WVW #004: Love is a choice!

(00:00): I'm married to Prince charming. He came in on his white horse at a very difficult time in my life, picked me up and carried me away. Peter is the absolute love of my life on this planet. Anyone who sees us together feels this love between us pretty quickly. And they're usually asking, Hey, where can I get that kind of love? We are in love, but where did it come from? How did it happen? What is our love story? How did we become so lucky the second time around, you know, the theme at our wedding was we love because he first loved us. Who is he? He is God Peter and I had come to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God is love. Welcome to episode four of the well versed woman podcast. I'm Renee teller. And I'm here with my cohost. Theresa Morgan were two perfectly imperfect women who have a heart to share our life's experiences with women like you, what we've experienced in our life more than anything else is the love of God.

(01:12): And if you stay tuned, we know what we're about to share will fill your heart and your life with so much love and peace. You've heard us say often, especially in episode one, that this is a podcast about relationship, not about religion. It's a place to learn about the sky and how to develop a relationship with him. We talk about where you can go to learn about God's promises right in his word, the Bible. And we talk about how to grow your relationship and that it will take faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. In episode three, we heard how we need to prepare our hearts, which are the soil, the place, which our faith groves, but in each of every single episode, Theresa and I are always discussing and sharing what it means to have the love of God in your life this week, we're going to go deeper into God's love.

(02:12): And we're going to talk more about exactly what God's word says about love. If this is your first time, you may not know this, but we always stop and pause right here. I ask you to subscribe to this podcast because every episode builds on the next so that you can grow with us. And then right, when you come back, what we're going to do is we're going to take 20 seconds to prepare our hearts and our minds. I know your life is just as crazy as mine and Teresa's and we're going to take 20 seconds. Close our eyes, do some deep breathing and just relax. Now, if you're driving, don't close your eyes, but if you're not close your eyes, here we go.

(03:14): [inaudible] [inaudible],

(03:23): that's it. That's 20 seconds. How much better do you feel? I always laugh at that. I love when I started to wear a heart rate monitor Theresa and I could actually see my heart rate going down whenever I stopped and took in that breadth of life and let it go really slowly. It's amazing, right? Absolutely. Renee. I felt better after 20 seconds. That's for sure. That's good. Well, I'm sure if you're listening, you've heard that expression. Love is a choice. And if you haven't heard it, my guess is you've experienced it at some point in our, in your life. None of us have ever been able to force someone to love us or to be forced into love. We have a choice. We've also talked that God is love. Well, if love is a choice and God is love, then has got a choice, Theresa.

(04:20): That's right, Renee. And I just love the scripture. It's so foundational. And it's found in first John four, chapter four, verse eight, and it says, God is love. When John writes first, John, the apostle John, he talks about this love being so perfect that it actually casts out fear that this love the love of God. Cast out all fear, Renee. And I'm so happy. We're talking about the love of God in today's episode, you know, that was the apostle John writing about love. And we see that love is the highest call we see in the book of Ephesians, which was written by the apostle Paul. He's praying for the believers in Ephesus, that they might come to know the height and the depth, the width, and the breadth of love. That actually passes knowledge. That actually go so deep into a person's spirit that they can tangibly grasp hold of that love and in today's society, especially if this love, that is so perfect.

(05:28): Casts out, fear in brings peace with it. Boy, that's the type of love that I yearned for. Well, I'm going to ask you the same thing. Everybody asks me about Peter. You know, where, where did this come from? Where did you get it? So Peter actually drew me to him. He came into my life at a time when I wasn't looking for love. I actually had gone through divorce truth, be told I wasn't sure would ever marry again. I mean, I certainly believe Theresa that I would date again, but I had a very busy career. I had a little boy and my life was pretty full, but he drew me to him. It was that drawing that caused me to stop and take notice. I had to stop and consider what was before me. I had to stop and consider what that love was that he was drawing me to.

(06:24): Does that make sense? Absolutely. Invoice. Sometime, maybe one of these episodes we'll get into some of those stories. I love how Peter talks about the two of you and needing. And boy, he was unrelentless in his pursuit of you, Renee. I love that, but I also love that his pursuit of you, Renee is such a beautiful illustration of God's pursuit of each one of us. You know, the Bible talks about that. God actually pursues us. It says in the book of John chapter six, that there's a drawing that people come to Jesus because the father is drawing them. How does he draw us? Well, the book of revelation talks about that. He knocks on the door of our heart revelation, chapter three, verse 20, that God is knocking in. He knocks through the gospel through the words, through the sharing of one human being to another, through the sharing of testimony.

(07:29): Exactly what this podcast is all about. Renee. That is God drawing you. It is exactly what we're talking about here today, Renee, that it's the love that propels God to draw each of us into a relationship with himself. It's who he is because he is loved. And he loves each one of us. It is his word. The Bible, the Bible teaches that in Romans chapter one, verse 16, that his word, the gospel is the power. It's his power that draws each one of us into salvation, into a personal relationship with his son, Jesus Christ. So just like with Peter though, Theresa, I had to stop, take notice and make a choice. Peter, wasn't going to force me to love him back. I then had the freewill and God gives us the freewill with him because the absolute definition of love is that it's free. You have freedom and love.

(08:33): That's exactly right, because if we didn't have freedom to choose, we would be robotic. We would be just manipulated in. God does not want that. He wants a free flowing relationship so that we can love him back as he loves us. And I just love the God always allows us to have free choice. He keeps that intact if you will. So we know, and we've talked about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, his death, burial, and resurrection brought full salvation to us, but we still have a choice. As we have talked about to invite him into our hearts. When we hear the gospel going forth, we say, boy, that's true. In the book of John, the first chapter that the 12th verse, it says to as many as receive this love received this Jesus. They are the ones that are given the right to be children of God.

(09:33): So once we come into this relationship with Christ into this relationship with his, the father and the Holy spirit, the spirit of God, we then begin to experience this profound love that Paul prays for in Ephesians chapter three. I'm sure if you're listening, you've heard and been to a wedding where they talk about this love and you're at this wedding and you hear this description. And if you're in the service, looking at a young couple, you just pray that, that they always experienced this love. And I can tell you honestly, that I almost did not choose Peter. I almost chose to never be married again because I was afraid of it. And when you read this and I'm just going to read it quickly here, Theresa out of first Corinthians chapter 13, verses four to seven, it says love is patient and kind love does not envy or boast.

(10:38): It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears. All things believes, all things, hopes, all things, endures, all things. Now I said in the podcast, this is my second marriage. And of course I dreamt about those scriptures to happen in my first marriage. And so I was afraid. I was afraid to choose Peter. I really believe if you're listening, you may have had that same experience and said, well, well, this isn't, this isn't the Bible. And it must not be real because it didn't work for me, Theresa. This description is what God is only. God's love is perfect. As much as my relationship with Peter is something I never dreamed was humanly possible. Here on earth is amazing, but it's not perfect.

(11:46): If people look at us and think that we have the perfect marriage, ladies and gentlemen, there is no in our humanness. We need God and Peter and I needed God in her life to have any hope that we could experience this kind of love. That's exactly right. That's the beautiful thing about coming into a relationship with God and falling in love with him. God's love is perfect. He always has our best interest at heart. He always has the plans for us. The Bible says, I believe in Psalms or Proverbs taste and see that the Lord is good. As you grow in your relationship with God. There have been times Renee, where I'm thinking to myself, Lord, I can taste that you are so good today because I knew that I knew that I knew that God had brought about a blessing in my life that only God could have brought about that blessing.

(12:52): And like your relationship with Peter, it grew over time. Same thing happens with God. Our relationship with him grows over time. As we experience his blessings, sometimes we experience his discipline. He shapes us and we need that. You know, a good father, a good mother. They're going to be honest with their children because they want the best for that child. And that is how our relationship with God matures over time. But the relationship with him is perfect because he is perfect. So back to the analogy again with Peter is that he drew me. I had to say yes, and then exactly what you're saying, Theresa. Our relationship grew over time. We worked at it. We spent time together. We were still together. We were, we had quiet moments where we could just be, I love knowing that we are not just physical beings, right? We're not we're body, mind and soul, body, mind, and spirit.

(14:06): And God is spirit. We were created in his image. So we know that we are spiritual beings with some physicality and some intellect. So we need to connect with him on that spiritual level in order to grow with him. Right. Theresa, that's absolutely correct. And I think the deeper understanding of God and connection with God that I just spoke about when I said, Oh, there are times I can taste him like a fresh Apple just picked off the tree. It is because I'm communing with him, spirit to spirit. Um, John chapter four verse 24 says, God is spirit in Genesis chapter one verse 27 says we were made in God's image. So first and foremost, we are spirit. We live in a body and we have a soul. So again, going back to what Paul was praying in Ephesians chapter three, that we would come to know this love, that passes knowledge.

(15:13): He was saying that we would experience it in the depths of who we are as we learn to trust God, Renee, I know that as you learn to trust Peter, because on your first or second day, he may have said, Hey, Renee, coming to pick you up at seven. And he probably showed up at seven, knowing Peter, but time and time again, because human beings are imperfect. He may have been late one time and it may have thrown a little wrinkle in your trust monitor, but with God, because he is perfect, we're able to trust him. But that comes through experience, experience with him. We see something in his word and we say, gee, I wonder if that really is for me. Does he really mean it? And when we believe for it and we say, father, this is your word. Your word says, and for instance, Romans eight 28, you're turning the situation around together for my good.

(16:12): And when against all hope, sometimes against all odds in a situation, we see God work a miracle being in a relationship or a financial situation. And at the end of the transaction, we say, wow, Lord, your word says, you're working it out together for my good look, what you did. And it gets so exciting to walk with God in this fashion because he shows up he's faithful. The Bible says in Hebrews eight 23, it's one of my most favorite scriptures that I anchor my faith. And it says he who promised is faithful. And he is so faithful, Renee, what he says in his word. He'll bring it to pass. Maybe not exactly the way we're expecting, but he does bring it to pass. He, his word rests on his integrity. I've said it before. And as we carry this relationship with him, as we go forth in our life, we see that we can trust him transaction after transaction, after transaction.

(17:25): It doesn't that make for a beautiful relationship. Renee, you and Peter May have not been perfect. Peter May have not been perfect in what he said, or you may not have been perfect, but over time, the amount of times that someone is perfect, doesn't that make for a trusting relationship. Exactly, exactly. But I love to simplify things for everyone. And it starts to, God is so big and it starts to feel intimidating and scary. And how in the world do we come to that place? And honestly, I felt some of that with my relationship with Peter, I felt scared. I felt I couldn't trust this again. I felt I wasn't going to say yes a second time, uh, for fear that I end up in the pain that I was in, how can we simplify the beginnings of our relationship with God and not feel overwhelmed with it, Theresa?

(18:23): Yeah, I think that's a good question. And I think it's an honest question and a question that we should all ask ourselves. Um, but there's something about when we hear the message of Jesus. When we hear the love that was given on that cross, when we hear that that blood was shed for us, it's something inside. I like to think of it that each of us have a homing device. Each of us have something inside of us that says, uh, Hey, we need God. And the relationship with God is as simple Renee is when Peter first asks you out, it's a simple, would you go out with me? So I think to make this conversation today, boil it down to very simple. God is saying, will you trust me? Will you give me a chance? If you will, I'm knocking on the heart of your door.

(19:17): I would love to be your Lord and savior. Let me in so I can prove my word over and over to you that I am a God that can be trusted. It's really as simple as that. And then we start growing by reading books of the Bible, by meditating, as the word says, and all of a sudden there's a faith that grows in your heart. It's really as simple as the woman with the issue of blood that we talked about last week, she needed healing in her body. She heard Jesus was a healer and you know what? Yes, she thought about it and meditated on it. Faith grew so that she reached out that one day, that probably parched in hot day, she reached out through the crowd and she touched the hem of Jesus's garment and she was made whole. So today God is knocking on the door of your heart.

(20:13): He's asking why don't you reach for the hem of my garment? Because I have a relationship that I want to bring into your life. Love that invite Jesus to the party of your life, right? You're having a, having a party and invite him. He's, he's calling reach for the hem of that garment. I love that analogy. And I also love Theresa. What we've been talking the last few episodes is this idea of meditating on the word. So people feel that that is, I don't know, voodoo almost, but I love what pastor Furtick, pastor Steven Furtick from elevation church. And it's in the Bible. As you say, Theresa revelation requires repetition. We, if we're going to try to understand God who is all knowing all powerful spirit being, we've got to connect with him spiritually. We've got to be still enough to plug into the power source and lesson.

(21:20): And we have to meditate on that word. And when we do say the scripture over and over again, he will reveal his spirit to our spirit, spirit to spirit, right? That's exactly the way it works because in this relationship, Renee much like you and Peter, there are two where you could not have, have had that relationship with Peter just by yourself. It takes two. As the cliche says, in this relationship with God, there are two there there's you. And there's the Holy spirit, right? The spirit of Jesus and the Bible talks a lot about by grace through faith. So as we're meditating on those scripture, we have a helper in the Holy spirit. God is bringing the revelation and the understanding of his word. And then he's also bringing us the application of the word. So he's showing us how we apply it to our life because our faith is supposed to be practical.

(22:24): I men, our faith is supposed to be practical. I love that Theresa. And I think that's a great place to sum up where we are today. What you just said, I think helps all of us, God, the Holy spirit is who comes alongside of us right now in this relationship. God, the father has always been in heaven. God, the son, Jesus came to earth, was crucified and went back to heaven. And we now have the Holy spirit available to us every single day. There's no place to go visit him. He's right here within us, wherever we are. We have God, the spirit with us. That's absolutely right. In so many places of the Bible, it is taught that the Holy spirit, the spirit of Jesus, the spirit of God lives in us. The Bible teaches in Hebrews. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. He's with us through the daytime.

(23:28): He's with us, perhaps in the fearful places in the evening, he is always with us. In the previous episode, I believe we were talking about how the Bible, the word of God is a book, all about patterns and principles. So the very same revelation that was available back in the days when Jesus walked is how the Holy spirit brings revelation to us as to how to apply the word of God is we're reading it. You know, back in the book of Matthew, it's one of my favorite stories where Jesus is teaching. And he says to his disciples out of the blue, who do men say I am and everybody's getting in their own heads. And you know, one disciple says, Hey, you're John, the Baptist, others were saying you're Alijah or maybe Jeremiah or, or a prophet. And Jesus looked at Peter and said, who do you say I am?

(24:28): And Peter responded, you are the Christ, the son of the living, God and Jesus responded blessed. Are you Peter for man did not give you this information, but my father in heaven revealed it to you. So as we walk with God, that same pattern, that same principle is in place in our life. As we walk with God, the Holy spirit, he brings truth and revelation to us so that we're applying the word of God properly in our life. It's the truth that we know that sets us free in so many areas of our life and brings the peace and the joy that only God can give.

(25:15): Wow. And how I propose and right there with a scripture about

(25:20): Peter

(25:24): that's, that's just perfect. Theresa. Well, everyone, this is the well versed woman podcast, episode four. And we say this every week, Teresa, what's our favorite scripture for this podcast. Romans 10, 17 faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Amen. Amen.