February – The Heart of a Preacher's Kid

“We made it, We survived.”

To quote the gospel-great Hezekiah Walker, we have survived the month of February and thank the Lord for that!

Secondly, How’s your heart?

If you read the PKE from last week, we talked about daily heart checks to remind ourselves of where we stand with others and oursleves. However today, I want the Weekly Soap to have emphasis on our relationship with the Lord.

Specifically, what happens when we love God?

Let’s Dive in!

Scripture: “Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalms 97:10 NIV.

Observation: The verse makes it plain about what we as people of God should do. We cannot love God and love sin. We must love God and hate evil. Notice the word choice in this scripture. Hate in this scripture is used to highlight the disgust we should have about evil/sin. But why? In the next part of the verse, we should hate evil BECAUSE God protects and delivers his people from the evil in this world, things not of Him. God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him and even to those who are not (2 Timothy 2:13) It also reinforced that because God cares, we have no reason to fear. We don’t have to fear events, people, or things that are in this world, because God’s got our back To quote Andy Mineo’s lyrics from Lost, ” He didn’t say that we wouldn’t go through it, He just said that we wouldn’t be alone.”

Application: Often, I always pray that I flee from evil or temptation when the time comes, but this scripture puts it into perspective for me. It’s not about asking God to help you flee; you also willingly must run. Here’s a better thought process behind hating sin:

Loving God with all our heart should be our desire, something we strive after every day. Whether it be by reflecting on the word or praying, we are building a long-standing relationship with God that cannot break. The same way we understand a significant other’s likes and dislikes, we understand what God likes and dislikes: God hates sin.

So what do we if we come in contact with something our partner dislikes? We avoid it like a rotten tuna sandwich sitting in the sun on a hot day in the middle of August! We should be the same way with sin.

If I sin, it’s like hurting someone I love repeatedly. That’s neither healthy nor acceptable in a loving relationship. God doesn’t hurt us because his grace and mercy follow us.

So, why then do we continue to sin if we know it hurts our relationship with God?

God always remains faithful to us, even when we cheat with sin. However, this isn’t a one-sided relationship, it’s a joint effort. It’s time for us to cut off our affair with sin and focus our primary relationship with God. He is our life-giver, deliverer, protector, our everything. By loving God, we receive so much more than if we love sin.

Prayer: Father in Heaven, I thank you for being my protector and deliverer. I did not realize how much you keep us from daily, but I am so grateful for you doing just that. Lord, you don’t ask for much except that we love you and hate sin. So today, I decree and declare that I will do just that. I pray that when I face tough spots in my life where temptation may come that I turn towards you. Let me be constantly reminded of your love, grace, and mercy. Thank you for looking out for me. I love you, Lord, with all my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe with your email, or comment on this blog! I would love to hear your feedback!

Be Blessed!

–Chan

Before we get to the Song of the Week, I have to say thank you for the many comments last week on the Weekly Soap. It was the most comments that I have received this far and I am so grateful to you all.

Now, let’s get to the Song of the Week!

In December 2018, I ran across this album titled Hotel Sessions by Local Sound. I had no idea who this group was or what they were about, but the message was clear: they were singing about the love of Christ!

Right off the back, I was sold with the stripped down versions of their songs. Specifically, their song Wild. The song starts with a simple 808 beat followed by layered chords from an electric piano. Instantly, the Da-Da-Da’s caught my ear (I love a catchy one syllable melody), but there was more to this song than its feel-good beat. The lyrics described what makes God’s love so wild.

The overwhelming love that God gives us surpasses all that we could ever imagine or think (Ephesians 3:20). But what does this look like?

From the very beginning, He claimed us in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 29:11).
It pulls us from darkness (1 Peter 5:7)
It never fades or fails. (Jeremiah 31:3; Psalms 136:26)
There is no fear in His Love (1 John 4:18)
He made the ultimate sacrifice out of love (John 3:16)
God is Love. (1 John 4:16)

Looking at some of these scriptures of love, I am so glad our salvation does not depend on man. Why? Because how many people can genuinely say they love unconditionally? Are we able to die for the stranger on the street the same we might die for our family members? CAN we even think about dying for our family members?

The message here is:

God’s love is extraordinary!

Reflect on it this week as you bop to this song! Think about where you’d be without His love. Think about where you are because of it.

This is the stripped down version of “Wild” by Local Sound.

This is the EDM-Pop version of “Wild” by Local Sound.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe with your email, or comment on this blog! I would love to hear your feedback!

Be Blessed!

–Chan