Devotionals by Dr. Jeff Schreve
I NEVER KNEW THAT!
The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. - Zephaniah 3:17
How does God feel most of the time? Is He happy… sad… concerned… detached… upset… angry… disappointed… frustrated? Your honest answer to that question speaks volumes about how you interact with God.
Lots of people see God as a sad God: He is sad over their sins and disobedience. He is grieved over the state of the world. Others see God as a mad God: He has a hair-trigger temper and often goes ballistic. He will zap you if you get out of line… and enjoy seeing you punished.
THE BIBLICAL VIEW
What is the biblical view of God? The Bible teaches that although God gets sad (Gen. 6:6) and gets mad (Ex. 4:14), God is not mad or sad by nature. God is a glad God. To be in His presence is to be in the fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11)… because His heart overflows with joy and gladness.
And when God thinks of you… He begins to shout and sing with joy. You are His special treasure (Ex. 19:5). You are His trophy of grace (1 Tim. 1:16). He is SO excited about you!!
THIS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
I am convinced that many Christians miss out on the good, glad heart of God. They have such a negative view of God in their minds that it is impossible for them to really enjoy a relationship with Jesus.
I wonder how many of us are going to stand before Jesus at the end of our lives and be totally blown away that He is so different from what we believed Him to be. I wonder if your dialogue that first encounter with Jesus might be something like this:
“Lord, I never knew that you loved me so much. I never knew that you were so excited about me. Jesus, I would have lived a different life, one filled with love and laughter and no worries, had I only known how you felt about me.”
And He will respond, “My child… did you not read about Me in the Bible? Did you not know that I am the Father of the prodigal son? Did you not read that I rejoice over you with shouts of joy? Did you not hear that I love you with an everlasting love?”
“Yes, Lord.” I heard those words while I was on earth… but I guess I never really believed them.”
God wants you to believe Him in this life!! He wants you to rest in His love and grace. He wants you to rejoice that you are His and He is yours, and His banner over you is love.
God is a glad God who has a heart for you!! He wants to help you in your struggles. He wants to change you so that you can be like Him and your life can overflow with the good fruit of the Spirit.
Make it a point today to work on removing any erroneous, dysfunctional views that you have of God’s character. Replace those lies with the truth (see Luke 7:36-50, Ex. 34:6-7, John 8:1-11). Remember… when you know the truth, the truth shall set you free (John 8:32).
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
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About From His Heart
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About Dr. Jeff Schreve
Growing up in a church-going home, Jeff learned a lot about God, but he did not know God. He believed in Jesus in the same way he believed in George Washington: he knew Jesus was real, but had not personally met Him. All this changed one night after a Young Life meeting when he was alone in his bedroom. There Jeff saw his need for Christ and His forgiveness and surrendered his life to Jesus.
As a student at the University of Texas, Jeff grew in his Christian life. He graduated with a degree in business and moved back home to Houston, Texas to start a career in business. There he met his future wife, Debbie, at a single's group meeting at Champion Forest Baptist Church. They were married in 1986 and have been blessed with a wonderful relationship and three awesome daughters and two beautiful grandchildren.
A New Direction
After spending 13 years as a chemical salesman, God called Dr. Schreve to preach. He left his secure position and moved his family to North Carolina to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was a scary and difficult move to make ... but it was one of the best decisions they have ever made. One year later, God called them to serve on staff at Champion Forest Baptist Church. In 2000, he completed his Master of Divinity degree graduating from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He graduated with a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2014 from Southeastern Seminary.
Jeff Schreve has been the senior Pastor of First Baptist Texarkana in 2003, a growing and exciting church with 4500+ members.
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