Recovery Devotional 319 Astounding Reciprocated Love

JMD Devotional 319 2 Samuel 7 Astounding Reciprocated Love

1-13 WHEN KING David dwelt in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you. That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, go and tell My servant David, Thus says the Lord: Shall you build Me a house in which to dwell? For I have not dwelt in a house since I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this day, but have moved about with a tent for My dwelling. In all the places where I have moved with all the Israelites, did I speak a word to any from the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to be shepherd of My people Israel, asking, Why do you not build Me a house of cedar? So now say this to My servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over My people Israel. And I was with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like [that] of the great men of the earth. And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and be moved no more. And wicked men shall afflict them no more, as formerly and as from the time that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord declares to you that He will make for you a house: And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up after you your offspring who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My Name [and My Presence], and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

David loved God, and wanted better for his God than he had for himself. But as David expressed his love and commitment for God to build Him a house; God reciprocated that love and promised David an eternal home. This world so well knows the pain of unreciprocated love that we instinctively hold back. But God is nothing like those of this world! He will not leave our love for Him unanswered! When we esteem Him, He esteems us more. When we bless Him, He heaps more blessings upon us. We cannot out give or out grace or out love God. We have so little to give; but when we sacrifice our ‘widows mite’; God gives us the deed to the planet! Distorted Health and Wealth teachings would have us give to get; God can easily see through impure motives. But loving God for God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, for His divine attributes, for giving us life, and a hope and a an eternal promise of divine intimacy will open wide the windows of Heaven because of His great love for us. God Himself is our inheritance; being united to Him is our great reward.

Dear God,

My love is the key to Your heart. Pure love does not manipulate, coerce, or diminish the object of its affections. Please continue to transform this man to be willing and able to love You purely. There is a fountain of living water bound up within me; un-dam it. There is a burning passion that no firewall can resist; kindle that unrestrainable love in me for You. I will sacrifice my world for You, just to be with You. I will live a life of sacrifice before You in this one, so others will see my love and wonder about its object. Be jealous for my affection; demand my fidelity; answer my heart oh Lord my God.

Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by

the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

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