Remaking Love

By Jarrod Spencer  –

Valentine’s Day – A day set aside for love and romance. However, love is not just “soft”, “pink”, and feminine as Valentine’s Day often depicts. Love is about giving ourselves, just like Christ gave of Himself. Love is about staying committed through pain.

The church is also called to love–to love one another. Love is about action, which brings us to this quote about love by Ursula Le Guin, “Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it had to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.”

As I previously mentioned, love is an action. Love that sits is not love at all. Love is about forgiving those that wrong you. Love is about going to someone you have a problem with. Love is to be made new every morning (Lamentations 3:3). Love that remains the same will become hardened and lack elasticity. Love must be able to stretch, so you can forgive those who wrong you. If you won’t stretch to give grace to your transgressor, then love no longer is love. Christians are called to love each other. The church should be modeling love to each other and those in the world. How will you model love?

Have a great rest of your week! May you have many opportunities to model what it means to love others in a Christ-like way today, tomorrow, this weekend, and so on.

Because of His Love ~

PRAYER: Thank You for Your love! Thank you for sending Your Son and lavishing us with Your mercy be allowing us to be forgiven, despite our worthiness!

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life” (John 3:16 MSG).

Showdown

by Elaine James –

Do you remember ever watching an old western movie when the showdown was about to occur between the good guy and the bad guy? Usually before the showdown, they agree on where and when they would meet. They then get their guns ready and put them in their holsters.

I woke up one morning, picturing my family and me getting ready for a showdown with the enemy (Satan). We were to meet in front of the sheriff’s office, in an old western town just like in the movies. As we walked out of our house and headed down the street, I spoke out: “This is our ammunition we are bringing with us.”

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV). Moving forward, my next words were “the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever” (1Peter 1:24b-25 NIV).

Yet more steps led to “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1Peter 2:24 NIV).

I walked a few more steps, saying “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and then all things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

I continued with “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12 NIV).

One last shout out “Repent, then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19 NIV).

We were all armed and ready. We won the battle. We were free from worry, anxiety, fears and negative or critical thinking. We will continue to claim the victory because of Jesus.
Be prepared to face the enemy, by arming and protecting yourself with the power and love of Jesus.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, thank You for showing me that we are in a battle but Jesus always wins!

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV).

Call Me Cheap!

By Carin LeRoy –

I have a confession: I’m a chronic bag washer. It seems a waste to throw out a useful Ziploc bag when it only needs a wash for another use. I also save cereal bags because their sturdiness is perfect for freezing quantities of meat that I buy in bulk. Rather than cleaning up things with wads of paper towels, I use rags. They are great for scrubbing, polishing and wiping up spills. I throw them in the washer and then store them under the sink for my next use.

Not only am I a bag washer, but I love to find a good deal. You’ll find me checking out clearance merchandise, browsing the Goodwill or stopping at a yard sale. I’ve even been known to pull my neighbor’s furniture off the street (after asking, of course!). My family groans if I pull out left-over food too many times. Now, they’re thankful that our puppy gets some so that I don’t feel too wasteful. Call it my missionary cost-saving background, but the bottom line is: I’m cheap. (Well…maybe that’s what others think, but I think I’m frugal!)

In these challenging economic times, we all need to cut corners and stretch our dollar. The price of gas, food and utilities take a chunk from the family budget, so finding ways to save in other areas has become a necessity for many of us.

In Scripture we see that even Christ was careful with provisions. After feeding the 5,000, he sent the disciples to collect the food not eaten after the crowds left. “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted. So they gathered them and filled 12 baskets,” (John 6:12,13 NIV). I’ll bet they ate it for days and gave it to others in need. Even Christ felt it important to be careful with the resources they had.

Not everyone feels compelled to wash Ziploc bags like me, but we can all find ways to be resourceful. God promises to supply our needs, but I think we can use His example to know that Christ wasn’t wasteful even when His own miracle supplied 5,000 people with food.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, that You have promised to supply our needs. Help me to learn in these hard economic times to be resourceful with what You have given to me and find creative ways to stretch the budget.

BIBLE VERSE: “Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty” (Psalm 37: 16-19 NIV).

Humanity and Humility

By Hally Franz –

“Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble.” Those are the famous words from country music star Mac Davis’s 1980 recording. The song is now over thirty years old. Likewise, the character trait of humility seems almost outdated in today’s society.

Last evening, I taught my early elementary bible class about one of Daniel’s adventures. The familiar story illustrates Nebuchadnezzar’s desperate need to learn the meaning of a dream that had tormented him for many nights. When all his magicians, sorcerers and astrologers tell him they can’t know or interpret the dream, Nebuchadnezzar demands that all the “wise men” be killed. Daniel requests time from the king, during which he and his companions pray to God for mercy and guidance. God answers their prayers, and He shows Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel in a vision. Daniel then shares the dream and the interpretation with King Nebuchadnezzar, who is amazed by Daniel and wants to honor him greatly. However, Daniel is careful to give the glory and praise to God.

The facts of this story are fascinating, and it would be easy for youngsters to miss the greater, but perhaps less exciting, lesson of humility. After all, our culture does not encourage or foster humility within our young people. Instead, we instruct our children to tell about their accomplishments, and we decorate their rooms with ribbons and trophies, which they receive for nearly every activity in which they participate. As with many issues of parenting, there is a delicate balance to reach when building confidence and teaching humility.

When I think about how I have discussed humility with my children, I recognize that it has primarily been from the perspective of what’s socially acceptable. In other words, I have explained that bragging is not the way to win friends. I probably have not fully emphasized God’s perspective on humility as much as I should have.

It is hard to be humble sometimes, even when we are all far from perfect. Many people don’t value humility, nor do they work toward remaining humble. As parents, let’s put some energy into the humility issue; let’s add it to our parenting goals. It’s not splashy or exciting, but those who appreciate and exercise humility will one day be honored far beyond trophies and ribbons.

PRAYER: Most gracious and glorious Father, help me to provide an example of humility for my children and to train them to be humble servants, so that in their successes throughout life, they will give praise and glory to You.

BIBLE VERSE: “Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these…” (Daniel 2:27-28 NIV).

Seeing as God Sees

By Peter Lundell –

Do you ever compare yourself to others who have a similar level of education and who don’t work any harder than you do, but who make lots more money or achieve a higher degree of recognition?

When I feel that way, I remember a different kind of people—and everything looks different. In countries all over the world live people who are smart, work hard, would have gotten academic degrees if they had the chance, and who give their lives to serving God or some cause. Yet they live in the poverty of an African village or a Southeast Asian jungle. Or they live under the religious oppression of a Middle Eastern society. Or they work in secret under the brutal North Korean regime. Many have no salary at all. For all their work they may receive only beatings. They may receive a prison cell. And some are tortured and killed.

We so easily forget these people, especially our brothers and sisters in faith. But God does not forget them. They are closer to His heart than we can know.

When I think of them, I ask myself what on earth am I thinking when I say I’m not making enough money or not being “successful” enough?

From God’s point of view, everything—everything—looks different from how we typically perceive things from our human point of view. Especially in a wealthy and free nation.

God does not watch TV, and he does not care who’s rich or famous. Second Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

Regardless of how your outward life appears, as your heart grows and you see as God sees, you’ll have spiritual wealth and recognition money can never buy.

PRAYER: Father, I commit to seeing as You see. May my eyes become like Yours. May Your thoughts become mine.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9 NIV).

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