Deej's Collection of Opportunities . . .
Some Aspects of God's Love*:
Deliverance, Sanctification, Trustworthiness, Watchcare, Provision, Protection, Forgiveness, Compassion, Commitment, Mercy, Intimacy, Parental Joy.
Exodus 6:6-9 (NCV) - Deliverance
So tell the people of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the LORD. I will save you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will make you free, so you will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will free you by my great power, and I will punish the Egyptians terribly. I will make you my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the LORD your God, the One who saves you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will lead you to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give you that land to own. I am the LORD.’” So Moses told this to the Israelites, but they would not listen to him. They were discouraged, and their slavery was hard.
Exodus 19:3-6 (NCV) - Sanctification (set apart - made special)
Then Moses went up on the mountain to God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “Say this to the family of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘Every one of you has seen what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw how I carried you out of Egypt, as if on eagle’s wings. And I brought you here to me. So now if you obey me and keep my agreement, you will be my own possession, chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine, you will be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ You must tell the Israelites these words.”
Deuteronomy 7:6-9 (NCV) - Trustworthiness
You are holy people who belong to the LORD your God. He has chosen you from all the people on earth to be his very own. The LORD did not care for you and choose you because there were many of you—you are the smallest nation of all. But the LORD chose you because he loved you, and he kept his promise to your ancestors. So he brought you out of Egypt by his great power and freed you from the land of slavery, from the power of the king of Egypt. So know that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God. He will keep his agreement of love for a thousand lifetimes for people who love him and obey his commands.
Deuteronomy 32:9-11 (NCV) - Watchcare
The LORD took his people as his share, the people of Jacob as his very own. He found them in a desert, a windy, empty land. He surrounded them and brought them up, guarding them as those he loved very much. He was like an eagle building its nest that flutters over its young. It spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its feathers.
Psalm 81:10-16 (NCV) - Provision
I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Open your mouth and I will feed you. “But my people did not listen to me; Israel did not want me. So I let them go their stubborn way and follow their own advice. I wish my people would listen to me; I wish Israel would live my way. Then I would quickly defeat their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would bow before him. Their punishment would continue forever. But I would give you the finest wheat and fill you with honey from the rocks.”
Isaiah 43:1-3 (NCV) - Protection
Now this is what the LORD says. He created you, people of Jacob; he formed you, people of Israel. He says, “Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you. This is because I, the LORD, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt to pay for you, and I gave Cush and Seba to make you mine.
Isaiah 44:21-22 (NCV) - Forgiveness
“People of Jacob, remember these things! People of Israel, remember you are my servants. I made you, and you are my servants. So Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your sins like a big cloud; I have removed your sins like a cloud that disappears into the air. Come back to me because I saved you.”
Isaiah 49:13-16 (NCV) - Compassion
Heavens and earth, be happy. Mountains, shout with joy, because the LORD comforts his people and will have pity on those who suffer. But Jerusalem said, “The LORD has left me; the Lord has forgotten me.” The LORD answers, “Can a woman forget the baby she nurses? Can she feel no kindness for the child to which she gave birth? Even if she could forget her children, I will not forget you. See, I have written your name on my hand. Jerusalem, I always think about your walls.
Isaiah 54:10 (NCV) - Commitment
The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end,” says the LORD who shows mercy to you.
And from far away the LORD appeared to his people and said, “I love you people with a love that will last forever. That is why I have continued showing you kindness.
Hosea 2:16, 19, 20 (NCV) - Intimacy
The LORD says, “In the future she will call me ‘my husband’; no longer will she call me ‘my baal.’ . . .
And I will make you my promised bride forever. I will be good and fair; I will show you my love and mercy. I will be true to you as my promised bride, and you will know the LORD.
Zephaniah 3:17 (NCV) - Parental Joy
The LORD your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in his love; he will sing and be joyful about you.”
*notes taken from sermon by Jim Teal on 9/23/00