The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love. Psalm 33:5.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4 NKJV.

To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:29.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:15-16 NKJV.

Why read Scripture? So we can read the very words inspired by Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. So we can see with eyes opened to His love, and with our hearts open, share everything with Him and in that, abide with Him. He is sharing His heart with us in His word, and in the gentle whispers He gives to our spirit so we can understand. Listen to His words in Hosea 11: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son…It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them…How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within Me; all My compassion is aroused. I will not carry out My fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God and not a man – the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. They will follow the Lord; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west. They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord. v. 1-3, 8-11.

Yesterday as I walked around the athletic grounds, I looked up at the clear blue sky. I saw children playing soccer and baseball with family cheering them on; and I couldn’t help but rejoice at such a beautiful day. I knew that just beyond our atmosphere, is the dark, cold outer space where there is no oxygen, and I couldn’t help but marvel. We take so much for granted. And yet, contained within the exosphere, is a mixture of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon and other trace gases (carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, ozone, nitrous oxide, helium, krypton, xenon, hydrogen) in perfect balance to sustain every breath we take. Lungs to breathe, muscles to energize, blood to carry oxygen in and carbon dioxide out; the leaves of the trees to exchange carbon dioxide they need for oxygen we need while providing shade and the beautiful sound of the breeze stirring them. The sun to lift our spirits and bring warmth and light. Families playing together. The new green of the grass and leaves; tiny flowers of beautiful colors interspersed in the grass and gently swaying with the breeze. Birdsong. Squirrels scampering. Life. Provision. Love. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love…And when we open our hearts to Him, we find Home. Without Creator God there would be no love. There would be no us. There would be no anniversary of the day the Son of God rode into Jerusalem knowing exactly what awaited Him. Knowing what fate would befall Jerusalem less than 40 years later. Knowing how distraught His disciples would be with events they could not control. Knowing with His returning to the Father, the Holy Spirit would come to them and to us to comfort us and help us as we navigate all this life in this broken world offers…including – families playing together, teams of children playing, marriages, life lived to the full before the next generation and the next and the next found meaning and hope in Him. We can’t deny the evil or the things ancient Israel, and by extension, we do today. I could share those verses in this chapter, too, but they break my heart. God tells us the truth in His word. Nothing is sugar-coated. And always, there is hope because Creator God IS! And we are loved by Him! Jesus, the Son, said it all as He took our sins onto Himself…“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34. He knows. Open your heart to so great a love because Creator God made a way for us from before the beginning of us. He knew. And He still took all of this on and created. Thank You, Lord, for so great a Love! Thank You for making a way for us to abide with You now and into forever!