God loves us. We are to live out the love God gives us. We are to be known by our love.
God Loves
Our God loves the world, sending Christ to seek and save, and giving eternal life to those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
God gave us, believers in Christ, the capacity to love. (Romans 5:5)
We are to love
God gave us, followers of Christ, the command to love. We took in God’s love, we are to live it out.
Who are we to love?
Love our neighbors
Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)
Love our brothers and sisters in Christ
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34–35)
Love our enemies
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44) … and do good to those who hate you. (Luke 6:27)
Are we known by our love?
Valentine’s Day is a logical time to take stock.
Do we know God’s commands about love?
Do we want to follow His commands?
Are we known by our love?
Prayer
Father, thank You for loving us. Thank You for showing us and telling us about love. Thank You for giving us a heart to love You, to walk in Your ways, and to love others. Forgive us for our failure to love as You would have us. Help us be marked by love, showing others we are Your disciples. Help us know specifically what to do in love towards others.
Consider it All Joy
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials… (James 1:2)
How?????
Decide
“Consider it all joy” is a command to us, believers in Christ. It isn’t a suggestion. It is God’s command.
The first step in obeying God’s command (any command) is to decide to do so.
Deciding is a big deal. Following His command can feel like a huge impossibility.
But without deciding to obey, we’ll get nowhere.
Believe
To consider our trials joy, we need to believe God. We believe in God, but we must believe what He says.
God tells us, in His word, the Bible, that He will work all things for good for us.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
“All things” includes our trials.
Jesus, James, Peter, and Paul all tell us of good things that result from our trials. We must believe God. (Matthew 5:12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Romans 5:3-5.)
We must believe what He says. We must believe He is our all-powerful, loving God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). We must trust Him.
Look Beyond
This command tells us why we can consider our trial a joy: there are good things coming.
the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:3–4)
Our trial, whatever it is, produces endurance in us, perfecting us, and completing us.
If we focus on the trial, if we focus on our misery, we won’t be joyful. If we focus on how our loving, all-powerful God is perfecting and completing us, we see reason to be joyful.
Look at the flower, not the thorns.
Test of Faith
Do we believe God is in control of this trial and that He loves us? Do we have faith?
Our faith is being tested by fire in this trial. Decide to believe our loving Savior in this trial, which will result in praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:7)
~~~
As usual, this post is for me. I, too often, grimly endure, trying to do the right thing, but not with joy. I have decided to be joyful in my trials. Pray for me!
“Thank God!”
I’ve said this. You’ve said this. Most likely, we’ve heard unbelievers say: “Thank God.”
We definitely thank God for blessings and rescue. But how often do we thank Him for a hardship, or for a less-than-desired outcome? I bet unbelievers never do.
We are told to thank Him in everything, apparently good things, and apparently bad things.
In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father … (Ephesians 5:20)
Why we can thank God
We can confidently thank God in all circumstances because we know Him. We know He is sovereign, and we know He loves us, believers in Christ.
His love guarantees He wants the best for us. His sovereignty ensures His best happens.
Becoming more thankful
As we know Him better and better, and trust Him more and more, giving Him thanks becomes a way of life.
Reminding yourself to be thankful helps.
But to fundamentally develop a character of thanks requires knowing Him and trusting Him. Let’s resolve to learn what He says about Himself (the Bible), believe what He says, and trust Him.
In everything give thanks.
Kilauea crater 13 January 2021, Harry Durgin Facebook
Ahab was an evil king in the northern kingdom, married to Jezebel, a very evil woman.
Obadiah, who feared Yahweh greatly, was over Ahab’s household. (1Kings 18:3)
When Jezebel destroyed prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them, and provided them with bread and water. (1 Kings 18:4)
Obadiah stayed as head of the household of an evil king. He did not leave his employer.
Obadiah risked his life to protect Yahweh’s prophets.
Would I?
I’m retired, but what if I worked in a company that promoted evil policies and evil doing? What if my friends/family/social groups promoted evil?
What would I say or do?
Light
We are to be Light to the Lord and walk as children of Light (Ephesians 5:8).
We are to let our light shine before men (Matthew 5:16).
As we become known as children of God, we are a fragrant aroma to some, and the stench of death to others (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).
There are and will be consequences (apparent good and apparent bad) as we stand for the Lord.
God is Sovereign
As we walk as children of Light, God is sovereign over the impact we have and what follows.
We are responsible to be faithful. God is in control of the results.
Prayer
Father, I want to walk in Your way with confidence and trust. I want to honor You in the places You put me. Please give me wisdom to know what You want me to say and do. Please strengthen me for the challenges ahead.
In a scary time for me, when I had a serious eye issue, didn’t know whether I would retain useful sight, and was far from my doctors, I would wake at night to see if I could still see.
I was scared.
During this same time, I was editing my book (When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?). Four chapters deal with God’s love. As I carefully reviewed God’s love for His adopted children, in the midst of my scary time, I rejoiced. In fact, I became giddy with assurance that He loves me.
In these dark days, with ominous clouds for the future, we must make sure we both comprehend God’s love and that we place confidence in His love for us. To stay on course, we must have informed trust in His love.
So we have known [ginosko: understand, grasp, ascertain] and believe [pisteuo: be persuaded of, place confidence in, trust] the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. (1 John 4:16)
God loves us, believers in Christ, with an infinite, everlasting love. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and He has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness.
Please study God’s word to us, the Bible. Please prayerfully and daily read about who He is, what He has done, and what He promises. Please, as you know Him better and better, increasingly believe what He says, and order your thoughts and life in that knowledge.
It matters.
Please.
Kapoho crater, Harry Durgin Facebook
I’ve Got This
“I’ve got this,” says someone picking up a tab.
“I’ve got this,” says a person moving a heavy box.
“I’ve got this,” says someone who is solving a thorny issue.
“I’ve got this,” says our most high, all-powerful, eternally faithful God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Facts
God is in control of everything and everybody all the time.
God’s providence brings innumerable actions together for His own purpose.
God’s glorious plan results in judgment of evil and glorification of His righteous.
God loves His adopted children, and guarantees that everything (everything that seems good to us and everything that seems bad to us) will work together for good.
God is trustworthy.
We are responsible to walk in His way.
Hard Times
God’s glorious plan includes hard times. For His own reasons, He is allowing evil in this present time.
We are affected by trouble, and the Father works that trouble in our lives to make us more like His beloved Son.
We are His witnesses, testifying to Him, and declaring His love and power. We are to be His lights in the world.
What to Do
Determine to trust God.
Determine to do the work He has for you to do.
Determine to press on.
My 2021 resolution: Trust God and Press On.
I usually have a short statement, sometimes one word, as a goal for the new year. It may sound silly, but I remember times that one word or phrase energized and guided me in a godly way.
Trusting God was the big lesson in 2020, and is continuing this year.
My sense is that 2021 is going to be difficult and that trusting God will be an ongoing requirement to sail through the year.
In addition, I know that He has work for me in 2021. His work for me feels more urgent as the world gets darker. My resolution is to press on.
Trusting God and pressing on are related. When I trust God, I have both confidence and hope to press on.
Trust God
I am determined to:
Trust God for what He is doing around me, what He is doing with the world, with my nation.
Trust God for the circumstances in my life.
Trust God for the outcomes of following His orders.
Trust God that He is with me, and for me, and will never leave me.
Trust God that He has a glorious eternal life for me.
Trust God and Press On
Trusting God brings freedom to act in His will.
Trusting God brings hope.
Trusting God brings confidence to press on.
2021
Trust God and Press On. Please join me.
Be Not Afraid
This first time I saw this cartoon, the door was labelled “June.”
This year, 2020, has been hard, unexpectedly hard. And there is every reason to be concerned about what is beyond the 2021 door.
But God tells us, over and over: “Be not afraid;” “Do not fear.”
We are guaranteed trouble. At the same time, we, believers in Christ, Christ-followers, are guaranteed the Lord’s presence and help.
Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
God has given us a Savior, Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)
God has given us all things. (Romans 8:32)
God has given us the kingdom.
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
Trust God and press on
He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (Psalm 112:7)
Doxology
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)
Happy New Year!
At Christmas we, of course, rejoice about Christ’s birth. God with us. The eternal Word made flesh.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
For believers, those who have repented, believed, and received Christ as Lord and Savior, God gives us hope.
God’s hope is guaranteed, just not yet seen. God’s hope is something He promises and will fulfill. What He promises are facts.
God’s gift of hope
God’s hope is a very big present that we must unwrap and learn to rely on. His hope includes:
Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
The hope of righteousness. (Galatians 5:5)
Our living hope. (1 Peter 1:3)
Our sure and steadfast hope, an anchor of our soul. (Hebrews 6:19)
Our hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:7)
And more!
Unwrap your present!
No matter how dark the days, we are sealed by God for glory. As the days darken, let us focus on the brightness of our guaranteed eternal future. Let us practice putting our attention on God’s unseen yet promised gifts. Let’s practice rejoicing.
Let us rejoice in hope. (Romans 12:12)
Merry Christmas!
Tomorrow will be like today, only more so. (Isaiah 56:12)
Huh?!
That verse puzzled me for years, but now I see how it applies to habits.
What we do (or don’t do) today reinforces what we do (or don’t do) tomorrow. Our habit becomes stronger or weaker.
If we want to start or strengthen a routine, we should do it today. Tomorrow it will be more engrained.
If we want to stop something we habitually do, today we need to avoid the action and tomorrow it will be easier to stop it again.
Both starting and stopping a behavior isn’t necessarily easy, and both take time to become a new habit.
But today, start or stop, and know that tomorrow starting or stopping will take less effort.
Thank You, Father.
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When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?
When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready? helps Christians not fear bad news, shows them how to handle current trouble, and helps them emerge stronger on the other side.
About me
I'm a Christian, wife, retiree, and author.
I love studying and putting knowledge into action. I'll share what I'm learning, encourage you, and urge all of us to press on to become more like Christ.
Pressing On Together
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