“It’s not what you do for God, but what God does for you – that’s the agenda for rejoicing”.

Good reminder – so often the subtle message we hear is what are you doing for God? The message is so duty filled, and full of obligation – detached from how our heart may feel. Doesn’t seem to matter much. Just go do.

However, there is another message, we also know to be true. The gifts of God are indeed free and all a part of His doing. He loves us first. He creates us. He stepped down from Heaven to us. He saves us. He frees us. He died for us. He rose again for us, and He gives His Spirit to us – to empower us, strengthen us, comfort us, heal us, and reveal the real us.

God is doing all the doing – and we are in the audacious and abundant position of receiving.

To be honest – it’s hard to receive such unconditional love. It’s foreign, hard to believe, and even harder to imagine there are no strings attached.

Think of Peter’s initial resistance as Jesus attempted to wash His feet. I think we can often be the same way. We feel as though we must be doing the doing. But as Jesus teaches, we must learn to receive, truly receive, and believe His love for us.

When we receive and believe His kindness, generosity, compassion, care, and unfathomable love for us, it changes us. It transforms us – and we can’t help but share such “Good News”! Excitedly, and overflowing from His love, His heart splashes onto to others through us.

Like a hardened seed His continual love eventually breaks us wide open so that we begin to grow anew.

Joy bursts within us, peace surrounds our minds, and eagerness to share all we have received can’t be withheld. It motivates and inspires our way of living.

Our hearts go gushing with gratitude, not apart from pain, but we better know the pain, and how it connects both the brokenness and the beauty within us all.