Happily Everlasting

When you put the words love and everlasting in the same sentence, it comes off as an oxymoron.  Both verbs are difficult to define, or fully understand.  The term love covers the pasta we ate for dinner, our new droid, or the fresh romance we are starting.  Everlasting and Happily Ever After are the things of Fairy Tales.

We are accustomed to warranties, guarantees, default contracts, and prenups.  With our revolving door affection our computers, flat screens, and significant others barely last a year before they launch the new models and we are on to the next thing.  Besides, nothing on this earth lasts forever.

When God tells us He loves us with an everlasting love, we might be tempted to shrug it off since contracts and hearts can be easily broken. Our limited understanding tends to humanize God. If he writes us off because we have messed-up year after year, that’s understandable. However, if He rides out the storms of life right along with us as we entertain our personal demons it just doesn’t make sense!  Who am I that God would care?

 Here are a few facts about Everlasting Love we can count on….

·    God reaches out to us unconditionally.  He loves us before we can honestly love Him.  The Lord has appeared to me saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love: with kindness I continue my faithfulness to you.”  Jeremiah 31:3

·    No matter how far from shore the choppy waters of temptation has left you, nothing you have done, or will do, can separate you from the love of God.  “Neither death nor life nor angels or demons….will be able to separate us from the love of Christ.”  Romans 8: 38-39

·    He gave everything to open the way for us to accept His Everlasting Love.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life.”  John 3:16


   When we enter into this contract, we will live Happily Everlasting...

  

Reach for the Prize

Forget what lies behind. I love January. It’s time for our yearly do-over list. The idea of another chance empowers me to reach for the stars. Who doesn’t like to imagine what it would be like to really accomplish their personal goals and get everything right for a change. I made my resolutions, along with the rest of the world, and predictably, my top priorities fell right in line with most people.

I intend to spend quality time with family, lose that same 20 pounds, get out of debt, get more involved, finish my novel, go on a mission’s trip….you get the picture. I really wish God would wave a magic wand over my life and make everything fall into place just as I command.

As I prayed about this whole New Year’s thing, I felt convicted to pay more attention to what God has actually called me to do and accomplish for His Kingdom as the year plays out. Like…be obedient to His leading even when it interferes with my workout, or my writing, or my multitude of plans. I seem to have a long list of demands I expect God to help me achieve.

Reach forward to what lies ahead. I’ve decided to alter my list and deliberately seek God’s priorities. Instead of taking my side excursions into the Land of Hopes and Dreams, I think I’ll try it God’s way, and walk into the Promised Land. I hope that when the ball drops to ring in 2012, I will have accomplished something that will bring me closer to His purpose and that stubborn 20 pounds won’t feel so heavy after all.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 13-14