Tag: Christianity

Love Does Not Give Up

1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

In order to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things, we need the Holy Spirit to teach us and empower us daily. Godly love in action is able to impact lives in ways that we have yet to even imagine. When we allow ourselves to be vessels that God can use to share His love with others, it not only blesses the other person, but it also blesses us. We are able to sense God’s presence in a special way, when we humble ourselves and show love.

Photo by: Helena Lopes of Brazil 🇧🇷

The enemy presents so many opportunities for us to become offended by the actions and words of others. But we must not forget that rather knowingly or unknowingly, we as Christians are sometimes the ones to do the offending. Therefore in order to effectively represent Jesus Christ, we must be quick to repent when we do offend people, and quick to forgive when people offend us. One way God has taught me to show love, is by remembering how much He has forgiven me of. I have sinned and fallen short just like everyone else. Yet in His mercy, He has forgiven me, so I must do the same towards others.

God will never give up on us, so we can find the strength through Him, not to give up on loving other people. When we submit ourselves to Him, His love and compassion will rule and reign in our hearts. He will transform us more and more into His likeness so that we will be people who will bear, believe, hope, and endure all things for His glory. Through our words and actions we have the privilege to show others True Love.

Father,

Please teach us to love others by bearing, believing, hoping, and enduring all things, that You will be glorified through our lives.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Seek God First

Matthew 6:33 NLT, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

When we seek God above all else, He will supply us with what we need. Our main goal should be to know Him more, and serve Him by living out the purpose He has for our lives. As we follow God’s plans, He will use us to share His love with those around us and help draw them to Christ.

God knows what we need, even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), and He desires for us to experience His goodness here in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). However, we should never allow our desire for things to control us. We must be careful not to lose site of what matters most, which is seeking the Lord.

Photo by: Pixabay

The more we come to know who He is, the more we will be a reflection of who He is to the world. The God we serve is all powerful, and far above anything we could imagine. It’s amazing that He is willing to reveal Himself to us. And even more amazing that He calls us by name and desires a personal relationship with us (Isaiah 43:1). To seek Him, is to know Him, and what an awesome privilege it is to get to know Him intimately.

Cast Your Cares and Trust God

Psalm 55:22 NIV, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”

I was recently having a conversation with someone, and she was sharing some of the issues that she was having with one of her adult children. She said it’s not easy seeing her child suffer, but that she was learning to just cast her cares upon the Lord. She said she knows in her heart that God has shown her that He will put everything into place for her child, so there is no need to worry. She said that she can see God working in many ways, but still has times when worry tries to creep in. However, when she focuses on what God has promised her regarding her child, she said she feels His peace.

I’m sure many of us can relate. We’ve had situations in life rather it’s our children, our jobs, our finances, our health etc., that have caused us to worry. However we already have assurance from God that things will work out well. It’s just a matter of casting our cares on Him and trusting Him to work out all the details, instead of allowing what we don’t understand to steal our peace.

Photo by: Frank K

As she spoke to me, I myself could sense God’s peace. Her words were a confirmation to me not to worry about details, but instead to cast all my cares on our God. We experience contentment when we relinquish control to Him, and believe in His ability to take care of us and supply our needs. As long as we place our faith in people, things, or even ourselves, we will not find lasting contentment.

Remember the assurance God has given you through His Word, or through the things His Holy Spirit have personally spoken to your heart. Learning not to worry may take some time, but as we learn, we will grow closer to the Lord, and be free to enjoy our lives as He brings His good plans to past. Don’t be afraid to cast your cares upon the Lord, because He has promised to sustain you. He will never let the righteous be shaken.

Photo by: Simon Migaj of the UK 🇬🇧

The Lord Is God

Psalm 100:3 NIV, “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

Know that the Lord is God. What a powerful statement! He is God regardless of what may come our way. He knows all and sees all. He is the Good Shepherd who is faithfully watching over us, His precious sheep, at all times. It’s a comfort to know that God cares about us so much. He’s involved in even the simple details of our everyday lives.

Photo by: Kailash Kumar of India 🇮🇳

We belong to the Lord and He knows the plans He has for us. Knowing that He knows, is the reason we don’t have to worry. Instead we can choose to trust Him. Don’t let worry creep in and try to destroy the peace He has so freely given to you. I encourage you to, “Know that the Lord is God”, and receive His peace today.

Forgetting The Past

Philippians 3:13 NIV, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,”

There are some things about the past that are beneficial to us, such as remembering how far God has brought us from, remembering the times He has delivered us, or remembering the lessons we have learned as we’ve grown in Christ. However we’re told in this verse, we shouldn’t let anything about our past hold us back from moving forward in our relationship with the Lord.

We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be saddled with guilt and shame from our past sins. Once we’ve repented of our sins, we are to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness and walk in freedom. Of course the enemy doesn’t want us to walk in that freedom, so he will constantly try and remind us of our sins and failures. We must meditate on God’s Word, so that we won’t forget what God says about our past sins….

Psalm 103:12 NLT, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Photo by: Sagui Andrea of Italy 🇮🇹

Sometimes forgetting the past can be tough, especially in situations where we are still dealing with the consequences of our sins. But just remember that God’s grace is sufficient. He will provide for you. He will give you strength, hope or whatever it is you need each day. He will never abandon you, so therefore, “keep straining toward what is ahead”, and never forget that God loves you.

Rest In Jesus

Matthew 11:28 NLT, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus gives us rest, spiritually and physically. He paid the price for our sins so we don’t have to wear ourselves out trying to compensate for our wrongdoing with our works. We can rest in His finished work on the cross . I recently heard a sermon that stressed how important it is for us to also rest physically. Our bodies need time to heal from the daily toil of life. Even God rested during creation.

Genesis 2:2 NLT, “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.”

Photo by: Lisa Fotios of the UK 🇬🇧

Rest is something that is definitely worth praying over. Through prayer we can stay connected to Jesus and He will help us to maintain balance in our lives spiritually and physically. We can trust Him to give us the rest we need. Don’t let fear or worry hold you back from finding rest in Jesus.

Always Be Prepared

1 Peter 3:15 NIV, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

We may not always be aware, but there are people who are watching us when we claim to be a Christian. They are watching to see how we respond in certain situations. They are examining our words and our actions. In the world today, truth has become whatever people want it to be, instead of what God says it is.

Many live their lives focused mostly on their own desires, with little or no regard for the Lord. Living that way leads to hopelessness. As Christians we have the privilege to help bring hope to a dying world through Jesus Christ. We must be careful not to get caught up in the ways of the world, so that we will be an effective witness for Him.

Photo by: Nappy of the USA 🇺🇸

We must also be prepared to give an answer explaining why we have placed our faith and hope in Jesus. We must be ready to explain why we love our Savior and have chosen to give our lives to Him. We must know in our hearts, what makes being a Christian different from any of the other “truths” that people believe in.

As we answer questions about our faith in Christ, we must do so with gentleness and respect. Love must be the root of our faith so that it will be what we show to others. People aren’t really impressed with how many times a week we go to church, or how many Bible verses we know. However, when we show people love through our actions, they will be more prone to believe the words that we speak, and want to know more about our Jesus, the Savior of the world.

Photo by: Christina Morillo of the USA 🇺🇸