Heirs of the Father:

            Living hope: 

1 Peter 1:3-5

3     Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

     4     to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

     5     who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

     

            Our hope is not in some dead man and his words, but in a risen, living Christ – inside us. This hope is not just wishful thinking. We know that we are His, and that He will one day come to gather us together. We can rest assured on that hope. No matter how bad things look for us in this world, we will have a place with Him forever. We have an inheritance as God’s children. It is not an inheritance like that of earthly children. Our inheritance will never pass away, and it will not be taken away from us. It is forever and has our name on it … reserved in Heaven for us.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children do not understand all that I have for them. They have an inheritance not only in Heaven, but also on earth. It is a rich heritage that I have for them. Many of them are not walking in this inheritance for lack of knowledge. They do not know what is theirs and how to obtain it. I will not take it back. It is for you, My children forever. Learn what is yours and how to obtain it that your life may be a beacon unto others to come unto Me.”

            22. I have a living hope, an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled, which is reserved in Heaven for me, and I am protected by the power of God.

Love of God controls:  

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

14     For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

     15     and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

     

1 Corinthians 8:6

6     yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

     

            What motivates us in our Christian life is that love of God that is in us. We no longer do things for Him to gain His approval, but because of His love which fills our hearts. How much better is that? Our lives are no longer our own, but His. Therefore, what we do is for Him because He first loved us. There is no greater thing than to live our lives for Him. We died when He died … we should act like it. We should seek to do things for Him and for His Kingdom.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My love for you and in you is so powerful that nothing can stop it. You will want to show it to others. You will want to do things that are pleasing unto Me, just like I desire to do things that are pleasing unto you. This is love … that you give yourself completely to making the one you love pleased with your actions. Whether it is your love for Me or for your brethren, you will want to please the one you love. It will drive your thoughts and actions in your every day life.”

            21. The love of God controls me. Therefore, I exist and live for Him.

He first loved us:

1 John 4:19

19     We love, because He first loved us.

     

            Of course, we can have human love without Him. But to have the kind of love He has … the kind that would lay down His life for us - that kind of love could only come because He first loved us. Most of the time, we love someone because there is a mutual feeling between us. Our love for someone can grow cold. Sometimes when the ones we love do us wrong, we turn our backs on them. He loved us before we even knew Him. He loved us even though He knew that we would do things that were wrong. That doesn’t mean that He doesn’t expect us to do the right things … just that He loves us anyway.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "When My love fills your heart, it will overflow to others. You will want to show your love towards them in the same way that I show My love towards you. You cannot help but feel this love for others. It is a part of Me, and now it is a part of you.”

            20. I can love others because God first loved me.

Love of the Father:

            Nothing will separate us:

John 16:27

27     for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

     

Romans 8:38-39

     38     For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

     39     nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

            Because we loved Jesus, the Father loves us, and there is nothing in Heaven or on earth that can separate us from that love. That is what true love means. With man, there is always the possibility that something could happen to cause us to doubt or even lose the love another human has for us. Just look at all the divorces in this country. But there is nothing whatsoever that can remove us from His all encompassing love.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My love for you is so great that nothing in Heaven or on earth can separate you from it. My love will be with you for all eternity. My love will comfort you in the time of grief. My love will strengthen you in time of weakness. My love will guide you through paths of darkness. My love will always be.”

            19. The Father loves me, and nothing will separate me from His love.