“I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fufil all my will” (Acts 13:22-23; KJV). What was it about David that allowed the Lord to say these words about him? David had a great zeal for God (1 Sam 17:45). He was teachable, humble and feared God (Ps 25). David trusted God and had great intimacy with him (Ps 27). David loved to praise his God (Ps 34:1), desired righteousness, (Ps 51) loved God (Ps 63) and prayed and cried out to his heavenly Father (Ps 143:1). As we see in our main text, David was also obedient to the will of God.

David was; however, human and fell into the sins of sexual immorality and even murder in his affair with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11). However, when confronted by Nathan the prophet he repented and God forgave him (2 Sam 12). “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”

We should look to the life and attributes of David, a mighty man of God. We should also be encouraged that God regarded David’s strengths and forgave such great sin. God loves us and will forgive us just as he did David. Be exhorted and encouraged.

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We hear much about the importance of the word, faith, prayer, praise, the fear of God, obedience, humility, repentance and the need for change in our Christian walk and so we should. But God’s cardinal commands are to love him with all our heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:37-39). Jesus gave us a new command that we love each other as he loves us, by this he said the world would know we are Christians (John 13:34-35).

In the great love chapter of the Bible (1 Cor 13:1-13) the apostle Paul wrote that without love we are nothing. He clearly emphasized that of faith, hope and love the greatest gift was love (1 Cor 13:13). The Greek word for love that is used dominantly in the New Testament is agape; God’s unconditional love and the love that we are called to love with. First Corinthians chapter 13 defines this love for us, take time to meditate on it.

The bible says God’s love is in us, poured in by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5). God demonstrated the extent of this love by allowing Christ to die for us (Rom 5:8). We are called to love with our words (Eph 4:15); words that come from our hearts and are spoken in love. But love has to go beyond our words to actions, our deeds (1 John 3:18); love must be demonstrated; just as faith is not faith without corresponding actions (James 2:17). Think how you can share God’s love today; a gentle encouraging word, a kind spontaneous action.

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"The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zeph 3:17; KJV). If we had any doubt of God's love for us this verse should dispel it. As we know it is by no means the only verse in the Bible that talks about this. In Psalm 18:19, king David wrote that God is pleased with us and delights in us, this is repeated in Isaiah. 62:4.

It seems quite amazing that the omnipotent God should take delight in us mere mortals but that is what it says so we must believe it. According to Isaiah 43:4 we are precious in God’s sight. And the prophet Malachi records that we are God's jewels (Mal 3:17).

You might ask well, did God have anything written like that in the New Testament? I am glad you asked that question! “For we are his workmanship” (Eph 2:10). The Greek word for workmanship can also be translated as his poem or work of art. God also loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die on a cross for our sins (John 3:16).

If you have low self-esteem or are feeling unloved meditate on these verses until you get a revelation of God's great love for you. You will then be confident enough to reach out to others with the love of God.

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“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30; KJV).

Did you know that the Greek word for love there is agape? That is the same unconditional love that God loves us with. Impossible, you may be thinking; could I ever love God just as he loves me? However, in Romans 5:5, the apostle Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit pours out the agape love of God in our hearts. Also, when we were born again, we were given a brand-new nature (the nature of God) which is a love nature.

So, we do have the ability to love God as he loves us and with God's help we can do it. Not only that, but the apostle John taught us that: "His love is perfected in us" (agape again) (1 John 4:12). That word "perfected" means to be made complete or mature.

As we spend time abiding in the vine (John 15:1-8) then the love that has been poured into our hearts will mature and grow and it will become easier to "agape" God (and others too). Abiding in the vine or in Jesus, who is the vine, simply means to remain continually in close communion or relationship with him. Sounds good to me.

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Sometimes we can get to thinking that God will bless so and so but not me; why should he be concerned about me when we think others are so much more holy. Well, remember that you are his child and that he has no favorites, he doesn’t view anyone better than another; in other words, he sees us and loves us all the same (John 1:12; Rom 2:11).

“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:12-13; KJV). In the body of Christ, the church, there are many people, with different origins and with different giftings and abilities, but God views us and loves us all the same.

He wants all to be saved and none to be lost (1 Tim 2:4) and he teaches us not to treat one person better than another (James 2:1-4). We should hold our heads up and never compare ourselves to others; when we do that, we compare our weaknesses to others strengths.

God sees each one of us as his work of art, his poem: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph 2:10).  God loves us all just the way we are; O, how he loves us.

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Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to others.