"LOVE REVEALED"...Part One

This is a writing that was authored for a class that is being given at a Bible College in San Jose, CA. The first installment is the one posted today. Every Thursday for the next seven weeks there will be a new installment of this lesson. We hope that our readers will be blessed and enriched by this teaching.

God bless

Corinne Mustafa

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Thursday Devotional 6/6/13

Definition of revealed- To make known, to disclose

My daughter, God made known, 

He revealed to you His love through His Son Jesus Christ.  

He gave up His Son for you!  Oh my God what love you have revealed. 

"Behold what manner of Love"

Behold what manner of LOVE the Father has bestowed on us, 

that we should be called children of God.....

1John 3:1a NKJV

Behold, see and taste, know and experience the love our God gave to you.  God's love is an unselfish love, a love that was given from Himself.  His love is that of a father's love.  I know for some of you, you think father is a dirty word.  I know I did, in fact I thought a father was only a sperm donor, one who would make promises and very rarely keep them, one who would use you to pick up a one night stand, one who could not be trusted, one whose alcohol was more important than you, one who walked away and left you. I could go on and on.  

But I am here to tell you the word Father is not a dirty word.  Let me enlighten you on the definition of a father.  He is the founder, the originator, the author of a family. He is the one who has supplied all of your needs, gives generously to his children. He has committed himself to you.  He reaches out to you whether in need or not.  He waits patiently for you.  He gives of himself.  He is your healer, your provider, your peace and your joy.  He has not and will not judge your past, present or future sins.  He is the lover of your soul.  

Who is this Father that I speak of? He is the living God, He is your creator, the one who has great and marvelous plans for you.  The one who knew you before you were created in your mother's womb.  The one who sent His only begotten son.  In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  That He would be your identity.  Oh my beloved He revealed His love through His son, Jesus Christ, that you would live and breathe, that you would be among the living.  He sent His Son so you would not be lifeless, that you would enjoy the real life, the life that He created for you.  Ah that you should be called a child of God, His off spring, What a privilege you have been given.

My identity was always about what I could do and how much I could do. And how perfect I could do it.  The more I did, the more good stuff I did would wash away how I felt about myself.  The more I did, the more people would like me and not be able to see the real me, the scared insignificant person that I thought I was.  The one who thought I could never be good enough or do good enough, always falling short of everything I did...always believing I fell short of being a good wife especially since I was on my third marriage...always trying to be a perfect mom, a perfect daughter, a perfect sister, a perfect friend, a perfect leader. I made my identity in trying to be perfect.  

Do you know that trying to be perfect just causes more chaos.   Inside I was a mess always condemning myself telling myself you could have done this better or why did you say that or why did you not speak up.  Or I should be more like whoever it was.  I was an angry mess.  I did not know who I was in Christ; I did not know I was the beloved of Father God.  I only knew that Father God sent His Son, Jesus, so that I would have eternal life in heaven. I had no idea it was about a relationship with God the Father, through Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit.  

I remember how I found out that it was all about relationship, I overheard our Associate Pastor's wife, Laurel, telling someone else about a relationship with Jesus.  That is all I pretty much remember her saying when it got me thinking about what a relationship was, especially one with Jesus.  Oh my beloved, He revealed His love through His son Jesus Christ that we would live and breathe, that we would be among the living.  I did not know He sent His Son so that I would not be lifeless, so that I would enjoy the real life, the life that He created for me.  I did not know that I could have a relationship with Him.  

Ah that I should be called a child of God, His off spring. What a privilege! It is He who has given to me the not perfect me.  Beloved, I have been made perfect in Him, just as you have been made perfect in Him as well.  We do not have to try to be perfect; we have already been made perfect in Him.  Glory to God.

We are His offspring, 

we are his children, His DNA runs through us. 

Blessings!
Written by

Kathryn Hanson

CO-Director of Charis Bible College, San Jose, CA