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FEBRUARY 2017 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.


THE GOOD NEWS The Lover of Your Soul


By Joni Eareckson Tada


"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19


When my husband Ken and I were dating, one word


marked the expression of his love for me: excessive. I received more vases of fresh yellow roses, stuffed ani- mals, sweetheart-cards, and candies than I care to re- member. I pleaded with him to lighten up, but I learned that not only is love blind, it's deaf. The next day I would


receive pink roses instead of yellow ones. There were more solid evidences of Ken's love I could point to, but it was the excesses that delighted me. We never need doubt the love of Christ. We have plenty of solid evi-


dence. But there may be times we might wonder just how much Jesus de- lights Himself in us. It is true that baring the Father's wrath on the cross was the ultimate test of how immense Christ's love is, but our soul wants to know more. I want to know how passionately, how intensely He feels about me. Did Jesus desire to come to earth? Or was it a matter of fulfilling divine duty? The question is answered in blood. There is a word that marks the love


of Christ and that is, "excessive." His love for you overflows all reason, all expectations, all your hopes and dreams. For Christ to lay down His life for you tells us that His covenant is no schoolboy pledge, or head-of-state agree- ment or legal contract.


Christ's love is rifled through with powerful emotion. For Him to die for you, is for Him to be delighted in you. Let Christ's passion for you stir the depths of your yearnings for Him. Let


yourself be drawn to Him today, not only because of His sacrifice for your sin, but because of His desire for your soul.


Lord Jesus, I am moved deeply by the extravagant, excessive display of


your love for me. I am gripped by the intensity of your desire and emotion for my soul. You take delight in me... and my heart rises to take delight in you.


Blessings, Joni and Friends, www.joniandfriends.org


Taken from More Precious Than Silver. Copyright © 1998 by Joni Eareckson Tada. Used by permission. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Used with permission of Joni and Friends Disability Center


Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)


Fear is Knocking on our Door From Max Lucado


It was a wonderful thing to sleep in my own


bed last night after 12 days of travel. This “Be- fore Amen” book tour took me from Florida to New York City and half a dozen stops in be- tween. I spoke at several churches, engaged in many conversations, and walked away with a distinct impression.


We are scared. We can hardly process the images we see on the screen. Behead-


ings?! Epidemic?! Global plague?! Is this the Middle Ages? A science fiction novel? In addition to these bizarre events, we have the “com- mon” ones of economic uncertainty and a seemingly deadlocked polit- ical system.


And we are anxious. Not since 9/11 have I sensed such angst. One conversation was emblematic of the rest. A worker in a major


studio asked me the topic of my interview. When I said, “Prayer,” she stopped and looked me in the eyes and said: “Oh, we need prayer.” She was accustomed to talking to strategists, generals, and politicians. She senses that we need help from a divine source.


“Would you like to pray?”


Hope_FearShe nodded, disappeared for a moment, and returned with four friends. “They want to pray, too.” So we prayed. Let’s do the same. We are never without hope because we are never without prayer.


Don’t give into anxiety. Resist the urge to panic. There is peace for the asking. The next time you sense a wave of despair, respond in prayer. Fear seeps in when our trust in God wavers. The only time we


should get scared is when something surprises God. If something takes God by surprise, we are doomed. Since God knows all things, we are comforted.


Fear is knocking on the door, but we don’t have to let it in. © Max Lucado, October 14, 2014. Printed with permission.


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