Monday, June 22, 2009

A Surpassing Love

God's love is passionate and strong. Not lukewarm. Not indifferent. Not even tame - it's tender, yet fierce. It burns strong and bright ... fervently and intimately for you. It will follow you to the ends of the earth, and your time upon it.


It goes to the cross for you - to free you from sin.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”
1 John 3:16a

This is the love your God has for you. Grab a hold of it today. It has the power to overcome. In fact, it is the most transformational force in the universe.

Listen to what He'd say to you today:

"I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself."
~ Jeremiah 31:3

Insert your name in place of "my people" and memorize this verse this week. When you grab hold of this Love, it changes you. Just like it did the psalmists:

Psalm 42:6-8

When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you,

From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar.

Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids.

Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me.

Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night!

My life is God's prayer.
Psalm 89:1-2

Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are.

I'll never quit telling the story of your love—how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it.

Your love has always been our lives' foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world.

Are you looking for someone to sing over you? To unfailingly love you 24/7? To be your solid foundation? To faithfully protect you? Here He is. Your Prince. Your Deliverer.
Your God.

12 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 23, 2009

    God is so amazing! I'm trying to commit myself to memorizing a new Bible verse every week and was wondering which one the Lord would have me memorize this week. Honestly, so many have been speaking to me over the past several days. Then after reading your devotion, seeing Jer. 31:3 as one of the power verses after having come across it more than a few times in the past week, and you're encouraging us to memorize it this week, I now know. :) (Did all of that come out right? LOL) Anyway, thanks for the encouragement!

    Dale

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  2. I have a totally shallow comment/question. What beverage DID you replace your diet drink with? I'm trying to kick the soda habit, too, but water is just too bland. Any ideas?

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  3. Thank you, Rachel, so much for both your devotion and blog today. I really needed that reminder of God's 24/7 love for me/us! Jer. 31:3 is a precious Scripture you've given us to hold onto. I'm very encouraged by the prayer you included in the devo, relying on God's power to overcome in weakness. He will come through for us, no matter what trials or temptations we have! Love, Andrea

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  4. I popped over from the P31 devo and then looked through your recent posts and just wanted to say thanks for all of them. I need to do a better job of meeting my husbands needs and respecting him in public. Renee Swope has a great post recently about respecting our husbands as well. I could also really relate to the giving up your soda. I gave up my regualr sode in Jan but have recently started drinking some diet, even though I don't really like the taste. Would love some advice on how to build up our spouses in public without it just sounding like "lip service". My husband needs all the support he can get as his mom and sister are constantly tearing him down, at least in front of me. Could also use advice on how to confront them about their habit. I don't want the negative attitudes he was raised with to be passed onto our girls. Thanks

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  5. Rachel, thanks for the awesome devotion today (Tuesday)! Just a few days ago I was having a talk with my daughter about a dog we saw eating its vomit (I know, good times!) and I told her it was biblical. She didn't believe me, so we looked it up and talked about it's meaning. I just thought it was interesting that God showed me this verse again so soon, AND it makes me wonder what sin I'm returning to! Thanks again!

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  6. AnonymousJune 23, 2009

    I have a sin that I've had since childhood. I have tried everything to control it- but my sin of "overeating" has consumed me. I feel powerless, ugly, and empty inside. I have prayed to God to take this terrible sin from me- but I keep waiting for a magic potion to instantly give me self control. I want to be the wife, mother, Christian woman God has created me to be- but can't figure out how. Can you suggest a book to read or what I should do to overcome this sin? After reading your blog today, I know God's love is my only hope for rescue. I pray that with this journey, God is trying to teach me something that he may use later in my life.

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  7. Loved the post! If only we could all grab hold of the immense love God has for us and claim the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome those sins we face daily.

    To the anonymous commenter, I wanted to encourage you to check out Lysa TerKeurst's blog. She has some amazing posts over the last few months about food addiction and discipline. God has really used her posts to transform the way I see many things. Lysa's blog address is http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/

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  8. Hey yall. Several cola-addicted gals like myself have asked what drink I switched to when I stopped drinking diet soda, so I'm going to write a post on that tonight and post it by morning.

    Come read it tomorrow before you reach for your first cola of the day. :)

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  9. AnonymousJune 23, 2009

    Hi,
    My daughter graduated from 8th grade on Friday and the bible verse you wrote about 2 Peter 1:3 was the guest speaker's main verse also. I am working with a psych to help with my child's birth defects and ways i respond to them (parenting and discipling). It was very heavy stuff. After i told her what i thought i would do differently as a parent, she than asked if i still do the same things-I was ashamed to say yes! She than asked why-why do i respond the same and i know it isn't right..you helped me find the answer to that question but more importantly, what to do to change the pattern. Your devotion really spoke volumes to me! What a mighty God we serve-thanks for responding to His calling.

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  10. Rachel, I loved the devotion today and it is right from God to me. I am caught in a cycle that I can not seem to break. The harder I try the more I fall. Thanks for the encouragement and I KNOW I can stop falling for the enemy's same traps! I always rationalize what I do, but in the end I feel bad afterwards knowing it is not God's best for my life. I think I am going to check out Marybeth's book on financial freedom.

    God Bless!
    Brandee

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  11. Rachel, would you mind sharing which version of the Bible you used when quoting the two Psalms you used today in your blog?

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  12. Sure, Judy. The Psalms are from "The Message" translation of the Bible.

    Brandee - do whatever it is you know to be the next right thing. If that is getting Marybeth's book, do it. Don't delay. God will strengthen you.

    Kathy - you made me laugh with the "good times" comment.

    Dale - good to hear from you!

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