Tag: Jeremiah

My Reflections

BE MINE – Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13-18, Psalm 36:5-7, Isaiah 49:15-16, Jeremiah 29:11, Zephaniah 3:17, Luke 12:6-7, Romans 8:35-38

Rachel's Reflections

be mine heart alone sharpenedPeople enjoy messages of love from others.  For some, they prefer these messages verbally. Others enjoy receiving it in a written or a typed format. Still others enjoy messages of love through gifts, acts of service, and the like. We all want to be loved and know for sure that we are loved.

Whether or not we enjoy eating them, many of us even like those heart shaped candy hearts that come around Valentine’s Day. Why? Because with each heart, they tell us that someone cares for us, wants us in their life, possibly even loves us.

No matter how many messages of love we receive from anyone, in our lives, there is a love message that was written to us long before we even drew a breath. It is a message of love that has withstood the test of time. It is a message said in many ways, so that we would all understand that it is for real, and it is for us.

God has a message of love for us that surpasses any that anybody could give to us. It’s found in His Word. Continuously, He tells us that He loves us, from cover to cover. These are just some:

  • “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27
  • “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.   Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me,O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”               – Psalm 139:13-18
  • “Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.”    – Psalm 36:5-7
  • “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.”  – Isaiah 49:15-16
  • “For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11
  • “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” – Zephaniah 3:17
  • “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” – Luke 12:6-7
  • “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, ‘For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.’) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”     – Romans 8:35-38

The wonderful thing is that we don’t have to wait till February, our birthday or any special occasion, to receive these messages of love. He looks at us, and He says, “Be mine,” constantly.  Can you imagine being that adored? That loved?

Circumstances will fail us. People will fail us. We will fail ourselves. But, God’s love never fails us. That is sweeter than any candy I could ever eat.

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My Reflections

You Know Me – Psalm 139

Rachel's Reflections

If people are honest, most want to be known, but are also afraid for too many to fully know them. Seems kind of odd, but really, it makes sense.  For some people, they are afraid of revealing too much and not being liked.  For others, they’re afraid of someone getting too close and then getting hurt by them, because it has happened before. Whatever the reason, every single one of us is known and loved.

Some of you may be reading this and thinking, “Yeah, right.” But, it’s true. Our Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. God loves us, even when we act or do things that others may find unlovable. Even when Christ was looking down upon those who despised Him, He looked up and cried to His Father, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:24)  That is beyond our comprehension to look at others and feel such immense love, even when they feel none in return, but God feels that way about us.

In fact, even before you were born, you were seen by Him and loved dearly.  “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” (Psalms 139:13-18 NLT)

There’s a story in the book of Genesis about a servant of Abram (later Abraham) and Sarai (later Sarah), named Hagar. God told Abram and Sarai that they were going to conceive, but when it took too long, Sarai decided to take matters into her own hands. She gave Sarai to Abram, so they could have a child. Then, what does she do? After Hagar became pregnant, Sarai became so bitter with her that she treated her cruelly, to the point that Hagar left.

At one point, in the midst of fleeing, God sent an angel to speak directly to Hagar. In Genesis, 16:11-14, we learn, “And the angel also said, ‘You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives. Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’ She also said, ‘Have I truly seen the One who sees me?’ So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means ‘well of the Living One who sees me’). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.”

A woman, who is never mentioned as knowing God, is not only shown that He saw her and He cared about her and even her unborn son.  Likewise, no matter where you find yourself in life, and no matter what you have ever done, God sees you.  He knows you.  He loves you.

If you don’t know Him and would like to, please feel free to leave me a message.  Having a relationship with God is one that will never fail you.  If you already know Him, but still struggle with the idea of others fully knowing you, ask God to help you.  You are His precious creation and worth being known.

Are there those who will desire to hurt you? Always, but there are also those who desire and will love you, for who you are, imperfections and all.  Those are the people who look at you, and see all the amazing things you have to offer others and to the world.

You are here for such a time as this (Esther 4:14), because God has a purpose, a plan for you and your life (Jeremiah 29:11).  This requires you to be known by others. Why? Because as they get to know, His desire is that they will see Him in you and want to know more about Him.

As my final word on this subject today, please check out this terriifc video that really shows the relationship God wants with us. It comes from the story of the woman at the well, in John 4:

As with all of my blog posts feel free to COMMENT, to FOLLOW my blog and to SHARE. I value you taking the time to read my posts.