Be-lov-ed n. a person who is greatly loved; cherished, precious; sweet, darling.

Monday

What does it mean to be ‘beloved’? As I explored this word another one kept popping up - ‘darling’. Now this is a word more common in my vocabulary. I use it as a term of endearment for those special people in my life. To be my darling is to hold a key in my heart that is cherished and unique. So to be ‘beloved’ is to hold that place in the heart of the one who loves you.
Can you say there is a place in someone’s heart where you are called their ‘beloved’?
What defines you as a ‘beloved’ person?
Do you think there is anyway you could become a ‘beloved’ in someone’s heart? How?
What value would you give a ‘beloved’ in your heart? 

Tuesday

“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields ‘her’ all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV) 

This is an interesting passage for all those girls who aren’t sure where they stand with God as His daughters. If you are part of God’s family, then you are beloved. And if you are beloved then there are certain honours bestowed on you. The first one being security. The Lord wants you to rest in Him. This is hard for all those control freaks (don’t worry, I can relate!) Your Father wants you to rest safely; securely; protected; bonded. There are good reasons when God wants us to do something. If He wants His beloved to rest securely - it’s for a purpose. Whenever I want my children to rest I provide them with security because I know that if they feel scared then the rest is futile. They will not have strength for the next task. God knows your rest has to be beneficial for you to complete “the good works He has prepared in advance for you to do”. The next honour of a beloved is protection. And God doesn’t do things by half! He shields you all day long. WOW! When God shields you it means He places a protective covering over you that engulfs you from any harm. This is a direct result of His love for you and your value in His eyes. God doesn’t do things because He has to (unlike us). He does this because it is His delight to give you a covering that nurtures your growth without fear or destruction. I know it sounds dramatic, but scripture tells us that satan goes before the throne day and night accusing you in the presence of your Father. God wants to protect you from the core of those accusations by shielding you. Now you know that men in battle (long ago) wore shields to protect themselves, but I would suppose that they were still more than aware of the battle going on around them. God does shield His beloved but you are still going to be aware of the battle. Don’t think that God will remove you from your life just because He can - His plan had much more depth and richness to it than pandering to you. He wants to protect you as you gain strength to rise up and fight back. So use God’s shielding wisely. The final honour for a beloved of God is intimacy. There are not many people in this world I would feel comfortable enough with to lay between their shoulders. But God has reserved that place for you. Why? Because you are so loved by Him that this intimacy is yours for the taking. Now, back to the battle. When you have been in the fray of combat and you’re weary, God is offering you rest between His shoulders. This is a place of protection and strength. You are not in the onslaught, but rather, behind it. God is protecting you with His own body while you lean into Him for respite. It reminds me of the sacrifice Jesus made carrying the cross on His back, across His shoulders. You are the perfect reason He did that. You are His beloved. And God doesn’t stop at the cross - you now have the place of privilege and intimacy between His shoulders to rest your head, to lean on Him and to be carried through the battle when you can’t walk anymore. What a beloved girl you are!

Wednesday

2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea: “ Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry, and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Hosea 1:2-3 (NKJV) 

When I first read this passage in Hosea I wondered what on earth God was doing! Poor Hosea. Taking on a wife of   mediocre values, low self worth, questionable decisions and impoverished dreams. As I thanked God for all my blessings in light of this woman He gently reminded me of where I was when He found me! Oh boy. What a wake up call. And He did it gently! I was this woman. I had so much garbage around me that it took the unconditional love of my Father to begin a process of cleansing. What lesson was Hosea to learn from all of this? To have a glimpse of God’s love for His children. Hosea still wouldn’t have a full perspective, but He would gain an impression of what it means to be beloved by God.
In Hosea chapter 2 we see God planning His courtship of us from the place of brokenness and unworthiness to a position of honour and deep love. Just like Hosea did with his wife, the Lord is calling you His beloved in more than just words - in actions that will establish a foundation of trust that bonds despite the garbage of life.
“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her…There she will sing as in the days of her youth. . .” Hosea 2:14,15b
I have never gone into a desert but I would imagine it is a lot less distracting than a city or town. God is wise with His beloved, He knows that in order to minister love to you He will need to remove you from the place where your attention is divided. So your Lover draws you to a place where you can focus all your attention on each other and derive intimacy together. What better place than a desert? There are many times I equate my spiritual journey with a certain type of place. For example, if I am having a real growth spiritually I would call it a fertile garden; or perhaps if I have had an overwhelming flow of God’s love I would relate it to a beautiful river or waterfall. Do you think like this sometimes? So for me to read about this desert in Hosea I immediately think of punishment, dryness, barrenness or loss. But I believe that God is using this metaphor to show His abandonment to loving you. He wants to withdraw you to a place where there is freedom for both of you to “love on” each other. And what is His plan once He attracts you to Him there? To speak tenderly to you. I don’t know what planet a woman would have to come from where that doesn’t touch her heart. And I’m not even a romantic! Your Lover wants to speak words to you that make you feel valuable, precious, invincible, productive, creative, independent, intelligent, worthy and loved. When I first heard my Lover speak tenderly to me I found it hard to hear, but in the desert, there is quiet. . . so eventually I began to listen and allow the seeds of love to weave into my broken heart. Look at the last line of this passage - she will sing. . . This was exactly what I felt like doing. What had my Lover awakened in me that caused so much joy? I felt alive basking in His love and it made me feel lighter and younger! I was not weighed down with the garbage of life anymore. My desert experience was invigorating and revolutionary! Have you ever heard a child sing with complete abandonment when the tune takes over? I have often witnessed my children burst into song just because it feels good. This is the song of the desert - when you have been loved by God and you can’t help but respond back. So let it out because I promise you - your Lover thinks you sing beautifully!

Thursday

Have there been times when you have felt completely unworthy of anything from God - let alone His undivided attention? It interests me that we are so hesitant to let God love us as a beautiful Lover can, yet it is the exact thing we so desperately need. But there have been many a time I have denied myself the things I’ve needed because of my unworthiness. I think the lesson God was teaching Hosea (and us too) is that we are not worthy. If God had asked Hosea to marry a good woman, then she may have felt in some way that she had earned his love through her actions. Our God is so wise - He takes earning it out of the equation and tells Hosea to choose, essentially, the most unworthy woman. That way, the love Hosea poured over her was always going to be extravagant! What a beautiful picture for us to see of our Lover, God. He is very aware of our shortcomings but chooses to love us despite them. You are beloved! And there is nothing you can do to lose it - or earn it for that matter.
So perhaps it’s time to let your Lover allure you to the desert and speak tenderly to you. Let the words that He speaks wash over you and begin to heal the wounds caused by rejection, hurt, negativity, pain, loss, fear and accusation that satan longs to keep us isolated in. The last thing satan wants is for you to realize the value God sees in you and bring it to the surface of your life in ways that bless your life and others. This can all be removed as God ’loves on ’ you extravagantly - cleansing, empowering and releasing you to be beloved and love others. You know, your potential to love others stems from the place of loving yourself. If you can learn to love yourself the way God wants to love you, then it becomes a very powerful weapon to use in your spiritual battle. The more you receive God’s love, the more love you have to pour over others - so open yourself up to your Lover. . . and tank up!!!!!

Friday

Has your opinion of ‘beloved’ changed since the beginning of the week? Why?
Can you say that you are beloved to God? You are if you belong to Him through Jesus. If you haven’t taken this step yet, now would be a good time to think about it. * Steps to Salvation
Spend some time journaling why you are seen by God as His beloved. Make sure you ask God to give you His perspective. You may be surprised just how much He has to say about you!
Ask the Lord to withdraw with you to the ‘desert’ (practically this may be a quiet place in your home or a place outside where you feel intimacy with God) and let Him speak tenderly to you. Write down what you hear Him saying. Remember, Darling your Lover only has the best to say about you - so let your journaling reflect His heart and let yourself feel worthy of all the tender words he has for you.

* Jesus, His life and death represent the greatest gift of love we will ever see. A gift for you…all you need to do is accept it. So open your heart to this amazing gift. Realise that you are a sinner and can’t save yourself, believe that Jesus died for you and rose again and invite Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Saviour. Pray this prayer and make it yours…
Father, I need you.  I know that I am a sinner. I need your forgiveness and your love. Today I choose you and I accept your love. Thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to die on the cross and rise again to give me life and eternity with you. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you that from this moment on , I am a new person and I belong to you. Amen.