LOVER OR HATER?

Do you know that we are to love one another? Most reading this may have heard that before. Do you really love everyone? Really?

Do you find yourself talking bad about people? Do you make fun of people? The Bible is overflowing with verses about love, the kind only God can give us. In the book of 1 John 4 verse 20 it reads as follows 'Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.'

Have you been guilty of saying a certain person drove you crazy? Maybe you do not agree with opinions of others. Guess what? No two people are alike. Every individual is flawed in some way. If I act better than someone or too good, then I better look out. Only God is truly good. It is our job while on this Earth to love others with the love Jesus Christ gives us. A transforming love. The kind of love a mother of a murdered son displays to the killer of her child. The kind of love you have for someone who has spoken about you poorly. This is love only from God.

Do you want that kind of love today? It is only a prayer away. Ask God to transform you into a lover of the unlovable and watch Him work.

PRAYER: I cry out to you Lord. I am by no means perfect and have lots to learn about your perfect love. Occasionally I slip up and for that I ask for your forgiveness. In Jesus' name. Amen.

WHITE CAPS MAKING YOU SCARED?

The part of the country I live in is pretty close to the beaches of both Florida and Alabama relatively speaking. The seashore is a great place to visit. When a storm is brewing at sea the ocean waves can be very scary and often dangerous. Sailors out at sea can attest to the tremendous power of the waves that form massive white caps.

Once on a cruise, my husband and I were on the upper deck around midnight and the dark ocean waves were very large and frightening. I love the ocean but seeing it so black and fierce that night stirred up fear inside of me. I could not even imagine what it would be like to go down with the ship. Pretty scary thought.

Do you recall the story in the Bible about Jesus calming the storm? Mark 34:35-39 recalls the story.'That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.' What they lacked was faith He could save them.

What storm or white caps are you facing in life? God can still the storms of life if only you cry out to Him.

PRAYER: I need you every hour in my life Lord. I can not do anything on my own. Thank you for getting me through some storms in my life and the storms sure to come. You are my hope! Thanks! In Jesus' name. Amen.

NO FAIL

Many things in life can disappoint us. Things break. Relationships end. Plants die. Electricity goes out. Phones malfunction. One thing in life is a sure thing and that is love. "Then why didn't my marriage work" you might ask or "why does a friend mistreat me"? I really do not have a good answer only God knows. 

Back to 1 Corinthians 13 for some more wisdom. This time look at verse 8. 'Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.' Love is permanent or is supposed to be. The kind of love God has for us is like this. No matter how despicable we may become or how ugly we treat Him or others He still loves us. His love remains. 

Can you say the same? Is your love intact no matter what? Do you want it to be? God can renew and restore broken hearts and He  can transform hate into love. You have to want Him to. Are you ready to surrender to Him and ask for that transformation today? 

PRAYER:You love us so very much Lord. Just like the song "Jesus loves me" we sang as a child, you truly love us in a mighty and perfect way. I want to show  your love to those in my path daily. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

THE LOVE COMMANDMENTS

Most everyone is familiar with the Ten Commandments found in Exodus chapter 20 but are you aware there  are two more? The past few days have been focused on love leading up to the month of love, February. 

 Matthew 22:33-40(NIV)  says “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Herein lies the question? Can you love like that really? We're supposed to if we name Jesus as Lord of our life. Sometimes you may need to ask Him to help you love someone. 

If only we could master love. It is not the romantic notion of movies and fairy tales but is something much deeper and greater. It is loving when you do not feel like you can. It is thinking of others as better than yourself. It is the act of being a true disciple of Christ. Are you capable of this kind of love? Jesus can help you. Call on Him today? 

PRAYER: There is a popular older song that says "All you need is love" well I need you Lord to be able to display the character of you through love I show to others. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

BUILDING BLOCKS OF LOVE

I love to go to Christian weddings. Typically 1 Corinthians 13 is a chapter the man and woman have chosen to have the minister, priest, or judge read from. It is filled with so many good things. If only the couple will leave the wedding ceremony and make that chapter come alive in their lives on a daily basis. If both parties routinely did what it said, it may put divorce lawyers out of business.

Verse seven of this chapter says about love 'It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.' This is true love as God meant it to be. It is not trying to get your own way. It does not say "you can look out for yourself". This type of love is trustworthy which is a foundational building block in a solid marriage. Hope is always there. You do not give up. Remain hopeful no matter what! Finally it has a "can do" attitude. If a swimmer were in a race and decided to just quit he or she may just sink to the bottom of the pool. When something is hard you keep going. Good things come by hard work.

What about you? Does your "love life" display these traits? If not pray and ask God to help you show this kind of love to those you find hard to love.

PRAYER: The word love is often an overused or misused. I want to love with your love Jesus, no matter what. This means putting up with those who I do not agree with and trying to be merciful to all. Give me your strength. In Jesus' name. Amen.

THE BLAME GAME

Ever since Adam and Eve first sinned, men and women have been blaming each other. It is so easy to not accept repsonsibilty for our failures and put it off on someone else. I affectionatley call this the "Adam syndrome".

Do you catch yourself blaming someone else on something maybe you did or something you do not want to assume responsibility for? Sometime "blamers" may not even realize they are doing it. The late comedian Flip Wilson used to say "the devil made me do it" in one of his comedy sketches. Funny yes, but we can say the devil made you do it and blame him, but you also need to take charge with God's help and become responsible and run from sin. Also if you routinely blame others why not step back and see who in fact is at fault.

Having this type of spirit is not really loving. I have been writing a good deal on the subject of love lately. If you are blamed for something you did not do, do not retaliate but respond with grace. Above all pray. Perhaps the "blamer" does not realize this habit in their life.

Proverbs 15:14(ESV) reminds us that 'The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.'

PRAYER: If I have been guilty of blaming others for something forgive me. I know it is not a loving trait. Also help me be gracious to those in my life that blame me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DID!!

Do you find yourself rehashing problems or mistakes someone has made? Perhaps you refuse to truly forgive and forget and hold grudges against a friend or family member. This type of treatment does not fall within God's definition of love. It is painful and it is mean.

It has happened to me a couple of times and it hurts when you are shunned or treated poorly by someone. Also spouses need to be careful to truly forgive and forget mistakes or hurts. Harboring them can build up a wall of resentment and sure does not stir up feelings of love. This is exactly the kind of stuff Satan loves. He loves discord and anger among brothers and sisters in Christ and even better he loves splitting up marriages.

God's word once again 1 Corinthians 13 verse five touches on this area. When referring to love it says 'It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.' A recipe for a successful relationship would or should include the ingredients of honor, peace, forgiveness, sacrifice, and forgetting wrongs.

Try something if you will. If you can not forget something someone did to you ask God to help you. There is nothing gained by trying to throw up a wrong in someone else's face. Let the Holy Spirit convict. Your job is to pray.

PRAYER: Lord I want to be a representative of your type of love. Give me your strength to resist making lists of wrongs. Help me to remember to pray for those who may hurt me as your word tells me to. In Jesus' name. Amen.