It can be so easy to forget that our loving heavenly Father really wants what is best for us. He proved this by sending his most prized possession, his Son, to die for us and to save us from a life of meaningless pursuits that will only end in emptiness and pain.

At first, these words took me off guard, because rarely do we humans think about our children doing horrible things. But then the Christlikeness of that statement hit me hard. Isn’t this exactly how God feels toward us? Listening to the emotion in this man’s voice as he spoke, I realized how God must feel when we continue to doubt His love and push it aside due to guilt or shame.

Part of being created in God's image means He gave us a mind to know Him, a will to choose Him and a heart to love Him. He isn’t interested in forcing us into submission—He longs for us to come to Him freely, trusting that He will lovingly lead us in the way we should go. And when we do (with His help), He surrounds us and fills us with His unfailing love…Lord, help us to trust you more each day!

Even in our afflictions God wants to satisfy us with his love.  In God’s love we can always find satisfaction, if we choose, because his love for us never fades away. He proved his unfailing love for us through Jesus who laid down his life so that we could take up ours and experience an everlasting satisfaction in Him.

As I sit and reflect, I am incredibly grateful for the way God continually provides for my family and for the community of believers we are a part of who (not perfectly but) faithfully demonstrate His generous love toward others. Thank You Lord!

I once heard someone use this thermometer vs. thermostat analogy in a discussion about attitude and behavior, and it really resonated with me.

In our daily lives, we face situations that feel beyond our control. Some people act like thermometers, merely reflecting their environment—joyful when things are good and discouraged when they aren't. Others function like thermostats, intentionally setting the emotional tone in their lives. The difference between a thermometer and a thermostat reveals an important truth:

It's only when we completely surrender and lose ourselves that we increasingly find the resurrection life, joy, hope and peace that Jesus offers. This is not a decision that is made once, but many times over and over as we are reminded of the Gospel – and it changes our hearts.

This week, reflect on how perfectionism or feelings of inadequacy may be holding you back. Ask God to reveal the depths of His perfect love and how it can drive out those fears.

God doesn't just love you. As a bonus - He likes you! The Bible says He delights in those who fear Him. He created you and placed you on this earth for a purpose, and He loves nothing more than spending time with you. One of my favorite places this occurs in the Bible is Psalm 18:19 - "He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."

Do you love Jesus? Is He at work in your heart and life? If you do and if He is, then you will talk about Him. And when we talk about Christ our hearts will be increasingly stirred with affection for Him!

The longer we know someone, the more likely we are to be hurt or irritated by them. It is inevitable. However, as Christians we are called to keep each other accountable and help each other grow.

This story reminded me that it's not our job to change people. That's God's job. He simply sends us to love people so they can come to know the Fathers love through us. God has perfectly and generously loved you and me so that we can generously share his love with others in word and deed.

My prayer has been that God would remind me of this early and often as I go about my day and that I would not be quick to forget God’s goodness toward me all of my days.

WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, God sent His Son. God did not send His Son when we were clean of the puke. He did not send His Son when we got our act together. God meets us in our mess and cleans up our mess by the blood of Christ because just as River can't clean up himself, neither can we. Why does God clean up our mess? Because just as one might say it's a mother's nature to love their child, love actually is God's nature! He is the only one capable of perfect love.

Our shared love for Jesus should unite us no matter how we vote, what music we like or what translation of the Bible we read. In Philippians 2 we see the apostle Paul's joy wasn't in ones team dominance, it was in one loves unity. Mom always said Philippians 2 was Jesus’ Christmas list. Let's give Him what he wants and by the power of the Spirit love one another.