God's Love Revealed: How He Turns Our Greatest Needs Into Opportunities to Know Him

"God is love." That may be one of the simplest statements in the Bible, but it contains an almost unfathomable truth: God is love.

Yet there is something about God's love that can be difficult for us to fully appreciate. God is invisible. We cannot see Him with our physical eyes, and because His love is not always immediately visible either, we can easily take it for granted, fail to recognize it, or simply not understand how amazing it really is.

But God doesn't merely tell us that He loves us. He shows us. And I believe this helps us understand something important about why God allowed humanity to fall and why He permits us to live in a fallen world.

God Gave Us Free Will Because He Wants a Relationship With Us

God made mankind in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). One important aspect of that is that we are personal beings who possess a will. God Himself has a will, and He created us with the capacity to make genuine choices. That matters because God desires a genuine relationship with us.

A computer can be programmed to say, "I love you," but it doesn't actually love. It simply does what it was programmed to do. God didn't create us that way. He didn't want humanity to be a collection of pre-programmed creatures who could do nothing except obey. He wanted us to be capable of knowing Him, trusting Him, choosing Him, and loving Him.

But giving humanity genuine freedom carried risk. If we have the ability to freely love God, we also have the ability to reject Him. And that's exactly what happened.

God Allowed the Fall-But He Wasn't Surprised by It

God could have prevented Satan from tempting Eve. He could have stopped Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit. He could have intervened. But in His sovereignty, He allowed them to exercise the freedom He had given them. And God already knew what would happen.

The Fall was not an unexpected disaster that forced God to come up with a backup plan. God's plan of redemption existed before the foundation of the world. Paul writes in Ephesians 1:4-6: "He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace."

Think about that. Before creation, God already had redemption in mind. Before Adam sinned, God knew. Before Satan tempted Eve, God knew. Before humanity experienced the consequences of sin, God knew. And before the cross, God knew.

The Fall did not catch God off guard. He knew that giving humanity free will carried risk, and He already had a plan to redeem fallen humanity through Jesus Christ.

Sin Brought Shame, Fear, and Hiding

Genesis 2:25 tells us that Adam and Eve were naked and felt no shame. Then came Genesis 3. After they disobeyed God, we read: "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked."

Their physical condition hadn't changed. Their spiritual condition had. Suddenly, they experienced shame. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. Then, when they heard God in the garden, they hid.

God called out: "Where are you?" Of course, God knew where they were. He wasn't asking because He needed information. He was calling them out of hiding.

Then God asked Adam: "Who told you that you were naked?" God already knew the answer. But He wanted Adam to think about what had happened. Why was Adam suddenly ashamed? Why was he afraid? Why was he hiding? What had changed? The answer was sin.

Before the Fall, nakedness was accompanied by innocence and no shame. After the Fall, sin brought shame, fear, alienation, and hiding. And yet, even in this darkest moment, something remarkable happens: God comes looking for them. They ran from God. God pursued them. They hid. God called. They sinned. God began dealing with the consequences while simultaneously unfolding His redemptive purpose.

Our Need Can Become an Opportunity to Experience God's Love

This is where I believe we can begin to see something beautiful about God's dealings with us. We can know intellectually that God is merciful. But there is a difference between knowing that God is merciful and experiencing His mercy.

We can be told that God is our helper. But when we're helpless and cry out to Him, we discover what His help means. We can be told that God is our refuge. But when we're afraid and run to Him, we experience Him as our refuge. We can be told that God is gracious. But when we realize that we have nothing to offer Him, His grace becomes incredibly precious. We can be told that God forgives. But when we recognize our own sin and receive His forgiveness, we discover something about His heart that we could never understand merely as an abstract concept.

This is one reason the circumstances of a fallen world can become opportunities for us to discover the depths of God's love. Pain. Heartache. Troubles. Trials. Afflictions. Failure. Weakness. Need. None of these things are good in themselves. But God is so sovereign and so good that He can use even these things to draw us toward Himself and reveal His character to us.

He can show us mercy. He can heal. He can deliver. He can rescue. He can help. He can give grace in our time of need. And when we experience His love, something happens: We love Him more.

John says: "We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 God's love comes first. We experience it. We respond to it. And our relationship with Him deepens.

God Can Turn a Negative Into a Positive

One of the most encouraging truths in Scripture is that God can take something genuinely negative and bring something genuinely good out of it. Joseph expressed this beautifully when he told his brothers: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good." Genesis 50:20

The ultimate example, of course, is the cross. The crucifixion was an act of terrible injustice and evil. Jesus, the innocent Son of God, was rejected and put to death. Yet God used that very event to accomplish the salvation of the world. What appeared to be defeat became victory. What appeared to be tragedy became redemption. What appeared to be Satan's triumph became God's triumph.

This is the kind of God we serve. He can turn a negative into a positive. That doesn't mean everything that happens to us is good. It means that God is so powerful and so sovereign that the things that are not good cannot prevent Him from accomplishing His good purposes.

That's why Romans 8:28 is such a powerful promise: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." Paul doesn't say that everything that happens is good. He says that God works in all things for good. The negative does not get the final word. God does.

Grace Means God Gets the Glory

And this is why salvation is by grace. Paul says: "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

We cannot save ourselves. We don't earn God's love. We don't rescue ourselves from sin. God does it. He gives us grace. He gives us forgiveness. He gives us salvation. He gives us adoption. And because it is His work, the glory belongs to Him.

Ephesians 1 says that God predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ "to the praise of his glorious grace." Think about the extraordinary exchange taking place. We bring our sin, weakness, failure, and need. He gives us mercy, grace, forgiveness, redemption, adoption, and life.

What a great deal! We get to be loved. We get to be saved. We get to experience His goodness. And He gets the glory.

From Him, Through Him, and To Him

This brings us to Paul's magnificent conclusion in Romans 11:36: "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen."

Everything ultimately points back to God. Our salvation is from Him. Our salvation is accomplished through Him. And everything ultimately returns to Him in glory.

God's love is the beginning. God's grace is the means. God's redemption is the result. And God's glory is the ultimate purpose.

Heaven Testimony of Camille Gent

When Camille Gent died of heart failure and septic shock in 2013 and went to heaven, she was sitting on the steps leading up to the throne of God the Father, where Jesus was seated on His throne beside Him. After she had been enjoying herself for quite a while, here is what happened next. She says:

Then I look over at the Father and he's on his throne and he says, "You having fun yet?" 

"Yes, this is amazing. I can't believe I'm here." 

"Cuz now you got to go back."

Right when He said that—it’s so hard to explain—this huge crystal heart came down, and it looked just like this big crystal heart. As soon as it got close to me, it fell on the ground and shattered into a million pieces right below me. I remember at the time knowing it was representative of my heart at that moment. I was looking at it when it fell and looking down at the mess, then the mess disappears.

And I look up, and I see the Father Himself standing up from His throne. When He stood up from His throne, I said, "No way does the Maker of everything care if I’m hurt." And He starts walking toward me. I have to tell you that I have never seen anything more humbling and beautiful than Him like that. But the amazing thing is He has since told me, "I do that with all of my children. They just don't see it when we're brokenhearted."

So He’s walking up to me, He grabs me by my right hand, and we start walking...

The Father grabbed my hand, and I remember looking down at His huge feet—He had the biggest feet. We took three steps, and as soon as we took those three steps, we went from heaven into outer space itself. I remember we were hovering over the earth, and I have never seen anything so beautiful, almost like the earth in orbit. It was so amazing. 

I asked Him a few questions, but the first question I asked was, "Why do we have to do this? Why do we have to do this?"

He knew what I meant—I meant coming back, because I was so upset that I had to return. I said, "Why do we even have to do this, anyway?"

And He said, "That's easy. It's to love."

So I came back thinking that's my mission: is to love. And how do you love most? Through knowing Jesus Christ and serving as He was a servant. That's how I show my love, by serving and by doing—telling people the truth because, again, the truth sets people free.

What a Great God

When we step back and look at the whole story, we see something astonishing. God created us in His image. He gave us free will so that genuine love and relationship would be possible. He knew that freedom carried risk. He knew the Fall would happen. And yet, before the foundation of the world, He already had a plan to redeem us through Christ.

When humanity fell, God came looking. When we were ashamed, He showed mercy. When we were guilty, He offered forgiveness. When we were helpless, He gave grace. When we were lost, He came to rescue us. And when we encounter suffering and difficulty, He can take even those things and work them together for good.

Why? Because God is love. He loves to show His love. He wants us to know His love. He wants us to experience His mercy. He wants us to receive His grace. And He wants us to love Him in return. The God who created us for relationship with Himself has made a way for fallen humanity to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.

So yes, the world we live in is fallen. Yes, sin has brought pain, shame, suffering, and death. But sin does not have the final word. Suffering does not have the final word. Satan does not have the final word. Death does not have the final word. God does.

And His final word is redemption. His final word is grace. His final word is love. And when everything is finally brought to its appointed conclusion, we will discover that it was all—from Him, through Him, and to Him.

"To him be the glory forever. Amen."

What a great God. What a great salvation. What a great love.

Related Worship Song: I wrote a worship song and produced a worship video about this very subject called Brought Our Hearts to You, which I would like to invite you to watch.

Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image generated using AI. This article was written by Len Lacroix with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Brought Our Hearts to You, The Blessings of Being in Christ. Does Being Saved Make All Your Problems Disappear?, The Love of Jesus, Having the Love of God in Your Heart, Compelled by Love, One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Transformed From Glory to Glory

Second Corinthians 3 reveals one of the great truths of the Christian life: God does not transform us primarily through greater effort, but through a deeper vision of Christ. Paul contrasts the old covenant with the new and shows that, under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, believers are given new life, an unveiled view of Christ's glory, and are progressively changed into His likeness.

The Christian life begins with an instantaneous work of God—we become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). But it does not end there. From that moment forward, God begins a lifelong work of transforming us into the likeness of His Son. 

In this post, I'd like to focus on four aspects of the new life in Christ that help us understand what it truly means to be "transformed from glory to glory."

A New Heart - God changes who we are.

The first aspect of the new life in Christ is a new heart, whereby God changes who we are. In 2 Cor 3:3–6, we come to learn that the Spirit writes God's law on our hearts, which is a key aspect of the new covenant. Christianity is not merely external obedience but an inward work of the Holy Spirit. True transformation begins on the inside. As Paul says, "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (v. 6).

A New Vision - God changes what we see.

The second aspect of the new life in Christ is a new vision, whereby God changes what we see. In 2 Cor 3:7–16, Paul teaches us that Christ removes the veil that blinds unbelieving hearts. Only through Christ can we truly see God's glory. Transformation begins with revelation.

A New Freedom  - God changes how we live.

The third aspect of the new life in Christ is a new freedom, whereby God changes how we live. In 2 Cor 3:17, it says,  "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Freedom is not a license to sin but freedom from sin's bondage and from condemnation. The Spirit liberates us to know, love, and obey Christ.

A New Likeness - God changes what we become.

The fourth aspect of the new life in Christ is a new likeness, whereby God changes what we become. This is found in the climax of Paul's third chapter in 2 Cor 3:18, which says, "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 

We behold Christ with unveiled faces. As we gaze upon Him through Scripture and by the Holy Spirit (eg., prayer and worship), we are changed into His image. This transformation is progressive—"from glory to glory"—as the Spirit conforms us more and more to Christ. Beholding His glory, we are transformed from glory to glory.

Many Christians instinctively think:

Try harder → become holier.

But Paul reverses the order:

Behold Christ → become like Christ.

This keeps the focus on God's grace rather than self-effort. We are not transformed by striving to manufacture holiness, but by continually fixing our eyes on Christ, whose glory reshapes us from the inside out through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Closing Words

The movement of 2 Corinthians 3 is beautifully simple, as the graphic below shows us:

This chapter teaches that seeing leads to becoming. The Holy Spirit gives us new life, removes the veil from our hearts, and enables us to behold the glory of Christ. As we continue to gaze upon Him, He progressively transforms us into His likeness until the day we share fully in His eternal glory. 

The Christian life can be viewed through three complementary passages:

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 — We are made new.
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 — We are being transformed.
• Romans 8:29 — We will be conformed to the image of His Son.

From beginning to end, God's purpose has never changed: to make His children like Christ. We don't become like Christ by taking our eyes off Him and focusing on ourselves. We become like Christ by fixing our eyes on Him. The Holy Spirit removes the veil from our hearts so that, by continually beholding the glory of Christ, we are progressively transformed into His likeness from glory to glory. The longer we behold His glory, the more we reflect His glory.

Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. This message is based on four keys points made in Matthew Henry's Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3 summarized with assistance from AI tools.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like my worship music video of a song I wrote called From Glory to Glory. You may also enjoyed my article on 2 Corinthians 4 called Having an Eternal Perspective, The Blessings of Being in Christ. The Love of Jesus, Having the Love of God in Your Heart, Compelled by Love, One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Thoughts Directly Affect Your Destiny

I want to encourage you today that everything begins with thoughts, so we need to be careful to have godly and uplifting thoughts. The apostle Paul wrote: 

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Phil 4:8). 

Everything you see in the natural realm began with a thought. Your smartphone began with someone having a thought to create such a device and now you have it in your hand. Your motorcycle or other form of transportation began with a thought, and so did the ideas of the internet and of email communications.

A thought becomes a word.

A word becomes an action. 

An action becomes a habit. 

A habit becomes a lifestyle.

A lifestyle becomes a destiny. 

It all begins with a thought. Since there is a direct correlation between our thoughts and our destiny, let's train ourselves by the grace of God and the renewing of our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit to think thoughts that please the Lord, according to His Word. 

Jesus said that from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Lk 6:45). This teaches us that spoken words reveal whether a heart is filled with goodness or evil, as the mouth inevitably overflows with what is stored within. Therefore, whatever the heart is full of will directly determine your destiny, and whatever you fill your mind and thoughts with will ultimately become your future.

Closing Words

A practicing neurosurgeon named Dr. W. Lee Warren has written a book called The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life, which explains how it is possible for you to make structural changes to your own brain so it’s healthier and less prone to depression, anxiety, grief, worry, and other issues that make you unhappy and keep you bound. It shows how modern neuroscience has now proven that what I have taught in this article is true, and gives you practical keys to doing what he calls self-brain surgery to change the way your brain is wired. 

This is a life-changing truth that has been in Scripture for thousands of years. I would like to encourage you to check out the following two podcasts in which Dr. Warren was interviewed, one on 100 Huntley, and the other was on Dr. Ben Carson's Common Sense program. Or you can read a brief synopsis of those interviews in the following two articles of mine called Renewing the Mind: The Intersection Neuroscience and Scripture and Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing.

Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. 

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like  Neurosurgeon Explains How to Break Addiction, Renewing the Mind: The Intersection Neuroscience and Scripture, Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing, Does Being Saved Make All Your Problems Disappear?, The Love of Jesus, Having the Love of God in Your Heart, Compelled by Love, One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Does Being Saved Make All Your Troubles Disappear?

Today I'd like to share with you what the Bible says about troubles in the life of the believer in Christ.

First of all, let me begin by saying that God is very involved in our lives, much more than we realize. He sees us when we pray, and knows all our thoughts. That is why the Lord taught us that we should give alms secretly (Mt 6:4), fast secretly (Mt 6:17), and pray secretly (Mt 6:6), because God sees what is done in secret. God is not too busy for us, but in love He is watching us and studying us very carefully, so He is well aware of everything that is going on in our lives -- every single detail. Before a word is on our tongue, He knows it completely (Ps 139:4). But He wants us to talk to Him and bring everything to Him in prayer, including our need for daily bread (Mt 6:11). He hears us when we pray and answers us. As we seek Him and His kingdom first, he provides for all our daily needs (Mt 6:33).

Moreover, the Lord Jesus taught that each day has enough trouble of its own, which is why He told us not to worry about tomorrow (Mt 6:34). We cannot handle today all the troubles of all our tomorrows. That would be too much to bear. Rather, today already has plenty of troubles for us to deal with. And there is not a day that goes by that we don't have troubles of some kind. In fact, we have trouble everyday, according to Jesus. He never said that life would be a bowl of cherries if we follow Him, nor did He promise that all our problems would go away. If they did, then everyone would want to put their faith in Christ, in order to eliminate all their troubles. But while Jesus certainly is the answer to all our troubles, that doesn't mean He makes them all go away. 

However, God does cause all of them, along with all other things, to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Jesus said that we would have trouble as long as we are in this world, but that we should take courage, because He has overcome the world (Jn 16:33). In other words, we can actually count it all joy when we face trials of various kinds (James 1:2), and we can rejoice always, giving thanks in all circumstances, knowing that God is in control. We can rest assured that God turns all our troubles into good, and all our negatives into positives. That is 100% guaranteed in Scripture.  

When Jesus died for us on the cross, He not only bore all our sins in His body, but also all of our griefs and all of our sorrows, including all our illnesses and pain (Is 53:4). That's why the Scripture says that by His wounds we have been healed (Is 53:5; 1 Pe 2:24). On the cross, He did much more than purchase forgiveness for our sins. In His finished work on the cross, we find the solution to all our troubles.

The cross is a plus sign (+), which is always positive. The vertical line on the cross represents our relationship to God, and the horizontal line represents our relationship to man and the things that pertain to us in this world. We have to intentionally apply the cross to each negative situation in our lives, as we encounter it, because it is not automatically applied. We do this in prayer and by declaring words of faith (see here and here). When we apply the cross to any situation, any trouble, any problem, any sin that we repent of, the Lord will eventually turn it around for us, causing it to work together for our good. Whenever we apply the plus sign of the cross to our negative situation, God will turn it into a positive for us in one way or another, whether we are able to see it or not.

Matthew Henry's Comments

After I wrote this article, I read the following comments of Matthew Henry, the sixteenth century English preacher and author of his famous Bible commentary:

"(1.) That thoughtfulness for the morrow is needless; Let the morrow take thought for the things of itself. If wants and troubles be renewed with the day, there are aids and provisions renewed likewise; compassions, that are new every morning, Lam_3:22, Lam_3:23. The saints have a Friend that is their arm every morning, and gives out fresh supplies daily (Isa_33:2), according as the business of every day requires (Ezr_3:4), and so he keeps his people in constant dependence upon him. Let us refer it therefore to the morrow's strength, to do the morrow's work, and bear the morrow's burden. Tomorrow, and the things of it, will be provided for without us; why need we anxiously care for that which is so wisely cared for already? This does not forbid a prudent foresight, and preparation accordingly, but a perplexing solicitude, and a prepossession of difficulties and calamities, which may perhaps never come, or if they do, may be easily borne, and the evil of them guarded against. The meaning is, let us mind present duty, and then leave events to God; do the work of the day in its day, and then let tomorrow bring its work along with it.

"(2.) That thoughtfulness for the morrow is one of those foolish and hurtful lusts, which those that will be rich fall into, and one of the many sorrows, wherewith they pierce themselves through. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This present day has trouble enough attending it, we need not accumulate burdens by anticipating our trouble, nor borrow perplexities from tomorrow's evils to add to those of this day. It is uncertain what tomorrow's evils may be, but whatever they be, it is time enough to take thought about them when they come. What a folly it is to take that trouble upon ourselves this day by care and fear, which belongs to another day, and will be never the lighter when it comes? Let us not pull that upon ourselves all together at once, which Providence has wisely ordered to be borne by parcels. The conclusion of this whole matter then is, that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus, that his disciples should not be their own tormentors, nor make their passage through this world more dark and unpleasant, by their apprehension of troubles, than God has made it by the troubles themselves. By our daily prayers we may procure strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us."

Closing Words

Let this encourage you, my friend, to live one day at a time, applying the cross to all the negatives in your life each day, and allowing God to turn them around into positives for you. I hope this has given you some new insights, so that you can be victorious in Christ in every situation in which you find yourself.

Attributes: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. 

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Personal Proclamations of Faith, The Biblical Word of Faith, The Blessings of Being in Christ, Speak to the Storm, The Authority of the Believer, Faith in Action, Run with Endurance, Faith Works, Walking by Faith, Overcomers in This Life, From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Revelation of Love

Dear saints,

I'd like to share with you the revelation of love. There are so many Scriptures about love that I cannot possibly cover them all in this post, but I'm going to share some key ones to make the point that I am led to share with you. I'm going to discuss The Father's love for us, the Father's love for Jesus, the love of Jesus for us, our love for God, and our love for one another.

The Father's Love for Us

First and foremost is the love of God for us. This is spoken of all throughout Scripture, but the most famous one is:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Jn 3:16).

God loves us all so much that He gave His one and only Son to come into this world as God's Lamb to be sacrificed for our sins. He didn't just tell us with words that He loved us, but He demonstrated it to us. Scripture says:

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8).

He did that for us while we were still sinners, so clearly God took the initiative. As the apostle John says:

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. 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 Jn 4:9-10).

Now that we've touched on the fact that the Father was first to love us and demonstrate His love for us by sending His Son, let's look at the Father's love for Jesus.

The Father's Love for Jesus

The father's love for Jesus is, of course, greater than His love for anyone else. In order to understand just how much the Father loves us, we need to understand His love for Jesus, since He sent Him into the world to save us. Here are just a few of the Scriptures that declare the Father's love for Jesus:

"The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands." (Jn 3:35).

When Jesus was baptized in water and with the Holy Spirit, "a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.'” (Mt 3:17).

When Jesus was transfigured on the sacred mountain, and His clothes became dazzling white before Peter, James, and John, the Father declared His love for Jesus again. 

"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Mt 17:5).

There can be no doubt, based on the Word of God, that the Father's love for Jesus is supreme. It's the highest form of love, known as agape ("a-GA'-pey") love in the original Greek.

The Love of Jesus for Us

Jesus, in turn, loved us with the same love the Father has for Him.

He said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (Jn 15:9).

This clearly show that Jesus loved us just as the Father loved Him (key words: "just as"), and His love for us hasn't changed. But we can change, and that is why we are responsible to remain in His love by the way we live. More on that in the next section.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1 Jn 3:16).

We know what love is by the fact that Jesus Christ laid down His life for us on the cross. He doesn't have to prove His love for us, since He already proved it on the cross. Such redeeming love, unfailing love, everlasting love, steadfast love, and faithful love did He demonstrate for us on Calvary! It is a love that is nothing like what we humans call love here on earth. His response to the Father's love for Him was to please the Father, obeying the Father's command to lay down His life on the cross for us. And Jesus taught that there is no greater love than this.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (Jn 15:13).

If you could experience in person the love of Jesus for you, as many people have in after-death experiences, you would feel as though He loved only you, or that He loved you more than anyone else on earth; however, that's the same way He loves everyone. It's a euphoric love that can't be described. There is no greater love than the love of Jesus, for nobody loves you like Jesus.

This brings us to our love for God.

Our Love for God

Our love for God is our response to the love He has first shown to us through His sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. Perhaps the verse that best teaches this effect is the following one:

He said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (Jn 15:9).

This shows the love initiating with the Father for Jesus, flowing through Jesus as He responded to that love by loving us with the same love the Father had for Him, and then the need for us to remain in His love. This begs the question, "How do I remain in the love of Jesus?" The answer is found in the very next verse, in which 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." (Jn 15:10).

Do you see how to respond to the love of Jesus for you, which was His response to the Father's love for Him? We respond to the love of Jesus by remaining in His love, and we remain in His love by obeying His commands. This is the same way that Jesus responded to the Father's love for Him: He obeyed the Father's commands and remained in His love. Therefore, Jesus commands us to do the same.

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (Jn 14:21).

Our Love for One Another

Since we respond to the love of Jesus by remaining in His love, and we remain in His love by obeying His commands, then it's necessary to know what He commands. Jesus said:

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." (Jn 15:12).

We remain in the love of Jesus by obeying His command to love each other with the same love Jesus has for us, which is the same supreme kind of love the Father has for Jesus. It's the perfect love that Jesus showed us when He laid down His life for us, as was previously stated:

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1 Jn 3:16).

We respond to the love of Jesus by loving each other, and we love each other by laying down our lives for our brothers. We love others by being kind, compassionate, and forgiving toward them. We even love our enemies, as the Lord commanded us to do (Mt 5:44).

That kind of love that we show to each other in response to the love of Jesus for us will then bring about a loving response in the hearts and lives of those we love, as they in turn love others with that same kind of love. It's like a chain reaction or a ripple effect. As the Scripture says: "We love because he first loved us." (1 Jn 4:19). It just keeps on flowing from one person to the next, and this pleases the Father. 

Peter's Reinstatement

Most of us have heard of the Lord's reinstatement of Peter as an apostle, following his denial of Christ. Let me break that down for you and show how it illustrates the point I've been making.

First let me say that while there is one word for love in English, there are multiple words for love in the original Greek language that the Bible was written in. These Greek words reflect the various Aramaic words that Jesus and Peter used in their conversation together. 

There is first of all agape love, which is the perfect, supreme, highest kind of love that God has and that Jesus has. Then there is philos ("FEE'-los"), which is brotherly love that brothers have for each other, whereby they love or like each other. Then there is storge (STOR'-gey), which is "natural affection" or "affection between family members," often used to describe the love between parents and children. And finally there is eros, from which we get the word "erotic", which is the kind of love that involves the unique intimacy meant to be shared only between a husband and wife. Eros translates to "love" and "desire," specifically referring to sensual, romantic, or passionate love.

In the reinstatement of Peter, just as Peter had denied the Lord three times, now after the resurrection, the Lord asked him three times if he loved Him. First Jesus appeared on the shore after the disciples had been fishing all night and caught nothing, and He enabled them to make a huge catch. Then He fed them some breakfast of fish and bread that he had cooking over the hot coals, along with some of the fish they caught. Afterward he questioned Peter:

1. First ask: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love (Gr., agape) me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love (Gr., phileo) you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (Jn 21:15)

Notice that Jesus asked him if he loved Him with agape love, and Peter responded that he loved Jesus with philos, or brotherly love. He had been humbled by his denial. Whereas he previously declared so proudly that he would never deny the Lord and would go to prison or death with Him, now he was only able to say with a more honest evaluation of himself that he possessed a definite philos love for Jesus.

Notice that the Lord's response to Peter was to command him to feed His lambs, which are the people of God, and that was to be His way of showing His love for Jesus. He was reinstated as an apostle of God sent by the Lord to serve His people.

2. Second ask: Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love (Gr., agape) me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (Gr., philo) you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” (Jn 21:16)

Once again, Jesus asked Peter if he had agape love for Him, and Peter responded that he had philos love for Him. And once again, Jesus commanded him to take care of His sheep, which is the role of a shepherd or pastor, and that involves caring for people. This is how Jesus wanted Peter to demonstrate his love for Jesus.

3. Third ask: Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love (Gr., phileo) me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (Gr., phileo) you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” (Jn 21:17).

Notice how Jesus now switched to asking Peter if he possessed the brotherly kind of love for Jesus, since He saw that Peter no longer had the confidence to say that he loved Jesus with the highest kind of love shown by Christ. Jesus seemed to condescend to Peter by now using the same word for love that Peter was using. 

Finally, Jesus told Peter:

I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. ”Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (Jn 21:18-19)

Jesus was foretelling to Peter that in the future in Peter's old age, he would stretch out his hands (perhaps to allow others to bind him with ropes), and someone would dress him (perhaps with ropes to bind him), and that they would lead Peter to a martyr's death. Legend has it that Peter was crucified, but that he insisted on being crucified upside down, since he considered himself unworthy to die right side up as his Lord was. The Lord commanded Peter to follow Him just as He had originally called Peter to follow Him, and this would include following Him not only in his life but in his death. The Lord wanted Peter to know that this was how Peter would show his love for Jesus.

What this teaches us is that our love for God is not something we initiate, as Peter originally did when he pridefully told Jesus that he would go to prison and death with Him. It is something we do from a humble and contrite heart when we realize what the Lord has done for us on the cross despite our own sinfulness and unworthiness, and we respond to His love with that same kind of love. Therefore, our love is a response to God's love for us, His love for Jesus, and Jesus' love for us, as well as His forgiveness toward us. It flows through us when we have been humbled as Peter was through his past experience of failing the Lord and being forgiven. As Jesus once said, he who has been forgiven much, loves much, "but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Lk 7:47).

After-death Testimonies of Love

Many people, who have had experiences of life after death, near death experiences, and out of body experiences, have returned to testify that God is love, and that love is the whole point of our life on earth. John the apostle also said that God is love (1 Jn 4:8). And Paul the apostle said that without love we are nothing, even if we have great faith, great knowledge, and rich generosity (see 1 Cor 13).

Here are short excerpts from what a few different people said upon returning from their experience with God in heaven or with Jesus:

The first one said of life, "It's all about love. Love is the goal of all that exists regardless of where and how it exists. Love is the origin of all that exists. Love is the origin and the goal. All decisions in life need to be tested by the only valid question: Am I doing this out of love? If you follow that rule, you follow what your life is ultimately about. Then you do what you were born to do."

 

Another person who encountered the Lord in a near death experience said: “Growing in faith and learning to love God is the point of life.”

A man named Thomas B. wrote after his near death experience that the meaning of life is to “Learn how to love others properly. This is a test to see if you are worthy. And it is never too late to stop bad behavior and turn back to love, which is what we are designed for.”  

Howard Storm, who died of a perforated stomach in a hospital while he was still an atheist, said that after he died, he met Jesus who called over a group of angels: "[The angels] gave me a life review and we went over my life in very great detail. And the life review, at the conclusion of it, I realized that I was here to love people, to be compassionate, to love God and love one another and I had utterly failed." Afterward he had a chance to ask Jesus any questions he wanted to ask Him. Then he said to the Lord, "Now I want to go to heaven." And Jesus said, "No, you've got to go back to the earth and do this the way you were created to do it in the first place: to live a life the way God created you to live a life," which Storm says he knew "very [clearly] was to love, to be a loving, kind person, loving God, loving my fellow man." 

When the Father sent Camille Gent back to earth during her life-after-death heaven encounter, she asked Him "Why do we have to do this?" (Meaning live on Earth). He lovingly responded, "That's easy. It's to love." In her testimony, she emphasizes that this command reshaped her entire understanding of life. The Father simplified the complexity of human existence down to a single, powerful mandate—to love others unconditionally. Because of this direct answer, Camille has stated that she never again underestimated the sheer, transformative power of love on Earth. (see podcasts here and here).

Closing Words

In closing, I tried to be as concise as possible on such a broad topic. I hope that this article has helped unveil this revelation of love that God has for us, for Jesus, and that Jesus has for us, and how we are to repent, humble ourselves, and respond to it with the same kind of love by obeying God's commands and loving one another. Life is all about love. In fact, learning to love God and others is the whole point of life and its goal.

Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Testimonies of People Who Have Seen Jesus, The Love of Jesus, Having the Love of God in Your Heart, Compelled by Love, Law of Love in the New Testament, One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Understanding God's View of Earthly Things

Dear saints,

In this post, I would like to explain God's view of earthly things, according to His Word, and contrast those with heavenly things. This is critical for our spiritual well being, because unless we see both earthly and heavenly things as God does, our lives will be out of order and we will jeopardize our souls. 

Therefore, let us not be engrossed in the things of this world (1 Co 7:31). Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1Jn 2:15). Pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows you need them (Mt 6:32).  Rather “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33). For those who seek the Lord lack no good thing (Ps 34:10), and no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Ps 84:11). He satisfies your desires with good things (Ps 103:5).

God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, you will have all that you need (2 Cor 9:8). Therefore, focus on pleasing God, and He'll take care of everything else. Otherwise, if we don't focus on pleasing Him, the Lord Jesus said, “Desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making [you] unfruitful” (Mk 4:19). 

For example, Martha was worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary chose that one thing, which was better, and so should we (Lk 10:41-42; cf., Ps 27:4). She chose to sit at Jesus feet, to be with Him, and listen to Him. 

After all, what are created things anyway? For we know that soon, all created things will be shaken (Heb 12:27). The Lord will remove all things from the face of the earth (Zeph 1:2). This present age is now the old order of things that is about to pass away (Rev 21:4), for the end of all things is near (1 Pe 4:7). Earthly things are a shadow of the things to come (Col 2:17). Even the most valuable earthly things, such as gold and silver, are perishable (1 Pe 1:18). Indeed, wealth is so uncertain (1 Tim 6:17). Earthly things have little importance (Phil 3:19) and are all worthless compared to heavenly things. 

Therefore, set your mind on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:1-2). No mind has conceived the inexpressible things above that God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Co 2:9; 2 Co 12:4). These are the things promised (Heb 11:13). 

Don’t serve created things. Rather, serve your Creator (Ro 1:25). He created all things and in Him all things hold together (Col 1:16-17). He sustains all things by His powerful Word (Heb 1:2). In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Ro 8:28). Will he not graciously give us all things (Ro 8:32), since He has already given us His only Son? 

In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Ro 8:37). For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things (Ro 11:36). The Lord knows all things. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God (1 Co 2:10), and if you are in tune with Him, listening to His voice, He will reveal to you anything you need to know. His anointing teaches you all things (1 Jn 2:27). He reveals profound and hidden things (Dan 2:22). Indeed, all things are yours in Christ (1 Co 3:21).  

Closing Words

In view of what the Scriptures say about God's view of earthly things, you should take the time to be alone with the Lord, though you leave the tasks at hand. Nothing will suffer anyway, when you do. For things are of less importance than you think. Therefore, don’t fret about carnal things, but always concern yourself about spiritual values. Focus on pleasing the Lord. Come away from it all, spend time with the Lord, seeking Him, loving Him, worshiping Him, being intimate with Him, truly knowing Him, and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Attribution notice: Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only. Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Scripture also taken from NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, Faith in Action, Run with Endurance, Faith Works, Walking by Faith, Overcomers in This Life, From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord, Obedient to the Heavenly Vision, Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Faith of God

Dear God Seekers,

In my article, Faith in Action, I wrote about the faith of God in the context of Hebrews 11, where Scripture recounts the faith of the ancients, which was demonstrated by their actions. I also wrote in that same article about the faith of Christ, which was demonstrated by His actions, especially in enduring the cross, as it says in Hebrews 12. If you have already read that article, then you can jump straight to the second half of this present article. That being said, I'd now would like to present to you a truth that some will find difficult to accept, but it is true nevertheless: even God has faith in Himself.

Even God Has Faith

Scripture says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Heb 11:3)

Our understanding of how God created the entire universe at His command is by faith. That understanding of ours is not based on reason or scientific evidence, although both of those have been proven to fully support our understanding of the creation. He made all visible things that we see around us -- on earth, in the sky, and in space, and He made them out of what was invisible. He calls things that are not as though they were (Rom 4:17). He had confidence about what He hoped for and assurance about what He did not see. That is the very definition of faith (Heb 11:1). He believed in His own power and ability. He knew that He was capable of doing what He wanted to do, therefore He believed in Himself, which only He can do, because He alone is God. He is all-sufficient. All things are possible for Him (Matt 19:26), and absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him (Jer 32:17). He simply spoke the Word, and the universe came into existence (Gen 1:3).

Someone may argue that God does not have faith. However, anyone who denies that God has faith in Himself would have to prove that. It would be quite silly to insist that God does not believe in Himself, wouldn't it? Why would He command us to believe in Him, if He did not even believe in Himself and His own ability to call things that are not as though they were.

The Scripture says, "I believed, therefore I have spoken." (2 Cor 4:13:14). Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak. God put His own faith in action and taught us by His example how to put into action our faith in Him. 

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mar 11:22-24)

Parallels to the Faith of God

For those who may still be wondering how it is that God could have faith in Himself, let me give you some other examples of similar things God has done, according to Scripture, which may be viewed as parallels to the faith of God:

God Swore By Himself

In the book of Hebrews, it says, "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.'" (Heb 6:13-14)

Just as God swore by Himself, since there was no one greater to swear by, he also believes in Himself, since there is no one greater to believe in.

God Sacrificed to Himself

In John's gospel, we read the first instance when Jesus was referred to as the Lamb of God, which was by John the Baptist. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" (Joh 1:29)

The following day, John once again used this expression for Jesus: "When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!'" (Joh 1:36)

Then the term, "Lamb", is also used thirty times in John's apocalyptic book, Revelation (Rev 5:6, 8, 12-13; 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9;  21:9, 14, 22-23, 27;  22:1, 3).

Since the Lord Jesus, God's only begotten Son, who was also God, was God's Lamb, that means that God sacrificed His only Son. Normally, according to God's Law, it is the human worshipper who must sacrifice a lamb to God. But in the fullness of time, God sacrificed His own Son for the world, in order to provide purification for sins, so that all who would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Since Jesus was surely God's Lamb, sacrificed by God for all mankind, to whom did God sacrifice? Since there was no one greater for Him to sacrifice, He sacrificed His Lamb, Jesus, to Himself.

God Praises Himself

The very fact that God created man in His own image to worship Him, demonstrates that God knows He alone is worthy to be worshipped and praised, and that He desires to receive this praise from the loving hearts of those who do so of their own free will. He forbids His people to worship any other gods but Him, so that He alone would receive our worship. Then there are countless psalms, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who is God, that command us to praise the Lord, and provide us with words of praise that we can sing and proclaim to God to express our love and adoration for Him.

Yet if all that were not enough to prove that God desires and requires our praise and worship, He even praises Himself, since there is no one greater than Himself to praise. Go and read Isaiah 46, and you will see what I mean. 

He says things like, "With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?" (Isa 46:5). Then He says, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me." (Isa 46:9b).

In fact, a man named Dean Braxton, who died, went to heaven, and came back to tell about it, said that just as all the saints and angels in heaven praise and worship God, He also praises Himself.

Putting it All Together

In summary, just as God praises Himself in Scripture and still does so in heaven, just as He swore by Himself, since there was no one greater to swear by, and just as He sacrificed His Lamb (Jesus Christ) to Himself, He also has faith in Himself. Let that be an encouragement to you today to put your faith in Him.

Attributes: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Faith in Action, Run with Endurance, Faith Works, Walking by Faith, Overcomers in This Life, From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord, Obedient to the Heavenly Vision, Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.