CONSTANT AND BEYOND MEASURE

DEAR DR. GRAHAM: I like to read books that help me understand myself better, and one of the interesting facts I've run across is that if you grow up not liking yourself, then you'll always have a hard time liking other people. Does this mean someone like that can't love God, either? -- Mrs. A.N.


DEAR MRS. A.N.: No, it doesn't -- not at all. Admittedly, some people may have a harder time than others learning to love God; if you grew up thinking everyone disliked you, for example, you may end up falsely thinking that God doesn't like you either.


But no matter who we are or what our background has been, the greatest discovery we can ever make is that God loves us just as we are, and He wants to welcome us into His family just as we are. Others may fail us or even abuse us -- but God never does, because His love for us is constant and beyond measure.


How do I know this? I know it for one reason: Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, was willing to give His life so you and I could be forgiven of our sins and spend all eternity with Him in Heaven. Listen: If you had been the only person on earth who needed to be saved, Jesus Christ still would have been willing to die for you. God loves you that much! The Bible says, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10).


Don't let your feelings of worthlessness, or anything else, keep you from Christ. Down inside we all yearn to be loved, and even when others don't love us -- or even if we don't love ourselves -- God still loves us. Respond to His love today by asking Christ to come into your heart and life -- and He will.


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Jesus loved us so much that HE made the supreme sacrifice for us. He left Heaven, became a human, and died a cruel death on the cross so that we might be lost... once and for all.



Jesus shed His precious blood so that our sins would be forgiven and we would be "justified" with God. It would be " just as if I'd" never sinned.



When Jesus came into my heart, HE forgave all my sins... past, present, and future. HE gave His life as a sacrifice so that my sins would be taken from me. HE has removed them from me "as far as the east is from the west"... and even when I can't forgive myself, HE still forgives.


God's specialty is taking the guilty, the unloved, the undesirable, and the rejected... and using them for really important assignments in His work here on earth. Where ever we are today, God can make it better, God can take a "nothing" life and make it into a "something" life.



When God uses the regular everyday people like me and you to accomplish His plans, the praise that comes from a successful mission is sure to go to Him. There will be no doubt that you and I couldn't have done these great and mighty works in our own power.


I can tell you these statements are facts because I have experience with God. Over the last 35 years, HE has done miraculous things for me... Big things like protecting me from a tornado or healing the massive blockages that were found in my heart... all the way to little things... like showing me a sunset and filling my heart so full of love that I thought it would burst. Sunsets have become my own personal "love letter" from God each time I see one.


Time after time, God has shown His love and proven Himself faithful. He has met my financial needs when there seemed to be no way. He has touched my body, strengthening me and relieving my pain more times than I can remember. He has healed torn relationships and restored a lost daughter to me after 35 years apart.



Even when I have failed Him, He has continued to pour out His love on me... constant and beyond measure... always waiting for me to reach out to Him once again... and His love for you is just the same.


If you haven't made God part of your life, turn to Him today. Ask Him to forgive your sins and to come into your heart. He can take a messed up life and make it "clean and shiny".... transforming it into something entirely different. Experience the Love of God for your self. Reach out to Him. You have nothing to lose.... and EVERYTHING to gain.



And if you do know Him, make yourself available to Him. He can use you to accomplish the miraculous. All you have to do is be willing.

THE DUCK AND THE DEVIL

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.

He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.

He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.

Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly,

hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.

He was shocked and grieved.

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile,
only to see his sister watching!

Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said,
"Sally, let's wash the dishes."

But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me
he wanted to help in the kitchen."
Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?"
So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children
wanted to go fishing and Grandma said,
"I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."
Sally just smiled and said,
"Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help."
She whispered again, "Remember the duck?"
So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing
both his chores and Sally's,
he finally couldn't stand it any longer.

He came to Grandma and confessed that
he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug,
and said, "Sweetheart, I know.
You see, I was standing at the window
and I saw the whole thing,
but because I love you, I forgave you.
I was just wondering how long you would let
Sally make a slave of you."

~~~~ Thought for the day~~~~

and every day thereafter?

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done...

and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face

(lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...
whatever it is...

You need to know that God was standing at the window...

and He saw the whole thing...

He has seen your whole life.
He wants you to know that He loves you
and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long
you will let the devil make a slave of you.

“There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus..."
Romans 8:1

The great thing about God is that
when you ask for forgiveness,
He not only forgives you,

but He forgets.

It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.

Always remember: God is at the window.

PRECIOUS GIFT

The Precious Gift that Jesus gave us... His cleansing blood shed once… for all... redeemed us from the punishment that was ours. His sacrifice "bought us back" from the penalty of our sins. Our sins were forgiven... PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.

Our enemy satan is called "the accuser of the brethren". One of the "devices" of the enemy is to accuse us to ourselves... to bring up our faults... past sins... or poor choices. His aim is to distract us from the changes that occurred in each of us when we received Jesus as Lord and Master of our lives.

We must keep our minds stayed on who we are "in Christ"... and refuse to be "side-tracked" by satan's lies. We can’t allow his accusations to "take root" in our hearts and in our minds.

The Word says,
"I AM . . .

1. A child of God (Romans 8:16)

2. Redeemed from the Hand of the Enemy (Psalms 107:2)

3. Forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14)

4. Saved by Grace through Faith (Ephesians 2:8)

5. Justified (Romans 5:1)

6. Sanctified (1 Corinthians 6:11)

7. A New Creature (2 Corinthians 5:17)

8. Partaker of His Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4)

9. Redeemed from the Curse of the law (Galatians 3:13)

10. Delivered from the Powers of Darkness (Colossians 1:13)

11. Led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14)

12. A Son of God (Romans 8:14)

13. Kept in Safety Wherever I Go (Psalms 91:11)

14. Getting All My Needs Met by Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:19)

15. Casting All My cares upon Jesus (1 Peter 5:7)

16. Strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might (Ephesians 6:10)

17. Doing All Things through Christ Who Strengthens Me (Philippians 4:13)

18. An Heir with God and a Joint Heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17)

19. Heir to the Blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14)

20. Observing and Doing the Lord's Commandments (Deuteronomy 28:12)

21. Blessed Coming in and Blessed Going out (Deuteronomy 26:6)

22. An Heir of Eternal Life (1 John 5:11-12)

23. Blessed with All Spiritual Blessings (Ephesians 1:3)

24. Healed by His Stripes (1 Peter 2:24)

25. Exercising My Authority over the Enemy (Luke 10:19)

26. Above Only and Not Beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13)

27. More than a Conqueror (Romans 8:37)

28. Establishing God's Word Here on Earth (Matthew 16:19)

29. An Over comer by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of My Testimony (Revelation 12:11) 30. Daily Overcoming the Devil (1 John 4:4)

31. Not Moved by What I See (2 Corinthians 4:18)

32. Walking by Faith and Not by Sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

33. Casting Down Vain Imaginations (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

34. Bringing Every Thought into Captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5)

35. Being Transformed by Renewing My Mind (Romans 12:1-2)

36. A Laborer Together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9)

37. The Righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

38. An Imitator of Jesus (Ephesians 5:1)

39. The Light of the World (Matthew 5:14)

40. Blessing the Lord at All Times and Continually praising the Lord with My Mouth "(Psalms 34:1)

The power of reading and meditating upon God's Word will renew our minds and remind us that we are "joint heirs" with Jesus Christ. It is because of Jesus that we have hope for tomorrow.