Subscribe to receive weekly emails of the Reasons for Hope blog.

* indicates required

The Matchless Love of God

The month of February immediately brings to mind thoughts of Valentine's Day, hearts, chocolate, flowers, and love. Join guest blogger, Brian Miller, today as he shares the amazing love of God―a love that surpasses anything the world can offer. 
WRITER’S NOTE: The following is adapted from a presentation I gave three years ago as a guest speaker at a small Bible church in Texas. At the time, I had been reading a book by Dr. David Jeremiah, God Loves You: He Always Has, He Always Will, so this blog contains several insights that impacted me at the time. With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s timely to talk about God’s love, which is far different from Hallmark’s (the world’s) idea of romantic love. It’s important to draw the distinction, especially between love and lust. Love always gives; lust always takes. Anyway, here’s a brief glimpse at the matchless love of God.

"God’s love for you doesn’t depend on your perfection or achievement. It’s not that He looks away or isn’t concerned when you stumble. He sees it all, and He continues to love you with a love that is as eternal as eternity.”
 
― Dr. David Jeremiah

“God is love.” The Apostle John makes that statement several times in I John.
I want to make an important distinction here. John does not say, “Love is God.” We can’t make that mistake. There are many counterfeit loves in this world that are not in any way, shape, or form OF God. Notice also that he does not merely say, “God loves.” No, John wrote: “God is love.” Everything we see around us right now―you, me, the entire universe―is here because God is love. Everything He does, every action, is because He is love. Notice I said every “action,” not every action AND reaction. God acts. He doesn’t react. And when He acts, it is out of love. It is the essence of His divine nature.
Now you might say, “God is love. That’s all well and good to know. But how do I know who God really is? How do I know what love really is?”
Those two questions are one and the same. And here’s the key. The answers are provided to us in God’s Word. Assurance of His love is provided through His Word, as well as through the work of the Holy Spirit, whom each believer in Jesus Christ has within him.
Below are a few statements about God’s love, and I promise you, I’m not even scraping the smallest percentage off the tip of the iceberg of who God is and what love is. For you Texans, an iceberg is a really big chunk of ice; I’ll forgive you if you’re not familiar, but being from Minnesota, we get a lot of it, especially this time of year. So I guess not really icebergs, but you catch my (snow)drift. Consider these aspects of God’s love:

God’s love is uncaused by anything we do.

He loves us because He made us. He loves us because it pleases Him to do so. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love Him because He first loved us.” He loved us before we were born, before we even existed.

God’s love is unreasonable.

By that, I mean that He loves mankind despite our persistent rebellion against Him. I mean, as the Psalmist wrote, “Who is man that you should be mindful of him?” We’re prideful little specks of dust, spinning around on a piece of dust that’s spinning around another piece of dust … well, technically stardust, I guess. Yes, I guess I just called the sun, the center of our solar system, a piece of dust because it really is when compared to The Almighty.

There are 100 billion solar systems in the Milky Way alone. There are 100 billion-plus galaxies in the observable universe, and I get the feeling there is a whole lot more that man’s finite wisdom can’t see. There are more than a billion trillion stars in the observable universe. That’s 1 with 21 zeroes after it! That’s incomprehensible. Do you realize how finite we are? Yet, we minuscule dust particles shake our fists at God when things don’t go our way.
But still ... “God commended―that word means 'demonstrates’ ―His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That is awesome. Those billion, trillion stars out there? God knows them all by name. Not only that, but God spoke them into existence. And yet He sent His only Son to die for us. Amazing.

God’s love is eternal. Unending. Everlasting.

Jeremiah 31:3 tells us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn you.” God is eternal, and that means His love is eternal.

God’s love is unlimited.

I love the following passage taken from Psalm 139. (Because God is love, it has been paraphrased, substituting "Your presence" and references to God with His love.)

“Where can I go from Your love?
Or where can I flee from Your love?
If I ascend into heaven, Your love is there.
If I make my bed in hell, behold, Your love is there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there, Your love shall lead me,
And Your love shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed the darkness shall not hide me from Your love.”

God’s love is unchanging.

Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the Lord; I do not change.” Because He is love, it means His love does not change either.

God’s love is unconditional.

Author John Ortberg stated: “Nothing you will ever do could make God love you more than He does right now: not greater achievement, not greater beauty, not wider recognition, not even greater levels of spirituality or obedience. Nothing you have ever done could make God love you any less: not any sin, not any failure, not any guilt, not any regret.”
Dr. David Jeremiah adds, “In other words, there is incredible hope for those who are disappointed in themselves. God’s love for you doesn’t depend on your perfection or achievement. It’s not that He looks away or isn’t concerned when you stumble. He sees it all, and He continues to love you with a love that is as eternal as eternity.”
I read those statements a while back, and it was like a lightbulb lit up for me. There is literally nothing I can do―good or bad―that will change God’s love for me. So, likewise, there is nothing you can do―good or bad―that can change God’s love for you.
That was something I was mixed up about for a long time. Unconditional love really is incomprehensible from a human perspective. God gave us his Holy Spirit, not so we can love Him, but so He can show us, through his Spirit, how much He loves us. That’s why we’re warned to “Quench not the Spirit.” When we do, we cannot truly appreciate or understand God’s love toward us.
I’ll wrap it up with a word of warning:

I John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, for anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them.

And a word of encouragement:

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And one last one:

Psalm 63:3
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you.

This Valentine’s Day, no matter the condition of your human relationships, I pray each of you will know and embrace the matchless love of God.
Author Bio:
Brian Miller is a longtime newspaper columnist and freelance writer. He and his wife Bethany, a fellow “preacher’s kid” (and talented musician and chef), split their time between Eveleth, MN, and South Padre Island, TX. Brian seeks to use lessons learned in his life of God’s unchanging love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness to bring hope to others who may be struggling. The Millers are seeking God’s guidance for future ministry opportunities and appreciate your prayers. You may write to him at bd1976@pm.me.

Our Newest Resources!

Questions you’ve never asked that we have the answers for!

What is a stink bull?
What do you call a group of rhinos? A group of zebras?
Is an elephant really flat-footed?

Get ready to embark on a learning safari of fascinating facts!
Then, use your new knowledge to become a “tour guide”
on your next field trip to the zoo!
We are excited to share many of our Creator’s Fascinating Facts with you and to train and equip you with knowledge—knowledge that will enable you to have a ministry in a zoo setting, sharing God’s amazing design with those who may never have heard anything but an evolutionary perspective. This resource comes with FREE access to a lesson guide with quizzes and an oral presentation rubric for those who choose to use it as an academic unit study. So click HERE to order for yourself, your children, and your grandchildren!
IMPACT curriculum trains and equips young adult believers to stand boldly on the Word of God. It helps them know why they believe what they believe so that, in turn, they can live and share their faith with confidence.

Unit 1: Foundations begins with the basic principles of apologetics, biblical worldview, and critical thinking. This groundwork prepares students to unpack the rich content of the attention-grabbing DeBunked videos while they build relationships with others, actively apply the lesson content, and find true purpose in planting seeds of faith in a world that needs the hope of Christ. Click HERE to see other related products or to order this valuable resource.
We also encourage you to purchase our newest ministry book, Did Jesus Commit Suicide? And 27 Other Questions That Teens Have About the Bible (that adults want to know, too) to help you answer questions from a biblical worldview that teens are asking today. Click HERE.

We Have an App for That!

One of the spiritual tools Reasons for Hope is able to offer is our free app, full of hundreds of digital resources to support believers in their faith as they grow in their boldness to stand on the Word of God. We invite you to download this free mobile app today. Just go to your favorite app store, type rforh, and look for the blue asterisk, or click HERE.

No Comments


Recent

Archive

 2024
 November

Categories

Tags

1 Chronicles 16:8-12 1 Chronicles 22:14 1 Chronicles 29:11 1 Corinthians 10:31 1 Corinthians 13 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 1 Corinthians 15:21 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 1 Corinthians 15:33 1 Corinthians 15:45 1 Corinthians 15:57 1 Corinthians 15:58 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 1 Corinthians 6:20 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 1 John 2:15-17 1 John 2:15 1 John 2:2 1 John 4:10 1 John 4:19 1 John 4:7-8 1 Peter 1:23 1 Peter 2:24 1 Peter 3:15 1 Peter 3:18 1 Peter 4:12-13 1 Peter 4:12-19 1 Peter 5:10 1 Samuel 8:4-5 1 Samuel 8:7-9 1 Thessalonians 5:11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 1 Thessalonians 5:17 1 Timothy 4:8 1 Timothy 6:10 1 Timothy 6:3-10 1 corinthians 10:13 1 thessalonians 5:18 100 miles 100% human 1Peter 1:17-21 2 Chronicles 9:13-29 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 2 Corinthians 12:9 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 2 Corinthians 1:3-6 2 Corinthians 1:3 2 Corinthians 3:17 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 2 Corinthians 4:17 2 Corinthians 5:21 2 Corinthians 6:18 2 Peter 3:9 2 Samuel 23:8-12 2 Samuel 6:17 2 Thessalonians 3:3 2 Timothy 1:7 2 Timothy 2:15 2 Timothy 2:25 2 Timothy 2:7 2 Timothy 3:12 2 Timothy 3:16-17 2 Timothy 4:11 2 Timothy 4:2 25% are staying 50k 55-mile race AI Abraham sacrificing Isaac Abraham was very rich. Abuja Acts 11 Acts 13 and 15 Acts 17:11 Acts 17:22-34 Acts 17 Acts 1:8 Acts 27:35 Acts 2:42 Acts 5:38-39 Acts 9 Albert Einstein All great men were born in February. Alyssa Glander America waited too long. Apalachee High School Apostle Peter Asbury Barabbas Barna poll Barnabas Baruch Bulla Be a Berean Be bold! Be bold Be happy! Be part of the process. Be still and know that I am God Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Best Evidence God Created Bethlehem Bible reading Bible Biblical archaeology Bob Gillespie Brian Miller C.S. Lewis CRT Camp Sigel Candace Nordine Carl Kerby Jr. Carl Kerby Cell phones Choosing for Two Christ in me Christ opened my eyes. Christian Camps Christian witness Christian worldview Chruch Circadian rhythm Colossians 1:27 Colossians 2:14 Colossians 2:8 Colossians 3:16 Colossians 3:17 and 23-24 Colossians 3:17-23 Colossians 3:17 Colossians 3:1 Colossians 4:5-6 Columbo Tactic Creation Creator God D. Mark Jacobs Jr. Dan Lietha Daniel 1-6 Daniel 12:4 Daniel 2:21 Dave Glander David Tautofi DeBunked 15 DeBunked TV DeBunked Deuteronomy 11:13 Deuteronomy 32:35 Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Deuteronomy 6:6-9 Deuteronomy 6:7 Did Jesus Commit Suicide? Dr. Andrew Fabich Dr. Francis Schaeffer Dr. Jason Lisle Dr. Juan Valdes Dr. William Beal Draa Mackey EQUIP+ EQUIP Easter Ecclesiastes 12:13 Ecclesiastes 12:14 Ecclesiastes 3:11 Ecclesiastes 4:10 Eleazar Elohim Ephesians 1-3 Ephesians 1:13-14 Ephesians 2:10 Ephesians 2:8-9 Ephesians 3:12 Ephesians 3:17-18 Ephesians 3:19-21 Ephesians 3:20-21 Ephesians 4:29 Ephesians 5:15-16 Ephesians 5:15-17 Ephesians 5:19 Ephesians 5:20 Ephesians 6:10-18 Ephesians 6:12 Ephesians 6:4 Equip Retreat Exodus 13:17-18 Exodus 17:11 Exodus 17:12 Exodus 20:11 Exodus 33:14 Ezekiel 33:11 Facing the Giants Family dinner Fascinating Facts Fearless Faith Frank Figueroa Gabby Terry Galatians 2:20 Galatians 4:4-5 Galatians 5:1 Galatians 5:22-23 Galatians 5:22-24 Galatians 6:7 Galatians 6:9 Gary Varvel Gen Z Genesis 11:1-2 Genesis 11:6 Genesis 11:7 Genesis 13:1-2 Genesis 13:8-12 Genesis 1:14-15 Genesis 1:14 Genesis 1:27 Genesis 1:28 Genesis 1:29 Genesis 1:31 Genesis 1:3 Genesis 22 Genesis 3:10 Genesis 3:12 Genesis 3:14-15 Genesis 3:20 Genesis 3 Genesis 9:7 Genesis and the Gospel Genesis Give thanks to the Lord. Glad You Asked Christmas Edition Glad You Asked Glendive Montana Glory to God! God created you God is light. God is love. God is rich in mercy God loves us. God loves you God makes no mistakes. God won the battle God-created world God-shaped vacuum God's Word God's character God's dwelling place God's grace God's joy God's plan God's pursuit God\'s Word God\'s character God\'s joy God\'s plan God\'s pursuit God\\\'s character God\\\'s joy God\\\'s plan God\\\'s pursuit God\\\\\\\'s character God\\\\\\\'s joy God\\\\\\\'s plan God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s character God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s plan God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s character God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s plan Gods Word is truth Gods Word Gods care Gods character Gods divine plan Gods light Gods love story Gods plan of redemption Gods plan Gods wisdom Good Shepherd Gospel message Grace Mally Grace Moffitt Grammar matters Groggy Habakkuk 1:5 Hallelujah! Hawaii He is always faithful. He is risen Heaven Hebrews 10:1-18 Hebrews 10:19-22 Hebrews 10:23 Hebrews 11 Hebrews 12:1-3 Hebrews 12 Hebrews 13:14 Hebrews 13:5-6 Hebrews 13:5 Hebrews 13:8 Hebrews 4:12 Hebrews 4:16 Hebrews 7:25 Hell His glory Holly Varnum Holy Spirit How can I fight and overcome fear? How to Think Hubble Human life is sacred. Huntsman Center Hurry sickness I Peter 3:15 IMPACT Impact Curriculum In everything give thanks. Is it okay for a Christian to be rich? Is life good? Isaiah 11:1 Isaiah 26:3-4 Isaiah 26:3 Isaiah 40:28-31 Isaiah 40:29 Isaiah 40:31 Isaiah 40:8 Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah 41 Isaiah 43:1 Isaiah 43:2 Isaiah 45:9a Isaiah 53:6 Isaiah 55:11 Isaiah 55:8-9 Isaiah 55:8 Isaiah 64:8 Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah 9:6 Israel Museum It is well with my soul Jamaica James 1:12 James 1:15 James 1:17 James 1:2 James 1:8 James 2:14-17 James 2:14-26 James 4:10 James 4:14 James 4:7 James 4:8a James 4:8 January 2022 Jehovah Rapha Jeremiah 17:9 Jeremiah 29:11 Jeremiah 29:13 Jeremiah 31:3 Jeremiah 33:3 Jeremiah 36:32 Jerusalem Jesus and me Jesus chose to die. Jesus comforts the broken-hearted. Jesus saw their faith Jesus the Messiah Jesus Jewish feasts Job 1:3 Job 2:8 John 10:10 John 10:11 John 10:17-18 John 10:27 John 11:25 John 12:32 John 14:1-3 John 14:6 John 15:1-11 John 15:13 John 15:16a John 16:33 John 1:12 John 1:35-42 John 3:16-17 John 3:16 John 3:17 John 4:23-24 John 6:51 John 8:32 John 8:36 John Mark John Ray Joni Eareckson Tada Joni and Friends Joseph A. Kennedy Joseph and Mary Joseph Joshua 1:9 Joshua 22:5 Joshua 24:15 Juan Valdes Jude 1:22 Julaine Appling Justice Kaimuki Bulldogs Kaimuki High School Keeping teens faithful King David King Hezekiah King Solomon Know It! Live It! Share It! Know why you believe. LEAD Wisconsin Lacey Reitz Lamentations 3:22-23 Lamentations 3:22-24 Leviticus 12:8 Leviticus 18:24-30 Leviticus 25:23 Liberty Institute Life in layers Life is good because God is good. Life is good Listen to His voice. Listen Little boys need Mamas. Little boys need to know their Mamas like them. Loose the Lion Luke 12:12 Luke 18:1 Luke 1:32 Luke 22:32 Luke 24:38 Luke 2:1-14 Luke 2:24 Luke 2:55 Luke 2:7 Luke 5:1-11 Luke 5:37-39 MRRHWQ 15:32-38 MTD Malachi 3:3 Malachi 3:6a Malachi 3:6 Marc Glander Mark 10:45 Mark 10:8 Mark 16:15 Mark 1:16-18 Mark 2:3-5 Mark 5:19 Mark 6:31 Martin Luther Mary Master Potter Matthew 10:20 Matthew 10:32 Matthew 11:28-29 Matthew 11:28-30 Matthew 11:28 Matthew 11:29-30 Matthew 11:29 Matthew 13 Matthew 14:13-21 Matthew 14:22-33 Matthew 14:31 Matthew 15:17-19 Matthew 16:24 Matthew 19:16-24 Matthew 19:23-24 Matthew 1:22-23 Matthew 24:35 Matthew 27:15-25 Matthew 27:75 Matthew 28:18-20 Matthew 4:18-20 Matthew 5:13 Matthew 5:16 Matthew 5:18 Matthew 6:19-20 Matthew 6:19-21 Matthew 6:19 Matthew 6:1 Matthew 6:25-26 Matthew 6:27 Matthew 6:33 Matthew 7:21-23 Matthew 9:35 May 15 1987 Memory Lane Mere Christianity Messiah Mic'd Up Mic'dUP Mic\'d Up Mic\'dUP Mic\\\'d Up Mic\\\\\\\'d Up Mic\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'d Up Micah 5:2 Micah 6:8 Micd Up Michigan State University Miracles Money is their god. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Mosaic NRB National Religious Broadcasters Never Forget. Never Again. Never thirst again. New Year's resolutions New Year\'s resolutions Nigeria Noah's ark Nobody Loves Me . . . DeBunked Nonconformity Not yet a human. Numbers 23:19 OJ Simpson Parable of the sower Pastor Baba Paul Varnum Peter Philippians 1:6 Philippians 2:13 Philippians 2:3-4 Philippians 2:6-11 Philippians 3:12-16 Philippians 3:7-8 Philippians 4:13 Philippians 4:6-7 Philippians 4:6-9 Philippians 4:8 Pilate Plan C Please say Yes! Please say "Yes!" Please say \"Yes!\" Please say \\\"Yes!\\\" Pool of Siloam Potter Pray for Rachael Neal. Proverbs 11:10 Proverbs 12:26 Proverbs 14:12 Proverbs 14:34 Proverbs 15:4 Proverbs 16:3 Proverbs 18:12 Proverbs 18:24 Proverbs 19:21 Proverbs 1:20 Proverbs 1:8-9 Proverbs 20:12 Proverbs 22:6 Proverbs 23:19-21 Proverbs 27:17 Proverbs 3:5-6 Proverbs 3:5 Proverbs 3:9 Proverbs 3;5-6 Proverbs 6:16-19 Psalm 100:5 Psalm 100 Psalm 103:2-5 Psalm 119:105 Psalm 119:11 Psalm 119:160 Psalm 122:1 Psalm 138:1-2 Psalm 139:14 Psalm 139:17 Psalm 139:4 Psalm 139 Psalm 13:6 Psalm 145:13 Psalm 145:18 Psalm 147:4 Psalm 16:11 Psalm 18:1-2 Psalm 18:30 Psalm 19:1 Psalm 1:1 Psalm 1 Psalm 23:1 Psalm 23:2 Psalm 23:4 Psalm 23:6 Psalm 27 Psalm 29:2 Psalm 2:1-6 Psalm 31:14-15 Psalm 33:11 Psalm 34:18 Psalm 34:19 Psalm 37:3-7 Psalm 37:5-6 Psalm 37:5 Psalm 40:2 Psalm 40:8 Psalm 42 Psalm 63:3 Psalm 68:19 Psalm 69:9a Psalm 73:16-17 Psalm 84:11 Psalm 8:3 Psalm 8:4 Psalm 92:1-4 Psalm 95:1 Pursued Put God first Rachael Neal Reasons for Hope Responds Reasons for Hope in the Mosaic of Your Life Reasons for Hope* Reasons for Hope Rebekah Haynie Respond to God's voice Respond to God\'s voice Respond to God\\\'s voice Respond to God\\\\\\\'s voice Respond to God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s voice Resurrection Revelation 19:11 Revelation 20:12 Revelation 22:18-19 Revelation 7:9-11 RforH Romans 10:14 Romans 10:15 Romans 10:9-10 Romans 10:9 Romans 11:36 Romans 12:1-2 Romans 12:2 Romans 12:9-21 Romans 15:13 Romans 1:16 Romans 1:20 Romans 3:23 Romans 5:10-11 Romans 5:12 Romans 5:17 Romans 5:2-5 Romans 5:6-10 Romans 6:23 Romans 8:14 Romans 8:18-25 Romans 8:18 Romans 8:26 Romans 8:28 Romans 8:38-39 Romans 8:38 Sanctity of Life Schaftlein Report Scriptures Seal of Baruch September 11 Shelby Pruitt Spurgeon Stay bold! Stay bold Steve Herzig Supreme Court Surprised by Joy Testify Thanksgiving The Bible Project The Bible is a Jewish book. The DeBunked Files The Plumb Line The Right Ingredients The Screwtape Letters There is no truth. There is no truth There's Nothing Wrong with Abortion ... DeBunked! There\'s Nothing Wrong with Abortion ... DeBunked! There\\\'s Nothing Wrong with Abortion ... DeBunked! There\\\\\\\'s Nothing Wrong with Abortion ... DeBunked! Think before you post. Thinkful TikTok Tish Kerby Titus 2:6 Tower of Babel Trust His heart Trusting God Use God's Word correctly. Use God\'s Word correctly. WEF Wade Wacker Wash their feet. Wealthy Christians What are you thankful for? What is a Christian? What is my purpose? Who Made God? Why am I here? Why did Jesus have to die? Will Our Generation Speak? Within Our Reach Wooed Word of God Your grace still amazes me. Your vote matters. Youth outreach Yuval Noah Harari Zola Levitt a little at a time a process; not an event abortion absolute truth abundant life acacia accepting help achieving the impossible adventure anatomy and physiology angels angry another child of God struggling answering questions antidote to fear anxious apologetics artificial intelligence astronomy astrophysics atonement for sin be not afraid best of luck biblical Christianity biblical creationist biblical perspective biblical worldview biblical worship biology blindfold boldness bold boys branch brokenness bullae bulla butterfly caged called to encourage cancellation cancer journey cancer cease striving certainty challenge character check your attitude children choices clay coercion come alongside comfort zone comfortable Christian commas save lives compromised confidence confused conjunction consequences consistency consistent created in Gods image creation vs. evolution critical race theory critical thinking cross curriculum cut the head off the snake debate deception defend depressed depression design of the eye designed by God desperate passion dinosaur dig distractions don't fight alone don't stop don\'t fight alone don\'t stop don\\\'t fight alone don\\\'t stop don\\\\\\\'t stop dont stop doubt eisegeses election embryology encouragement entrusted by God to do good eternal life eternity without God eternity evangelism evidence for a creator examine the scriptures exegesis eye fair and impartial faith walk family circle family first fear not fearfully and wonderfully made fear feeling lost feeling overwhelmed fig filled with joy and worship flight cancelled football coach forest forever home former athiest free will freedom in Christ freedom of choice freedom fruit fulfilled prophecies galaxies gestation give a defense give thanks glory in His holy name good luck good news of Jesus Christ good news good will toward men government grace gratitude grog having conversations heavenly host hermeneutics heroes of the faith history of the universe hope human eye humble ourselves illness impact lives impact your teammates positively impulsive incomprehensible God inn investment isolation keep moving keep progressing largest church in the world layers leaf let go light year speed like Christ live in freedom loss of loved ones loss love of money love mATTHEW 26: 20-29 made for another world made in His image manger marriage memories memorization without application memorizing Scripture miraculous design missing opportunities more like Christ motivation multiple meanings mystical truth never compromised no coincidence no complaints no hope no pain no gain no place like home no quitting no room in the inn nonconformist not a fetus not ashamed oak objective right and wrong olive one foot in front of the other one race one-world government opened doors opportunity to bring hope overwhelming distance palms part of a team passionate patience patriotism paying it forward peace persecution persevere perspective physics plans pomegranate positive messages postgame prayer potsherd pottery potter power of the Word praying pregnancy pregnant preposition prioritize God pro-life progress propitiation providence quadriplegic quiet time reach the younger generation reality exists reality reassurance red cardinal redemptive work of Christ refining refocus what church looks like relationship with God relentless forward motion represent Christ resolutions rest for your soul rest revival right time right words righteousness root of all evil root sacrifice salvation see God move seed experiment seek the Lord shine a light silversmith situation slavery social media son of encouragement speak life speak your truth spiritual apathy spiritual harvest spiritual legacy spotless Lamb of God stable stagnant church stand boldly on the Word of God stand up against evil star-gazing starstruck stars step by step stranded stress statistics stress study for yourself suffering summer camp swaddling clothes sycamore symbol of God's love and reassurance symbol of God\'s love and reassurance symbol of God\\\'s love and reassurance symbol of God\\\\\\\'s love and reassurance symbol of Gods love and reassurance teaching science technology teen questions teens telescope temple of the Holy Spirit terebinth thank you thankfulness thankful the apple of his eye the finish line the human eye the lion will defend itself the long route the seeing eye the wooing of God theology think for yourself thriving in Christ traditions traffic trees trials tribulation troubles trust Jesus truth turn to God ultamarathon ultrarunner ultrmarathon unborn child uncage the Lion uncertain uncover the truth unfair universe unpredictable use your gift vine virgin birth visual reminders vote voting weathering the storm wethering the storm where two worlds collide willow windows to the soul wonder of boys work ethic worldview worship worth fighting for worth it worthy of protection young earth your circle matters youth ministry youth zeal for worship zoo guide