Day 28 (Friday)

 Sharing the full chapter for Friday’s devotion...

Day 28 (Friday)

Morning Meditations at Marina's Kitchen Table; A devotional memoir

Morning Prayer

Abba, Father, You are so kind and show me so much love every morning. No matter what is going on in my life, You gently nudge me to remind me that You are with me, walking beside me every step of the day. Thank You for being here, inviting me to abide with You. Help me to clear my mind of today's plans, so I might rest in You now. I want these moments with You to be my most important part of my day. May You be glorified in them. Amen.

Focus Verse

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Ephesians 3:16-18 NLT

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Is it difficult to imagine how God can love you? I walked in that lie, not believing I was loveable because of my sin and circumstances, and not taking into account the truth of God's great love for us. He created us with intention and knew us before we were created. He loved us before we knew His name. He breathes life into us, knowing we would fail, and yet He chose to give us life, even life everlasting! We are loved SO much by God.

Because I had failed so much at human love, I felt ill-equipped at FALLING in love, and it was hard for me to ascertain BEING in love. My human love failed all the time. It was full of lies, deception, and brokenness. It left me abused, exhausted, and abandoned. It was far from perfect, yet I continued to chase after it as if I were an addict craving an abusive drug. I had so much to learn.

I have come to believe there is a clear difference between FALLING in love and BEING in love. It's as if "falling in love" is totally in your heart and "being in love" is in your head. One is goo-goo eyes and can't catch your breath, but the other is when you know that you know that you know you are loved, and then you choose to love back. It's solid, yet pliable and giving. It makes a way to make it work, no matter what has gone wrong. It's not perfect, but it's forgiving. 

And then there's God's love. Perfect love.

His love cannot be compared to human love, yet it's the source of the qualities found in human love. His love is strengthening, empowering, sanctifying. His love equips us and makes us brave. It reminds us we are never alone. It fills the gap when we are physically alone and allows us to plug into the power of the Holy Spirit, making a way to feel His tangible presence. It comforts us, settles our spirit, and encompasses us. It's within us and around us. His love perfects us as we abide in Him.

His love directs, leads, and protects. It casts a vision for things we could never imagine. It takes us places we would never go and makes us feel as if there is where we have always belonged. It allows us to love and serve others sacrificially. It woos us in the early morning and sings to us at night.

His love inspires us, enables us to do so much more than we thought possible, and allows us to step back, letting Him shine. It's His love that motivates us; He is the source and the solution. All glory goes to Him. 

His love never fails.

A Prayer

Lord, please teach me to abide in Your perfect love. Help me to rest in it, rejoice in it, and hold it close to me when I'm in pain or full of sorrow. Let me never forget it is Your love that brought Jesus to earth, put Him on a cross, dying for my sins, going to a grave, and rising again. Thank You for restoring Him to Your right hand. Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort us, until we are restored and in Your presence. There has never been a greater love. You are pure and perfect love, and I desire to be a reflection of Your love wherever I am. Amen.

Table Talk

Galatians 2:20, 1 Peter 1:22, Romans 8:37-39, 1 Timothy 1:7, Isaiah 54:10, 1 John 4:8-11

Make a list of the God qualities you have experienced and know to be true from scripture. Which qualities do you think you can expect in a human love relationship, whether from a parent to a child, in a friendship, or romantic love? The more time you spend with God, the more you will come to recognize these God-qualities in others who are getting their love from Him. Spending time with Him will also allow you to develop those qualities in yourself, becoming better equipped to love and serve others. Challenge yourself to increase your time with God in a new way!

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Morning Mediations at Marina's Kitchen Table; A devotional memoir is available through Amazon, Kindle, and free on Kindle Unlimited.

©2020 Marina J Bromley, Marina's Kitchen Table, all rights reserved.