Tag: God’s love

Happy New Year! I can not believe the holidays have come and gone so quickly and that we are already a little over two weeks into 2025. That shows us how quickly time passes by. 

For the last couple of years, I have been taking Bridget’s advice to pray about a word or phrase for the year. In 2023, my phrase was, “live free.” In 2024, my word was, “persevere.” In my experience over the last couple of years, having a word or phrase has helped me to focus more on some of the lessons that the Lord wants to teach me. The interesting thing is that while I may receive a new word or phrase at the start of a new year, the prior words or phrases remain relevant. So, I can keep learning and growing from them.

Throughout 2024, I found myself persevering through many things and it strengthened my faith. Sometimes I felt weary, but remembering God’s word to me to “persevere,” gave me strength to keep going. 

Around September 2024, I started praying about my word for 2025. Shortly after, the Lord started teaching me about the importance of receiving His peace. I realized that, although as Christians, we speak of God’s peace often, we must open our hearts and be willing to receive it, just like salvation. God offers it, but we must receive it.

“You cannot reach as far if your hands are closed. You cannot receive if your hands are closed. That is why God calls us to live with open hands.” -Doug Scalise

Then in the following weeks, I received encouragement from the Holy Spirit to receive God’s comfort, rest, and courage. Shortly afterwards, while walking up the stairs to the third floor at work one morning en route to my office, I received clarity that my word for 2025, is “receive.” 

I am looking forward to learning to receive from God in this new year. The Bible tells us that giving is connected to receiving. Giving is not always simple, depending on what God asks us to give. So, receiving His strength and courage to give what He requires is important.

I pray that your 2025, will be insightful and that you would receive and experience the love of Jesus each day. May we all be willing to give what God requires of us in this new year so that we may grow in our relationship with Him and receive His bountiful blessings. 

Thank you for your continued support of my blog in this new year. I am thankful for you. ❤️🙏🏿

Hebrews 10:36 NIV, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

 

Psalm 37 is my favorite Psalm. I have been meditating on it over the last couple of weeks and have found comfort in its words. So I am sharing it with you and I hope it brings you comfort also. It encourages us to remember that God sees evil and injustice (which are two things we see a lot of nowadays). He will deal with wrongdoing so we do not need to worry. It also reminds us that refraining from anger, delighting in the Lord and trusting Him, leads to blessings.

The final two verses, 39 and 40, ensure us the Lord is our Helper and He saves those who take refuge in Him. Enjoy reading Psalm 37 and have a blessed week. 

Psalms 37 NIV

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish: Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;

22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.

23 The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed ; the offspring of the wicked will perish.

29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just.

31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death;

33 but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Hope in the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

38 But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Isaiah 30:18 NLT, “So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.”

Compassion is something that seems to be scarce in the hustle and bustle of today’s world. Showing compassion requires us to take time to be aware of those around us and to listen to what they have to say. When we listen, we can learn and understand what others need.

As the verse says, the Lord is faithful to show us love and compassion when we come to Him. It is a blessing that we can take that same compassion that we receive from Him and give it to others. God is always willing to help us do what He ask us to do. We just need to be willing to act in obedience. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Now is a good time to ask God to keep our hearts and eyes open to those who need to receive His compassion. Especially with the holidays approaching, since it is often a difficult time for many people. Chances are we won’t have to look very far because it’s usually the people we interact with daily. Or perhaps it may be a stranger who crosses your path. But either way, it’s an honor to be able to extend the compassion of God our Father. May He help us and bless us as we aim to shine the light of His compassion in a dark world.