A Love Beyond Measure…
“The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”
Exodus 34:6 NLT
This morning, as I sit high above the ocean watching the waves crash upon the shore, I find myself reminiscing about my oldest daughter, Caity Grace. Tomorrow she turns 18, and that is hard to believe. My baby girl is growing up so fast.
I miss the days when she was little and relied on me for everything. Now she is pretty independent and can handle most things life throws her way. I feel like her mother and I have done a pretty good job preparing her for life in general.
However, there are still times when she calls me or walks up and asks a simple yet powerful question—a question that brings a smile to my face and sometimes fear to my soul.
That question is: “Dad, how much do you love me?”
Usually, that question comes with a sly grin because she wants or “needs” something. It brings a smile to my face because, in that moment, she still needs her daddy. It also brings a little fear to my soul because I start wondering how much it’s going to cost me! LOL.
But in all seriousness, I love it when she asks that question, no matter what she needs. The reason is simple: Caity knows that I love her beyond measure. That is something I tell her and her sister, Megan, quite often.
As I think about that phrase—I love you beyond measure—I am reminded this morning of God’s immeasurable love for us. Throughout Scripture, I have found one truth repeated over and over again: God’s love for us is both unfailing and faithful. In fact, this theme appears more than 150 times throughout the book of Psalms. God is faithful to love us, and His love never fails.
Ed Newton, pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, wrote:
“God’s love is four-dimensional—wide enough to embrace every person, long enough to last through all eternity, high enough to lift you to Heaven, and deep enough to find you in your darkest moment. This is a love that cannot be exhausted or measured.”
Talk about a love that is unfailing and beyond measure! Talk about a love that is faithful!
That love embraces every person on this planet—including me and you. That’s right, you, the one reading this. His love is unconditional and never expires. I don’t know if you realize how long eternity is, but it has no end—and neither does God’s love for you.
Have you ever looked up into the sky on a clear night and seen the stars? Those stars are millions of miles away, yet God’s love reaches even farther than that. And what about the depth of His love in our darkest moments?
I don’t know about you, but I have walked through some deep and dark seasons in my life—times when I thought the pain would never end. Yet when I look back, I can clearly see that it was God’s faithful and unfailing love that carried me through.
This morning, I am thankful for a love that truly is beyond measure—the love that Abba Father has for me. It is unfailing, and it remains faithful even when I am not faithful to Him. Which reminds me of my favorite passage where Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” in John 21—but that’s a post for another day.
So today, are you thankful for a love that is beyond measure?
Father, thank You for Your unfailing and faithful love. Thank You for loving me even when I feel unlovable. Your love truly is beyond measure. Amen.
Listening to Ocean Waves and Red Flags.
“Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice…”
Hebrews 3:15a NLT
“I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.”
Psalms 85:8 NLT
Vacation is here! Before everyone got up, I decided to take a jog down the beach. Well, in all honesty, it was more of a slow trot with some walking mixed in. It was harder than I thought it would be, but I got it done!
Afterward, I sat out on the balcony and spent some time reading and journaling while watching and listening to the waves roll onto the shore. It was so peaceful. Even though the cool ocean breeze was blowing pretty hard, I could still hear the sound of the waves crashing. So relaxing.
The sun was shining bright, but we probably won’t be getting into the ocean today because of the strong tides. It’s a double red flag 🚩🚩 day.
I’ll come back to that in a moment.
As I sat there enjoying the peaceful sounds of the ocean, I felt the Spirit say, “Jacob, if you would listen to Me more, you would have more peace.”
As I thought about that statement, I realized that much of the chaos and stress in my life comes from not listening to God. I thought about all the times I lacked peace, and often it was because I ignored God’s warnings—you know, those red flags 🚩🚩.
Every morning, the beach authorities determine whether it is safe to enter the ocean. When there are double red flags flying, it means stay out! The danger is real, even if you can’t see it from the shore.
God does the same thing in my life through the Holy Spirit. Time and time again, He warns me about things that will only bring chaos, stress, and heartache. He sees dangers ahead that I cannot see.
As I sat on the balcony listening to the waves, I began to wonder: What if I listened to God’s voice the same way I was listening to the ocean? What if I tuned my heart to Him with that same attentiveness?
How much more peaceful would my life be?
When God directs my life and shows me warning signs, I need to listen. He knows what’s ahead of me. He sees what I cannot see. Just as those red flags on the beach are there for my protection, God’s warnings are given for my good.
I need to listen to God’s voice more.
I need more peace in my life.
How about you? Do you listen to the red flags?
Prayer
Lord, help me listen to Your voice as You guide my life. Give me the wisdom to recognize Your warnings and the courage to obey them. As I follow Your direction, fill my heart with the peace that only You can give. Amen.
Why to Have Hope!
There are times in our lives that we face things that seem overwhelming and too difficult for us to handle. We face trying times where we feel like we are trapped between a rock and a hard place with no way out. There are circumstances in our lives where we just want to throw up our hands and give up! It is during these times that we begin losing hope. We believe there is nothing that can be done to help us during these devastating times. But the truth is, Read More…
3 Powerful Word!
Words are powerful. More powerful than most people like to admit. Scripture teaches that the tongue has the power to bring life or death. (Proverbs 18:21) That one verse is ever true in my own life. Our words have the power to either build someone up or tear them down. Read More…
Ignite Your Influence!
“Everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone.” John C. Maxwell.
This is one of my favorite all time quotes due to the truth that is behind it. Several years back I was in a Bible study and the topic of influence came up and I quoted Maxwell’s statement about how everyone influences someone. However, I added to what he said. I said, “Everyone influences someone and you either influence them for the good or for the bad. There is someone watching you weather you realize it or not.” Now, I don’t remember if I had read that somewhere or if I heard someone else say that, but it doesn’t really matter. The truth is, what I said was true. I have people who are watching me, even when don’t know they are watching me. The way I live my life influences Read More…
No Fear?
The Lie
Back in the early to mid-90’s there was a clothing brand that came out that seemed to take the world by storm for a little while. The clothing brand was called No Fear (logo pictured above). The No Fear brand was related to extreme sports and the idea that those who wore the logo had “No Fear”. Everyone was wearing their shirts with these two words were printed on each shirt. The answer is yes, Read More…
My Daughter has a Dream Too!
Ever since my children were born, my prayer for them has been that the Lord would use them in a mighty and powerful way. I hope that most parents have a dream that children grow up and will make a difference in this world. I know I do and today I started to see this happening. This morning my wife, Holly, sent me a picture of something my 6-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, wrote for school. She had to write about her dreams for the world based on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Read More…
The Voice: It isn’t Just a Reality Show
I like watching reality TV shows that are based on competitions. I must confess, that I have never watched the music reality show “The Voice.” The closest that I have come to watching it has been the few videos on Facebook. During the first episode of the show, the judge’s backs are to the contestant so that the only thing they can judge is the contestant’s voices. As the contestants sing, they try to win over one of the judges with their voices so that they will be chosen to be mentored. This is nothing new as it is with most of the reality TV shows today; they all have the same basic concepts. Contestants are trying to be heard or seen by using their “voices” i.e. their words, actions or talents. However, long before “The Voice” aired, actually even before television, Read More…
Are You Picky?
I have a confession to make… growing up I was picky! Yes, I was picky when it came to the food on my plate at dinner time. I wouldn’t eat it if I didn’t like the way it looked. Yes, I was picky! My mom would say, “Jacob, stop being so picky, you’re missing out on some good foods!” However, I wouldn’t listen. Remember, I was picky. However, now that I am an adult; I learned to not being as picky about my food. I do try new things and my mom would be proud of me and of course, mom was right; I missed out on a lot of good foods.
However, I’m still picky and I bet you are too! Read More…
Finding “Rare” Coin!
As a kid I remember sitting in class at Amboy Elementary waiting for my prize for selling candy or some other contest at school. The teacher called my name and I got up and walked towards her with anticipation. With great excitement I reached out and received my prize. I looked down and I saw something that was round and silver with a lady on the front of it. I knew it was some kind of coin, but this coin was unlike the quarters, dimes, nickels or even the silver half-dollars that I had seen before. I later found out that it was a Susan B. Anthony dollar. As a young boy I thought I had something very rare, and I started looking for other types of coins. I found more Susan B’s, which wasn’t as valuable as I thought, along with some silver dollars and a couple of half-dollars with Kennedy on the front of them. However, I did come across another “rare” coin Read More…
Finding Your Purpose!
Jacob has a passion to help people come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and help find the purpose that God created them for then live out that purpose. His mission in life can be summed up by three things: Loving God, Loving People, and Serving Both!
You will find all kinds of resources that will help you grow in your relationship with Christ.
"I hope that this blog will help you find encouragement and your purpose in life as you grow closer to Jesus Christ!" - Jacob
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