Tuesday, January 4, 2011
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Daniel 7-9 and 1 John 5
salvation. (NKJV)
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Daniel 7-9 and 1 John 5
SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 149:4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble withsalvation. (NKJV)
In order to grow in your relationship with God, you need to realize that God likes you. He
wants to enjoy you through spiritual encounters with Him. The infinite God of glory is truly
in love with us, even in our weakness and brokenness. The God who created one billion
galaxies says that He especially likes you.
Many of us know in our heads that God loves us, we even sing since childhood “Jesus
loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so” but many of us don’t actually FEEL His love.
Knowledge of God’s love is one thing but experiencing it is a very different thing.
Many of us as believers are so disconnected from the reality of God’s astonishing, frightfully
lavish love for us that we totally miss out on 99% of what we could experience in our
everyday relationship with God. We treat God like an employer, a business partner, a
judge, a cop – anything but a lover*. Perhaps we have convinced ourselves that feeling
love for God isn’t really important, that as long as we are obeying His commands, reading
the Bible, and keeping good spiritual disciplines. We believe that those things are enough;
yet, these things lead to spiritual dryness without experiencing the love of God
wants to enjoy you through spiritual encounters with Him. The infinite God of glory is truly
in love with us, even in our weakness and brokenness. The God who created one billion
galaxies says that He especially likes you.
Many of us know in our heads that God loves us, we even sing since childhood “Jesus
loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so” but many of us don’t actually FEEL His love.
Knowledge of God’s love is one thing but experiencing it is a very different thing.
Many of us as believers are so disconnected from the reality of God’s astonishing, frightfully
lavish love for us that we totally miss out on 99% of what we could experience in our
everyday relationship with God. We treat God like an employer, a business partner, a
judge, a cop – anything but a lover*. Perhaps we have convinced ourselves that feeling
love for God isn’t really important, that as long as we are obeying His commands, reading
the Bible, and keeping good spiritual disciplines. We believe that those things are enough;
yet, these things lead to spiritual dryness without experiencing the love of God
*We are using the term “lover” simply defined as “one who loves”. It is simply the best term to describe
the closest and most loving of relationships, as God desires in our relationship with Him
2. Ask God to give you a picture of what your perception is of God. (Bad boss, business
partner, judge, cop, trusted friend, etc).
3. Ask God to open your heart to see a true picture of who He is and how He feels about
you.
the closest and most loving of relationships, as God desires in our relationship with Him
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Do you feel disconnected from the reality that God loves you? Do you FEEL His love?2. Ask God to give you a picture of what your perception is of God. (Bad boss, business
partner, judge, cop, trusted friend, etc).
3. Ask God to open your heart to see a true picture of who He is and how He feels about
you.
