Love is not premeditated– it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 5:5).If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

April 30 2015

Good morning Lord and thank you for this devotional and Spirit filled direction this morning. Both Dave and I could feel your presence as we explored the notion of being connected to You and feeling the connection and a love that can overwhelm. It occurred to me that I have been feeling connected as I seek you in the morning, but I have been seeking connection as I search for answers to particular questions about my life and particular needs and circumstances. I have spent very little time seeking connection for the sake of being connected to You and Your love.  Going forward it is my intention to consciously seek Your love just for the sake of being intimately connected, and try not to just seek our relationship for the sake of guidance, blessings or rescue.

And God says…”That is a noble undertaking, however you must know that I use your circumstances and needs to help mold and shape you. I use your trials to your benefit; (don’t try to get out of your trials too early, let them have their perfect result). As you have learned, I want a relationship with you, and given the sacrifice of Jesus have chosen to use your life landscape as a vehicle for our communication. However, it is a powerful relationship that can be based on  love and respect with no regard for wants and or needs. When you simply “know” and trust that I am your God and will work ALL THINGS for your good, you can find peace and joy in our simple relationship of love. When you delight yourself in the Lord, be certain that I will give you the desires of your heart; even when (or especially when) you are not seeking the desires of your heart.”