Christianity Oasis Forum

[momof3]

This program began this morning. I'm opening this thread cuz its gonna be a progressive program and i would love feedback from the Holy Spirit through all of you.

Please feel free to post anything the Holy Spirit leads you to say. It's my prayer that this will be an interactive thread and through it, we may grow and learn more about God's agape love for us and how He uses it through us.

the following was today's topic..

Why is it, do you think so many people are bombarded by their past sins and live in the guilt and shame of those sins even though they are saved?

It's not only a tool the enemy uses against God's children but what if it's also caused by just not understanding how God's love is truly unconditional?

Over the next several weeks I'd like to take a look at what God says in His word and also look at just what God's unconditional Agape love is.

Let's take a look at one of the very foundational scriptures God has shown about His heart and how He feels about us. Ready for some truth?

Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

What does this scripture say to you?

Let's break it down...

Before I formed thee...Before I (God) created you...I knew thee...I (God) knew you.

what does it mean to know someone?

If you know someone, you know the good about them, you know the bad about them, you know all sides to their quirky behaviors, and you know what makes them tick. To truly know someone means you know all the different positive attributes about them, as well as the things they struggle with, right?

Knowing another doesnt come close to knowing them the way we would if we had created them ourselves. Would you say then, that God, being our creater certainly knows EVERY detail about who we are? even the sin we struggle with?

Let's break down the next part of that scripture...

Jeremiah 1:5...and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

before you came out of the womb I (God) sanctified you...ordained you...

What does sanctification mean?

American Heritage dictionary defines sancify as this..

sanc·ti·fy

TRANSITIVE VERB:
sanc·ti·fied, sanc·ti·fy·ing, sanc·ti·fies
1: To set apart for sacred use; consecrate.
2: To make holy; purify.
3: To give religious sanction to, as with an oath or vow: sanctify a marriage.
4: To give social or moral sanction to.
5: To make productive of holiness or spiritual blessing.

what does ordained mean?

American Heritage dictionary defines it as this...

or·dain (r-dn) KEY

TRANSITIVE VERB:
or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains

1: a: To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on.
b: To authorize as a rabbi.

2: To order by virtue of superior authority; decree or enact.
To prearrange unalterably; predestine

I dont know about you, but the spirit within me is jumping for joy right now. If this is true...and it is His heart speaking to us..as sinful as we are, as sinful as we have been in our lives, His heart is saying that He knows..right?

He has made us pure and virtuous and holy and called...and we know that this was done through the blood of Jesus on the cross. This is how much He loves us.

He knew every step we going to take before we were born. He knew every mistake, every thought, every breath we were going to take and He still called us.

Let's look at the next part of that scripture...

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

Don't we all do that? Have you ever said to God, I can't do that..im a sinner, i'm a child, i'm too far gone, i've sinned too much?

Look at what God says..

Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

See, its not us that is speaking when He sends us to reach out to someone. It doesnt matter to Him where we have been or what we have done. He wants to use us now, where we are, He wants to work through us.

It's Him..His words, His leading, His love that is speaking through us. We are just sinners, saved by Grace..sanctified and ordained by Him, by His Grace and mercy, given through the blood of Jesus on the cross.

Now lets look at the most sacrificial thing God did to prove His love for us.

Parts of the following are taken from the book the Love Dare written by Stephen Kendricks and Alex Kendricks: Day 20

Love is Jesus

Romans 5:6
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Jesus has come to seek and to save you (Luke 19:10). Everything you have failed at and haven't been able to do, every minute you've wasted trying to fix things your own way...all of it can be forgiven and made right by putting your life into the hands of the One who first gave it to you......

The bible says we are sinful from birth, from the moment we arrive...
(Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.)

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment..(Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.)


It's not as though God sends innocent people to hell. We deserve it. We simply can't be good enough to live with a pure and holy God. However, God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9)

Jesus did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant...He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross (Phillippians 2:6-8)

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness: for by His wounds we are healed (1 Peter 2:24).

He made invalid the very idea that you are unloved and devalued. If you ever feel that way, you're not looking at the cross closely enough. He proved His love for you there.

Love like this can't be fully understood, nor can love like this be earned. It is a free gift from a holy, loving God. This love must be received from the One who gives it freely. When we begin to grasp the concept of His love..the free unconditonal gift, not because of who we are or what we have done, or havent done...but because it is Who He is..we will begin to understand and accept His mercy and love in our hearts.

Next week, let's start looking into what Agape love is as found in 1 Corinthians. It's only in this love can we ever begin to understand His mercy and how He uses that same love to heal us deep within, grow us, and lead us to live in freedom from our pasts...on to being able to love others with it. Hope to see ya all there.

love you all so very much. Please share as you feel led.

in Jesus,
love momo

[Tam]

momo thanks! for posting that here. Would love to attend your sessions but I at work that time of day.
Really enjoyed reading this
Love ya

[Dora]

Momof3!

That was a beautiful program!
I am excited about what the Lord will do through it!

What better subject than on the Love of God!

It blows me away to think that he knew me, BEFORE I was made and he loved me then, even though he knew what a mess I'd be!

God is so good!

You brought so much life to that scripture. To know me, not just know me like two people passing on the road and waving, oh yeah I know that guy, that's so and so.

Oh no! This is knowing us, as in knowing every cell, every thought, ever fear, every doubt, ever insecurity. He knows what makes us smile, what tomorrow will bring, what he will accomplish through us. And loves us so completely that we can not comprehend. His love is so great! He knows we will fall down and yet he loves us anyway. Because he has claimed us as his own. Made us holy before we were born.

Woo Hoo! Jumping for joy with you momof3!!!

Get on board little children! There is room for many on board!

He gives us joy, in the midst of struggle.

Greatly Blessed and Greatly Stretched!
No better way than to be in His hands.

luv ya momof3! You are such a blessing!!*hug5*