It begins with His Word... the Bread of Life... the eating of Scripture... the meditating... believing... trusting... and living on... His Word... His Truth...
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
1John 4:16
And so we know... and rely on... the love God has for us...
Do you...?
Do you know... and rely on... the love God has for you?
I picked up a small book on Friday... read it Saturday... The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness... by Timothy Keller... a timely book for me... and the wrestling I've been about lately... rooted and wrapped up in my emotions... feeling enslaved to feelings... which I know full well are deceitful... but feeling (ugh... there they are at work again) trapped...
Keller explains about our natural self... our ego... and its feelings...
The ego often hurts. That is because it has something incredibly wrong with it. Something unbelievably wrong with it. It is always drawing attention to itself -- it does so every single day. It is always making us think about how we look and how we are treated. People sometimes say their feelings are hurt. But our feelings can't be hurt! It is the ego that hurts -- my sense of self, my identity. Our feelings are fine! It is my ego that hurts.
He explains how we all have an over-inflated ego... constantly trying to fill up with something other than God... a bellow full of hot air... empty... fragile...
In the same age where we reject the word SIN... we also shy away from the word EGO... only really obnoxious people... arrogant people... bullies... have big EGOs... not true... we all sin... and we all have supersized egos...
As I thought about my own ego... clearly inflated... and empty... at least in my marriage relationship... as I find my feelings hurt... now realizing it is just my ego being deflated... I begin to see in me this balloon... that needs to be filled... but with something solid... real... perhaps a Rock...?
Then yesterday... in the car... I caught the end of a message... one I hunted down and listened to in its entirety today... Overcoming Childhood Traumas... the heart of the message... Jesus identifies with us... and in Christ... as Believers... new creations... He becomes our identity...
And so we know... and rely on... the love God has for us...
Filling with Him... happens when we know and rely on His love for us... which we come to know through His Word... eating it... consuming it... making it our life... trusting and acting on all He says is true... and rejecting the lies He reveals...
The last couple of days I have felt... (I know it's probably those feelings again)... more solid... in my faith... more substantial as a person... recognizing the blessings of Jesus that are so totally outrageous... and abundant... and no longer wanting to be blessed... no longer wanting to ask for more... but to be a blessing to Him... because... do I really need anything more...? do you...?
God my shepherd!
I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
Even when the way goes through Death Valley,
I'm not afraid when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure.
You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.
Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.
Psalm 23
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