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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:16-17
John 3:16 is probably the most well-known Bible verse. Even people who have never cracked open a Bible can, most likely, quote it. But I think we hear and see it so often that the gravity of it is lost on us…at least in the western church, where confessing Christ as our Savior usually does not bring threat of harm or death.
God…the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything on the earth, offered up His only Son to save…us. All because He loves us. (meditate on that for a moment)
The “world” has a lot to say about God. We hear that God doesn’t exist. Or He does exist but He is a wrathful, vengeful God. Or that He doesn’t care enough about us to intervene in our lives. The world’s idea of what the ground of our identity should be made of is wrong (it’s all just shifting sand), perhaps what the world says about God is wrong, too.
If we turn to God’s Word, we see a different picture. As we study and meditate on Scripture, we begin to see that God IS love. He is holy, righteous and pure. He is just. He is full of grace and mercy. He is forgiving. He is sovereign. He is infinite (making all of His attributes infinite, as well). He is steadfast. He does not cast a shifting shadow, but forever remains the same. He is omnipresent (everywhere at all times); omnipotent (all powerful); omniscient (all knowing). There is nowhere we can go that He is not there. God is wisdom and He is Truth.
And He loves us. He created us in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). We were made to be like Him. Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing (John 5:19-20; 8:28). We are called to be like Christ (Philippians 2:1-16).
I’ll begin talking about becoming more like Christ, tomorrow. For today, I challenge you to meditate on the attributes of God. I only listed a few. Can you come up with more? (Feel free to share them in the comments section below)
See you, tomorrow! Be Blessed!
Discernment Unfolding 
Good morning. As I was “catching up” on your blog, I was reminded of the direction that GOD started me at the beginning of this year. See, when the new year coming ringing in, I inquire of HIM as to what HE wants to say this year and where HE wants to do HIS good work within me so that I can be a true ambassador of HIS Kingdom. HE led me this very subject – finding out who I am. December 31, 2016, I wrote in my journal, “in search of Barbara”; as I pondered this, I kept getting the sense that I hadn’t a clue who I truly was and why I was created. Yes, we, as believers, know our mandate in Matthew 28, but we also have a personal ‘calling’. But, to walk in your calling, you need to know who you are and Whose you are. Yes, I am a child of GOD, but what does that mean.
So, here I am, led to and following your blog; I seem to be walking the same path as you – different circumstances, different lives – but yet, the same path; amazing!
I have been in search of Barbara this entire year, finding bits and pieces here and there; keeping the things I like, praying about the things I don’t like; yet still wondering, “who am I?”.
I look forward to continuing with you on these days to come; I look forward to what HOLY SPIRIT will guide you to share; I look forward to GOD’s light shining within us and saying, “be still and know that I am GOD”. HE led me to a time not long ago and made it clear that HE didn’t want to talk or hear me talk or watch me work here or there, HE just wanted to come and sit with me – we, two, enjoying each other’s company. The beginning of Barbara has begun to unfold. At the age of 59, I am finally starting to see me not just through my eyes but through HIS.
So thankful for this forum to share and grow.
in HIS love, barbara
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The matter of identity seems to be something that He currently wants to make abundantly clear all throughout the Church. It keeps coming up. Not that it never did before, but there seems to be an urgency that we come to truly KNOW who He is and who we are, in Him. I so wish we could get together and talk for hours like we used to. I don’t know that I’ll be able to do much more than barely scratch the surface of all that He has shown me, so far. It was last November that I cried out to Him about how I SAY that I’m a child of God, but that I don’t truly KNOW what that means. I begged Him to make the things that I say, and the Scripture that I quote, more than “just words.” It definitely sounds like we are on the same path. You may already know, but just to throw this out there for anyone else reading – this is not a journey for the faint of heart. There have been moments where I’ve had to stand alone, even among other believers, and trust that I was hearing from God correctly. In those moments, my flesh felt like it was, literally, on fire…and I just had to stand there and burn. As much as it hurt, however, I recognized it to be the Refiner’s fire…burning away my pride, jealousy, selfishness and the need to be right (I’m sure there is more, but you get the idea). And I am learning what it means to be humble. Truly humble…not the false humility that I used to walk in. The process can be painful, but I have a deeper peace than I have ever had, before. My hope is that others are willing to go through the fire to have an even deeper intimacy with the Father, as well. There is nothing better. I’m so glad you are here, Barbara! I’ve missed you!! And I am so excited for all that He is going to continue to show you!!!
By the way…I have been listening to Dan Mohler, quite a bit. You can find him on Youtube. If you have never listened to him, I encourage you to do so…I think you will like him. Love you!
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So true, Allison. “Hiccups” (that’s what I have commonly refer to of late as ‘having to stand alone’ amidst the tactics of persuasion, etc.) . Yet, JESUS has called me to dive in and draw closer, going deeper and deeper. It rules my every thought lately; it guides my day. It is a journey that I may not have picked myself, but it has been quite a journey nevertheless.
The Refiners fire – and yes, it is quite a fire – burns brightly & goes so deep; sometimes it’s hard to take a breath. But so worth it! Sadness may remain for the night, but joy truly does arrive in the morning; the freedom that I am experiencing now that I realize I can just be me and not a mold of what someone else wants me to be (still in the process of growing in this area though). I am truly becoming ‘new’ with each and every day as the impurities rise up from the Refiners fire, as HE moves HIS hand and removes the dross and leaves something pure, something beautiful, a vessel for good use.
I too wish we could grab a cup of java or tea and sit by the water and talk for hours (like that would be a problem for us). We may not be able to sit together by the water, but we are both on a journey together which I find quite amazing!
GOD is good; HE loves us so much to not leave us where we were. And it’s all because we said, “yes” to HIS SON. Wow, now that’s love.
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AMAZING!! ✨🙏
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