Last week those of you who have subscribed to the blog and become Kira’s Krew joined me for week one of #Love16 , our year long exploration of love. For this first quarter we’re spending eight weeks (February & March) learning about God’s love for Us. Our devotional of choice, You Are Loved: Embracing God’s love for You by Sally Clarkson and Angela Perritt is off to a great start. In chapter one Sally describes for us how having her daughter Joy, after several miscarriages, gave her a glimpse at the unconditional love God the father has for his children. She then begins to explain for us how this love is unchanging. At the end of each chapter there are reflection questions, I’ve decided I will share my thoughts with you all here:

1. Do you realize nothing you do will ever separate you from the love of God? How can you live in this truth? Romans 8 assures us that not even death can separate me from God’s love. Although I will never truly understand just how much He loves me, or why he continues to seek relationship with such an inconsistent human like myself, knowing this truth gives me security and peace.
2. What does it mean to you that God is a warrior big enough to fight your battles? Zephaniah 3:17 tells me that God is the mighty warrior who saves, and that he takes great delight in me. This means that I don’t have to consume myself with worry and have paralyzing anxiety about the course of my life. It means that during the hardest times of my life I am not alone and helpless, but I have supernatural assistance from my heavenly Father.
3. There is only one one-word definition in scripture about God–God is love. Can you think of anyone in your life who needs to know this kind of love from you and God? The essence of God is love. I wholeheartedly believe an understanding of this love and putting it into practice is what will impact the lives of those around me for the better. My family, friends, and coworkers need to see consistency in my character and my conduct. As a representative of the Kingdom of God here on earth it is my duty to love my neighbor as myself and to share the good news of Christ.
4. What about when you blow it again? How can you quickly restore fellowship with God and others? Psalm 86 tells me that God is full of compassion and slow to anger. He is a loving father. Like any father there will be times when he must correct me when I’m wrong but he is always merciful and kind. He wants what’s best for me and knows the best path for me to take. I in turn must learn to repent of my sins and yet be just as gracious with myself. Not repeating conversations of self pity and defeat but rather meditating on God’s promises and resting in his love.

Listen, life is beautiful but it can also be extremely rough. There is no escaping the ups and downs but you can go through them victoriously with faith, hope, and love. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was accepting Jesus Christ as my savior. He makes life worth living!

We’re already into week two Knowing God. Our memory verse is Jeremiah 24:7 “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” Here the meditation scriptures: