In Christ, we have a choice. To be filled with PROBLEMS or to be filled with His PRESENCE. The Lord gave us a clue and that is to “CHOOSE LIFE!” (Deuteronomy 30:19) To choose life is to choose to be in His presence, to focus on His goodness that brings  FULLNESS of JOY into our hearts making us strong and mighty in Him when adversity comes.

In Christ we choose to believe that we have HOPE, a confident and joyful expectation and anticipation that something GOOD is at hand ALL because that is the very nature of our Heavenly Father.  He is GOOD and only good and great things come from Him.  In His goodness there is always a redemptive solution to every challenge that we face. HE makes a way where there seems to be no way.  He gave us Jesus Who is THE WAY!

A Christian life is never free of trials.  His word says, “in this world you will have tribulations.” (John 16:33)  But our confidence lies on what He has promised that IN HIM we may have PERFECT PEACE.  He said, “BE OF GOOD CHEER [take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted]!  For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (John 16:33)

Yes, there will always be bumps and humps along the way, but how we are to respond to these unexpected trials, taking into consideration His promises that are YES and AMEN, matter.  We choose to face them with the revelation that GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN US than him who is in this world. (1John 4:4)  We choose to believe in the greatness and goodness of our God Who is always on our side and never leaves us without support.  We choose to believe that hidden in every challenge is an opportunity to allow God’s glory to shine in and through us. Jesus is the HOPE of GLORY! In Him is where the goodness of God is forever linked.

When we face surmountable situations, we either WORRY or WORSHIP. Again, we are given a choice.  As we allow His voice to echo inside our hearts, we CHOOSE to respond to Him in WORSHIP!”. Breakthrough awaits when we worship Him and trust Him. When our worries and turned into worship, we get our eyes set on the greatness of our God where we can confidently declare, “What are you O mighty mountain? In the presence of God, you will become LEVEL GROUND with shouts of GRACE, GRACE, GRACE!” (Zechariah 4:7)

The choice is always ours to make.  To believe His Word or not.  There are too many voices that are fighting for our influence and God has given us the gift of FREE WILL to choose that is so powerful and beautiful. He did not create us to be robots. He will never force Himself on us.  Oh how He honors the gift of free will that He has given us.  He created us as relational beings meant to have an intimate two-way relationship with Him with hearts that are designed to receive His Agape love that we may respond to love Him back and love those around us.

To receive His love is a choice! But the beauty of it lies on the truth that it is He Who woos us to SEE Him loving us minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day, until we get overwhelmed by the way He loves us that gets our identity established of being “His beloveds”.  He initiates.  He pursues. “He first loved us.” (I John 4:19 NKJV)  But just like any other relationship, time is of essence.

Take time to stop and smell the roses. Take time to pause and look up to see His LIVE glorious painting of clouds in the sky that changes moment by moment. Take time to notice the trees with their leaves rustling to praise Him.  Take time to witness the birds singing worshiping the Creator of all.  Take time to get into His word that is our daily Bread.  Take time to see the people around us and KNOW that we are His wonderful creations. He formed our inward parts and knitted us together in our mothers’ womb, fearfully and uniquely made (Psalm 139:13:14). KNOW that all of creation was first created, arranged and made ready before He created you and me! That is LOVE! That is how He sees and values us.

When the fall of man happened at the Garden of Eden, His love was not diminished, but it remained steadfast and will continue to remain forever. His love is EVERLASTING. A redemptive solution was way thought of before the fall of man came. The plan of restoration and redemption was at hand and it is called REAL LOVE!

“This is REAL LOVE—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10 NLT)

Many may wonder … if God really loves us that much, why then did He allow Adam and Eve to fall in the garden that affected us all? He could have easily wacked the serpent away from them.  Hmmmmm … because love is not love if we are not free to choose to love! The gift of FREE WILL allows us to express what is rooted and grounded in our hearts. He desires for us to CHOOSE HIM, seek Him and know Him above all because He KNOWS that if we do, our lives will be fully filled and flooded with all of His glorious benefits and inheritance. It was never written in His agenda to take control of our lives. He created us as human BE-ings and not human DO-ings. His love does not rest on us because of what we do. He simply loves us because of who we are, His sons and daughters whom He delights in.

“But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!”  (Romans 5:8 TPT)

There is nothing more we can do to make HIM love us more.  And there is nothing we can do to make HIM love us less.  He already declared, “IT IS FINISHED!”  Jesus has already perfectly demonstrated our Daddy God’s love and proven it with His life. The deal has been paid for 2000 years ago, yet the offer still remains to be accepted and received.

As we CHOOSE to believe His great and passionate love, our eyes will have a heightened capacity to SEE it expressed towards us  and to those around us.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me unconditionally by sending me Your only begotten and beloved Son, Jesus, that I may have life and have it more abundantly as I develop and grow in the knowledge of what it means to have an intimate relationship with You.  Jesus, I receive You into my heart and make me Your home.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for pouring Your love in me that I may be filled and flooded with the richest measure of Your divine Presence.  Amen!