God's love in tough times

Romans 5:3-5 ...we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

We can look at hard times a completely different way than the world does. They may have endurance for a time and hard times may shape their character. But we have hope. Hope that points to a God that is a rescuer, a redeemer. This scripture says hope does not disappoint or put us to shame because in our hope God's love is poured out on our hearts through the Holy Spirit who God gave us.

I can honestly say I knew the hard times would teach me valuable things about God but I had never seen the last part of that verse about God pouring His love into my heart. What was interesting was I had been driving around town and I just couldn't shake this feeling of love. Ya know the kind when you first fall in love with your spouse and you just walk around knowing someone loves you? It's the silly smile, skip in your step kind of feeling.

When we were going through some pretty rough times I started having this "loved" feeling. I was so confused by it because this feeling didn't match my circumstances at all. I asked a friend of ours and he mentioned this verse. I had known the first part of the scripture of what hard times would develop in me but had never seen the part about God pouring out His love - which exactly matched the feeling I had been having. God was showing me in the midst of my hard times how much He loved me. Look for it... He wants to show you too.

Tucker vs the Plunger

This morning as I was getting ready for work, Tucker my lab/rottie mix was walking through the bathroom and somehow saw the plunger in his vision. He stopped abruptly and his tail curled as if he was in tracking mode. He would lean in and try to get a whiff of the plunger (ewww!), then back up and let out a little cry in frustration because he couldn't seem to figure out if the plunger was another dog or a really short person. I sat back and watched this scene as Tucker was more and more distraught at this new discovery, wishing my family was here to see this.

Then the most precious thing happened. Tucker noticed where I was in relation to the plunger and his realized that he needed to protect me from this disgusting necessary evil in the restroom. The next thing I knew Tucker had put his back to me and he was standing facing the plunger, protecting me, ready to lunge if anything unexpected happened. In the face of danger, through his own fear, he would choose to save me first.

What a precious love you extend to me Tucker! Here I thought you would ward off intruders or boys who wanted to date my daughters, but you have taken it to a new level. Thank you Tucker for saving me from the evil plunger. I don't know what I would have done without you. :)

Mercy over Sacrafice

Matt 9:13 "Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
vs 34 "But the Pharisees said "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."

The Pharisees thought they knew "the formula" to get God to act. They had mastered the law and everyone knew they were in a place of position. Their knowledge and position became the stumbling block and kept them from being able to see who Jesus really was. How sad that they had spent so much time learning the ways of God but yet they didn't recognize His own Son. I found it sad that they knew the law in text and theory, but the ways of God had not changed them... they were not transformed by God but were robots of the law, unteachable for what God had truly intended for His people.

I took 2 things from this:
1. I need to experience God in my life. I need to not only read His Word and study the things of God but I need to see that God is working around me; healing people, loving people back to Him, rescuing people, defending His people - He is alive and relational. He desires a relationship with us. If I just look to the Word but never looked for the fruit of that word around me, I would miss the whole experience of God and who He really is. Jesus was an example of the experience of God. The law fulfilled.

2. So powerful where Jesus says "Learn what this means - I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Jesus wanted us to break free from the law. He wanted to give mercy because that represents something that would happen in a relationship. God wants a relationship with us. Why? So He can reveal Himself to us. I need both - His word and I need to experience God, His word at work.