Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
I love this verse as much as anyone.
It is one of the great looks into the Father's heart for all of us.
Typically though, we don't read on even a little bit further.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity." Jeremiah 29:12-14
Open Doors usually open with some knocking. The ongoing life opened by the plans of the Father invite us into seeking him with an undivided heart.
When.....? Then....?
That sounds conditional. Or is it an invitation with a promise?
Something we have to believe, walk in and take hold of?
I think it is the latter. We can find the Lord in his own words and promise when....
"you seek me with all your heart."
I'll be the first to say that my heart wanders on many occasions and slips away from simple focus and love for the Father often.
"Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life." Proverbs 4:23
I continually and regularly am involved in worship, in waiting on the Lord in his presence and so can check my heart. When I find it amiss I start inviting the Spirit to have a look.
Search me. You know me. Ps 139
The Spirit is perfectly able to guide us into all TRUTH.
So, I listen and take steps from there.
Heart trouble leads to all kinds of slightly off attitudes and postures.
These in turn make us open and available for the Enemy to slip us a debilitating offense, a self-righteous judgement or a grumbling complaint.
The Love of God is boundless and available to us in Jesus Christ,
and it is conditional - "repent and believe".
Completely conditional but never earned?
Oops. Did I kick the sacred cow?
We have endless access to the love of God and he gives it to us without judgement in the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Without the blood covenant in his love through Jesus we don't have access to the Father.
We are dead in our sins. Totally reversible condition. Totally reliant on repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Kids never fall out of love.
But there are usually plenty of conditions for functioning in the family.
"But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him." I John 3:5-6
But they sure can cause a heap of trouble and find themselves requiring discipline.
Possibly we have this "unconditional love" teaching a bit out wack?
Possibly it is a perfect teaching to bring in the masses but not make disciples of Jesus?
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.…" Matthew 16:24
Are there any conditions in the Kingdom of God?
Grace is unmerited favor. Which we access by faith.
"so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.…"
Eph 2:8
Forgiveness is available to all - upon believing in Jesus Christ.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb 11:6
First Love - when we've fallen from it requires repentance to get it back. (Rev 2:5)
Proof of love for God comes in the form of keeping his commands....
"If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 4
If you love me you will......
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15
To the one who overcomes.....(Revelation 2-3)
We are called to follow Jesus to the end on many occasions in the New Testament.
It's clear we are called into a life filled with the boundless love of God.
But that is just it. Called into a life. Without entering into life through faith in Jesus Christ experiences of his love, his calls for us to follow, and all the good healing amounts to a short lived encounter. We die.
We were made for eternal life. It is worth losing all to find the ONE person that brings every heart desire together.
What do you think? Have we taken the idea of unconditional love a bit father than it really goes? Or did we just make the reality of bit out of wack?
2016
Look forward, eyes filled with Abundance, Boundless, Victorious vision in Jesus.
Thanks for Reading!
I love your comments. Ideas and thoughts.
Please share em.
Re-shares are great. thank U.
Here are some other blogs posts that may interest you.
1.http://jeffreynoldsonedesire.blogspot.com/2015/01/7-things-enemy-devil-doesnt-want-you-to.html
With much love in Jesus
You can do this thing! He's got you.
Jeff Reynolds ---
Brother Jeff
www.jeffreynoldsministies.com
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