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“What is love?” John asked, “Not that we first loved God, but that He first loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.”-1 John 4:10.

Later he say’s the only reason why we love God is because He FIRST loved us (1 John 4:19). I’ve been on a journey, where the only command God has given me has rang clear like a bell through a valley, “rest and receive my love.” I waited years before I began this journey. Tonight while listening to the radio I noticed once again that most Christian songs are about how much “we” love God, how we will “make” His name glorious, how much “we” adore Him, how “we” will serve Him and go out and evangelize the world.

There is of course nothing wrong with this…in fact it is good! But those works are simply a fruit of the root which is receiving the love of God. The root is God, His grace, His life pouring through our souls from our spirits. I simply couldn’t help but notice that there is a scarce amount of songs, or mainstream Christian material, about how much God loves us. But there is plenty of material and songs to be had about us, and our efforts. His love is the very life source, the health of our souls.

Paul prayed that we would know the “height, depth, width, breath and length of the love of God,” so that we will be, “filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18). John wrote when one is perfected in the love of God fear is gone (1 John 4:18). How many Christians can say they fear nothing?

There is a scripture that I love in Zephaniah where in a silver glimpse of God’s love the prophet writes, “the Lord rejoices over you with singing!” (3:17). I once heard a man quote, “worship is the place where the lips of God cut dust again.” Worship, as Misty Edwards say’s so beautifully, “is a response to something we see in God.”

Our lives as Christians…or better stated as children of God is a response. A response to what? A response to the grace, to the love, to the freeing truth of Jesus. So worship is overwhelming joy and thanksgiving over the immense goodness of God. Worship is laughter of the heart. Worship is seeing something so marvelous that it causes joy to bubble over inside of the one who sees.

Tonight as I drove I prayed to God to make me a good receiver by His grace, to cause me to enter into that rest promised in Hebrews 4 where “my works cease” and His “works begin.” God has been beckoning me to enter into that rest. This rest is the place where we find all the work has been done..it is Eden (delight and paradise), it is a place where I find everything is complete without any effort on my part. It is the promise land of the soul. Israel was not able to enter because of lack of belief that God was that good….that He already prepared the land and had given them vineyards, houses, wells and gardens that they had NOT worked for or built.

Jesus has been telling me, “you’re already holy because I did the work for you to make you holy. You’re already righteous….God made you into my righteousness. You’re already loved perfectly, you’re already free…I have given you all things.” Religion and the world says the opposite. Even our movies about heroes (marvel movies, etc) are based on man’s efforts and works. All false religion…even false Christianity, also known as legalism, is about what you can do to please God, be like God, have peace…etc. Jesus says, “narrow is the gate…I am the way, the truth, the life.” The way is grace, the wings are rest and trust, the navigator is the love of God. And your ability to obey, stems from your ability to trust His good nature. Trust is always the fruit of love received.

God has been whispering to me about a life I am meant to live…a life He created all of mankind to live. It is heaven on earth. It is a place of beauty, wonder, immense joy, peace without measure, love indescribable, perfect health…it is a place He has already provided…and He say’s to me, “the way to enter is to receive without trying to earn…everything Jesus provided for you through His life, death and resurrection.” As Jesus said, “unless you become like a child…you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18;3). How does a child receive? Freely.

When people came to Jesus and asked him, “what must we do to do the works of God?” He responded with, “believe on the one whom God has sent (as in: believe on me, trust in me).” (John 6:28-29). When I was baptized and received the Holy Spirit as evidence of speaking in tongues (at The Holy Land Experience in Florida), the man who prayed over me quieted as we held hands and said something that was more precious to my soul than even speaking in tongues, “I love you,” he said for God, “I love you…receive my love.”

I often wondered why some Christians lived lives that weren’t healthy? I wondered why some people seemed to be unable to shake off bad habits? John answers this in the book of 1st John with, “because the love of the Father is not in him.” It is not trying to muster up love FOR the Father that is the problem, but rather a lack of receiving God’s love that is the problem. I often heard in church the importance of, “loving God, loving God, loving God.” God has said to me much more times, “receive my love, receive my love, receive my love. Eat my goodness, eat my sweetness, partake of my joy, drink yourself full…then everything will be effortless.” This great receiving will turn into great loving. When someone truly receives the love of God, they can’t help but fall madly, deeply, sweetly in love with Him. They also can’t help but feel good about themselves and accept themselves the way God does. Bondages are broken in the power of His love. Lies are torn off, demons are cast out, relationships are restored and holy living becomes effortless.

There is a promise land of the soul…and it is resting in the finished work of Christ that makes you heaven accepted, and the love of the Father that sent Jesus in the first place. He sent Jesus with no other alternative motive than to love you as a Father, and make you a part of His family. There is no other agenda. He created you, to love you 

~If you enjoyed this devotional on love, check out my book, Visions of Celestial Love. It’s full of 7 years worth of revelation that God has given me on His love. Be immensely blessed and receive!

Top photo by Thanh Nguyễn from Pexels

By: Stephen McClelland. For more information on his ministry, click here.

During church yesterday I had a vision of a man tending a lot of sheep. They belonged to him, and while there was a lot of them they were mostly below average. One of them stood out though, like it would have been an award winning ram. It was taller and stronger than the rest, its wool vibrantly white. The others were dingy and dirty. This one was his prized possession and he took great care for it.

And then Father God walked up. The man wasn’t shocked by it; it was like they knew each other and were comfortable with each other. God was admiring the man’s flock, but I could see Him looking repeatedly in the direction of the prized ram. After a little more chatting I could tell God said “This one is beautiful. I’d like to have him. Would you give him to me?” The man remained respectful, but clearly didn’t want to lose this one. He offered God two, even three of the others instead of the one. But God was focused on the ram. He said softly, “I think I’d like to have this one.” The man, seeing that God was determined, kept trying to bargain. “What will I get from you if I give you this one? This ram is quite valuable!”

God turned to look at the man but did not immediately speak.

I kept thinking, “You don’t give to God to get something! You give God what He asks for because of what you’ve ALREADY gotten from Him! You’ve already been given far more than what that ram is worth. He gave to you first, and it was more valuable than anything you could possibly imagine.” Clearly the man hadn’t thought of it that way, but it was the truth.

A short distance away I saw Jesus. He had been there the whole time, with the man, I just hadn’t seen Him.

Finally, Father God spoke. It was gentle, not condemning, and barely above a whisper. His eyes were soft, and He maintained a reassuring smile. The vision ended as He gestured toward Jesus, “I gave you my lamb. I gave you the best.”

God may or may not be asking you to give up something very valuable to you. Either way, you have already been given the greatest gift. The lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. Redemption, reconciliation, and eternal life, by the blood of Jesus Christ. He was given before you asked. He was given when you deserved nothing. He is yours. The greatest savior and the greatest leader. He is yours.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

There is an ecstasy in grace that supersedes any physical experience on earth. There is a joy in worship that is like liquid sugar to my heart, melting the insides of my soul in utter sweetness. This bliss is intoxicating. The substance of it is more than I can bear. This love is all encompassing.

This Man is more breathtaking than words can describe. Jesus, you are everything good, desirable and perfect! Your Presence is a substance that satisfies everything and then gives more. You are a waterfall of glory and all my needs are but a bucket underneath it.

There is nothing I can desire that would be better than You. And I dance, like a mad man in love. I sing, like a woman who has given her heart away. I worship, because I am redeemed and Heaven has opened its gates to pour upon me the free gifts of God!

~P.S: My husband took this photo of me on Mother’s Day 2019. My father surprised me with those beautiful flowers.

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

—John 7:37–38 NLT

There is a nutrition every human heart needs…unconditional love. I’ve found a fountain of silver vaporous waters where streams of grace flow unhindered. They course from the gates of heaven, rippling through emerald and jade paths overgrown with lush vegetation, ambrosial fruits and polychromatic flowers. They spring from the heart of God and steam in the presence of the Holy Spirit—like the aromatic spa fog of boiling rose water.

These streams of grace are smooth oil to the flesh of man and vital nourishment to the spirit. They are the early morning dew glittering on the land, each drop containing the source of life. They are breath to the lungs and peace to the mind. They are a bed of petals, a concave of love, beautiful like sunlight to the soul. They are truth and grace all intertwined into one.

Welcome to the river of God. They are rest, they are peace, and they are clarity. Let His oceans of lavender, let His voice of myrrh, let His tender touch, let the glowing warmth of His heart—like a softly crackling fireplace on a cold winter night—enter your soul and give you love…give you peace…give you rest. Be refreshed, be restored, be rejuvenated, be healed, be made whole. You are deeply loved. His Spirit is your heart nutrition.

~This small excerpt was taken from my book Visions of Celestial Love. You can order a physical or ebook copy by clicking here.

A woman inspired me the other day. It was evening time and the preschoolers were playing outside in the hot sun when she opened the fence. Her toddler son with pale blond hair like dried wheat in the sun was by her side. She came to pick up her daughter.

Unlike most parents who came and went in a rush, this woman allowed her son and daughter the leisure of enjoying a few more minutes on the playground. It was her bright smile that immediately warmed me to her. She stood by me and struck up a relaxing conversation. While we conversed I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. Not beautiful the way the world paints beauty–our media romanticizes physical beauty and glamor (which are both pretty shallow in comparison to the real thing). She had deep beauty that came from her soul. She was sturdy, sweet and she had dark brown hair with hazel strands which she tied back. She was dressed comfortably in beige shorts, a white top and tennis shoes. Large sunglasses were tucked behind her ears.

When her daughter (who is so lovable and has what I like to call an “Australian tan”) was hurt playing with a friend she sat her girl on her lap and calmly soothed and explained, “your friend didn’t mean to hurt you.” As they left I noticed she wasn’t driving a car. Instead she had a bike with a built in wagon in the back. She fixed her children in it and fastened helmets on their heads. She too put on one and spread a blanket by her kids feet. They waved and then rode off. As she left I realized afresh that it wasn’t the people with a million possessions that struck me as rich. It was the people who had opened their heart to a million other hearts. It was those like her who could ride a bike and be full of joy and resting in peaceful contentment. Sometimes little can be so much more than a lot–especially when it is strewn together with love. “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”-1 Timothy 6:6

~I wanted you to know that you have a beauty that is refreshing, unique and blossoms into visibility as you rest in the comfort of your divine design. Your soul is meant to receive the abundance of God’s love and acceptance for you. I pray you stand under the waterfall of His affirmations and sweet love toward you. I pray you become soaked in the waters of His grace and that the beauty that He has placed in you shines forth effortlessly as you rest in His unconditional love.

~A reflection of Fall 2015

I laid by the fire and listened to the soft humming and crackling it made. I had never noticed how peaceful the sound of wood burning was before. Only moments ago I had come back from a leisure evening stroll in the late October nippy air.

Wet rain clouds loomed over my head promising the blessing of rain. The sun rose brightly above purple misty mountains illuminating the ruby red leaves on the deciduous trees. Autumn was in the air and with it the early scents of harvest.

I gingerly enveloped the cup of hot tea in my hands and closed my eyes to commune with my heart and the Lord and Lover of it.

“Thank You Jesus,” I breathed calmly as my soul relaxed, “for moments like this…where the world is still and I can rest in Your arms again. You are my everything.”

A scripture verse came to my mind, I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me. My eyes went wet with tears…his desire is toward me. It blessed my heart afresh and illuminated my soul like a sauna of fragrances.

“Your desire is toward me,” I said happily back to Him and felt His pleasure for me.

I knew this was only the beginning of the blessings He had for my life, and the blessed life I would live.

Song of Solomon 7:10 <3

Written by: Danielle Sanders

I Corinthians 15:40-41 (NKJV) – [There are] also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial [is] one, and the [glory] of the terrestrial [is] another. [There is] one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for [one] star differs from [another] star in glory.

Have you ever compared yourself to another and found yourself lacking? When I was a middle school teacher, I observed on many occasions the behavior of girls who felt threatened by other, “prettier” girls. No matter how uniquely beautiful each girl was, when the superstar walked in, it was as though she had sucked all of the pretty out of the room, leaving the others feeling bereft and ugly.

As a singer, I used to have a similar reaction when I heard someone sing with what I considered to be better technique or a “prettier” tonal quality than mine. I would become like my middle schoolers: despondent and extremely critical of myself. This all changed one day as I was preparing to go onstage to sing. The Lord whispered to me, “You have a glory all your own, so sing with all your glory.” In an instant, I understood a truth that set me free forever: Every created thing has its own glory, and there’s no such thing as bad glory!

A lion ruling the Serengeti has one glory; a great white shark dominating the deep has another. No one would say the glory of the Monarch butterfly is inferior to that of the Sunsprite rose. Each has its own glory— different in type, but not in quality. It’s the same for humankind. We are unique individuals created by God with different functions, gifts, and callings, and not one is superior or inferior to the other. Yet how many times have we compared ourselves to others and walked away feeling disadvantaged, not recognizing that each of us is a unique reflection of God’s very own glorious image? How silly it is to admire God’s glory in another person while disparaging His glory in oneself.

As the scripture says, there is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon. Likewise, there is one glory of me and another of you. And all the glory is of God!

The more time I spend with God, the more He purifies me, and the more my love for Him grows deeper. He has filled me with a heavenly joy and love. I am soaked in His presence and I literally feel as if I am dripping with the presence of His Holy Spirit. My heart is rich with peace. May I surrender my all to the One who loves me the most, all the days of my life.

~This short snippet was taken from my book Visions of Celestial Love (An Invitation into Healing Intimacy). To purchase the ebook or physical copy, click here.

In Him we live and move and have our being. —Acts 17:28 NIV

My heart relies on You, God. What can I eat of but Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

Fill my soul like water pours from a waterfall.

I eat of You.

I drink of You.

I bathe in You.

I sleep in You.

I breathe in You.

I walk in You.

I sing in You.

You are everything.

I live in your atmosphere.

I cannot be taken away.

I yearn to eat and drink of what is good.

And You say, “Taste and see that I am good.”

~This short snippet was taken from my book Visions of Celestial Love (An Invitation into Healing Intimacy). To purchase the ebook or physical copy, click here.

Raspberry roses lay at my feet.
I bring the fragrance of the petals to my chest and breathe in the aroma of God’s love.
I take His shinning fruit to my lips and as the taste burst on my tongue the juice drips from my mouth.
I imagine I’m in a field of golden hay.
The kind that glows like deep honey in the sun.
Lily’s whiter than snow-capped mountains drip vaporous dew along the edges.
Bells are heard in the warm wind as love from the Son pours down like spring rain.
Father you tickle my imagination with your creation.
And all this came to be from raspberry roses

~For more words of inspiration, check out my book Visions of Celestial Love.

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