Beloved(Part Three)
 
Rest.  Rest is a really good word.  It may sound a little strange, but just reading the word makes me breathe a little deeper and pause for just a moment.  A moment to rest.  There is probably not one of us that does not crave more rest.
 
About Benjamin he said, "let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."  Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV
 
Some versions of this scripture say “rest secure on Him” instead of “in Him”.  When God is the foundation of our lives, everything is built upon Him.  He is a foundation that will not get tired, give up, move away, leave, break up or walk out.  We dwell on Him as He dwells in us!
 
Sometimes, even when there is space and time to rest, we can not find peace.  Our spirits are restless.  There are things in our lives that keep us on the edge of anxiety, on high alert, scanning the horizon for an oncoming storm.  Our minds churn through issues and problems in a unceasing cycle of thoughts.
 
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long”. 

Resting like a cherished child sleeping securely while a loving parent watches over them.  Other versions of this scripture refer to resting safely or confidently.  I don’t know about you, but I want to rest safely, confidently, and securely right in the shelter of the most High!  In Him, there is true rest, peace for my soul, a ceasing of striving and a balm for anxiety.  
 
The Lord shelters us from the enemy.
He covers us with protection from the storm.
He gathers us under His wings of protection.
 
He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. Psalm 91:4 HCSB
 
At the first Overflow conference, we were showing one of our out-of-town speakers, Chiquita Nolan, around the room.  The tables were decorated with candles, succulents, bricks, and books.  Chiquita is a very special woman with an exuberant personality and wisdom from years of following the Lord.  But this woman of words and laughter, stopped and got very still when she looked upon the beautiful tables at Overflow.  She looked up at me with tears forming in her eyes and asked did we display the books like that on purpose.   “Like what?” I asked.  She said, “You have torn all of the covers off of the books.  They are exposed.  Uncovered.  This is what it is like to be a single mom.  You always feel exposed, unprotected without a covering.”   I told her that we just thought the books looked pretty that way, but I’ve never forgotten what she taught me that day about the heart of a single mom and how the Lord can provide covering to the uncovered.  Protection to the unprotected.  Provision to the unprovided. 
 
He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night. Psalm 105:39 NIV

God protected the ancient Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness.  He gave them manna and quail to eat, a fire to give light at night and a cloud to cover and guide them.  He protected and provided for his chosen people.  On this side of the cross, He spreads out His covering over His Beloved through the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us so that we can know His love personally.
 
Beloved, I pray that you rest secure, confident, and safely in the knowledge that in Christ Jesus you are covered and protected.  That you are His, and though this life may have hardships and trials, nothing can separate you from the love of the Lord.
 
For I am persuaded that not even death of life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!  Romans 8:38-39 HCSB

Beloved  (Part Two)

Who are the Beloved of God?  What does that even mean?  Why would He call me His beloved?

Looking through the Old Testament, the word beloved is used forty-two times!  We find it used mostly as variations of two Hebrew words that mean "to breathe" or "to long for" as in a love based on respect and regard.  It is used to describe a spouse, a loved one, and also for God's chosen ones like Solomon who He calls "beloved of his God" or Benjamin "beloved of Yahweh".

About Benjamin he said, "let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."  Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV

Benjamin was the twelfth and youngest son of his father, Jacob.  He was his father’s favorite child.  The beloved child.  Don’t miss the metaphor here.  God's children are His favorites, everywhere and always, of every race and throughout all time.  We tend to put human limits on God and think that He only has a limited amount of love.  That there is only enough for some favored chosen ones, but maybe not for me.  But God has no scarcity in love.  He has limitless abundance and bestows it freely to His children in Christ Jesus. 

"If anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will LOVE them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." John 14:23 NIV

In Romans 1:7, Paul says, "to all who are beloved of God in Rome."   If you are in Christ, you are His loved ones, chosen for His own, justified through the cross and resurrection, nothing will separate you from Him, and He will love you with an everlasting love. You are His BELOVED.

Sometimes, we fall into thinking that if we were smarter, study more, pray harder and be good, then maybe the Lord would look at us favorably.  We aren’t even hoping for love, we are just hoping He isn’t mad or angry or disappointed in us.  But if we look at the Scriptures,  it’s not about who we are, but it’s about who Jesus is.   Whether slave or free, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, married or not, we are all His beloved in Christ Jesus.  When we put our trust in Jesus, we become knit together in faith with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The Father sees Jesus when He looks at us. And when he looks at Jesus, he sees "my beloved Son. I take delight in Him (Matthew 3:17).” 

Beloved (Part One)

I love words.  I love how they look on a page, the history of a word, and the way words can communicate, inspire and illuminate.  Beloved is a word that at first seems a bit old fashioned, and always makes me think of an old timey preacher doing a wedding ceremony, “Dearly beeelov-ED, we are gathered . . “  :)

But if we really look into the word BELOVED, the meaning is so dear and speaks clearly to the heart of who the Lord God says we are in Christ Jesus as a beloved child of God.

Adjective – meaning darling, dear, precious, adored, much loved, cherished, treasured, prized, admired, dear to the heart, favorite, cherished, valued

and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:  You are My beloved Son. I take delight in You!  Luke 3:22 HCSB

Noun – a much loved person, a person greatly loved, sweetheart, love, dearest, loved one, true love

As He also says in Hosea:  I will call Not My People, My People, and she who is Unloved, Beloved.  Romans 9:25 HCSB

I will call she who is Unloved – Beloved

Beloved, He has the power to give you a new name. He calls you beloved, chosen, daughter, friend.  This is your identity in Christ Jesus.

But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name.  John 1:12 HCSB

The desire of our hearts is to be fully known, fully accepted, and fully loved without fear of shame or rejection.  Living into the identity of who the Lord already says we are is where we find joy, peace and purpose. Circumstances can be painful, awful, overwhelming, difficult, frustrating, scary and even just everyday mundane.  Joy, peace and purpose are not driven by circumstances and cannot be found, derived or achieved from your current situation.  BUT they can be found in the Lord.  Delight in Him!

Yes, you are a single mom.  That is your current circumstance. That is not your identity.

 “This is a very special and precious love. This is what you should feed on daily. This is sweet and this is strong. To know that you are loved in this way is the very heart of Christian assurance. That God has called me, that He has shone in my heart to give the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, that He will work omnipotently to keep me, and bring me to everlasting glory – this is what it means to be "the beloved of God.""  John Piper

Hi friends!  If you haven't heard already, the Cypress worship team recorded a CD of some of their favorite worship music.  We were able to grab 2 CD's for a giveaway to you guys.  If you would like to be entered to win a CD, just comment on the link with your favorite worship song or band, and you will be entered to win!  We will take entries until the end of the week, and draw two winners on March 19th.  Winners will be announced on social media on the March 20th.  It is an amazing CD filled with beautiful songs of worship! 

We hope you are all enjoying your spring break!  Be on the lookout for announcements of our upcoming conference in June!  We can't wait to see you all! 

Hey everybody...this is Natalie Gibb.  The Lord has been leading me to study the book of Job for quite awhile now.  I know that it was not high on my list of of books to dive into because it contains a lot of suffering, but along with the suffering there is a lot of God's sovereignty and provision.  I started doing some research and found a study called Divine Interruptions.  I decided to ask my sweet friend Misty Miears to co-lead it with me and she agreed.  We are starting up the study the Thursday after spring break, on March 23rd, at Bayou City Fellowship in Cypress.  We would love for as many of you guys to join us as are able.  The link below will take you to the registration page and it will give you all the details that you need.  Come and study the scriptures with us and carve out some time for yourself to be receive a fresh wind from the Spirit and reunite with your sisters!  Hope to see you guys soon!

https://bayoucityfellowship.churchcenteronline.com/registrations/events/56802

Also if you haven't already done so, scroll down to the bottom of this blog post and subscribe to the blog.  All you have to do is enter your email and verify it from your inbox.  We are going to start posting information for our upcoming annual conference and we don't want you to miss a thing!  This way the blogs come straight to you in case you miss us on social media.  We are so excited about how the Lord is already going ahead of us and planning out this day for His daughters!  Registration will open in April so be on the lookout and spread the word! 

Wisdom for Women is a very unique women’s ministry.  We are part of Bayou City Fellowship, but we reach women across all generations, churches, and stages of life. We gather once a month to share and encourage each other through life’s challenges.  There is no commitment and no prep-work, so join us any time you can!
 
This ministry is something that I have become so passionate about in the last several months. Women are bombarded from so many places. “Be something different. Be something more.” But God doesn’t want us to miss all the blessings that He has for us where we are right now. This ministry has taught me so much about being present in God's plan, and saved me from so many low points.  These women have guided me in truth, in scripture, and in honest experiences to show me what it means to be the woman God created ME to be.
 
Wisdom for Women is a place to be embraced by women of all generations, be encouraged, and hear truth spoken over you. We have a group of mature women that share the spiritual truths that God showed them during the victories and failures of their own struggles in life. The setup is fluid, fun, engaging, and offers so many opportunities for peace, encouragement, and relationships for wherever you are in life. Our hope for you when you walk through the door is to easily plug in, by asking your own questions and getting to know the other women in your community.
 
Go to our website below to pick which of the Spring Branch or Cypress campuses works best for you. Just be sure to register online to get that month’s address since we change up our meeting locations.
http://bayoucityfellowship.com/community/women/
 
This is a place where you can come just as you are, and be encouraged wherever you are. Our next meetings are coming up this weekend on February 25th for Spring Branch and February 26th for Cypress.  Come join us!

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