Daily Word

There is deep in your heart a strong longing for your heavenly Father.

When the son in Luke 15 "came to his senses," this longing surfaced and he said, "I will get up and go to my father."

We are created to be lovers of God: loving Him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might is the most natural thing there is.

It is this love that is brought to life in the new birth.

The Bible calls it "your first love".

The new birth is a birth of love: the lost is found and the dead is made alive again.

Where was the son found?

In his father's arms!

Outside of it we are lost!

When did he come back to life?

When the father kissed him!

Without His love we are dead!

It is the completely undeserved love of the Father that awakens an intense longing of love in our

regenerated spirit for Him: His powerful love draws our innermost being to Himself with irresistible

force.

Spiritual hunger and thirst for God and His Word, as well as worship and praise of Him, is born in our spirit the moment we are born again, but must penetrate into our soul and our body – our natural man – in order to become permanent and strong.

We can “long” for God with our “soul”, but only with our “spirit” can we “seek” and come into living contact with Him.

When this happens, the Holy Spirit makes Rom.8:16 a personal, joyous reality: “The Spirit Himself (the deepest reality of God) testifies with our spirit (our deepest reality) that we are children of God”: the greatest reality in the universe!

When we respond to the Spirit, by seeking God early and fervently each day, this hunger and thirst for more of Him begins to become the most powerful driving force in our life.