Love of God – BradRiley.Org

June 21, 2016

The Great Escape

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Could there be a greater love than to give those whom you love perfect freedom? You know, freedom to love or hate, to embrace or reject. It’s been said that love is free or it isn’t love. Love that isn’t free is really just another form of slavery. We can’t, or rather shouldn’t force people to love us, and you can be sure God doesn’t either.

Such a perfect love leaves us open to many dangers. One of those dangers is that it hurts when those we love don’t love us in return. Still, I think Lord Tennyson was right when he said, “Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” That’s our Heavenly Father’s position. He to the risk of creating us knowing many wouldn’t love Him back – and I’m so glad He did.

But, the hurt of lost love isn’t our greatest danger. Perhaps the greatest danger we face is the power of temptation. The devil is a master of deception and can make any sinful activity look appealing. What he doesn’t show is the consequences of those sins. Let’s face it, sin can look fun or no one would want to do it. But, God doesn’t leave us with no chance of overcoming the devil’s wily schemes. He always there with a great escape.

In His great love God lets loose a flood of mercy to protect us when we’re tempted. His waves of mercy come to us as perfect escape hatches when the temptations of life are about to overwhelm us. We can rest in knowing He’s promised us a way out of every temptation. When you’re tempted, always keep a lookout for God’s escape hatches; they’re as close as the mention of His name.

Grace and Peace,

+Pastor Brad

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great love and mercy that never lets us go. You’re always there to help us out of every temptation if we will only call upon your holy name. Amen.

Image credit: http://gameswalls.com/great-escape

June 6, 2016

It’s All About Love

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

John 3:16

The entire message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation can be summed up in these four words – “For God so loved”. God created because He loved. God saved Noah because He loved. God called Abraham, and made him the father of all who would be redeemed because He loved. God gave the promised land because He loved. He restored Israel to their homeland after their captivity because He loved. The story of God and humanity is all about love.

Too often we lose sight of the Father’s love by focusing on the difficult elements of the many stories of God’s people through time. We often think the story of God is about disobedience and punishment. Those are both a part of the saga, but they are not what the story is all about. Just as there are consequences to sin in our lives today, the many harsh punishments we see in the Bible were as such. And, punishment is actually loving if the intention is for us to learn from our disobedience. But, if we fail to see the love of God poured out over and over again in the pages of the Bible, we miss the main point.

God’s love is from before all things because His very essence is love. All that flows from Him, yes even His wrath, flows from His love. As St. John tells us, “God is light” and “God is love”, and there is no darkness in Him (1 Jn. 1:5; 4:8). And, in the ultimate act of light and love He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, into the world, that through faith, all who will believe on Him may be saved.

If God’s story is all about love, then shouldn’t ours be as well? Is yours? Believe me, I’m asking myself the same thing. Every day when we rise to look in the mirror, let us remember how much God loves us, and let that love overflow in waves of mercy to a lost and hurting world; that’s God’s plan; it always has been and it always will be, and – it’s all about love.

Grace and Peace,

+Pastor Brad

Prayer

Merciful, loving Father, thank you for loving me even when I am most unlovable, and for your just punishments of my sin. Help me to learn from them, and help me today to be a conduit of your love to everyone I meet. Let your waves of mercy overflow through me. Amen.

Image credit: http://www.hbcridgeway.org/sermons/sermon/2015-06-28/pm-its-all-about-love:-love-my-family

May 24, 2016

Little Letters Make a Big Difference

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

Titus 2:11-12

Isn’t it amazing to think of the difference one little word can make? Over and over the scriptures make the point that God loves everyone, not just some. Jesus told his disciples to go into “all” the world to teach the gospel, the good news that salvation has come. And, just as the love of God extends to every person in every place, so does His grace.

God’s grace offers everyone an opportunity to receive His waves of mercy, to jump into the flow of His river of love. His grace is completely free. There’s no way to earn or merit it by what we do or say; it has “appeared” in the form of Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection offering salvation to all who will receive it.

Those three little letters, a-l-l, make the difference for everyone. No one can claim they were excluded from the greatest act of love the world has ever seen or will ever see. But, that’s not all. There are two little letters that make a big difference also; N-O. “No” is a word that we can all say when it comes to temptation. Because of God’s mercy given through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the gift of His Holy Spirit power, we can just say “No” to sin.

And here’s three more little letters that are very important today, Y-o-u. It’s for “you” this great love, mercy and grace was given. Stop and breathe that good news in for a moment…can you feel the waves of His mercy?

Grace and Peace,

+Pastor Brad

Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your only son to die for even me. And thank you for His resurrection life and power that flow out to even me in your waves of mercy. Amen.

Image credit: https://ajathewriter.com/2013/05/03/word-challenges/

March 17, 2016

Raised from the Ashes: Lent – Day 34

2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight shall no one living be justified.

Psalm 143:2

Read Psalm 141 & 143

Lent 2016 Daily Devotions-4

The Motivation of Mercy

It’s human nature to try and justify our actions. We take offense if someone challenges our way, and we try to defend our actions or way of thinking. That may work with others on some level, but the problem is it never works with God. He alone is judge over all the world, and He alone knows the intentions of the human heart. We all stand before God with no justification for our sinful ways or desires, unless of course we place ourselves in the hands of the one who is justified – Jesus Christ.

The good news for everyone is that Jesus, as St. John calls him, is an Advocate for all who will come to Him; there is no other hope for humanity. It is in His advocacy that we find mercy. We don’t receive what we deserve because He received our chastisement on the cross (Isa. 53: 5). But such mercy is often misunderstood. We must look behind the mercy to see the motivation of God.

Why Mercy?

When we read the Psalms we often hear a spirit of woe. Life was hard, and the psalmist, as one who strived for righteousness had many enemies. However, no matter the affliction, the Psalmist always turned to God for help. God was his refuge and strength (Ps. 141:8). In the Old Testament we see through shadows what Jesus shows us clearly in the New, that God is our loving Father. The motivation for God’s mercy is not because of the justice He owes to Jesus, the perfect one, but it is borne of His love. The Father loves His Children.

When we pray what is perhaps the most ancient prayer, “Lord have mercy”, we are calling on our loving, Heavenly Father to remember his love for us. “Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.” (Ps. 25:6). It is out of that love, the steadfast love of the Lord that never changes, we find His mercy, and we find it new every morning because He is faithful (Lam 3:22-23).

Do you need mercy today? Have you been justifying your actions or thoughts rather than confessing them? We all do from time to time. That’s just another great reason why the Church calls us to observe Lent, so that we may repent and be healed, healed by the mercies of God.

Tomorrow marks one week before Good Friday. Today marks one week before Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. The end of our Lenten journey is drawing near. Let’s let mercy reign in our thoughts and hearts as we prepare to enter Jerusalem with Jesus this Palm Sunday, as we prepare to walk through Holy Week with Him, experiencing his great mercy and love… a love that raises us from the ashes.

Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,

Pastor Brad

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 5:6