. He desires that all would come to the knowledge of the truth. The truth is that God’s loves us! He is the only One who can give us life that will satisfy. Even as God showed mercy to David, He desires us to know His everlasting kindness. An understanding of God’s mercy will give us a heart after Him. When we understand His kindness, we will seek His presence to find His grace in all things. God’s love is stronger than our sins. His nature as Father cannot be shaken.
Love must be the foundation of our relationship with God so we can understand things that are beyond our understanding. That understanding can only be given to us by God as a gift of grace. God’s ways are higher than our ways so in our misunderstandings of Him we must trust His love and His ability to bring revelation to our hearts. God must be our teacher. We cannot rely upon our natural understanding or logic of things. We must trust His understanding. Holy Spirit is God in us and with us and He is our teacher in all things.
Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
The context of this verse is not regarding the wickedness of our hearts. The context of this verse is how generous and good God is. God is good and He loves all people. This is the foundation for true change in our lives. Sinners are bad and we need a savior is an improper paradigm for understanding God’s love. It is true, but it is not the fullness of truth. God loves good people and God loves bad people. It is neither the good nor the bad of people that He loves, it’s people!
The Old Covenant presented a perceived paradigm that God is the one who commands men and women to love Him. One day a Pharisaic lawyer approached Jesus with a question regarding the commandments of God. Jesus told Him that the greatest commandment was to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength. He told Him that the second commandment was like the first, that we must love one another. Jesus said that upon these two commandments rested the entire law and the prophets (Mt. 22:34-40). The entire law and prophets rested upon two commandments. The Old Covenant law and prophets never really changed mankind. They offered commandments to love, but they didn’t provide transformations for loving. Later Jesus told His friends that a new commandment was now being given to them. He said that the new commandment was to love one another, even as He had loved them, that they love one another (Jn. 13:34). This commandment was not merely a command of law. It was an empowerment based upon a revelation of Christ’s love for them. Love is a revelation, not merely a command. A command to love God can restrain us but a revelation of His love will transform our hearts and minds.
Blessings,
Ted J. Hanson
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House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728
