God – The Heart of a Preacher's Kid

Good Morning, Afternoon, Evening, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! Truly this month has been full of revelation and chasing after God’s heart!

This is exactly why I wanted to share the Song of the Week with you.

Waterfall by Jonathan Ogden

With his chill vibe and mellow voice, Jonathan Ogden describes the love of God and the reaction we should have towards Him.

Everlasting One
Nothing else compares
To knowing You
To knowing You
You’re the living God
And my soul it longs
To be with You
To be with You

In the opening verse, I couldn’t help but reflect on the last part. Our soul longs to be with God. When we develop a relationship with anyone, we feel such a connection that it’s hard not to think of them or want to be in their presence as much as we can. The same goes for when we form a relationship with God.

As our relationship with God flourishes, we long to be in His presence. For some, their spirit sings from joy or even erupts in laughter. But to know Him is to love Him. Nothing will ever compare to that which He gives to us.

Oh Lord Your love is like a waterfall
Your love is like a flowing stream
And whenever I’m feeling dry
I come to the river, I come to the river of life

His love is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3) and it never runs out. His love is not conditional, and it never fails. Can any man on earth say the same? The love of God is so great that the comparison to a waterfall truly explains two things: it is continuous and it is refreshing. However, it didn’t stop there. Because of His love, we were given His Son Jesus, who brought us eternal life when we believe in Him (John 3:16).

As the song comes to a close, Lucy Grimble says:

As the deer pants for the waters
So my soul longs after You

In quoting Psalm 42:1, our attitude and action towards God should shift. Willingly we should bring ourselves to God with so much passion that we truly cannot get enough of Him. Like the deer who depends on the water to continue to live, we should depend on the Father to live.

Waterfall by Jonathan Ogden ft. Lucy Grimble

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Be Blessed!

–Chan

“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