We were made to love and be loved by God!

Easter Shows Us God's Amazing Love
by Rick Warren

"God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8 NLT).

Everything that Jesus did for you He did out of love. The Bible says that God made you to love you. The only reason you're alive is because you were made to be loved by God.

If God didn't want you alive, your heart would stop instantly; you wouldn't even be breathing right now. God made you and wants you alive so He can love you and so you can love Him back.

God didn't just say He loved you, He showed it. The Bible says, "God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8 NLT). It says while we were still sinners. Before I even knew God, before I even knew I needed God in my life, Jesus died for me.

There's a myth that says I've got to clean up my act before I can come to God. "I've got to get it all together. There are a few things I've got to get right in my life first, and then I'll come to God." No! You come to God with your problems—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Why do we do this? It's like when we brush our teeth before we go to the dentist to have a teeth cleaning; or when we wash the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher; or when we pick up the house before the maid gets there! Why do we do this?

God says, "No, no! You don't have to clean up your act. Just bring it all to Me. Bring Me all your problems. I have the answer. I have all the answers." You don't wait. Jesus says, "Come as you are."

The Bible says, "He will send down help from heaven to save me because of His love" (Psalm 57:3 LB). That's what Jesus did on Easter. He sent down Himself from heaven to save us because of His love. So you bring your problems to God because He has the answer.

If you don't act on this news then the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection is wasted for you personally. It makes no difference in your life. You may recognize the gift, but you still have to receive it.

The Bible says, "You will be saved, if you honestly say, 'Jesus is Lord,' and if you believe with all your heart that God raised Him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others" (Romans 10:9-10 CEV).

God is not asking you to make a promise you cannot keep. God is asking you to believe a promise that only He can keep.

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I thought that I would also share a video by Toby Mac that goes along with this devotional. We were made by God to love Him and be loved By Him. What more wonderful purpose can we have than that!

Lucy

God is so good. Saturday we visited our local animal shelter and God gave us a new puppy! I shared in an earlier post how I didn't allow God to be in control and I used manipulation to get our first dog which turned out to be the total wrong dog for our family. God brought us Lady and Tramp and they were PERFECT for us.

We lost Tramp a month ago and still miss him terribly, but we were ready to love another dog, so we went to our shelter. The day before I felt God leading me to pop in there by myself and was drawn to a beautiful lab puppy. But I wanted to be sure that God was in control so I didn't tell the kids. I told my husband that he was the final say in adopting a dog because I might make the wrong decision and just want to bring any dog home. I felt the Holy Spirit that day and I tell you God was in control. I saw my husband drawn to other dogs, my kids liked a black puppy that was REALLY energetic, and at first they all thought the dog I liked was too shy. I didn't try to influence any of them and felt at peace with whatever the decision would be.

In the end the whole family agreed that the dog I was first drawn to was the right dog for us. Darin named her Lucy Penvensie the Dog, and she fits into our family perfectly! She is cute when she gets playful, but she also gets calm and LOVES to cuddle. She is wonderful and we all thank God for bringing her into our home! Here are some pictures of Lucy. She is a 4 month old golden Labrador puppy.