I'm so excited about doing Living Loved Living Free again as on online Bible study. I love being on a journey with so manymen and women who desire to know Jesus and to live free in His love. Today, as I read the first lesson, Created to be Loved," tears began to stream down my face as I was reminded once again that my Heavenly Father created you and me to be the focus of His love, to be made whole and complete by His love-to lack nothing in Him.
Why does this truth touch me so deeply? I think it's because I know what it feels like to live with a broken heart. I lived so many years of my life believing the devil's lie that I am not who God says I am. Just like Adam and Eve, I believed that I lacked in some way and so I looked outside of my relationship with Jesus to meet the needs of my heart and the result was shame and brokenness. My husband, my children, my parents, and my friends cannot satisfy the need that God has placed within me to be valued, accepted, approved and loved. Some how when I look outside of Jesus to meet my needs, I end up disappointed and discouraged. But when I bring my heart to Jesus and believe what He says is true, every need of my heart is completely satisified in His love. When I am willing to lay down my own opinion and the opinion of others and embrace with all of my heart what my Father says about me in Christ, I experience true freedom. When I value His opinion of me more than the world's, I live loved and I live free. Ephesians 1:4 says that He loves you and me and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. He sees us as very good because we are in Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21).
One day as I was taking a walk with my granddaughter, Ryann, I began telling her how much I love her. I said, "Ryann, you are a very good girl." She responded by saying, "Yes, I am, grandma." I laughed with joy as she received my love and embraced my good opinion of her. She believed that what I said about her was true and it made me so happy. At that moment the Father spoke to my heart and said, "Connie, I love you, and you are very good." Just like Ryann, I confidently responded by saying, "Yes, I am, Father, because everything you say about me is true." I felt Him smile as I received His love, just as I did when Ryann received my love for her.
When we embrace the Father's love for us in Christ, our hearts are healed. We live free from all shame and brokeness and finally we are empowered to live the abundant, full life that our Heavenly Father intended for us to live all along. Today, listen with me as our Heavenly Father says to each of us, "I love you! I chose you in Christ to be holy and without fault in My eyes. I approve of you completely! You are very good!
How will you respond to Him today?
We can live free in our Heavenly Father's love! WOOHOO!
Join me as we journey through Living Loved online Bible study. You can watch week one this series by attending our online study at http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=231933273504993
Very profound & important to grasp! Thanks Connie!
ReplyDeleteI loved the story about your walk with Ryann. What stood out to me was how you were the one speaking to her first, and it was your eyes of love looking upon her with adoration. She wasn't earning it by her behavior or otherwise. "We love because He first loved us"...
ReplyDeleteGreat blog babe! Love it when you speak from your heart like this from your daily experiences. You are a treasure! Love you!!!
ReplyDeleteTony
"To live is Christ!"
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I wrote that except that is what I kept thinking in my mind the whole time I was reading your post today. The only way to truly "LIVE" is surrendering everything to the Truth of God's opinion of us and what His Love accomplished for us in Jesus! I really think that we have not even begun to scratch the surface of the "Life" that Jesus desires for us to experience because we are only beginning to understand that God's only motives in all that He does is to love us. As we get a clearer understanding of that truth, that is when we truly begin to live!
Great post Connie!
I am excited to get started with Living Loved/Living Free!
Its always good to be reminded that I am loved and am created to be loved! Great blog mommy! I love you!
ReplyDeleteHi MY Darling Daughter...Great truth....keep speading it to the Glory of the Father....Mom
ReplyDeleteIf it's imposssible to please God without faith (trusting what God says), then it seems by reason that the thing that pleases God is when we trust Him. Trusting seems like authentic worship to me.
ReplyDeleteKeep posting, Connie! I think this will be a great way to share and learn with eath other.
Thanks Connie. I loved the story with Ryann too. How great to live with the faith of a small child to just look up at a loving parent and agree with what they say about you. Not because you deserve it or earned it, but just because of Love. I want to know this love more and more and live this abundantly free life. No more vicarious living for me! My Father loves me and He thinks I am very very good!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy that we are beginning to really live by knowing how much we are loved by the King of kings. Our Daddy loves us and in believing htat we can truly live secure.
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for sharing your heart! I love it!