Welcome to a new Monthly View, celebrating with thanksgiving all that Jesus Christ did for us through His finished works two thousand years ago to secure our salvation.

"Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens,
always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong
to Christ Jesus."1

Thank God For You...

Your e-mails and letters of encouragement, comfort, acceptance, and love means so much to me. I received a letter recently which was humbling to read, saying:

"I have read your testimony in your book "Will You Die For Me?
I wanted to tell you that your story is inspiring to all who will
listen to in the future. Stay strong in the faith for better
days are always ahead. Your brother in Christ Jesus. Aaron"

Welcome to a new monthly view. God promises to guide us on the right pathway of life if we put our trust in Him rather than try to do it ourselves. Turning your will and your life over to God will be humbling, but it is the only way to lead a life pleasing to Him. .

God's Perfect Peace

During the past 36 years, it has been my joy to spend thousands of hours renewing my mind with God's Word. One of my favorite Scriptures is Isaiah 26:3, which states:

"You [God] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on you!"

Welcome to aboundinglove.org. This month we are celebrating Recovery Month with the rest of the recovering addicts throughout the United States. I pray that your visits to this website will be a healing experience to be remembered forever.

Recovery Month

National Recovery Month (September) is a national observance that educates Americans on the fact that addiction treatment and mental health services can enable those with a substance use or mental disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life.

Each September, thousands of treatment and recovery programs and services around the country celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to educate the public about recovery, how it works, for whom, and why. There are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery. These successes often go unnoticed by the broader population; therefore, Recovery Month provides a vehicle to celebrate these accomplishments.

Welcome to another monthly view reminding you that God loves you! "God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's judgment."1

A New Direction

Once in awhile, I receive a letter that I must share with you so you can rejoice together with me. This young lady just lost her grandmother to cancer, and writes:

"I'm new to God. I picked up a Life Application Study Bible and I am searching around for a church. No one in my family goes to church, so I'm doing this on my own. There's only one lady at work that goes to church and none of my friends do either. But still, I'm doing it on my own. I'm easy with meeting new people.

Welcome to the abounding-love view for the month. "...God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's judgment."1

What about guilt?

Once in a while, a letter arrives that I must share. Since I know many are struggling with guilt, I share what this dear woman wrote:

"I'm twenty-five years old. I just got married, and we have a two-year old with another on the way. I am writing to you because I read that you found God and became a Christian.

First, let me tell you that I am glad to hear that. I'm sure that prison is a difficult place, and I'm sure having faith helps a great deal.

It's wonderful to have you as a visitor to this site. If you could visit me in person, you'd see that my desire is to have you feel loved by knowing and believing that God loves you. "He showed how much He loved you by sending His only Son into the world so that you might have eternal life through Him."1

Spiritual Restoration

Many people try to gain God's approval through good works. My parents strove for perfection through religious performance and legalism. Religion can't change the heart. It is man's attempt to know and please God apart from the finished work of Jesus.

But with my conviction, they found their religious works were not enough to sustain their lives due to all the pain I had caused. As a result, they turned their wills and lives over to the care of God by trusting in the work of Jesus: His death, burial, and resurrection. At last, they experienced a glorious relationship with God their Father.

What a privilege it is to bring forth another monthly view from a Biblical perspective. This perspective may be a whole new reality for you, but as you humble yourself, a new identity will spring forth, causing new boundaries to be set in your life. "The Word is a lamp to your feet, and a light to your path."1

Restorative Promise

When I reflect on the early years of my life, I have many regrets. I did things that bring deep remorse, and I regret things I didn't do. If you think and feel the same way, I have some good news for you. God promises to restore all those years, so you can live above all those regrets with victory and vision. Listen to God's promise to you spoken through the prophet Joel:

"I will restore to you the years the swarming locusts have eaten...you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the LORD your God. Then you will know that I am in the midst of Israel."2

This month's view may offer a radical view of justice for some, but be assured, it is the only way to heal our broken justice system. I pray that God will open your ears to hear what He is saying through many of His servants. That if we will humble ourselves, pray, and turn to God, He will forgive, and heal our land.

Crime and Justice

The purpose of the criminal-justice system is to punish the guilty, whereas restorative justice promotes respect and restoration for victims, offenders, and their communities. The Scriptures declare:

"The authorities are established to punish those who do wrong. So you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience."2

It is always a joy to come to you with another Monthly View. The Lord has a wonderful month of blessings in store for us by faith. "I pray that God, Who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."1

We're All Connected

A study in restorative justice must go back to the beginning of time to see how things were, in order to restore things back into a former state of righteousness. We're all connected to one another, whether you believe in the theory of evolution, or in God's creation of mankind. My faith is based on God's Word, where He says:

"Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"2

It is always exciting to be used by the Lord to bring forth another monthly view. I pray that our heavenly Father will give us deep insight into true justice. Justice is "...the ability to conform to the will and standard of God -- a practical righteousness that matches one's positional righteousness in Christ," quoted from the John MacArthur Study Bible notes.1

The Foundation of Justice

Our foundation in life determines if we will stand or fall, whether built wisely upon rock or foolishly upon sand, as taught by Jesus.2 The founding fathers of the United States understood the importance of establishing the foundation of this great country upon the wisdom of God's Word, that says:

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance."3

Welcome to a new year of monthly views at the Abounding Love website. I pray this will be an exciting year as you build your trust in God. For me, I am dedicating this year to Restorative Justice, both for victims and offenders to be reconciled to God through the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Restorative Justice

If you were to Google "restorative justice," several different views would come up. For instance, one view may stress spiritual restoration more than another. Any effort is a step in the right direction, but from my experience, it is hard to see a work of "justice" without God's grace working in our hearts to restore righteousness through faith in Christ. This work provides the ability to restore damaged relationships through a divine flow of truth, justice, peace, love, mercy, compassion, and humility available only through God.

Justice has to do with what is right and fair for all mankind. In the spiritual sense, we are all guilty, have sinned against God, and done His kingdom great harm, but...

"...God in His gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfiy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when He did not punish those who sinned in former times. And He is entirely fair and just in this present time when He declares sinners to be right in His sight because they believe in Jesus."1