Complete love

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him.

—1 John 4:17

Love one another . . .

Because when we live lovingly like Jesus did, we can have the same confidence He did in the face of death.

Remember that our confidence should not be in us and our efforts, but in our Savior.

Keep in mind that His love has not only redeemed us, it changed us.

Never forget that His love is not only a gift to us, but a gift through us.

Know that Jesus' life is present in us until we can stand with Him in the presence of our Father.

Have a blessed day! 

YAY!

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

– Psalm 118:22-24

I can reference a million songs here, but I’ll only quote 4 to save time J

One

Good Christian men rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!

Two

This is the day that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Three

Rejoice, come and lift your hands and 
Raise your voice, He is worthy of our praise
Rejoice, sing of mercies of your King
And with trembling, rejoice

Four

Rejoice, Rejoice Sing with the angel voices. 

Rejoice, Rejoice All Heaven and earth .

I actually borrowed this from another source because it is good  . . .

This Psalm was originally attributed to the ordination of David as king of Israel.

David was the king that was rejected by men, but David instituted a time of peace and prosperity that Israel had not known before.

This was a time of celebration, but this Psalm also points to another King that was rejected and has now become the capstone, or the stone that becomes the reference for the rest of the building.

Jesus Christ was rejected by men, but now Jesus offers us peace and prosperity in ways that we could never create for ourselves.

God has done something marvelous, and in doing so, allows us to say, “This is the day the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Have a blessed day! 

what good are you to me?

Then Jesus said to His host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

– Luke 14:12-14

What good are you to me?

I know people that ask themselves that question when they choose the people they associate with regularly.

What if God asked us that? 

What if God did not show us grace unless we could do something specific for Him?

We often base our relationships upon how people can help us go forward in a career or endeavor, but Jesus challenges us to reach out to those who can’t do a thing for our personal advancement.

What would happen if we took the time and resources to bless those couldn’t repay us?

The world might be a different place.

It certainly will be a different place for those we bless.

Have a blessed day! 

I am love

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.

—1 John 4:12

What an incredible thought!

God can be seen in my home and in my words, His love is recognizable in my life.

How so?

When I love those around me, when they love me back, when we choose to be loving instead of petty, unforgiving, critical, and harsh, God's presence, power, and perfection are revealed in us!

Be loving.

Have a blessed day! 

Love everyone

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

—1 John 4:11

It is Valentine’s Day week.

Many of my single friends refer to this as “single’s awareness day”.

Other friends ask why we signify one day a year to show people how much we love them when we ought to love every day!

Think about it – does God only show His love for us one day a year?

NO!  We are loved by the Creator of the Universe.

He knows us personally.

Our Heavenly Father cares about us tremendously.

Although God knew about our weaknesses and sinfulness, He was willing to pay a terrible price to redeem us.

Even though we are sometimes weak or rebellious, He loves us, forgives us, and welcomes us back when we are willing to confess our sins and come home to Him.

So if God has consistently, faithfully, and graciously loved us, how can we not share that love with each other?

And how can we not share it every single day?

Go love on someone right now!!

Have a blessed day! 

Love and mercy

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

– Luke 6:32-36

Following Jesus is a life of costly mercy.

To love our enemies and do good to them seems impossible, I struggle with this almost daily.

But as we know more of the nature of God, who is merciful, we find the ability to love those who seem unlovable.

We become sacrificial toward those who can’t repay us at all.

Faith in the good news about God changes us, and that change benefits everyone—even those we don’t like.

Have a blessed day! 

it's amazing!

Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

—Psalm 73:25-26

Another song reference . . . this one should be familiar:

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

In case you did not recognize it, that is the fourth verse of Amazing Grace.

What can truly fulfill and sustain us?

Only our relationship with God lasts.

If He is what lasts, then how can we displace Him for anything that doesn't?

Amazing Grace, indeed.

Have a blessed day! 

Today is my 200th blog post!!  200!!    I feel like celebrating!
I am so blessed that this blog reaches people, that God's word is viewed by many.  Please always feel free to comment on these posts, to share the blog link, i would love to hear your opinion too! As always, have a blessed day!  MWUAH!

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

—1 John 4:7

OLD song reference! (Like 1974 old!)

Where is love and romance,
And appreciation of storybooks, fairytales
And the ordinary things people did long ago.
Where did it go?
Where is love?
Where is hope?
Where is sympathy and trust?
Where is faith?
Where is joy in simplicity?
And where is regard and respect?
Oh where, oh where is love?

Love is with God, comes from God and is the key attribute of God.

Love is from God and love is of God.

Do you want to be more loving, want to find greater intensity in your love, if you want to know how to love others who are hard to love?

Look to God.

But, where do we see God most clearly?

Jesus!

So look at how God has demonstrated his love through Jesus and do likewise!

Have a blessed day! 

What are your plans?

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

—Proverbs 19:21

I always figure that God puts a verse on my heart for a reason, so I find it interesting that this is the 2nd verse in 3 weeks about advance planning.

He must be trying to tell me something. J

 "What are your plans for today?"

If you are like me, you prayerfully try to plan your day – I have a daily checklist that I go by.

We make appointments with people in the future so we can address their needs, hear their concerns, or discuss issues and projects.

But . . .

We need to always live humbly, recognizing that none of our plans will be of value unless those plans come from the Father!

So make sure that your plans include Him.

Have a blessed day! 

Where do we turn?

They cried to You and were saved; in You they trusted and were not disappointed.

—Psalm 22:5

Where do we turn when we are devastated?

Personally, I love the book of Psalms.

This Psalm of despair is also a Psalm of hope and faith.

The history of God's faithfulness with His people is an ongoing reminder that we can trust Him to deliver us.

We can trust Him!

Now, our time and God’s time are different – remember that because while God's answer may be slow in coming, His track record in history reminds us that He will answer, deliver, and bless His people.

He WILL!

But He will - in His time.

In our worst of nightmares, we can be reminded that God is faithful and is attentive to our cries of despair, lament, grief, agony, and fear.

I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel a lot better.

Have a blessed day! 

grab the Word and hold on!

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

– 1 Peter 1:24-25

Where do you think your residence will be in a thousand years?

How about your job?

What do you think the world will look like then?

It doesn’t take a lot to see that this world is deteriorating.

This is all the more reason to grab onto God’s word.

The current pressures that you are feeling will pass.

Your pain will end.

Great opportunities will cease, but God’s nature and character will remain forever.

So remember the things that will last, and you will be able to put your current situation in its proper place.

Have a blessed day! 

skills

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

– 1 Peter 4:10-11

We each have a unique gift that was given by God to serve others and make them more like Jesus.

How can you know what gift you have?

I like to think that I have the gift of music, but there are many others far better than me!

One way is to observe what irritates you.

I like organization to the point of being (slightly) OCD.

I can alphabetize, color coordinate, stack and sort until the end of time, and I have worked for people whose filing system consisted of piles of paper on the tables, desk and floor.

What may be easy for you may not be easy for others, and the irritation that you feel is a clue toward a skill that glorifies God.

So don’t fall into criticism; use your gift as a faithful steward of God’s grace and bless those around you.

There are so many gifts that He has given us. 

What is yours?

Have a blessed day! 

where should i walk?

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

—Psalm 1:1

The media is killing me!

Everywhere I turn there is another shout out, news article, or video clip about terrible things!

So often sin and ungodly lifestyles are portrayed as glamorous.

The way of blessing, however, is the way of God.

His will is for our good, His commands spring from His mercy and protection, and His way is the path of life.

We are blessed when we walk with God and do His will.

And who doesn’t want to be blessed?

Have a blessed day!