Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things….” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.______________________________________________________________

March 2, 2015

Journal Entry for Today

Good morning Lord. I read the devotional from Chambers this morning and was a bit confused. It never occurred to me that You would want to inflict pain in or on me.  If You are love (1 John 4:8) and I read the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13, then I am a bit confused. How can Chambers say that You inflict pain at the deepest part of my heart? What is he trying to say?

And God says…”I do not inflict pain; the Holy Spirit can only point out where you may have missed the mark. And because the disciple Peter, you and every human that lives on planet earth have a natural body, mind and spirit, it is no secret that all will miss the mark. It is part of your natural condition. And it is only natural that when I point out your failures, you may feel pain….but only for a moment. The moment you reconnect with Me, you are whole and complete; without pain.

“What can you do? Look to Jesus at every opportunity. You cannot miss the mark when you are connected to Jesus.  Everyone on earth misses the mark when they are not connected.  And as you know, it is easy to get disconnected: even by and through religion, service or good intentions. It is not necessary to do something immoral or to break a law to get disconnected. You can be disconnected by doing the right thing(s) for the wrong reasons. However it is impossible to do the wrong thing when you are connected. It is impossible for humans to do enough “good things” in order to be and stay connected; this can only be accomplished through the love, grace and mercy of Christ Jesus. Seek first the Kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you need, including your sense of well being. Acknowledge me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight…..and keep you connected.”