I so enjoy seeing all the spring flowers pop up through the ground again!
I love to smell their sweet fragrance riding on the gentle morning breeze.
It is a reminder that the cold winter is behind us while fresh, warm days
are ahead. I had one of those "flowers" pop up through the ground of my
heart during my quiet time, a tender reminder of the wonderful fragrance
of God's love for me. Let me share it with you...
Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV)
The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
This verse reminded me of the spring flowers because the verity of God's
love for us appears again and again in our lives, day in and day out,
year after year. It is an everlasting love! It chases away those "cold,
winter days" that we experience in our Christian life, and fills our nostrils
with the fragrance of truth, comfort, and security in knowing that God's
love will always be there! Another verse found in Song of Solomon pointed
out that God's love is something we should run after, rejoice in, and
remember…
Song Of Solomon 1:4 (KJV)
Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers:
we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than
wine: the upright love thee.
Folks say that when spring is in the air, love is in the air… Love's fragrance
has a drawing effect upon us, doesn't it? The Bible says the Lord has
drawn us to Him with loving kindness. As I reflect back on the "springtime"
of my life when I first became interested in boys, I can recall how I
was drawn by the kindnesses they exhibited in picking me flowers, buying
me candy, opening doors for me, carrying my books etc. Consequently, I
was persuaded to chase the boys that were nicest to me! Remember those
days, ladies?? So too, the Lord's love has the same effect upon us - or
should! He has performed so many special kindnesses for us, the first
being His death on the cross, so that we might live with Him forever in
Heaven… What a drawing power sacrificial love has upon our hearts! "We
will run after thee,” states the verse above. Are you chasing after a
closer relationship with the Lord, dear lady? We cannot help being spiritually
attracted to God because of His loving kindnesses toward us - much greater
than the way we were attracted to boys who were kind! Yes, God's love
is a magnet to the upright in heart.
Another effect that love has upon us is that it causes us to be glad and
rejoice in the object of our love. Remember feeling that way about your
husband before marriage? (I hope you still do!) You just couldn't wait
to be in his presence; this particular man was all you could talk about
to anybody that would listen! You rejoiced in your heart just thinking
about him, thinking about his love for you and your love for him - it
absolutely filled you from head to toe! I wonder, do we feel that way
about our Savior?? Do we still have the same feelings for Jesus as we
did when we first got saved, when we first realized His great love for
us as we called upon His name for salvation? Are we still talking about
the Lord to anybody and everybody that will listen? The same way that
the Lord drew you to Him is the way God wants to draw others through you
- but we have to lift Christ up in our lives! As believers, we should
rejoice in the Lord always so that our lives will become a magnet of God's
love...
John 12:32 (KJV)
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
We've seen how we need to run after and rejoice in God's love, but what
do we need to remember about God's love? Scripture points out to us that
there are things we obviously forget about God's love for us. It's easy
to get a warped view of love from living in this world, amen? The Bible
says in James 1:14 that man's lust draws him away from God's love and
into sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death. As you look
around at the condition of most marriages today (even Christian marriages!),
love doesn't seem to last anymore. There is a death to human love… So
many couples have divorced, their human love having reached its limits.
Many more are in the process of being divorced and are separated at this
very moment, for they can no longer stand being around each other. Such
poor examples of love can persuade you to lose hope; but God's Word says
in Romans 8:38-39:
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ladies, this is what God wants us to remember about His love - that we
cannot be separated from it!! Such love is only available to us through
a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope that each of you have
a love relationship with God through His Son! What security this brings
to our souls, what freedom from fear of rejection!
John 6:37 (KJV)
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me: and him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out.
Even though we may be surrounded by unstable relationships, we can still
be sure of God's everlasting love for us! However, you will only rejoice
in this truth if you are persuaded. ARE you persuaded, dear lady? Do you
believe that there is anything that can separate you from the love of
God? How can you be so sure?
The answer lies within this passage of scripture in 2 Tim. 1:12:
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not
ashamed: FOR I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED, and am persuaded that he is
able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.
The key to being persuaded that nothing can separate you from God's love
is in knowing the Lord! How well would you say you know the Lord today?
Your knowledge of Him is the measure of the depth of your persuasion that
HE IS ABLE. Knowing someone well enough will persuade you of their character.
God's character is one of ability. His ability is not based on our persuasion;
rather it is based on who He is! Our ability to rest in the truth that
we can never be separated from His love is based on our knowing Him through
His Word.
God has promised to love us forever and He IS able to do that which He
promised!
Romans 4:21 (KJV)
And being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able also
to perform.
Deepen your relationship with the One you believed could save your soul
from hell for all of eternity, and you will discover that HE IS ABLE!
Let the Word of God fully persuade you - plant some seeds of assurance
in your life! The promise of God’s undying love will become a beautiful
spring flower that will bud forth in the ground of your heart year after
year....
Thank you Lord for adding the fragrance of springtime to our hearts with
the reminder of your everlasting love! It smells so good to our soul!
We will run after Thee, we will be glad and rejoice in Thee, and we will
remember Thy love.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
