This is a love story…and the foundation for victorious living

It begins with creation. With a spoken creative, faith filled word, God formed the heavens, the skies, the earth, the animals, the vegetation and said, “It is good!” When everything was ready, “God created man in His own image, male and female”. “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiple; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And God said, “See I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” (Genesis 1:1-31)

God continued to give…

When man failed, He continued to love them. He had made promises (a covenant) to them. Promises that could not be broken. “My covenant (promise) I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.” (Psalm 89:34). These promises remain today and cannot be broken no matter what kind of behavior or sin you have committed. God’s blessing in your life is not based on your performance or proportional to what you do. That is unconditional love!

Genesis 12:1-7 confirms the blessing God gave to Abraham. “I will bless you,” God said.

· I will make your name great.

· You will be a blessing.

· I will bless them that bless you.

· I will curse those who curse you.

· In you, all the earth will be blessed.

This blessing was a covenant promise that could not be broken. It was based on love, God’s love for Abraham and his descendants. Despite Abraham’s disobedience and lying, the blessing remained.

God continued to give…

Despite the disobedience of God’s chosen people, He led them with a fire by day and cloud at night. He opened the Red Sea so they could escape from the enemy who was chasing them, and provided manna (heavenly food for them to eat) (Exodus 13:21; Exodus 14; Exodus 16:31,32; Acts 7:36)

God continued to give…

Jesus Christ, Son of God, became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Although Jesus was one with God, He possessed all the fullness and attributes of God, He humbled Himself, stripped Himself, of all rightful dignity and became a man; born as an infant, growing into childhood and then manhood, just like any other human being. (Philippians 2:5-7)

God continued to give…

“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)

God continued to give…

“And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself still further and carried His obedience (obedience to the plan of God) to the extreme of death, even death to the cross!” (Philippians 2:8) Jesus, the Servant of God, became an object of horror; many were astonished at Him. “His face and His whole appearance were marred more than any other man’s, and His form beyond that of the sons of men…” (Isaiah 52:14). This occurred because He was beaten beyond recognition; whipped, mocked, beat about the face, crowned with thorns, nailed to the cross and pierced with a spear. (John 19:1-3; John 19:17,18; John 19:34) In addition to the physical assault on His body, Jesus bore all of our sicknesses, weaknesses and distress in His body; He took our sins in His own body while on the cross, He who had never sinned. (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)

For the joy that was set before Jesus He went to the cross (Hebrews 12:2). You are the joy that was set before Him! He died for you! He died for your forgiveness, for you to be made righteous (right with God, just as if you never sinned; to make you a child of God), your physical and emotional healing, your soundness of mind, for you to have His strength, for you to be prosperous, for you to be protected. This is called salvation. The Greek for salvation is Sozo which means deliverance (from sin and death), preservation (protection), safety, soundness, and healing. So, Jesus died to bless you with all of these! Remember, the promise of God can never be broken and you can’t stop it!

God continued to give…

After Jesus death He rose from the dead (John 20: 1-18). Jesus lives! He appeared to the apostles after rising from the dead and after 40 days went to heaven to be with His Father (Acts 1:1-3; Acts 1:9-11). Now the devil thought Jesus, Son of God, was dead because He died on the cross. The devil thought that was the end of his problems. But it was through this act of death, followed by resurrection to life and resuming His heavenly place with the Father, that satan became a defeated foe! “Jesus disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them (satan), in triumphing over them in Him (Jesus) and in it (the cross)” (Colossians 2:15). Satan was brought to nothing! Jesus did this for you!

God continued to give…

Jesus departure made things look bad. After all, if He went away, what did the apostles have left; who would help them? But God had a plan, and because Jesus died, the plan could come to pass. The Holy Spirit of God was sent to take residence, to become one with the spirit of all the apostles. And when this happened ability and power came upon them. (Acts 1:4-8) Jesus had actually come to live in each one of them (John 17:22,23) through His Holy Spirit! For all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and believe in all that He did, they too are one with the Holy Spirit, “you are a temple of the Holy Spirit”; you were bought with the price of the spilt blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19,20).

God continues to give…

Remember those blessings you read about that God gave to Abraham, well because Jesus died those are now for you also. The blessings of Abraham have come upon you as a believer in Jesus (Galatians 3:13,14). And that is just the beginning. Every blessing ever spoken by the Word of God belongs to you because He loves you and sent His Son to be sacrificed so that you could live in His blessing!

And how do you know that God loves you…because He gave and continues to give

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16,17)

“For the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me (Jesus) and believed that I came forth from God.” (John 16:27)

“Not height not depth, not anything else in all creation (not even your faults or mistakes) will be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

“I (Jesus) are in them (all who believe), and You (God) are in Me; that they (all those who believe) may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:23)

“But God, so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, even when we were dead by our own shortcomings and sin, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ…” (Ephesians 2:4-6)

“May you know the love of Christ which surpasses mere knowledge…” (Ephesians 3:18,19)

You are pleasing to the Father, you have purpose, God is not ashamed of you!