Love God Because He Loves You

God has been pouring revelation into my spirit as I study for my B.A. in Biblical Studies, and, it’s been so edifying. He repeatedly gives me confirmation. I know that what I feel in my heart is from God. 

I’m currently studying the Old Testament. It's important to read the entire Bible so that you may get a better understanding of Jesus Christ. He's hidden in the OT and revealed in the NT. The entire Bible is God's written love letter to us. 

This week’s focus is on the book of Exodus. 

“Exodus describes these two main events: Israel’s departure from Egypt (rescue) and Israel’s newly established alliance with God (relationship)” (Arnold & Beyer, 2015, p. 78).

“The 10 commandments and the other commands were a result of God’s grace and love for his people. He issued his laws to the nation after he had redeemed his people and established his bond of intimate relationship with him. The law served as a seal on that relationship. Throughout the Old Testament the law is a positive expression of God’s Will for his people. Laws are a part of life. Breaking them only hurts us and proves that God’s laws are just and true.”

“Obeying his law is the right response to God’s grace, not as a means of salvation but as the response to salvation” (Arnold & Beyer, 2015, pp. 86-87).

“God’s desire was for a “priestly kingdom and a holy nation” that he could indwell (Exodus 19:6 NRSV). The exodus from Egypt took place so that God could dwell in the midst of his people. The coming of God’s glorious presence into the newly constructed tabernacle forms the climax of the book of exodus” (40:34). 

“Eventually the temple in Jerusalem would replace the tabernacle as the habitation of God’s glory. Likewise, Christ came to “tabernacle” among us (John 1:14; Heb. 8:1-9:15). Now the Holy Spirit dwells within the church and has therefore fulfilled the ultimate purpose for both tabernacle and temple.”

“Exodus is about the salvation and preparing of the Israelites for life in the promised land. The gift of God’s presence is a prefulfillment reality.”

“The Sinai covenant became the principal symbol of an enduring relationship with God. The exodus and Sinai events are thus as central for the Old Testament as the cross is for the New” (Arnold & Beyer, 2015, p. 88).

*Reference: Arnold, B. T. & Beyer, B. E. (2015). Encountering the old testament: A christian survey. Grand Rapids, MI: BakerAcademic—a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Having a relationship with God is so important to me. As a Christian, I need to be led daily by the Holy Spirit, hearing God’s Voice and acting on His Word. It’s not about works. By grace we’ve been saved (Ephesians 2:8). However, I believe that obedience to God is how the motives of our hearts are seen (Matthew 12:33; James 2:14-26). If we really love God, Jesus said, “keep his commandments (John 14:15).” 

I’m not judging those Christians who don’t have a full understating of God’s grace. I used to be one of those lukewarm Christians that was plagued with God’s judgement and anger. I wasn’t sure if I was going to heaven or if God even loved me. I let people dictate the truth about Christianity and what I should believe. 

Right believing results in right living. (Read my blog posts: “His Love Makes Us Want to Do Right," and "Biblical Life Application").

It wasn’t until I read the Bible for myself and sought the truth that I became lavished with God’s love. 

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

“Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:5-7 NKJV

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

I’m so thankful for Jesus. I’m incredibly grateful for having a Savior. I’m so happy that it was Jesus who died for me because He is LOVE! There’s no flaw in Him. He’s altogether lovely! He does no harm to me. And God is a good, good Father. He’s perfect in all of His ways. He’s just, loving and true. He’s king, tender and merciful. He’s all that He says that He is. He’s not a liar. He’s not upset with me. He doesn’t condemn me. He corrects me, but He never scorns me. He’s...indescribable! There’s no words to fully express the fullness of His goodness. 

So I feel completely obligated to give my life away to Him. It’s a privilege to serve the Lord! I could be dead in my grave-in a burning hell. My soul could be lost. I could be depressed, confused, full of worry and fear. But, God...

So it’s my purpose to live for God. I LIVE TO WORSHIP HIM! #BibleJourney is my greatest desire. There’s nothing more satisfying then growing closer to God. There’s nothing else I rather do than to help people get to know God for themselves. 

“Grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Get to know him better. Give him glory both now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NIRV‬‬

My God... I am burning with passion to see God’s glory. I just can’t understand why anyone who would receive God’s grace would continue to live apart from Him. How in the world did the Israelites see the greatest miracle ever and still doubt and ultimately deny God? He rescued them from their enemies, opened up the sea for them, allowed them to see their enemies defeated and miraculously provided for them on their journey to their own land. Still, they wanted to live in sin and out of His presence. That’s not right. The right response for salvation, is to know and love God. 

We were created by a loving God for His purposes. We were created to know Him by walking with Him on a daily basis. Being in His presence is not just a blessing, it is a necessity of everyday life. How amazingly blessed are Christians today to be recognized at God's Church?! The Israelites had to build places for God's presence to dwell. Today, our bodies are the Lord's temple and His Holy Spirit lives inside of us (Ezk. 36:27; John 14:26; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Col. 1:27)! Jesus' death ushered in the Holy Spirit so that we can come boldly to God (Heb. 4:16). He's wiped away our sins so that we can be able to walk with God as Adam and Eve did before sin entered into the world (Rom. 5:11-12).

Exodus means "departure." Yahweh saved His people (the Israelites) when He provided a way of escape out of Egypt (a land of sin and bondage). Jesus departed when He died on the cross to rescue us from the consequences of sin-bondage and death. God commanded the Israelites to have a relationship with Him. Today, the same God is still wanting an intimate relationship with His people (the Church).

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 KJV

"Now this is enteral life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3 NIV

Don't merely accept salvation as a means to escape eternal death in hell. Accept Jesus because He loves you and wants you to love Him back. Accept Jesus' love, and in return, let God's love penetrate your heart and soul so that you may walk in love through the Spirit. Renew your mind. Live a transformed life. Be converted. Come out of the world and live out the holiness that God has given you. Let your life glorify God. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Be like Christ.

God gave the Israelites commandments to teach them how to love Him. Today, we look to the cross where Jesus hung to see how much God loves us. Friends, the right response is to love Him with your whole life. He laid down His life for you. Lay down yours and become like Him. 

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” John 15:13 NIV

“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 NIV

“We love, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 NASB

“Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'” Matthew 22:37 NLT

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 ESV

Author Jennifer Quetant 

Learn more: www.biblejourneymovement.com

Books: www.biblejourneymovment.com/books

I Give You All of Me

DREAM: FEB 11, 2018

In my dream, my family was living in a special home that seemed like a mission home or some other type of Christian housing. The owners or house authorities took care of children with problems or without parents. Maybe, there were refugees. I'm not sure. 

Well, we ended up kicking us out. They rushed us out and mumbled things to others as we packed up our belongings. My children and I were doing laundry, but we had to take our wet clothes out of the washing machine because they wanted us to hurry up and leave.

Scene 2: A girl and her boyfriend (whom I know in real life), wanted relationship counseling. They seen how successful my marriage was. But once they seen what it took to become successful, they were unwilling to commit to the plan. So they got in their car and left by the time I was ready to give them advice.

Scene 3: My husband was in a room or gymnasium full of guys. He publicly apologized to them all for whatever reason. He openly confessed his wrongdoing. Afterwards, some of the older men were upset and talking about him amongst themselves. Despite the persecution he felt, I informed him that he did the right thing. It's better to tell the truth than to lie or cover it up. God requires that we confess our transgressions so that people will know the truth and that we can be set free from guilt and other consequences.

Scene 4: There was an End-Time scene where a woman was tied up and being set on fire. It didn't look like she could see or feel what was going on. But as I stood-by, I could see everything. So, I would warn her of the harmful things that the torturer was doing to her. Someone came to her rescue and caught the torturer. 

Interpretation:

True religion is pure. "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you" James 1:27 NLT.

True religion is not about dressing up for church and eloquent speech. True religion is giving to those that are in need. We're blessed to be a blessing.

Christians ought to be busy stocking up eternal rewards in heaven and not temporal earthly pleasures. When we help those in need, we help Jesus! To our benefit, we will be credited for our Kingdom work on earth in heaven. There's a blessing in giving. But honestly, it's about showing love to those in need because it's a clear indication of God's heart living and penetrating through us. Real love is demonstrated in actions towards others. God did this through Jesus, when He gave Him up to die for us sinners and strangers.

Not everyone will do what it takes to walk with the Lord. Once they know the process, they step back and decide to stay the same. Not everyone is willing to leave their comfort zone. Too many people are worried about what others will say about them. They don't wan't to be judged. They don't want their plans to be replaced with God's. They don't want to forgive and confess their wrongs. They don't understand the discipline, persecution and true worship of those who are committed to following the Lord. Persecution comes with following God. But life without God, is the real torture. God will surely rescue us and show us His salvation. If God is for us, who can be agsint us? What can man or any demonic being doing to us? Who can truly separate us from the love of God? NO ONE!

If you do good works but don't know how to love people with the pure love of God, then your religion is in vain. If you don't forgive in your marriage and relationships, it will fail. If you don't stand by your spouse through thick and thin and forgive, it will fail. If you don't make the Bible the foundation of your faith, you won't be successful in this life nor will you have any heavenly rewards. (1 Corinthians 13)

I'm sure that many people think I'm weird and crazy. I can sense it because I'm spiritually sensitive. Some have even admitted being jealous, intimidated and uncomfortable around me. It's sad because they cast me out and think I'm some Jesus or Bible freak because I'm doing too much and going too hard. It's because they don't study, believe, stand and act on what the Bible says.

Many Christians today aren't that radical for Christ. We aren't going as hard as the early Church. Sadly, many false religions are going hard for what they believe and we aren't. If we were, we wouldn't even be here. We would be in heaven because the Gospel would've been preached to the entire world and the end would've already came…

I want to encourage you to become intimate with Jesus. Walk with your God daily. Do what His Word says by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and empower you to act on God's Word. Fall in love with Jesus Christ. Come under the shadow of God's Wings. Get to know your heavenly Father. Come out of your comfort zone. Give your whole heart, soul and mind to Him. Don't withhold anything! Commit your whole entire life to God and He will give you real and great success! Hallelujah, Jesus loves you!

Bible Verses

John 3:16

Mark 10:17-27

Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:14

Matthew 22:37

Proverbs 16:3

James 2:14-26

James 5:16

1 John 1:9

Song: "Withholding Nothing" by William McDowell

Charity: www.biblejourneymovement.com/charity

Books: www.biblejourneymovement.com/books

Author Jennifer Quetant

www.biblejourneymovement.com

Do You Know Jesus?

God desires an intimate relationship with us. John 17:3 says, "eternal life is all about knowing Him. [emphasis mine]" It’s not about getting into heaven just to escape death. The Lord created us to have fellowship with Him. He doesn’t care about fake religion and hypocrisy. He wants us to live out our “Sunday’s” each day. The Lord wants us to daily walk with Him through His Word. Shouting in church on Sunday and cussing out someone in traffic or in the grocery store on Monday doesn’t glorify God. He doesn’t require that we be perfect, but He does require a loving and sincere relationship. When we walk with the Lord, we’ll begin to look like Him. But when we don’t follow Jesus according to His Word, we don’t accomplish anything for the Kingdom. God wants us to love but we can’t love with out knowing LOVE. GOD IS LOVE! 

..So I've been wanting to write this post for awhile now, but I was indecisive because I wasn't confident. I wasn't sure if my thoughts were aligned with the truth if the Word. I was inspired to go ahead and write this post after completing Day 37 devotional from the "Bible In One Year" app (2018).

Here's a snapshot of the section that resonated on my heart (Click on images to enlarge*):

When I started to grow in God's Word, I began to realize how extreme God's love is for us. I also considered His attitude towards His people in the times of the OT. He's shown me so much mercy and grace through Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts me of my righteousness in Him. I can no longer continue this life the way I want and still label myself a Christian. There's more to this Christian life besides the afterlife… God wants our life on earth to be as it is in heaven. After all, He created us so that we would walk with Him.

I've been guilty of being a hypocrite. I was active in church performing all of my so-called good works. However, I didn't know two things about Jesus Christ. I didn't know Him personally. I only knew a little bit about Him. Therefore, my life bore bad fruit. Since I didn't actually know Jesus, I didn't know my purpose for being on this earth. Jesus gives us purpose. He is why we're here!

Now faith without works is dead. We don't work to earn salvation or God's blessings because that's called, "grace." However, our lives must bear good fruit by allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us. Jesus says that those that love Him, keep His commandments and bear good fruit.

I want to live a godly life because God sacrificed Jesus for me. He bankrupted Heaven's best for me. Jesus gave up His life so that I may have His—that's full of beauty, truth, abundance, grace, wisdom, hope, and glory! How can anyone that has a intimate relationship with the Lord not reflect a life of power and glory? It's impossible. Walking closely with God will cause anyone's face to shine bright. Take Moses for example when He came down Mt. Sinai!

On the other hand, it's impossible to live a successful Christian life without biblical application. It's impossible to know God and not know His Word. It's impossible to know anyone without having a solid relationship.

Desire to walk with the Lord, Your God. He didn't die just for you to escape a burning hell. He died to get to know YOU! 

My message: Get to know the God that died for you. He wants to be your friend. He loves you so much and doesn't want your life to be robbed of the real Christian way of living. If the Lord doesn't know you, He will let you know when you meet Him for the first time on Judgement Day.

Through my ministry, I urge you to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Get to know Him! He's a wonderful friend. He's my everything!

Author Jennifer Quetant
www.biblejourneymovement.com