Kisses From Heaven

"So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Luke 15:20

As 4th and 5th grade Sunday school facilitators, we did a participation exercise with our kids where we had a dancing contest. The winners were chosen not because they were the best dancers, but because they participated, and gave it everything they had. We gave out Hershey's kisses at the end of the contest.
 
The following week I explained the reason for the kisses. When we step out in faith as God's children, He meets us with kisses from Heaven. Sometimes these 'kisses' are not seen. Sometimes we may not be aware of God's love in the moment. Sometimes these kisses might be felt in worship, but other times they are not. They can happen through the thoughtfulness of a friend, a sunrise, or in quiet meditation. But no matter how they are felt, the point is that God wants to show us that He loves us, regardless of our state or circumstance.
 
There was a time when I would wake up very early. Early for me was about 7am because I am a bit of a night owl! But on these early mornings I would awake to the most beautiful sunrise. The first day it was ice pink, the next was deep reddish orange, the next was taffy orange, and the next was rose pink. The sunrises were beautiful. I felt God's presence wake me with each one.
 
God can show us He loves us in any way He chooses. But we need to recognize His kisses so we can know how much He loves us. Without this knowledge, we are orphans without a cause.
 
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Random Acts of Kindness

"Then you will say, 'And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me.'" -Matthew 25:39&40

Have you ever done something kind for a stranger?  In our modern world, we often fear getting close to people we don’t know, and perhaps for good reason ("stranger, danger!") Technology, for all it's good uses, has had quite an isolating effect on us compared to life in the 1950s and 1960s.  During that time, many folks hung out on porches and were more involved in their communities. (Bingo, anyone?)

Today, it takes more of a conscious effort to talk to someone we do not know.  But, doing something kind for someone can be the greatest open door for sharing Jesus' message of salvation.

"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"  -Romans 2:4

What can we do to be kind?  Whether it's making a homemade meal for someone, serving in a shelter, or opening a door for someone, each of these things can be open doors for God's kingdom.  It’s not uncommon for my husband to go above and beyond to help someone with their car at his job, or to help someone outside his job if they have car trouble. Even if we are providing for someone's basic needs, this act of kindness still has supernatural value in God's kingdom. 

When was the last time you did something kind for someone?  Has it been a while? Let us create a culture of kindness so that people can experience God's kingdom through us and know that His intentions for them are to be loved by Him.

POWs

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” -Isaiah 61:1

We have many prisoners of war in the body of Christ today. People are plagued by deception, unforgivness, bitterness, and small thinking.  They feel unable to step into a better future, the “spacious place” the Psalmist talks about in Psalm 18:19.  “He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”

There is no doubt that there is a war going on - between the forces of the kingdom of darkness and God’s kingdom.  This battle is for souls, for relationships, and for destinies.  The enemy of our soul has no greater purpose than to see you and I destroyed, never able to be the people God intended us to be.

The enemy wants us, first and foremost to believe the lie that God doesn’t love us, that He isn’t good, and He doesn’t have our best in mind.  He wants us next to be isolated, so we are unable to believe the truth.  And, he wants us to continue believing lies about ourselves and about others so that God’s purposes cannot be revealed in our lives, and we cannot in turn set others free.

There once was a Hollywood executive who produced a well-known movie that my dad and his friend went to visit.  My dad’s friend had a word of knowledge about this executive that he was struggling with committing suicide.  The man became visibly shaken. It was true!  How could this successful executive be struggling with suicide? He was a Prisoner of War - in his mind. 

Is there any area of your life where you’ve been believing a lie about yourself, about others, or about God’s good nature?  Pray today and confess that lie to Him.  He never wants us to feel alone in our journeys - talk to or pray with someone you trust that can help you believe the truth.  It may be that you are the key to unlock the truth in someone else's heart.  God’s desire (and complete plan) is that we are victorious!

“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves” -Colossians 1:13

The Only One in the World

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  -Ephesians 3:17-19

Have you ever wanted to be someone’s one and only?  I know I have.  When I was young, I dreamed of one day being the sole object of one wonderful person's affection, who loved and cherished me completely.  (Of course, when I dreamed of such a person, he had no faults, even thought I knew I had them!)

Before I was married, I longed to feel loved and important.  It took a while before that happened for me.  But, surprisingly, it was not my husband who first made me feel this way.  He was the second person.  The first person was God.

God loves us sooooo dearly.  He wants to us feel like His one and only, all the time!  I think it’s a little different for women than it is for men.  We are His girls.  We are His cherished ones.  And, if we let Him, He will tell us which relationships are good for us and which ones are not. The truth is, God can be this person for us, even if we are looking for that “special someone”, in the natural. 

As for guys, he loves you just as much!  Although the relationship may be a little different, (more like a father to a son), He desires that you know His love and that His love will sustain you, even as you are waiting for your spouse.  He desires to fill in all the areas where we lack, so our sufficiency is in Him.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe how much God loves us because of what our experiences have taught us. But, the reality is, when we put God first in our lives and believe what He says, we feel like His first.

Do you feel like you are the apple of God’s eye?  He desires that we know His love, more than anything or anyone else.  Seek Him out and experience His love today.