“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us….” 1 John 3:1

Lord Jesus, your  unconditional Agape love is astounding. In one way, it is a brutal love–brutal to you, the Lover, who suffered all the agonies of the crucifixion, and now gives and gives, unswayed by the lack of positive response from the rebellious, self-centered, unbelieving, negative objects of your love–us.

This love, so painful to you as you are grieved daily by our rebellion, is so gracious to us: embracing, caring, kind, forgiving, correcting, guiding, rebuking, nurturing, directing and cherishing

As J.I. Packer puts it in his powerful book, Knowing God, the Judge becomes, “our perfect parent—faithful in love and care, generous and thoughtful, interested in all we do, respecting our individuality, skillful in training us, wise in guidance, always available, helping us to find ourselves in maturity, integrity and uprightness….”

In making us your children, Heavenly Father, you have invited us into the deep, intimate relationship you have with the Lord Jesus, giving us what you gave Him in His time on earth: grace, affection, fellowship, honor, and authority. As you loved your only begotten Son, so you love your only adopted children. “Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ”!!! (1 John 1:3).

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:5

You, Lord, are entirely different from you in our failures, wanderings and rebellion. Your faithfulness continues through all generations. From eternity, Lord God, you have remained unchanged, faithful to your character, to your Word and to your purposes. You never tire, you never waver, you never are inconsistent or unfaithful.

You are worthy of love and obedience, of exaltation and worship, of praise and honor,

for in your goodness, your greatness, your grace and your glory

you are beyond human conception, beyond understanding and logic, beyond imagination.

Prayer: “May I bring honor to you today, Lord, in my motives, attitudes, words and actions. Help me to set my heart and my mind on things above. Guide me in thinking and living as a child of the King

so those around me may be blessed in the reflected glow of your greatness. Amen.”

“…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1b

Ever since first memorizing Colossians 3, I have been thinking about the phrase “…set your affections [or heart] on things above….” Just what are those things?

Lately the Lord has granted a bit of insight on this question. All my life I’ve set my heart on schedules, outcomes, completion of projects and reaching of goals. Most of these are necessary and good things: getting to work on time, doing my homework and praying regularly for people.

However, there are only two possible outcomes from such a focus.  You reach the goal and experience a fleeting sense of accomplishment followed by a new emptiness that needs to be filled.  Or you don’t reach your goal and are frustrated!

Certainly, this is not the abundant life Christ spoke of. Now slowly it has become clear that I have set these good things ahead of the “things above.” And what are those? Simply put: obedience to Christ.

Setting my heart on responding like Christ, no matter what the outcome of the particular situation may be, this is setting my heart on things above. Responding with praise for whatever outcome He allows or sends. Responding to those around me with Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control.

In a temporal sense, whether some goal is reached or not, OUR RESPONSE  is what makes us useful for God—and, as a side benefit, brings the fulfillment that success can’t.

As Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full” (John 15:10,11).

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“The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.” Psalm 37:30,31

Praise be to you this morning, Lord God, for your wonderful Word: living, powerful, deep, transforming and encouraging. It is life-giving, guiding, convicting, protecting.

Ps 94:18,19 says, “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me.” This is so true; when I have felt abandoned, a failure, useless, unloved or attacked, you Lord, in love, used your Word to support me. Your Spirit brought to mind passages of power, sections on strength and towers of Truth to flee to for help and protection.

When attacked by others, Psalm 37 is my favorite fortress, providing powerful protection: “Fret not yourself because of evildoers…for they shall be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb” (verse 1). This Psalm is a beacon of Light, giving perspective and guidance: “Trust in the Lord and do good, so shall you dwell in the land and be fed” (verse 3). It is the high and protecting wall of Hope: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart” (verse 4).

I praise and thank you, Lord Jesus for sending the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to your love in your Word. I praise you for keeping my foot from slipping—and how often, how faithfully you have done that. “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul” (Ps. 94:19). Praise you that with your Word you combat the worry in my soul and its debilitating cousin, anxiety. You not only defeat them, you replace them with that joy of jubilation in the worship of you. Thank you that you do this so often and so lovingly. You are worthy of worship!

Pure Worship:

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song” (Ps. 95:2).

You, Lord Jesus, are worthy of worship, you who, in providing salvation for your enemies, suffered so deeply in agape love, denying self, enduring the ripping of your soul, the rending of your heavenly relationships, the wrenchingly repulsive role of becoming sin.

Through all this agony you continued on and conquered. You rose resoundingly out of death, ascending far above all and have returned to your rightful reign from the throne of Heaven.

You are glorious in your goodness,

wondrous in your wisdom,

magnificent in your majesty,

powerful in your presence,

lovely in light, pure in personality,

and exalted in excellence.

In you there is no fault, no twistedness, no darkness. You, Lord Jesus, deserve all worship, you are worthy of all exaltation, all adoration, all praise. And today we exalt you because you are the everlasting God, the All powerful Creator and the ever-present Shepherd. May you be honored in our lives today.