April Encouragement

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Blessings on this beautiful April 1st day,

 

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

 

There is something so wonderful, beautiful and incredibly powerful about the love of God, especially in light of Holy Week, reflecting upon His extravagant sacrifice and the extraordinary power of His Resurrection. 

 

Lately, I have been reminded that every moment of life is a gift! All of our lives, even in the mess & challenge, are gifts from our Maker. It can sound cliche to say, but it’s absolutely true even when our hearts feel otherwise. 

 

Our Lord is the most compassionate person we will ever know! He is daily working in our lives to cultivate beauty from our ashes, both past and present. Recently, I’ve been very humbled by praying for many with deep and difficult needs. Sometimes, I have felt very overwhelmed by the need, but then I remember who my God has been to me over my lifetime… I remember who He has been to those whom I love…I remember who He has been throughout HisStory and I see how He is moving in our lives today! He always faithfully loves and cares for His children and will never stop because He is a God in covenant with us. 

 

Last week, I read about Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer. It was amazing to see how God used their marriage to communicate to Israel His faithful love for them even in the midst of their consistent waywardness and idolatry.  God is committed to us just as He was and is to Israel, even with repeatedly wandering away from Him. He will pursue us again and again and again! God’s words in Hosea are, 

 

 “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭14‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

 

I’m deeply comforted & encouraged as I meditate upon the love of God for us and the mercy He shows us daily. Moreover, His patient and undying love challenges and compels me to love others more than I do now. 

 

Above, in Ephesians 3:14-19, Paul communicates the following truths: 

-God is the Father of all families

-He desires our inner being to be strengthened by the empowerment of Holy Spirit, so we can know Christ by faith

-Then, being rooted & grounded in LOVE, we will have strength as His children to understand the greatness/vastness of God’s LOVE

-This will result in being filled with all the fullness of God! 

 

LOVE is foundational to our root system as followers of Christ and will yield the greatest results and wealth of “being filled with all the fullness of God.”

This phrase always leaves me speechless! What does it mean to be filled with “all the fullness of God”?!  What does that look like in terms of measurement…can it be measured?!

It’s so much MORE than we’ve known or experienced, but it’s available! …what hopeful, exciting, wonderful news! God loves us so much, is committed to us every single day and wants us to overflow with His life…this is our daily portion; let’s lean into our Lord and say, “Yes” to Him because He has made the way and it’s the best way ever! 

 

“A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect —life in its fullness until you overflow!”

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Blessings, 

Veronica Leach