Have you ever had a dream that you know was from God? A dream that made your heart leap with joy? Several years ago I was gifted with a dream that STILL fills my heart with JOY! In the dream, God was explaining to me how much He loves His children. But, I wasn't quite grasping all that He was explaining to me with His words. So, He told me that He was going to show me how fulfilling that love was - to help me understand the depth of His love. So, He put His arms around me and hugged me. It was reassuring, comforting and wonderful, but the most amazing aspect was how my heart felt. With every second that passed, my heart felt as if it was growing and expanding. It was the deepest, most wonderfully fulfilling feeling of love I have ever known. He was filling my heart with His Spirit like a balloon fills with air. With every second He held on to me, my heart was growing larger and larger, expanding, conforming and stretching till it felt as if it would burst. The depth of His love was so amazing I woke up from the dream gasping for air, feeling as if my heart would burst with the fullness of His love.
Romans 5:5 . . God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (NIV)
Of all the types of human love we can experience on earth, many would agree that the most fulfilling is that a parent for a child. I have not been blessed with this type of love yet, but I know my parents love me in a way I can only imagine. That love is in the hearts of parents when their children are born, when they watch their children accomplish their goals, on the day Dad gives away his daughter's hand in marriage, in their hearts the day their children give birth to their first grandchild and each and every day in between. The love of parent for a child is an amazing and fulfilling love. But, even this deep kind of earthly love cannot compare to the love in God's heart for all of His children. God's love for us is multi-faceted, complex, deep and complete. It is a love so intense and amazing that we physically could not endure the full knowledge of its depth in our mortal bodies or with our moral minds. Now that is a love worth waiting to experience!
2 Thessalonians 3:5: May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. (NIV)
Christmas can be a time of sadness for those who miss loved ones who have passed on. Instead of Christmas being a time of great celebration and joy at the birth of Jesus Christ (our Saviour), memories of those we love and miss can bring sadness and tears. But, if that his how we feel, then isn't time to change our perspective? Know that all of us who have believed and confessed His name, will meet Him in Heaven. And, when He met your loved on at the pearly gates, He opened His arms wide, welcomed them and filled their hearst with His love. They were no longer confined to their mortal bodies, and for the first time were able to feel the complete depths of His love for them! REJOICE! Celebrate the birth of Christ not missing your loved ones, but knowing that He has poured out His love in their hearts to a depth and dimension that far exceeds any love you can imagine here on earth and He is with them!
Matthew 22:37: Jesus replied to them, " You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart , with all of your soul and with all your mind.' (NIV)
Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Heaven is the Face" is such a blessing! For parents who have lost a child, it should bring great comfort. As he sings the words: "Heaven is the place where she takes my hand, and leads me to you and we both run into your arms," allow yourself to imagine how that embrace will feel, and how full your heart will be on that day. And know, that your loved one already knows that love, and one day you will be walk into the arms of God and your heart will be filled with the complete fullness of His love too!
We wish each of you a blessed Christmas! We pray that you savor the knowledge of the fullness of His love for YOU this Christmas and fully embrace it! He loves each one of us with a love so full and deep that we can hardly comprehend it! Celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ, and know what a true sacrifice it was for God who loves Jesus so much - to give Him up for us. What a sacrifice and what a joyous, amazing love! Embrace that love and have peace and joy in your heart this Christmas!
Luke 2:11: In the town of David a Savior has been born to you this day; he is Christ the Lord! (NIV)
We thank each of you who shopped with us over the Christmas season! Know that we prayed for each customer and gift recipient. You are a blessing to us and we appreciate you and your love of Christ!
