My body wants to crawl in bed, but I felt driven to write. Here we go.

Psalm 145 came up in Jesus Calling a few days ago. Let me share.

The LORD is close to all who call on him… (NLT)

That verse has been sustaining me lately.

People also don’t know unless you tell them. It’s my birthday today. I’ve had a few now as you might guess. It’s remarkable how relevant Jesus still is all these years later. His pursuit of me from conception is a testament that God never throws in the towel on His children. I am a child of God unconditionally loved by Him, and nothing can take that away from me. As I contemplate my beginning I now have no end because my Jesus came to this earth, lived, died and the Father raised Him to die never again. He was the propitiation (separation) of my sin from the presence of the Father, Son and Spirit. I not only can completely delete my wrong doing, but I can directly approach our Father with any adoration, confession, thanks and supplication (a.c.t.s.). He will listen to every single one, and because of His omniscient (all knowing) self He will know what to do or not do about the prayer that is prayed. Wow.

My God delivers me from evil, harm, disease and sadness. Oh, He may not take the struggle away, but when He doesn’t He gives me the power to persevere through it. He doesn’t just help me. He gives power. Say that to yourself. “He gives me power over the desire to give into fear, pornography, anger and an ungodly thirst for money. We serve a risen Savior. He lives in the presence of the Father without sleep looking down upon us as we do in love. His vastness, creativity and undying affection cannot be murdered, stopped, bullied or placed as a Republican, Democrat or independent thinker. It doesn’t matter if your straight or gay His love will never leave your side even though your choices sadden Him.

Once again we must remind ourselves of John 3.16. He loves the whole world. You are not defined by anything but His great love for you. I can’t state it any planner than that. That’s what life boils to. He doesn’t care if you are rich, poor, black or white. He’s called you into the single most important relationship you’ll ever have for eternity. His love story makes all others pale in comparison. It’s time to repent, and turn back to Him. Nothing in all the earth will fill you like Him. There’s not a single person who will satisfy the void in your heart like Him.

I love my wife and daughter more than life, but they will never fill me with the kind of love my Father infuses into my heart, soul, mind and strength.

God is real, and if you aren’t a believer in Jesus crucified, raised and ascended back to the Father I pray that God reveal that truth to you. You need Him. You need Him more than the blood in your veins or the air in your lungs.

And His arms are always open.