Am I loving unconditionally???

I believe that every person has a desire & longing to be loved unconditionally.  It is getting to be a rare thing to find a person that does love you in such a way.  Most people have their limits.  With most people, you can probably hurt them to the point that they have felt such pain & hurt that they can not forgive you.  If a person can not forgive you, then they certainly can not love you.  Then, there are people that love you because you do what they want.  You make them happy.  You spend time with them.  You encourage them when they are down.  They ask you to do them a favor and you do it.  However, if you don't do what they want, they are frustrated with you.  After a while, bitterness sets in and perhaps jealousy, resentment and a host of other feelings.  The sad truth is that this is not real love.....the agape love that God freely gives. 

1 Corinthians 13.....the well known chapter that speaks about love. When this chapter speaks of love, Paul (the author), is referring to the agape love....the selfless love. In our English language love is a word we use it to mean many things. We may love pizza, and of course, that is a different love from the love we have for our family.  Or we may say we loved a certain movie.  These are just a few examples of how often we use the word love, but the Biblical love is much, much deeper.  I usually read KJV, but I'm using the Message today as it kind of rewords without me having to explain. 

 1 Corinthians 13:"¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
^8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
¹¹When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
¹²We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
¹³But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."

It's so easy to think of others and whether someone is sincerely loving us in this manner.  Don't be discouraged if you have trouble thinking of someone that loves you unconditionally.  Remember there is ONE that does love you NO MATTER WHAT!  John 3:16 says that "God so LOVED the world (you & me) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever(that's us!) believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life."   He loved us before we were born.  He loved us when we were sinners.  He loves us on our worst days.  He restores us.  He encourages us in His Word.  The Bible is a love letter to us.  God does not point out all of our faults & call us a failure.  He points out our sins, so that we may change and become holy.  He forgives all sins.  He's on call 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week.  God is patient.  He wants the best for us.  He gave us talents & ablities, and only wants us to nurture and grow.   It is true that God is jealous.  I used to not understand this, because we think jealousy is a sin.  But, God's jealousy is because He is our creator and provider....the giver of life and all things good. 

It's easy to love when the love is reciprocal.  When two people are giving to the relationship, it is so easy to love.  Love is most difficult when one person is giving and the other person is not.  There could be many reasons why someone does not show love.  The attitude of most people that I see & hear would tell you to just give up and move on.  They will say that it's not worth your time & energy to love someone that does not properly show you love back.  If I'm really a Christ follower---His disciple, then I will choose to obey God.  1 John is an absolute wonderful book that speaks in more detail on the love of God!!    I John 3:20 "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"   It is easy to say we love God when it doesn't cost us anything more than weekly attendance at church.  The real test of love for God is how we treat the people right in front of us--our family members and  even other believers--because, after all, we are in the "family of God".  We cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those who are created in His image. 

I am examining myself  today and if you, my friend, are reading this, I challenge you too, to examine yourself to see if you really are loving others unconditionally.  It is NOT easy.  We definitely can not do it on our own.  I know of some very good people that are not Christ followers, and  they can not possibly give God's love.  God's love is not in them.  God's love is in me, because I accepted Him into my life and His Holy Spirit dwells within me......so I should daily walk in obedience to Him and ask Him to help me love the unlovable....the one's that don't love me back, the one's that don't love me the way I think they should.  If someone close to you---a friend or family member has very little to do with you, or they say or do hurtful things to you, I know the deep desire is to move on and try to forget that person.  We think our life is much more peaceful without that person that caused us to hurt.  But, I know there is a hole in your heart when you love a person and they seem to have shut you out.  I encourage you to reach out and show them God's love.  We do not know what is going on with another person and why they act the way they do.  Send cards, write letters, call, send appropriate gifts that show you care. If you can financially afford it, be generous with your money.  It's not your money anyhow---everything we have is from God.  Use your money, your time, your words for God's glory.   God is a healer of broken hearts and broken relationships.   Speak words of kindness, and pray for God to help you guard your tongue to say hurtful words in return.  Pour out prayer on all those you love.  We all are going through our own battles.  You may think this is not worth your time, but remember that Jesus felt we were worth it.  Love people and see them the way God does.  Each of us was worth dying for. 

Heavenly Father, I am so grateful to have your love.  Your unconditional love.  I can not imagine not having your unconditional love.  When I feel so unworthy, You lift me up and remind me that You value me.  I am so blessed and I need You every moment, every day to guide my decisions and help me to be the person You created me to be.  Forgive me Lord, when I have purposed to not show love to certain people because they have hurt me.  I remember when Jesus was dying on the cross for my sins and He asked for You, the Father, to forgive the people because they did not know what they were doing.  Lord, take away my selfish thoughts and create in me a clean heart that is full of God's love.  There is so much going on in this world that hurts me to think about and I can only imagine how much it hurts You.  Thank You again for Your Word.  Thank You for the great encouragers in my life and I ask that You use me to be an encouragement to others.  I give You all the glory and praise!  In Jesus' precious name, AMEN!

What Can Wash Away My Sin?

When I wash dishes, I often think about the great hymn, "What Can Wash Away My Sin".  As I clean each dirty plate & cup, I'm thinking about how Jesus' blood cleansed us and made us whole again.  Some dishes are easier to wash than others.  Perhaps the food wasn't on the plate very long, so those dishes are easier & faster to wash.  Then, you have the dreaded baked on stuff that might have to soak for a long time.  You might even have to do a lot of scrubbing to make it clean again.    I like to compare the easier to wash dishes to the daily confession of sins.  When we go to God on a daily basis and ask forgiveness, we live in His righteousness.  However, if we continue to live in sin and do not ask God to forgive us, those sins become a habit and they are harder to come clean like the terrible baked on food on our pots & pans. 

Psalm 51 is the most perfect confession of sin found in the Bible.  These are David's words pleading with God to forgive him of all the sin associated with his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba.  If David was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22 refer to this), I am reminded  that we are capable of any type of sin as well.  Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?"  No one knows my heart and my intentions.  Only God is the only One that knows my heart.    God knows what I am capable of doing and what you are capable of doing.  We are all capable of sin.  John 5:17 tells us that "All unrighteousness is sin."  When I used to teach Sunday School & AWANA's, we would explain to the kids that sin was anything that displeased God.  Sin is contrary to what God's Word teaches us.  Unconfessed sin leaves us feeling miserable.  Such a person will see the negative in God's blessings while others are overjoyed!  Sin---no matter how small or how great---has an effect.  First of all, it separates us from God.  Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that He will not hear."  Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."   Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."   Sin separates us from God and the punishment from sin is death.  We know we are all going to die, but for those who have asked forgiveness for our sins and accepted that Christ died for our sins, we receive God's gift of eternal life!  Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."   And how do we become a believer?  It's very simple!  Romans 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. "Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 
Do you know for sure that you are saved?  All you have to do is believe in your heart that Jesus was the One that died for the punishment of your sins, and then you confess your sins to God.  Open up the Bible to Psalm 51 and use David's words as your prayer.   Once you have confessed your sin by talking to God in prayer, you are now a child of God and you receive the gift of eternal life in Heaven!   Keep reading His Word and keep praying and you will  grow every day.  When you go through those difficult times, you will learn to trust God more and more and that will help you mature.   Psalm 116 "I LOVE the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live!" 

Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your Word and all that You have done in my life.  You have changed my life and I am so glad that I confessed my sins and accepted Christ as my savior!  I ask You Lord to lead someone to read this blog today  that needs to confess their sins to you and be forgiven and get a new life.  Thank You for loving me every day of my life....and You love each and every person.  You love the person(the sinner) but hate the sin.  Help me to love others in that same manner.  AMEN!

Walk so close to God that the things of this world are unattractive

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"
    

I've been really getting into Bible study.  Feeding my spirit rather than feeding my face.  I used to think about food all the time and what and when I was going to eat again.  Now, all I can think about is when I can get into my Bible again.  I was driving in the car this morning and started thinking about the Matthew West song, "The Motions".  I know I've been through the motions before.  It's so easy to do.  We go to church and we know how to talk the language.  But, I don't have a desire to just read my Bible to demonstrate that I know facts about God.  I sincerely want to know HIM.  I want my heart to break because of the things that break His heart.  I want to know what makes Him happy and what makes Him sad.  I don't just want to know these things in my head.  I want my heart to change. 

Then I got on the scale today to see if there's been a change in my weight. I have definitely been eating less and choosing healthier, lower calorie foods.   I know I have to be patient with weight loss, but I also know from experience that I won't see a change until I get moving.   That's not much different than our Christian life.  We can read the Bible and feed our brains until we are fat with knowledge about God.  However, we won't see a change until we become "doers of the Word".   James 1:22-25 says, "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."    I could go on & on with the details of this passage, but I'll just get to the heart of it all.  James is talking about our faith and how we will have trials.  Having faith means that we will obey God's Word---what we hear.  Being obedient is when we put that faith into action.  This is to involve every area of our lives....our speech, our conduct, our habits, our behaviors at all times. 

Coincidentally, I am preparing to study the book of James in my weekly Bible study at church that begins next Tuesday.  We will be using Beth Moore's "Mercy Triumphs" study.  Here I am today thinking of how much I want to deeply know God and He lays this all on my heart and ties it all together in such a way that I I feel Him so near.  Two weeks ago, when I felt God desired for me to write my own devotional, it was overwhelming to me.  I cried as I said the words out loud to my daughter that I should write down the things God lays on my heart, as I knew it was a big commitment.  Another challenge that I am feeling greatly overwhelmed with right now is to memorize the book of James.  I know the benefits of hiding God's Word in our hearts, as I was an AWANA leader for years and I loved to hear those kids recite their verses and understand what God's Word meant to them!  I even learned the verses too.....because we learn by repetition after all!!  Still, I feel overwhelmed looking at these 5 chapters of James......108 verses.  I can not do this on my own.  I refer to Philippians 4:13 "I can do ALL things through Christ which strenghteneth me."

Lord, I absolutely LOVE You!  You deserve all glory!  I praise You!  Thank you for Your Word, Your Holy Spirit, Your Son that died for my sins, for all that You created that we enjoy!  Thank You for the wisdom You give so freely and Your unconditional love.  Help me to love everyone and see them as You do.  Help me to be obedient to You and seek Your kingdom.  Today I am also hurting for some dear friends and I ask that You comfort them and guide them .  Lord help mend broken relationships and help the hurting that have lost loved ones.  I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN!                                                                                                                                                             

Looking back on the past 20 years........

Today is January 10, 2012.  It is my son Andrew's 20th birthday.  That's kind of a milestone.  Hard to believe he's not a teenager anymore.  We were blessed, blessed, blessed that he did not give us trouble during the teen years.  Let me also say, that we are doubly blessed, to have a 16 year old daughter, Rachel, that has not given us trouble either. I am not saying that they have not experienced their personal ups & downs, only that they continued to be obedient as best they could during their hard times.  I sincerely pray that God will continue to give us wisdom and love in our relationship with these two wonderful children.   Typically, when it is a person's birthday, they are thinking "Woo-hoo!  It's my birthday!  Where's the presents & the cake?!"  However, I've come to realize that from a mother's point of view, I am always reflecting on the day that child was born.  Now, that it's been 20 years, I am reflecting on whether I accomplished the job that I started 20 years ago when I earned my title, "mom".   Is God pleased with me?  I know that I was not perfect.  There were many times I had to read the instruction manual---the Bible.  I listened to sermon after sermon and read books by many well known Christian authors.  I listened faithfully to Dr. James Dobson's "Focus on the Family".  

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thine heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." 

Children relate God to boredom if they are only taught about God in formal teaching settings.  According to these verses, parents are to teach their children and talk about God and set an example at home and wherever you go.   I will tell you from experience that this really does work!   We spent many hours riding in the car through the years.  When the kids were in preschool & elementary school, they were active in AWANA's, so they always had Bible verses to learn.  I would write the Bible verses on notecards and we practiced during 5 minute trips to the grocery store or bus stop.  Every time we got into the car, it was a time of learning.  Children learn by repetition.  The reason practice makes perfect is because it is simply repetition.  The more we do something, the more it becomes easier and even habitual.   I think it helped to start this when they were very young, and try to make it fun and give them lots of praise. 

When I married Andy, I was just 20 years old.  Due to his job and schedule, it was best for me to be a stay-at-home wife.  I was ok with this, as I had really prayed about it.  However, during those early years I struggled to feel like a worthwhile person because I did not finish college and/or have a successful job like many of my friends.  I still trusted God that He knew what was best for me and that my personal sacrifice of not finishing college would be for God's glory.  I can whole-heartedly say that it was all for God's glory!   For one, I did not realize that I would deal with infertility issues, so it was a good thing that I had my kids when I was young.  When I was 27, I realized that when I meet God, He will not care whether I went to college or what kind of job I had.  He only cares about my faithfulness to Him.  This was a life changing concept for me!  I understood that the world views success as where you went to college, your career, the kind of car you drive, the kind of house you live in, the amount of money in the bank....but God doesn't care about any of those things!  I could finally feel at peace that as long as I was seeking to please the Lord, that was all that mattered and everything else fell into place. 

Still realizing that after 20 years, I'm struggling with this weight....and that's pretty frustrating.  However, since I started writing this blog, my mind is on God more and not so much on food, so I'm feeding on His Word more than I'm feeding my stomach.  I have to be patient and know that the weight loss will be slow.  In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy celebrating the 20th year of Andrew's life! 
Thank you Lord for blessing us with Andrew and Rachel.  You deserve the glory and credit for the wisdom You gave us in Your Word, the Bible.  Help us Lord to love unconditionally and keep our family close to You.  AMEN!

Count your blessings AND your trials

We are all probably familiar with the hymn "Count Your Blessings", but do we actually adhere to that when we need to?   In January 2000, my family was in the process of a move.  Most of our worldly possessions were packed on a huge moving truck and in storage somewhere in Virginia.  Meanwhile, 6 hours away in Ohio, my husband , myself & our two young children lived in an extremely small apartment with a Murphy bed ( a bed that folded up into the wall ) and a couch where we took turns sleeping.  It was a damp, cold apartment and the laundry area was 3 flights downstairs.  The dryers did not work well, so I would bring my damp clothes and hang them all over in the apartment to dry.  This also involved ironing the clothes, which I'm not too fond of doing.  We were cramped, to say the least.  New Years Day 2000 seemed to be a bright sunny day, and I folded up the Murphy bed so the kids could have more room that day.  They both began to dance around the room, and our 4 year old daughter danced until she was dizzy and she fell on the floor hitting her arm on the coffee table in the process.  She cried and cried about this arm, and I felt she was probably tired and needed a nap.  When she woke from her nap, she started crying again.  Needless to say, we took her to the ER that evening as she had definitely broken that arm.  The home we were wanting to buy had an issue because the previous owner had built a huge attached garage.....but part of the garage was not considered on the property, but rather on a "right of way".  We had to wait for the county commissioners to vote for this situation at their next meeting.  We weren't positive how this vote would go.  Our storage truck would only hold our things for 30 days, if I remember correctly and after that time we would have to pay $100 a day.  Moving can be expensive, so we didn't have extra money to pay for that expense.  Things were getting stressful & tense.  I remember that I was trying to trust God in the entire situation, but my worry meter was quite high.  I couldn't sleep at night.....which says a lot as I am a  blessed  person to be able to fall asleep easily and sleep well.  One night I quietly got up while the rest of the family slept soundly, and I began to "count my blessings".  I needed to see them written down, one by one.  Certainly, according to the famous hymn, I was surprised that all the Lord had done!   He was supplying our needs---maybe not all of our wants---but He definitely was supplying all that we needed. Most importantly, our family was together and I learned that the change in my attitude was contagious. There's a saying "If momma ain't happy, then nobody is happy" was quite true at that point.   We just had to trust that He was going to work the rest out in His perfect timing.  The outcome was that was exactly what happened. The county commissioners passed the right of way for the garage and we were able to get our things moved into the house from the moving truck just in time that we didn't need to pay extra.  That was 12 years ago, and I've since learned that while counting blessings is good, we must also consider our trials as blessings as well. 
James 2:4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."   Notice, James doesn't say IF we face trials, but WHEN we face them.  Difficult times are the times when we learn the most.  If we lived every day of our lives having all that we wanted & needed & never had a problem, we would not mature & grow.   When I meet a strong Christian nowadays, I realize that they didn't become that person by having an easy, worry free life.  That strong Christian has a story to tell.  They have been through some difficult times and learned to trust the One who could help them in their trials.  I know from experience that it only makes me love Him more!
O Heavenly Father, today I thank you for not just the good things You do in my life, but for the trials & heartaches too.  I know that as a parent, I want to protect my children from harm, just as You want to protect us from harm as well.  Sometimes, we have to learn from experience and You allow us to go through those painful times.  It's such a comfort knowing that as my Father, You are my Comforter and Provider every step of the way.  Thank You for the wisdom that You give so freely. Thank You that we can have a relationship with You that is so personal and we can be ourselves.  Thank You for the blessings that You have for us on this earth, but most importantly, for the eternal blessings!  AMEN

Do you really want my opinion?

Everyone these days wants to give their opinion....and they believe their opinion is right.  You can find people's opinions all over the internet, on TV, or simply by listening to the gossip of others.  A friend of mine said that when she had her baby, she was given advice(opinions) from everyone and it drove her crazy!  Even kids today are more opinionated than they used to be.  Perhaps that is why we have more problems with bullying & harassment & well,  even depression.   People feel that it is their right to speak up and tell what is really on their mind.  They do this without the consideration of the feelings of others.  I constantly read & hear of people referring to others as stupid & idiots.  Does this make God pleased to hear us talk like this?  Oh Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours!   Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory (selfish ambition or conceit); but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves."  It seems like there are so many big ego's all around and very little encouraging anymore. 

The Bible has plenty to say about this.  Since this blog is mainly for me.....remember I am doing this study for myself first of all.  For those of my friends that read it, I pray God's Word lovingly reminds us that we need to be careful with our speech, attitude & opinions of others.  Christianity is about being like Christ.....not people being like me.  So, let us take the time to read the following verses.

Romans 14:12-14 "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away."
James 3:8 "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similtude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not so to be."
James 4:11 "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his own brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but it thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.  There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?"
Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without murmurings  and disputings; That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst  of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights of the world"
1 Peter 4:9 "Use hospitality one to another without grudging."
Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Wherefore comfort(encourage)yourselves together, and edify (build up) one another, even as also ye do.

Lord, I adore You with all my heart.  You created each of us for a special purpose.  Help me to see others as you see them.  When I disagree with another person, give me the words to say that are gentle & kind, or help me to keep my opinions to myself and change my heart to see the truth.  Thank You Lord for Your Word and may it live in me everyday that others may see that I am Your child. Help me to apply this study today to my life.  Help me to show love to others that are difficult to love.  Let me love people because You created them and You love them too.  Amen!