God’s love – Page 45 – Drawing Closer to Christ

I Choose Jesus

I was watching a movie the other day, and in the movie the main character decided that she needed to find her “true self”. So along with that, she decided she no longer wanted to be married. After her divorce, she set out on a journey of traveling, exploring life and other cultures, and various forms of spirituality. One of her struggles was learning to forgive herself for ending her marriage. Since her husband loved her, and never wanted their marriage to end, forgiving herself was difficult. In some ways, I could identify with the lady in the movie. I too had to learn to forgive myself for divorce and other unfortunate things that have happened in the past.

At some point during the movie, the words “I choose Jesus”, came to my mind. As I watched the main character try to figure things out, and try to find peace by finally being able to forgive herself, I again realized how valuable it is to have the love and forgiveness of our Savior. By choosing Him, we choose healing, peace, restoration, and forgiveness. Any struggles we face, even forgiveness towards ourselves, we can turn over to Him. We can choose Jesus to handle our hurts, pains, and sins. Our freedom comes from Him, not our ability to find peace within ourselves based on our own actions. He is our peace.

I’m thankful we have the strength and power of the Holy Spirit to help us choose Jesus. When our trust in Him overrides our own understanding, we position ourselves to experience the victory that comes when we choose His will over our own. We choose Jesus when we accept Him into our hearts and lives. However, everyday we have to choose to live for Him by letting His Spirit guide our actions and decisions. When you choose Jesus, it changes your life.

Live, Laugh, Love

“Live, Laugh , Love” is a very popular phrase that I see in many places. A couple of weeks ago, I saw it on the back of a car. I researched a little online, and read that the phrase originated from a poem called, “Success” written in 1904 by Bessie Anderson Stanley. The first line of the poem reads:

“He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much…”

The poem of course is based on Ms. Anderson’s personal opinion of success. However, the Bible is definitely not silent on God’s instructions for success. Check out these Bible verses about success.

Based on the phrase live, laugh, love, I thought I’d share a few verses about living, laughing, and loving. Through Jesus Christ, we can do all three.

Live…

Philippians 1:21 NIV, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

When our hearts are submitted to Jesus Christ, that is when we truly live. We give up our sinful ways and the ways of the world to pursue the heart of Jesus. We see people through His eyes of compassion, and want them to know the comfort and peace of His everlasting love. We begin to see life from His perspective and find great delight in getting to know Him more each day. We want to serve Him because we love Him, and we have security because He loves us. To live…is to live in Christ.

Laugh…

Psalm 37:12-13 NLT, “12 The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. 13 But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.”

It’s natural to laugh when things are lighthearted and funny. But what about when life is not so funny? When trials come against us or our loved ones, and we feel hurt and pain. When people do you wrong, you really want to just cry. There is a lot of evil and injustice in the world today. So many seem to be getting away with all kinds of foolishness. There are many unanswered questions and unresolved issues. But this verse always makes me laugh. It’s funny to try and imagine the Lord laughing. Knowing that the Lord will bring justice brings joy. He laughs because He has a plan to destroy the evil one and those who choose to be used by Him. Sometimes we need to just laugh. Laughter is good for our souls.

Love…

John 15:12 NIV, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

God loves us, so we are called to love others. He is love. He set the example of love for us. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we will better understand love. We will learn to love and reverence Him more. Then he teaches us how to love ourselves in a healthy and balanced way, and grow in our desire and ability to love others. The Holy Spirit has been teaching me that love must be at the root of all we say and do as Christians. Without love life is worthless. So love! Because love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Give As God Leads

1 King 17:13-15 NIV, “13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land. 15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.

This story of Elijah and the widow is such an encouraging reminder of God’s faithfulness to supply our needs. When we obey His instructions, He will personally make sure that our wells never run dry.

I admire this widow, because she was a woman of great faith who gave from the little she had left out of obedience to the Lord. She didn’t allow fear to hold her back from the blessings that God had waiting for her. It reminds us that when God ask us to give of ourselves, it’s because He has good things planned for us.

Once the widow was faithful to obey God, she and her family had food for the rest of their days. It’s the same for us, there is no way that we can lose when we are giving what God tells us to give. When we give for the sake of Christ, there will always be some type of harvest. We don’t have to fear lack at any time. God will replenish and restore us in ways we can’t even begin to imagine.

It’s important to obey God even in the little things because He can use our small acts of obedience to make a significant difference in our lives and the lives of others.

Continue On In Christ

Galatians 3:1-3 NLT, “Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”

When I read verse one, I like to replace the name Galatians with my name. That way, I can remind myself that I cannot live for Jesus in my own strength. I need His Spirit to work in me and through me to accomplish God’s purposes.

The death and resurrection of Jesus is the means by which we are able to apply the principles of God’s Word to our daily lives and do good. When we work for the Lord, we are contributing toward His eternal purposes. Our motivation for doing good should be the same as our Heavenly Father’s, to see people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be discouraged when you have days where you fall short. Refocus and remember that you began with Christ, and so you must continue on through Christ. It’s His grace that sustains us.

The Lord does reward us as we serve Him, but our greatest rewards are in heaven. Can you imagine the ecstasy of seeing Jesus face to face, for all eternity? Oh how joyous it will be.

Continue on in Christ.

Wise Words Bring Healing

Proverbs 12:18 NIV, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

As a child we had a jingle we would sing, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Looking back, I now know that this was far from the truth. Words can hurt. They do have an impact, rather good or bad. We have the power of life and death in our tongues (Proverbs 18:21). They can inspire us to be all God purposed us to be, or they can hinder our progress and leave us stagnant. Words can destroy lives and keep people from seeing the beauty God sees in them, and instead cause them to focus on everything that seems wrong. God’s Word helps us to overcome negative, hurtful words that have been spoken to us. We can learn to see ourselves as He does.

As Christians , we are privileged to be able to help bring healing to those who are hurting through the words we speak. God has promised to grant wisdom to us when we ask Him to (James 1:5). Through the wisdom He gives us, we can choose words that will empower and encourage ourselves and others.

God’s Spirit working in us, enables us to be sensitive to one another’s needs. Since our words can build up or tear down, it’s wise to speak words that are in agreement with what God says. His words are truth and bring life.

Be Slow To Anger

Proverb 14:29 NASB, “He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

Being patient will take us much farther than having an angry attitude. Although we may at times be justified in our being angry, we still have a responsibility as Christians who follow Jesus, to make sure we are not allowing anger to control us. In Ephesians 4:26, we are reminded not to sin while we are angry.

While living in South Florida, I realized that driving in heavy traffic, was one way that you can see how angry people are. The honking of the horns, cutting people off, or even seeing people speed up, instead of slowing down and letting someone get in front of them. I’ve seen arguments at stop lights, and episodes of road rage that resulted because of the argument. These actions show the anger and aggression that people have. This day in time, people are much more stressed out, which usually means zero tolerance when they feel they have been violated in some little way.

God calls His children to be understanding, (even while driving 😊). We can rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us and empower us to be calm, even when confronted with issues that cause anger. Doing this will help show His loving nature to the world. There is usually someone or something waiting to irk us, but giving our angry feelings to the Lord in prayer and remembering the endless mercy He shows us will help us to extend mercy to others.

Journey To Virginia

Well, I made it safely back to Virginia. I arrived Monday afternoon. It was a nice trip across the miles (945 miles and 14 hours – but of course it took longer with the bathroom and food breaks lol). There was no rain, the weather was great. I kept my word to my family and coworkers in Florida that I wouldn’t drive at night, so I took my time and stopped when it got dark. It feels great to see my mom’s smiling face and to be close to family again.

Upon leaving Florida, I passed through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina before making it to Virginia. Thank you all for your support and prayers. Thanks for leaving encouraging comments to check on me and see how the move and my travels were going. Your love and kindness was a comfort and helped me to stay motivated through this process.

**Taken at South Carolina welcome center. SC is where my parents were both born and raised. I have a lot of family in this state.**

When I left Florida, it was about 90 degrees, now it’s about 60 degrees in Virginia. Quite the change in temperature. Although part of me will miss the “Miami Heat” another part of me is glad for the change. I believe the cooler weather will be refreshing and help clear my sinuses. The hot, muggy, tropical temps in Miami kept my allergies in an uproar.

Originally I was scheduled to stop in North Carolina to see my Uncle Wilt (my Dad’s brother), before returning to Virginia. He had been ill and in the hospital for over a month. I spoke to my cousin LaTasha, (his daughter), on last Thursday morning to say I would be there on Monday. By Thursday afternoon things quickly changed and he passed away. So my mom and I will go to North Carolina on this weekend for the funeral. I have many fond memories of my Uncle Wilt. He came to Virginia from North Carolina to visit us every year when I was growing up.

Here is a picture of my Dad and his brothers. My Dad is on the right end (with the glasses), and Uncle Wilt is the first one on the left end. I’m thankful LaTasha called me a few weeks ago so I could FaceTime him and talk to him. Little did I know he’d be gone before I could make it to North Carolina to visit him. But God knew.

Now that I’m back in Virginia, my state of birth, I feel like there is a lot to do. Especially since I have to find employment. But I will keep praying, and keep trusting God. If I focus on my to-do-list it gets overwhelming. However if I focus on Jesus, I feel at peace. I know He has an impeccable track record when it comes to moving me around, and getting me settled.

I’m thankful for what my little sister Deandra wrote in her post this week called, “God of TODAY”. She reminded us that, God is a faithful God. So we don’t have to worry about tomorrow…we can just enjoy today.

Matthew 6:34 NIV, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I’ll keep you posted on this continued journey. Thanks again for your continued prayers.

P. S.

While I was traveling through Jacksonville, Florida I was behind this truck. God used the dirt on the truck for good!

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