God Is Love

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

God gets misunderstood quite often. It’s understandable, really, because not only is He so far above our comprehension… there’s also an enemy actively seeking to twist & distort everything about Him.

For one, it is really hard to comprehend someOne who is completely set on Justice, while simultaneously being completely merciful. He never will sacrifice one for the other—they exist in tandem for Him.

He Literally Knows What Is Best… He Doesn’t Have to Guess

He made everything. He has absolute power & authority over what He made. He alone gets to determine what is right or wrong. And there are consequences to breaking that.

But imagine knowing literally everything there is to know… to its absolute core… because you made literally everything in existence… imagine with me that our little creatED brains cannot even come CLOSE to all He KNOWS. We can somehow kinda sorta begin to see that that our “knowledge” & our “wisdom” doesn’t even scratch the SURFACE.

AND, He didn’t leave it at that, did He? Nope. He GAVE us a book to teach us how He made things to work. He didn’t leave us to guess at it, inevitably screw it all up, all so He could punish us.

NO. He GAVE us His Word!

Then, imagine with me again that if He knows literally everything there is to know about the natural order of things, our thoughts, our intents, every ripple effect throughout all of time… even to our subconscious… that He also knows what is absolute best, whether it makes sense to our creatED minds… or NOT.

God Redirects Us

“For the Lord corrects those He loves,
    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:12)

AND, knowing ALL of that… GIVING us His Word… He says that the consequences of our “missing the mark” (aka sin), is DEATH. Because not only does He KNOW… He also WARNED us. So, for us, with our little creatED minds to have the AUDACITY to think we know better than the One Who MADE us… & then to do what WE THINK over what He KNOWS… it will 100% of the time cause harm to ourselves & to others, which He ALSO KNOWS. So, there are major consequences….

He is not punishing you for not assimilating. He is punishing you because He KNOWS everything, MADE you, GAVE you His Word… & because disobedience to God means you will every single time hurt yourself AND others AND Him.

The GOD Who CREATED the universe gave you EVERYTHING you need to succeed (His Word & this world & HIMSELF) & when your response is essentially “… nah,” even at the risk of hurting others…. There are major consequences.

He gives His Word out of love for us.

God Shows His Love through All He Created, Including His Vast Expressed Creativity

He made this world, in all of its extravagant beauty out of love for us. He could have made everything one color, one shape, one size, all uniform, all bland, all flat. But that’s not the world He made for us, is it?

Ears to hear the lapping waves on a shore, waterfalls & rivers rushing, breezes through tall grass & the leaves on the trees, a kitten’s purr, a baby’s laugh, kind words.

Taste buds to taste fresh hot apple pie a la mode, your favorite meal, a sweet treat.

A nose to stop & smell the roses, kitten fur, baby skin, fresh air, something baking in the oven, perfumes, fresh cut grass.

Skin to feel the warmth of a hug, the softness of a blanket, the comfort of soft fur, the rush of water on bare skin, the breeze across your face.

Eyes to see a rainbow, kittens, tropical fish, a sunset, a beach, a smile from a friend, flowers in bloom, mountain peaks, the green grass on rolling hills.

God didn’t skimp out on us when He made this world for us, did He? Not one bit. What a LOVING God He is!

He Showed Us His Unimaginable Love through JESUS

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

And not only did He give us His Word because He cares about our wellbeing & knows He sees beyond what we’re capable. Not only does He hold accountable those who are reckless in their destructive sin to protect them & those they hurt with their recklessness. Not only did He lavish His excellence on us through His creation….

But, JESUS.

Jesus is the ABSOLUTE embodiment & display of God’s love for us.

We Could Never Earn It… So, Jesus Paid It

Guys. Even IF we determine to live up to God’s standard & trust His Word & live by it… we still fall short of it every single day… honestly probably every single moment.

And yet… He could have said, “well, too bad, huh? I gave you this world. I gave you My Word to live by. You STILL screwed it up? That’s on you.”

But instead… JESUS. I mean… WHAT?!?

He looked down at all our screw ups & the feeling He felt toward us was not hatred or resentment… but COMPASSION. Like, all our lack is just filled in with HIM.

God Condescended Himself FOR US

God CONDESCENDED Himself from His THRONE to come be born in fleshly state & be rejected & scorned & mocked & beaten by those He loves & came to die for. (Isaiah 53) And His response? “Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

GUYS!!!?

Love came DOWN to US!

Believing on HIM BECOMES OUR righteousness! Grace, by definition is UNDESERVED!

What LOVE!!

AND… God doesn’t even stop there!!!

Creation, His Word, Jesus, & Now, the Holy Spirit… Love Is ALWAYS His Motivator!

After we have trusted on His death for our sins & His raising from the dead conquering that sin… God offers us HIMSELF. He promises us the Holy Spirit to indwell us, to guide us, to be our helper & counselor & comfort.

In other words, we no longer have to even try to obey Him or live for Him in OUR OWN strength, but through HIS!

A consistent laying down of our lack & a requesting for His ALL.

A consistent life of letting Him shape us to look more like Jesus to this hurting world around us.

Please understand this, in all the misunderstandings there are out there about God: Love is ALWAYS His motivator.

Shine HOPE by sharing the love of God with others… His Word, His creation, His sacrifice, His ALL… His LOVE.

Coming Next Week

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As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

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Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Flora Bunny Decor (NEPAL)

LIMITED EDITION – While supplies last! How fun is this Flora Bunny Decor that creates jobs for women in Nepal! This adorable wool bunny hanging decor is perfect to add a little springtime fair-trade fun to your decor! Each Flora Bunny is handcrafted using traditional wool-crafting techniques that have been passed down for generations.

***Your purchase, using the “Shop Here” link below, provides a woman in an area of extreme poverty with a safe job and fair wage.***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

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Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!