Corona devo 652

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. ~I John 4:16


We've heard the adage (and verse) that "God is love", but I have found that it can be fairly difficult to transfer this idea/feeling/truth from the pages of the Bible to the pages of our lives. And lately, I have been struggling in teaching this "love" to my kids.

With Christmas rapidly approaching, they are so caught up in their own wants that they have not had any interest in the needs of others. And simply put, love is having an interest in others and their needs. And when God's love abides in us, then we get it--the depth, the care, the affection He has for us. And the moment we realize that--we too can begin to abide in love, instead of ourselves.


But the two teens and pre-teen in our home were not there yet. They were very much abiding in themselves and their ever-growing and ever-changing "Christmas Lists".


They are kind, smart and friendly kids, but love is moving beyond ourselves and willingly (out of love and by abiding in God's love) putting others first. It's a tough concept to understand, embrace and live-out, no matter how old we are.


Enter the Secret Santa....

Weeks ago we tossed around the idea of a "Secret Santa" exchange within our family. Time passed, and then one night our (administrative) eleven year old appeared with a bowl for each of us to "Draw a name and don't tell anyone what it says". Gifts were encouraged to be homemade, but a $15 dollar limit was set, and each person was to use "their own money".


It was a simple thing. Silly, really. But as their mental-wheels got in motion thinking about what would please their "Secret Santa", so did their hearts.

And something changed. Love came down.


Secret shopping outings were arranged. Gifts ideas were strategically researched and gifts were hidden. Mum became the word.


And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. ~I John 4:16


In their thoughtful consideration of their "Secret Santa", they switched from a me-focus to an "others" focus, which is the example of love that Christ gives us.


They had known and believed the love that God has for them, but a change was taking place as they submitted their desires over and sought to fulfill another's desires by abiding in love.


God's ultimate demonstration of this was in giving us His Son, out of love. (For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  ~John 3:16). There is no greater gift that we will ever receive, and I pray that you will "unwrap" it and accept God's gift (by accepting his Son into your heart). And once we do that, change comes. Not (usually) overnight or drastically, but as we know and believe the love that God has for us, we are changed and God begins to move within us, as we abide in Him.


In short, We love because He first loved us (I John 4:19).


It is tough to explain/verbalize/put-in-to-words. But, we know it when we see it.


For us (among other things), it looked like a daughter teaching herself to play "Phantom of the Opera" on piano, because it is her "Secret Santa" (Daddy's) favorite play and song.


For us (among other things), it looked like a brother using his birthday-received sporting goods store gift card to purchase a "dream" soccer ball for his "Secret Santa" sister.


For us (among other things), it looked like a husband making homemade candles (coffee scented!) for his "Secret Santa" wife.


For us (among other things), it looked like our children had the "eyes of their hearts" opened as they thought, prepped and loved others for a "Secret Santa" exchange. Authentic love came to abide in them.


And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. ~I John 4:16


The love that God has for us changes us and changes how we love others if we will allow God to abide in us. God is the only answer for solving the maze of self-focus that many spend their life unable to "find their way out of".

God's love is almost a riddle--only by losing ourselves to Him can we truly find Him. And only by giving our love can we experience the unequaled rush and joy that God has designed us to feel in doing so. We were created by a Creator Who loves us to love.

And so, because we have known and believed the love that God has for us, let us love!
God is love, and we have experienced this all of our lives!
If he who abides in love abides in God, let us ask ourselves, are we fitting this mold? Are we abiding in love? And if not, can we honestly say that we are making the time and effort to abide in God? If our answer is "Yes", then we will sense/experience/and want to share that love within us, and God in us. (I John 4:16).

May all of our gifts be given with God's thoughtful, unconditional, "Secret Santa" love this Christmas.


Blessings, 

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Corona Devo 1156

Image
At work, we provide Trainings for customers, so that they can be updated and educated on all of the latest features (and how to use them) within our product.  Many companies do this--sharing "Best Practices" are a way to ensure positive outcomes on the customer and vendor sides of things. My kids often offer me "life hacks" that they have learned from watching an online video promising to "save time" and "make your life easier".  And just this week, my husband enlightened me about the "tear-away" feature built into most plastic rings holding cans/bottles of pop or Gatorade together.  When separated, the plastic rips open easily, releasing the bottle--saving wildlife that might be caught if it is discarded as trash, and saving me  frustration or angst because I no longer have to pull with all my might to get a bottle out of the plastic rings.  ( Who knew? )  Life hacks do save time and make your life easier! Who couldn't benefit from...
Read more

Corona Devo 1217

Image
The unanswered “why’s” of life, the disorder of our days, and even the unfairness of our struggles can cause us to question ourselves and also to question our God. But the order-of-Creation and the systems that God has set in place are undeniable answers that swing back and forth like God’s pendulum-reminder that He set the world in motion, and He continues to keep order, even when it seems as if we and our world are in dis- order.   Job was a man going through some heavy and hard stuff.   Maybe we are too.   Job’s trials had caused him to question the order of life, and possibly God’s dominion over it.   We can relate.   The “Why’s?” and the “Why Me’s” can stack up in our minds and hearts, but like a parent exercising loving-authority over a child, God reminds Job and us--of His power, omniscience and of His ultimate authority over everything: Creation… and us today .   Then the  Lord  answered Job from the whirlwind: (2) “Who i...
Read more

Corona Devo 991

Running low on " good things " today?  Doesn't it (sometimes) seem like/trend like/read like/tweet like/water-cooler-chat or backyard-fence-visit like/intimidate like/depress like... there are no  good things in the land? . I know. It's no secret that many have abandoned  the Law of the  Lord,  and at times, that's us .   It is evident all around us that people have  followed each other  in this sin.  When we look around...or when we live our days...we can wonder: Are there  any  good things  left in the land? There are still some good things in the land ...and no matter how bleak we feel the "forecast" for today is...there will always  be  some good things in the land, because God is in the land.   T he Bible reminds us of that today.   ~~~ The Israelites (and their king, Rehoboam ) were God's people, but like all of us at times/seasons of our lives...they wandered from Lord and His ways....
Read more