For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame. He remembers we are dust. (Verses 11-14)
Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love.
Micah 7:18
Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. You are My friends if you do what I command you. Jesus. John 15
The heavens and earth were finished. And God rested from the work of creation. He looked over it, and there wasn't yet a bush on any of the land or even a small plant anywhere. There hadn't been rain. And there was no one to work the ground. One morning in the early mist that covered the whole earth, the Lord took up a fist of dust and formed a man--Adam. Into the form God blew His own breath. And the man became a living creature. Just like that. And God has never forgotten that day. He sees it with all other days past and yet to come in one timeline stretched before Him. Our God knows what we're made of. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them (Genesis1).
The God Who made us, loves us. Delights to love us! Steadfastly and ferociously. Jealous over His people, for He bought us back from the slippery snake and our bent to sin. Our Father doesn't want to be mad at us. Contrary to the belief of some, Abba wants to give to us. "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12). He wants children on whom He can lavish His steadfast love. Some of us don't have a father we can understand in this context. Some don't have experiences in the local church that uphold this ideal of our Father. There He's often the master of the house, barking rules that He can't wait for us to break so that He can call down fire from heaven. So maybe that's why it's hard for us to embrace the Father of the Bible. The One Who sings over us with gladness and quiets us with His love (Zephaniah 3). The One Who loves us so much our names are etched on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49). Our Father swears that even though a mother might be capable of not having compassion on the child of her womb (oh, my, that's another story altogether), He will never forget us (Isaiah 49). Lovingly our Father knitted us together in our mother's wombs, forming our inward parts. He watched as we grew in the secret place of our mother's bodies and wrote our individual stories as our cells multiplied and our features were formed (Psalm 139). In His last words to His disciples before His crucifixion, Jesus proclaimed, In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me (John 16). You and I have a Father Who knows our name. It delights Him to love us. He knows we're not perfect, but if we have done the one thing that pleases Him most, believe in the One Who came to die in our place as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, we are children of the Living God. We can dance in circles around the throne, delighting our Father with our joyful, thankful, whole hearts. Obeying Him is our glory. Reflecting the light of His face. Not trudging through life and hoping to get lucky some day and be in heaven. But experiencing the benefits of heaven here and now. We can only do that when we know how precious we are to the Father Who remembers what we're made of.
We are a generation that throws many of our babies into the trashcans of America's abortion clinics every minute of every day. So maybe it's become more difficult to understand the sheer pleasure God takes in those of us who've chosen to follow His Son into adoption as children. The kind of love that looks at a newborn and knows for certain that we are looking at the first person we've ever met that we'd unquestionably die for. We'd lay down our lives for the vulnerable and beautiful flesh of our bodies. It's the way God loves us. To the moon and back...as high as the heavens are above earth. He loves us this much. It's why He forgives us...and forgets our sins. Not because of our first birth, but because we were born again into His family. That is the birth that makes the angels sing Hallelujahs all over heaven. It's God's intent to slather us with compassion, mercy, protection, purpose, power, joy, peace and faithfulness. Do you know you are loved like that? Do you know this Father Who would stoop down on His haunches to look you in the eye and instruct you in greatness (Psalm 18)? Who is a God like Him Who would lay down His own life for ours? And our response to so great a love? For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not irksome (burdensome). 1 John 5
It's what makes us serve the Lord with gladness and come into His courts with praise. To slam tambourines, pound drums, strike chords and sing with all our might! I am loved! Bathed in its purity and clothed in its honor! All the mundane minutes of my day and all the switchbacks on my path are carefully overseen by my Father's watchful eyes. He knows my name and my way. It's written down and sure. Carried along by the One Whose arms I finish to fall into.
Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love.
Micah 7:18
Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. You are My friends if you do what I command you. Jesus. John 15
The heavens and earth were finished. And God rested from the work of creation. He looked over it, and there wasn't yet a bush on any of the land or even a small plant anywhere. There hadn't been rain. And there was no one to work the ground. One morning in the early mist that covered the whole earth, the Lord took up a fist of dust and formed a man--Adam. Into the form God blew His own breath. And the man became a living creature. Just like that. And God has never forgotten that day. He sees it with all other days past and yet to come in one timeline stretched before Him. Our God knows what we're made of. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them (Genesis1).
The God Who made us, loves us. Delights to love us! Steadfastly and ferociously. Jealous over His people, for He bought us back from the slippery snake and our bent to sin. Our Father doesn't want to be mad at us. Contrary to the belief of some, Abba wants to give to us. "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12). He wants children on whom He can lavish His steadfast love. Some of us don't have a father we can understand in this context. Some don't have experiences in the local church that uphold this ideal of our Father. There He's often the master of the house, barking rules that He can't wait for us to break so that He can call down fire from heaven. So maybe that's why it's hard for us to embrace the Father of the Bible. The One Who sings over us with gladness and quiets us with His love (Zephaniah 3). The One Who loves us so much our names are etched on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49). Our Father swears that even though a mother might be capable of not having compassion on the child of her womb (oh, my, that's another story altogether), He will never forget us (Isaiah 49). Lovingly our Father knitted us together in our mother's wombs, forming our inward parts. He watched as we grew in the secret place of our mother's bodies and wrote our individual stories as our cells multiplied and our features were formed (Psalm 139). In His last words to His disciples before His crucifixion, Jesus proclaimed, In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me (John 16). You and I have a Father Who knows our name. It delights Him to love us. He knows we're not perfect, but if we have done the one thing that pleases Him most, believe in the One Who came to die in our place as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, we are children of the Living God. We can dance in circles around the throne, delighting our Father with our joyful, thankful, whole hearts. Obeying Him is our glory. Reflecting the light of His face. Not trudging through life and hoping to get lucky some day and be in heaven. But experiencing the benefits of heaven here and now. We can only do that when we know how precious we are to the Father Who remembers what we're made of.
We are a generation that throws many of our babies into the trashcans of America's abortion clinics every minute of every day. So maybe it's become more difficult to understand the sheer pleasure God takes in those of us who've chosen to follow His Son into adoption as children. The kind of love that looks at a newborn and knows for certain that we are looking at the first person we've ever met that we'd unquestionably die for. We'd lay down our lives for the vulnerable and beautiful flesh of our bodies. It's the way God loves us. To the moon and back...as high as the heavens are above earth. He loves us this much. It's why He forgives us...and forgets our sins. Not because of our first birth, but because we were born again into His family. That is the birth that makes the angels sing Hallelujahs all over heaven. It's God's intent to slather us with compassion, mercy, protection, purpose, power, joy, peace and faithfulness. Do you know you are loved like that? Do you know this Father Who would stoop down on His haunches to look you in the eye and instruct you in greatness (Psalm 18)? Who is a God like Him Who would lay down His own life for ours? And our response to so great a love? For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not irksome (burdensome). 1 John 5
It's what makes us serve the Lord with gladness and come into His courts with praise. To slam tambourines, pound drums, strike chords and sing with all our might! I am loved! Bathed in its purity and clothed in its honor! All the mundane minutes of my day and all the switchbacks on my path are carefully overseen by my Father's watchful eyes. He knows my name and my way. It's written down and sure. Carried along by the One Whose arms I finish to fall into.
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