February 2010
It is such a joy to know
that you are reading the monthly view. It
is my prayer that while viewing this site,
you will be affirmed in God's abounding
love. A dear saint, Anna Terruwe, M.D.,
says: "God's love in Christ Jesus is
the ultimate affirming love that heals human
wounds and patiently awaits our graced response."
May the Lord make you increase and abound
in love to one another and to all, just
as we do to you.1
Affirmation of God
Webster's dictionary defines
affirm as "to validate, confirm,
state positively, assert as valid or confirmed,"
and affirmation as "the act
of affirming, something affirmed: a positive
assertion."
In the beginning, God made
man in His own image and affirmed His creation
as very good.2 He
breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life, and man became a living soul.3
After Adam and Eve chose to disobey their
Creator, sin entered their hearts. This
act brought all sorts of spiritual, mental,
emotional, and social wounds. "But
God commanded His love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us."4
In June 1975, I experienced
God's ultimate affirming love. It is the
love of God which heals human wounds through
Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit came into
my heart as the true source of life and
the minister of healing, through His affirming
love. When I looked into the mirror, I saw
His image upon my face, and since that day,
my life has never been the same.
God's Affirming Love
My spiritual rebirth was
only the beginning of my spiritual growth.
It has been a slow and gradual process for
thirty-five years, or a progressive healing
that is still going on to this day. I became
a new creation in Christ,5
partaking of the divine nature,6
but I still needed a spiritual renewal of
my thoughts, choices, and emotions.
All of us need to grow
in the grace and knowledge of God's affirming
love, and have this affirmed by those who
know God's love. It is His unconditional
love, along with the unselfish emotional
love of others, that heals our soul of fear,
anger, resentment, anxiety, insecurity,
and the feeling of inferiority. These are
a few of the emotions rooted in the soul
of an unhealthy "people-pleaser,"
with a burning desire to be loved unconditionally.
Maybe this is you?
The Good News is that
God's amazing love heals our wounds through
faith in Christ's death, burial, resurrection
and by the outpouring of His Holy Spirit.
This regeneration, transformation, and restoration
of the soul comes through being renewed
by God's word -- which is His love story
to us. As our thoughts line up with God's,
then our emotions come into harmony with
sound reasoning, which supports our will,
and empowers our life with the Spirit of
love, peace, and joy. Jesus said, "Abide
in my love, that my joy may be in you, and
that your joy may be made full."8
Affirming Others
It is hard for us to affirm
His love in others, unless we have been
affirmed in His love ourselves. Often, we
show love through religious actions, instead
of living it as a way of life. But don't
let that discourage you, since we all have
to start somewhere. As we step out in faith
towards maturity, the Lord will empower
you to live the affirming life, and He will
be with you to correct any wrong motives.
The main thing is to be
continuously conscience of God's love for
you. We must be willing to live the affirming
life. It is extremely important to challenge
all judgmental thoughts towards others by
reminding yourself that God loves others
just as He does you. You may need to slow
down, lead a quieter and unhurried life,
and spend time in God's presence. Then the
Holy Spirit can lead you to affirm others
in love. I pray that you will be open to
hear from God the unique goodness in everyone
you meet.
The Apostle John says,
"Dear friends, let us continue to love
one another, for love comes from God. Anyone
who loves is born of God and knows God.
But anyone who does not loves, does not
know God -- for God is love. He showed how
much He loved us by sending His only Son
into the world so that we might have eternal
life through him. This is real love. It
is not that we loved God, but that He loved
us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take
away our sins."9
A Prayer For You ...
Heavenly Father, I pray
that my love for others will overflow more
and more, and that I will keep growing in
Your knowledge and understanding. I want
to understand what really matters, so that
I may live a pure and blameless life until
Christ returns. May I always be filled with
the fruit of Your righteousness -- those
good things that are produced in my life
by Jesus Christ -- in order to bring glory
and praise to You, Amen.10
Scripture References:
Acknowledgement: A special thanks
to Sherry for transcribing this months view!
|
