God's Loving Message for Oprah---and you!

This post represents one of those times God has downloaded something into my heart I can't get rid of and I know I'm meant to share it. That part most of the time is easy enough, what has me a little nervous is the information is specific. Directed at one person.

Oprah Winfrey.

The good news is I know I can benefit from this information and I hope you can too. So here I go.

I was listening to a radio program last week regarding Oprah and her new study on the book, A New Earth. I've received e mails regarding this and overall what I'm hearing is this is not a Christ centered book. Years ago, oh even months ago I most likely would have been on the bash the book bandwagon. This year though, God has asked me to walk in compassion and grace. That doesn't mean I turn a blind eye to things that grieve Him, but in what I heard in my prayer time when I listened to the show (the program was on Moody called something like Oprah--Right Questions, Wrong Answers) was so full of love, I felt I was meant to share.

The program included an audio clip of Oprah sharing a bit of her faith background. Please give me a little grace as I didn't write what she said as I was driving, listening and praying. It went something like this though---her Christian upbringing was Baptist. Her heart was and is to see God as a loving God. I believe this too.

One day she was listening to a preacher give a sermon. He said God is a jealous God. That really struck her, as it did me the first time I heard this. She said that did not align with what she knew of God, a loving God. She questioned, God is jealous of me? As she asked that question, if I followed her correctly, it just didn't sit right to serve a jealous God. This was the catalyst to search for something more that would ultimately fit her perception of a loving God.

Here is what God has to share lovingly with Oprah, me, and all of you.

God is not jealous of you---He is jealous FOR you.

One word, big difference.

He created the heavens and the Earth. He knows every hair on your head intimately. He knows every single fact about you down to the last breath you take. He sent His own Son to Earth to take a brutal mockery, assault, crucifixtion and death because it was the only way to bridge the chasm between our natural bent to sin and separate us from Him. If you can't picture the sacrifice, watch Passion of the Christ. That is how deep His love is for you.

Think of a parent. Say the parent makes their child the very best of clothes, fixes the choicest of meals, gives them unconditional love and the child chooses to live with another family that could care less about the kid. What do you think that parent would feel? That parent would be jealous for the child. Their love is so strong they don't want the child to cling to a love that can't love back.

God's love is so strong for Oprah that He just wants to spend time with her. I don't think He wants her money or to give up her work, as the radio program stated, she truly does good things for the betterment of society. Her having money is not a bad thing. But as the Bible states, you can't serve two masters. If you, me, Oprah, anyone is chasing something or someone first and always above wanting to sit down and just get to know the One who created you, He's going to be jealous for you. For your time, your affections.

I wish I were a master communicator like Max Lucado or Beth Moore but I'm not. I just pray these words would be anointed by Him and deeply touch you in a way that would bring you closer to the Lord. This theme of God being jealous in a good way rings to true to me imagine my smile when my inbox contained an article by Francis Frangipane about God's jealousy for us, not of us.

Bottom line---Oprah, God is a loving God. It took me so long to grasp that, I'm so glad you have that knowledge stored in your generous heart. I pray you also find His jealousy a gift and something you want in your life every day. Chase after it, seek it, it's yours to have.

Thanks for letting me share His encouragement to you today.

To read more, click the link below.
http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/6266


Julie is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger and is the Forum's book club facilitator. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09. Julie was chosen as the March 2008 FaithReaders.com author of the month. To get to know her better, read her interview by Linda Schab at: http://www.faithreaders.com/featured-author.php To contact Julie, Kim or Maria, please contact us at jarduini@faithwriters.net.