Jeremiah 31:1-3
At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
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.
Questions for reflection:
Have we found grace in the wilderness?
Are we resting in the Lord?
How are we responding to His everlasting love?
***
I'm gonna get my feet wet, and dip into the anabaptist board for a bit....I personally grew up nondenominational, in a church that could easily pass for anabaptist but never used a label. I married into a family that were brethren from long long long ago. Today we go to a brethren church, my husband laughs at how similar Alexandar Mack and I are in beliefs (Mack being the "founder" of the Brethren in case anyone didn't know)
Now that the formality is done, the questions...btw, I am very interested in the topic of love right now...
Questions for reflection:
Have we found grace in the wilderness?[/quote] how could we not find grace in wilderness, or other...I think grace finds us, we don't always see it, recognize it, want it, but it always finds us and longs for us to be envoleped by it.
Are we resting in the Lord?
I'm a bit confused by the word we, who we are we talking about? I am learning to rest in God's grace, I think like salvation, it's something that we much purpose daily, even moment by moment. We are currently in a situation that is very difficult for us...we have a family member that could help us, but they refuse. It is hard to not see our future, our families health and safety as something that is in the hands of the family member who could help but refuses, but resting in the Lord is about trusting HIM and HIM alone, understanding HIS authority over all, including but not limited to that family member. Our fate is never reliant on another, but always, only reliant on God. When we grasp that with both head and heart, we find rest. Situations, struggles, even the whispers of the world and demons alike, can draw our rest from us, as we struggle against what God has chosen for us. Trusting in God's authority, restores that rest to us, a rest that waits for HIM.
How are we responding to His everlasting love?
again, the word we is a bit confusing to me, but as to responding to HIs love, that one should though seldom is it, be easy. The love God wants from us is the same Love we find in I Cor. 13. It's a love that is everlasting, eternal, undeniably from the HS within. It is learning to trust, learning to live in His grace. When we wait patiently for God we are loving HIm, when we are patient and kind to others we are loving HIm. When we allow the aroma of Christ to fill the air around us, we are loving HIm...when we love with the same sacrificial love, the same dieing to self, the same servanthood that Christ showed us, we are responding to His everlasting love the way He intended for us to, in both spirit and truth, with fellowship and spirit nature.
hopefully I didn't already wear out my welcome with this long reply.
, is to learn how to forgive people, just as the Lord is able to forgive His children[/quote]Forgiveness is indeed part of love...praise the Lord.
