July 21, 2022
Good Morning Yahweh. Today is the day! I don’t quite know why I did that, but it is the day that you have made, we can rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you for this new day. Thank you for your love. Thank you for who you are. Today I will choose to love you. I am choosing to trust you. I am choosing to obey you. I choose to live for you. What do you desire that I do today?
“Be honest and smile.”
This is good advice. I’ll admit that I’m tempted to have my serious face on today, but I will smile today and show all my hundred and eleven teeth. Today, I am to be a witness in court. Yahweh, I pray for your truth to prepare the way. I will speak the truth. Help me to stand on you and to say what is right. To not allow myself to be bullied. I confess that the attorney for the claimant usually has a tendency to bully people and it upsets me. Help me not to get upset today. To smile through the storm. And I definitely will because you are by my side. Be with the defense attorney. Speak on their behalf so that their words would be acceptable to you and to the judge. I pray that the judge makes his decision based on the facts and the truth. Thank you for your grace, your truth. Who you are. Fill the virtual space with your presence. Help me to be fully confident in you. To speak the truth in you. Thank you for being my helper. I love you to and back.
I was thinking of how to end the series: what I’m calling the “by” series. Also want to finish the study of Isaiah 55:10-13. But this morning I am choosing to focus on “by” because I truly like what came to my thoughts. To end with, “Chosen by Love.” You chose us because you loved us.
Romans 5:8 – Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us
Before we even knew we needed saving you chose to save us. You chose to take our place, to die for us. And in a way we often get complacent with the thought that Christ died to save us. And we truly shouldn’t because it is by his sacrifice we are restored. His sacrifice is what gives us all the promise of eternal life once more and allows us to be fully in Yahweh’s presence. So many times as I walk in nature, I wonder what it would have been like to walk through the garden physically with Yahweh. To see him face to face. That’s what we gave up: that relationship. That’s what he died to restore. Because he also missed that closeness with us. He has to hide some of who he is so that we would not be burnt to a crisp. But he desires us. He loves us and wants once more to walk side by side with us. No more hide and seek.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 – Â Brothers and sisters, we never forget this because we know that God loves you and has chosen you.
When we think about it, it’s only love would have caused the most powerful being to humble himself to what we had become to save us. At times I think about pride and I remember this show where people were “infected” with the seven deadly sins and the person with pride could not save themselves. All the other sins could have been overcome by a selfless act, except pride. Because even dying to save someone fed into that pride and made them feel more pride, “See? I’m better than you. I’m willing to die for you.”
It took someone else taking their place and saving them in order to remove pride from them. And that’s what Jesus did. He died to remove pride from us. To remove that desire to elevate ourselves above him. And the funny thing is, he did not turn around and say, “Oh you are now such a worm.” (We actually do that though). Instead he says to us:
1 Peter 2:9 – However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Chosen. Loved.
Chosen to tell.
Because the truth is, once we realise the magnitude of what was done for us. Once we catch an honest glimpse of the depth of his love for us, we actually desire to talk about it. To tell others about it. To introduce them to the joy that we have from knowing the love of Yahweh. And it is truly only an introduction because until he returns the second time, our view of him won’t be complete.
1 Corinthians 13:9-10 – Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete. 10 But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be used.
We will be complete. We will see Yahweh completely. Thank you for this promise. That we will see you. Thank you for choosing us and for loving us so completely. I love you to you and back.
