John 3:16

Have you ever considered that the Heavenly Father delights in Jesus? Yes, Jesus is God’s DELIGHT as Isaiah 42:1 points out. “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul DELIGHTS.” In a world full of evil, what a blessing it must be for the Heavenly Father to look at Jesus and say, “My soul delights in You.” Reading His words stirs in me a longing for our Heavenly Father to delight in me, but I’m so mindful of my sin, I can’t imagine that being the case. Then again, could our Heavenly Father delight in us, while not delighting in our sin? Yes.  Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” Our Heavenly Father has set His affection on us. He loved us even before we were saved. (John 3:16) Now that we are saved, He loves and corrects us like we love and correct our children. So while celebrating God’s pure delight in Jesus, we learn what is pleasing to our Heavenly Father and how to walk by His Spirit so we can increasingly delight Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus, in whom Your soul finds pure delight. Thank You for delighting in us while we learn to walk in Your ways. 

Have you noticed that hate between people seems to be in the news more than love? That’s what makes God the Father and Jesus’s love for us so jaw dropping. Think about it with me for a minuted.  Jesus, at age 12, described the temple as the house of His Heavenly Father and in doing so claimed familial intimacy with God. At Jesus’s baptism, His Heavenly Father claimed intimacy with Him, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” Matthew 3:17.   “Beloved Son” is a term that means esteemed, dear, favorite Son. Yes, we are sons and daughters of God. Yet, when we ponder the magnitude of our Heavenly Father’s sacrifice when He sent His favorite Son to die for our sins (John 3:16) and when we think of the magnitude of Jesus’s sacrifice when He left His Heavenly Father to come to earth to die for our sins, we can’t help but have profound gratitude and wonder at their love for us.

Heavenly Father and Beloved Son, we praise You for Your magnanimous love, grace, and sacrifice so we can live with You in eternal glory. Thank You. We love You.

Some time ago my son sent me a video, “How big is the Milky Way?” Watching it was an incredible reminder that I often make God too little. He’s Christ for believers. He’s the Jew’s long-awaited Messiah. But Isaiah 54:5,  explains that it’s important to think bigger about who Christ is.  “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth.” God of ALL the EARTH.  “For God so loved the WORLD, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16. As we celebrate the Risen One’s sacrifice and what it means for our life, would you join me in prayerful consideration of how faithful we are in spreading His message to our world?  One way you can do that is by sharing this 365 Days of Praise on  Facebook, Instagram, or by emailing it. We never know who may see, read, and believe. 

Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, forgive us when we think too small and only of our family and friends. Quicken our hearts to take seriously Your words to make disciples of all the nations. Quicken us to ways to do our part. 

Jesus, at age 12, described the Jerusalem temple as the house of His Heavenly Father and in doing so laid claim to intimacy with God. At Jesus’s baptism, our Heavenly Father laid claim to intimacy with Jesus when He said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” Matthew 3:17.   “Beloved Son” is a term that means esteemed, dear, favorite Son. Yes, we are the sons and daughters of God. Yet, when we ponder the magnitude of the sacrifice of our Heavenly Father giving up His favorite Son for our sins (John 3:16) and Jesus leaving His Heavenly Father to come to earth to die for our sins, we can’t help but have profound gratitude and wonder at their love for us.

Heavenly Father and Beloved Son, we praise You for Your magnamious love, grace, and sacrifice so we can live with You in eternal glory. Thank You. We love You.

#biblegatewaybloggergridmember

How old were you when you first heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life”? It’s a pivotal verse, a powerful statement, and a call for the world to respond.

• God so loves the world that He took action to save us.
• God sacrificed His Only Begotten Son on our behalf.
• God invites everyone to believe and be saved.
• God promises the gift of eternal life to those who believe in Jesus.

God has chosen to draw close to us. Now, He wants us to draw close to Him and has provided a way through prayer. On January 8, women throughout the Texas Hill Country are gathering for a 1 hour session I’m leading called, “Starting Strong with 2020 Vision.” Click HERE for more information and to learn how you can join us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ. As You chose to draw us to Yourself for eternity, stir us to draw closer to You in 2020 through prayer. 

#biblegatewaybloggergridmember

The greatest gift from the Father above

Isn’t money, but rather His love.

It isn’t a gift tied with ribbon and bows

But rather His Son who took our sin’s blows.

The greatest gift is yet to be seen

When heaven bound angels carry us on wings

To the Father of Light to the Father of All

And we bow in the presence of Christ, our All.

Christmas Blessings

Love, Debbie

#biblegatewaybloggergridmember

Jesus, at age 12, described the Jerusalem temple as the house of His Heavenly Father. He laid claim to intimacy with God. At Jesus’s baptism, our Heavenly Father laid claim to intimacy with Jesus when He said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” Matthew 3:17.   “Beloved Son” is a term that means esteemed, dear, favorite Son. Yes, we are the sons and daughters of God. Yet, when we ponder the magnitude of the sacrifice of our Heavenly Father giving up His favorite Son for our sins (John 3:16) and Jesus leaving His Heavenly Father to come to earth to die for our sins, we can’t help but have profound gratitude and wonder at their love for us.

Heavenly Father and Beloved Son, we praise You for Your magnamious love, grace, and sacrifice so we can live with You in eternal glory. We love You.

#biblegatewaybloggergridmember

Recently my son sent me a video, “How big is the Milky Way?” Watching it was an incredible reminder that too often I make God too little. He’s Christ for believers. He’s the Jew’s long awaited Messiah. Jesus died on the cross for people in certain nations. But that’s not what the Bible, God’s inspired Word, says. Rather, Isaiah 54:5,  explains, we need to think bigger about who God the Father and Son are.  “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.” God of ALL the EARTH.  “For God so loved the WORLD, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16. As we celebrate the Risen One’s sacrifice for our life, would you join me in prayerful consideration of how faithful we are being to spread the message of the forgiveness of sin and new life in Christ to our world?

Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, forgive us when we think too small. Quicken our hearts to take seriously Your words to make disciples of all the nations. 

#BibleGateway Blogger Grid Member

LISTEN

Have you ever considered that the Heavenly Father delights in Jesus? Yes, Jesus is God’s DELIGHT as Isaiah 42:1 points out. “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul DELIGHTS.” In a world full of evil, what a blessing it must be for the Heavenly Father to look at Jesus and say, “My soul delights in You.” Reading His words stirs in me a longing for our Heavenly Father to delight in me, but I’m so mindful of my sin, I can’t imagine that being the case. Then again, could our Heavenly Father delight in us, while not delighting in our sin? Yes.  Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” Our Heavenly Father has set His affection on us. He loved us even before we were saved. (John 3:16) Now that we are saved, He loves and corrects us; like we love and correct our children. So while celebrating God’s pure delight in Jesus, we learn what is pleasing to our Heavenly Father and how to walk by His Spirit so we can increasingly delight Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus, in whom Your soul finds pure delight. Thank You for delighting in us while we learn to walk in Your ways.