Faith for Your Future Beloved
Today, as many are receiving balloons, chocolates, flowers, teddy bears, and various romantic gifts from their Valentine's, there are those who may not have someone. For many years, in my trying to be "cute," I referred to today as SAD, Single Awareness Day. I would joke about it and kind of drown my sorrows and loneliness and longing for romance by joking. It was a year ago today, that I changed that "tradition."
A year ago, as I was working at Hallmark and being faced on a daily basis with straightening LOVE cards, hearts, and romance, romance, romance.... I found a bitterness trying to seize my heart and thoughts. I found myself questioning God about His timing, "You promised me I wouldn't be alone in this journey, but when am I not going to be alone? I sure feel alone..... EVERYONE else has someone to share their life with...." I will never forget hearing, "Well, you can have what you say." I remember thinking, "I know that.... But I'm still single..." And then clearly I heard, "What are you saying on Valentine's Day?" Then it hit me.... What a horrible stance I had been taking! Instead of using the season of "love" to stand in faith for a future mate, I was allowing myself to get in a rut of NOT standing in faith and NOT trusting God. So, a year ago today, I changed my stance. I made a change in my heart and declared Valentine's Day no longer Single Awareness Day, but rather Faith for My Future Beloved Day! I took the time to pray for my future mate ... To pray for him to know the direction he needed to go at the right time and for me to be able to love him freely and unconditionally the way God loves me. There are many other things I prayed along these lines and I felt such peace, not bitterness, in the midst of romance being around me.
In just a years time, I've seen the fruit of some of those prayers, and I am hopeful for the full harvest that will come in my future as I remain in faith for the things I prayed out regarding my future beloved.
So, my dear single friends.... When you approach Valentine's Day (or any day, for that matter) and still find yourself in a season of being single, don't get caught in the rut of "Single Awareness Day" as I did, rejoice in the opportunity to stand in faith for your future beloved..... And don't dare compromise your dreams, standards, and desires just for the sake of having someone to fill the loneliness, because it is far better to hold out for the RIGHT one and wait patiently for God's PERFECT timing... Trust God that He has a perfect plan and a mate that fits perfectly into the plan He has designed for your life. When God writes your love story, it is the greatest story of all time... So trust Him and do your part to remain prayerful and in faith for your future mate!
How to pray for your future beloved:
Father God,
I thank You that in this season you are surrounding my husband/wife with peace as they face whatever circumstances may come their way.
Father, I thank You Your provision goes before them, that they are becoming more and more aware of just how generous You are.
I thank You that each day they grow in the experiential knowledge of Your pure, unconditional love for them and that in that experience they are prepared for having a healthy, loving marriage.
I thank You that they never lack wisdom, that when they are faced with decisions to make, they know which way to go and don't veer off the path, but stay fully in tune with the call and when the time is right, our paths will merge the way You ordained.
And Father, help prepare me to be the best spouse possible for my future beloved. Teach me how to love as You love. Grant me wisdom on how to help them be the best they can be by encouragement, support, and love.
I pray all these things in the precious name of Jesus, Amen!
"Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]--" (Ephesians 3:20 AMP)
Happy Valentine's Day!
JRT
Allow your FAITH in God and His Word to be the driving force of your life and you will lead a victorious and effective life!
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Think, Before You Speak or Act!
"The Girl you just called fat? She is overdosing on diet pills. The Girl you just called ugly? She spends hours putting makeup on just hoping people will like her. That man with the ugly scars? He fought for our country. The boy you just laughed at? He's already being abused at home.
This world tears down. This world promotes decay. This world cheats to get ahead. Jesus taught us to be different. To live different. To show compassion. To be salt and light."
We must be careful with how we talk about people, treat people, and the words we use! Every person has emotions and a heart that can feel love or pain. For us to be jerky and walk out of love is NOT being the image of Christ that we are called to be to this world! We are to exhibit God's love to BOTH sinners AND saints, not just the sinners. The Word tells us, "Those who hate other believers are in the dark and live in the dark. They don't know where they're going, because they can't see in the dark." (1 John 2:11 GWT), "Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them." (1 John 3:15 NLT). "Whoever says, "I love God," but hates another believer is a liar. People who don't love other believers, whom they have seen, can't love God, whom they have not seen." (1 John 4:20 GWT).
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
What is a TRUE Friend??
The older I get the more I realize how truly expressive the traditional wedding vows are of true friendship. "For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health."
Many who say these vows are doing so with the person they call their best friend, their love, their spouse. It wasn't until recently I realized just how powerful those vows are in relation to friendship.
A marriage is one of the highest forms of covenant between two individuals in our modern society, but not only that, a marriage is a true expression of a true friendship! As I began thinking about wedding vows that I heard in a movie recently and also thinking about "friendships" in my own life... I realized how much we have missed. So often we focus on the negative circumstances in those vows, the "when things get rough and your world is falling apart you can count on me" times. But, there's a flip side to that. It should be just as important to be there in the "I'm on top of the world" times! That's a successful relationship, whether it be marriage or friendship, when you are there and committed in EVERY season of life.
Many who say these vows are doing so with the person they call their best friend, their love, their spouse. It wasn't until recently I realized just how powerful those vows are in relation to friendship.
A marriage is one of the highest forms of covenant between two individuals in our modern society, but not only that, a marriage is a true expression of a true friendship! As I began thinking about wedding vows that I heard in a movie recently and also thinking about "friendships" in my own life... I realized how much we have missed. So often we focus on the negative circumstances in those vows, the "when things get rough and your world is falling apart you can count on me" times. But, there's a flip side to that. It should be just as important to be there in the "I'm on top of the world" times! That's a successful relationship, whether it be marriage or friendship, when you are there and committed in EVERY season of life.
Friday, July 20, 2012
True Liberty!
What we do, the actions we take, the lifestyle we live all have an impact on others. In today's culture and even in the church world there is an attitude of "don't tell me how to live" or " dont tell me what I can and can't do. I'm under grace and that's law!" ... I just read something interesting as I was doing a study on the word "liberty" in the Greek, and something Paul presents in regards to liberty is interesting. Many present the idea that liberty is basically the freedom to live however they want, free from moral codes and so forth. Yet, Paul makes an interesting point in the tenth chapter of 1 Corinthians that, while you may not have a problem with doing a particular activity or eating or drinking something because you are living a life in liberty, your choice to participate or consume that could cause offense to another person and cause them to stumble. That while we may have liberty to do things, it doesn't always mean it is profitable.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Dump Your Cargo & Move to a Higher Altitude!
"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop." ~ Mark 11:25 AMP
When we truly learn to grasp hold of true biblical love, we will find a freedom in life and a weight lifted.
When you truly learn how to walk in love, it will free you from the burdens of hurt, bitterness, and unforgiveness. And with that, you'll find you can move up to higher altitudes, you've never before reached!
I'm reminded of the World Wars, particularily WWII, and how the planes would sometimes throw cargo out from the plane to reach a higher altitude in times of battle and such, I think there's a spiritual example to be applied from that image. When we are flying through life and carrying our cargo of bitterness, hurt, and unforgiveness, all the bundles of memories of past hurts and pain inflicted on us by others, we will not even realize how hindered we are truly are from reaching our full potential. In carrying that cargo, we are weighed down and can only reach a certain altitude. As we take hold of the message of love and forgiveness, and begin to put the Word of God into action in our lives, we will slowly start dumping that unnecessary cargo out. As that begins to happen, we will begin to find that we are able to climb to higher altitudes the more "cargo" we dump.
God never intended for our lives to be weighed down and burdened by bitterness, hurt, and unforgiveness. He told us in His Word that His yoke is easy and His burden is light! When we let go of the past and grasp hold of true Agape, there's no telling how high we can soar with God!
Don't let the trap of unforgiveness keep you from reaching your full potential! God's got a higher altitude for you to reach, but you can't reach it unless you let go of unnecessary cargo and burdens.
"For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne." ~ Matthew 11:30 AMP
"Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good." ~ Romans 12:9 NLT
"But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." ~ 1 John 4:8 NLT
"Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." ~ Ephesians 4:32 NLT
Until Next Time,
JRT
When we truly learn to grasp hold of true biblical love, we will find a freedom in life and a weight lifted.
When you truly learn how to walk in love, it will free you from the burdens of hurt, bitterness, and unforgiveness. And with that, you'll find you can move up to higher altitudes, you've never before reached!
I'm reminded of the World Wars, particularily WWII, and how the planes would sometimes throw cargo out from the plane to reach a higher altitude in times of battle and such, I think there's a spiritual example to be applied from that image. When we are flying through life and carrying our cargo of bitterness, hurt, and unforgiveness, all the bundles of memories of past hurts and pain inflicted on us by others, we will not even realize how hindered we are truly are from reaching our full potential. In carrying that cargo, we are weighed down and can only reach a certain altitude. As we take hold of the message of love and forgiveness, and begin to put the Word of God into action in our lives, we will slowly start dumping that unnecessary cargo out. As that begins to happen, we will begin to find that we are able to climb to higher altitudes the more "cargo" we dump.
God never intended for our lives to be weighed down and burdened by bitterness, hurt, and unforgiveness. He told us in His Word that His yoke is easy and His burden is light! When we let go of the past and grasp hold of true Agape, there's no telling how high we can soar with God!
Don't let the trap of unforgiveness keep you from reaching your full potential! God's got a higher altitude for you to reach, but you can't reach it unless you let go of unnecessary cargo and burdens.
"For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne." ~ Matthew 11:30 AMP
"Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good." ~ Romans 12:9 NLT
"But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." ~ 1 John 4:8 NLT
"Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." ~ Ephesians 4:32 NLT
Until Next Time,
JRT
Thursday, April 26, 2012
LOVE: Our Initial Response!
"Love bears up under anything and
everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]." (1 Corinthians 13:7 AMP)
Recent occurrences in my life over the past several months have caused me to really think along the lines of what real, pure love is. I'm not referring to fairytales or romance, I'm referring to the type of love that is far more important than that and that is our daily conduct as believers.
I'm by no means perfect in this area, as none of us are, but God has really been speaking to my heart by personal experiences through His Word. I've grown up in church all of my twenty-five (and a half) years on this earth and still am shocked and astonished at our lack of maturity in the area of love.
Oh, and I know we LOVE to excel on the topics of grace, faith, God's gonna give you the desires of your heart... And so forth. But, have any of us ever taken the time to realize that our success as Christians is not in how faith-filled we sound, not in how much we are sinking in the ocean of grace, and not in our BMW coming our way? Our success as Christians is measured by our capacity to love.
If it were the other things, wouldn't Jesus have told us, for example, that the greatest commandment of all is to have mountain-moving faith? But that's not what He told us is it? Nope, He told us in Matthew 22:37-39(AMP), "...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself."
The top two commandments that Jesus gave us were love centered. This shows me that God values love more than all the other aspects of Christian living. You say, "But you just don't understand! Maybe it is easy for you to love, you've been in this longer, you just don't have the same issues I have, you just don't know anything about the junk I've had to face!" Well, perhaps you have a point, maybe I don't know the things that you have had to face, but I do know the hardships, the hurt, the bitterness, cruelty, and so forth that I have faced in my life... Growing up a PK isn't exactly floating through life on flowery beds of ease, it is just as challenging as any other life. We all face hardships and hurts in life, perhaps ours seem bigger and more tragic than another person's, but they are all challenges and they all stretch us.
I was just thinking recently that if walking in love is just impossible for us to do, why would God make it the top two commandments that Jesus gave us? If it is as hard as we make it, don't you think God wouldn't give it such importance? As I think on these lines I see that it really isn't all that difficult, God wouldn't ask us to do something that was absolutely impossible to do, without equipping us. He told us in His Word that we will not be tested beyond what we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13), which tells me that no matter how impossible it may seem to walk in love in a situation, it IS possible to love extravagantly!
In life situations, people's false witness and slanderous speech can stir you up and your flesh wants to defend yourself, You want so badly to give them a piece of your mind, so strong is the urge to put all their dirty laundry out to hang.... But we have to ask ourselves, is that love? What would love do? Is love easily offended? Is love ready to fight and defend itself against injustice? Is love ready to shove ill-spoken words back down the speaker's throat? hmmm.... Sounds much like our initial responses doesn't it? But, none of these are love's initial response. Love is ready to stand there and let the offensive words hit and let them roll off. Love is ready to stand strong in the midst of injustice. Love is ready to take the punches and cuts from someone's hurtful words, look into their eyes, open arms and speak words full of love.
People, even Christians, will say things that hurt us. They will believe lies and stories that aren't true. But it is our response to such occurrences that will determine whether we soar or crash. If we respond out of the flesh, in an effort to clear "our good name" of the smearing and injustice done, you will merely place yourself in the middle of strife and open the door to anger and you will get out of love and out of God's best! BUT, if you respond with love, rest and stay at peace knowing that God knows the truth, your name or reputation hasn't been smeared as far as He is concerned, and no words of men can change His opinion of you, you'll pass the test!
Love is such a vital part of our Christian walk, however so few of us engage in true heavenly love. Oh, we demand it from everyone else, because if everyone else would walk in love I wouldn't have to struggle with my love walk! But, what a shallow view of love that is.... Love should be our initial, middle, and final response in EVERY situation in life! Yes, even the hard, difficult ones! It is easy to love people who love us, but those who despitefully use us, who speak words or conduct themselves in actions that cause us pain and hurt.... THOSE are the ones who deserve our love even more. Love is the only thing that will break the hardness of their heart! Love is the only thing that can change that situation with the person. The Word tells us that walking in love and kindness with our enemy is the same as "heaping coals of fire" on their head (Prov. 25:21-22). So, if we want to see that person change, it is time for some "Sloppy Agape" or extravagant love! You are only limited by your capacity to love. If you can face persecution and injustice with a smile on your face and a heart and eyes full of love, then there is no limit to the places God can take you! Bitterness and unforgiveness will keep you on the ground full of potential, but never fulfilling it. Love will propel you to soar in all that God has for you fulfilling your potential!
You can't change your past responses and actions in times of hardship, but you CAN change how you respond to future hardships! Make the choice today to respond out of love!
Here's some scriptures to meditate on:
"You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy; But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike]. For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that? You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect."(Matthew 5:43-48 AMP)
"Because at [your] standing of the test of this ministry, they will glorify God for your loyalty and obedience to the Gospel of Christ which you confess, as well as for your generous-hearted liberality to them and to all [the other needy ones]." (2 Corinthians 9:13 AMP)
"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord will reward you. The north wind brings forth rain; so does a backbiting tongue bring forth an angry countenance." (Proverbs 25:21-23 AMP)
"Let everything you do be done in love (true love to God and man as inspired by God’s love for us)." (1 Corinthians 16:14 AMP)
"Hatred stirs up contentions, but love covers all transgressions." (Proverbs 10:12 AMP)
"This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you." (John 15:12 AMP)
"If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20 AMP)
"Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:11 AMP)
"Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]." (1 Peter 4:8 AMP)
"Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. ...... And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 AMP)
Endeavoring to Walk MORE in Love,
JRT
everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]." (1 Corinthians 13:7 AMP)
Recent occurrences in my life over the past several months have caused me to really think along the lines of what real, pure love is. I'm not referring to fairytales or romance, I'm referring to the type of love that is far more important than that and that is our daily conduct as believers.
I'm by no means perfect in this area, as none of us are, but God has really been speaking to my heart by personal experiences through His Word. I've grown up in church all of my twenty-five (and a half) years on this earth and still am shocked and astonished at our lack of maturity in the area of love.
Oh, and I know we LOVE to excel on the topics of grace, faith, God's gonna give you the desires of your heart... And so forth. But, have any of us ever taken the time to realize that our success as Christians is not in how faith-filled we sound, not in how much we are sinking in the ocean of grace, and not in our BMW coming our way? Our success as Christians is measured by our capacity to love.
If it were the other things, wouldn't Jesus have told us, for example, that the greatest commandment of all is to have mountain-moving faith? But that's not what He told us is it? Nope, He told us in Matthew 22:37-39(AMP), "...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself."
The top two commandments that Jesus gave us were love centered. This shows me that God values love more than all the other aspects of Christian living. You say, "But you just don't understand! Maybe it is easy for you to love, you've been in this longer, you just don't have the same issues I have, you just don't know anything about the junk I've had to face!" Well, perhaps you have a point, maybe I don't know the things that you have had to face, but I do know the hardships, the hurt, the bitterness, cruelty, and so forth that I have faced in my life... Growing up a PK isn't exactly floating through life on flowery beds of ease, it is just as challenging as any other life. We all face hardships and hurts in life, perhaps ours seem bigger and more tragic than another person's, but they are all challenges and they all stretch us.
I was just thinking recently that if walking in love is just impossible for us to do, why would God make it the top two commandments that Jesus gave us? If it is as hard as we make it, don't you think God wouldn't give it such importance? As I think on these lines I see that it really isn't all that difficult, God wouldn't ask us to do something that was absolutely impossible to do, without equipping us. He told us in His Word that we will not be tested beyond what we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13), which tells me that no matter how impossible it may seem to walk in love in a situation, it IS possible to love extravagantly!
In life situations, people's false witness and slanderous speech can stir you up and your flesh wants to defend yourself, You want so badly to give them a piece of your mind, so strong is the urge to put all their dirty laundry out to hang.... But we have to ask ourselves, is that love? What would love do? Is love easily offended? Is love ready to fight and defend itself against injustice? Is love ready to shove ill-spoken words back down the speaker's throat? hmmm.... Sounds much like our initial responses doesn't it? But, none of these are love's initial response. Love is ready to stand there and let the offensive words hit and let them roll off. Love is ready to stand strong in the midst of injustice. Love is ready to take the punches and cuts from someone's hurtful words, look into their eyes, open arms and speak words full of love.
People, even Christians, will say things that hurt us. They will believe lies and stories that aren't true. But it is our response to such occurrences that will determine whether we soar or crash. If we respond out of the flesh, in an effort to clear "our good name" of the smearing and injustice done, you will merely place yourself in the middle of strife and open the door to anger and you will get out of love and out of God's best! BUT, if you respond with love, rest and stay at peace knowing that God knows the truth, your name or reputation hasn't been smeared as far as He is concerned, and no words of men can change His opinion of you, you'll pass the test!
Love is such a vital part of our Christian walk, however so few of us engage in true heavenly love. Oh, we demand it from everyone else, because if everyone else would walk in love I wouldn't have to struggle with my love walk! But, what a shallow view of love that is.... Love should be our initial, middle, and final response in EVERY situation in life! Yes, even the hard, difficult ones! It is easy to love people who love us, but those who despitefully use us, who speak words or conduct themselves in actions that cause us pain and hurt.... THOSE are the ones who deserve our love even more. Love is the only thing that will break the hardness of their heart! Love is the only thing that can change that situation with the person. The Word tells us that walking in love and kindness with our enemy is the same as "heaping coals of fire" on their head (Prov. 25:21-22). So, if we want to see that person change, it is time for some "Sloppy Agape" or extravagant love! You are only limited by your capacity to love. If you can face persecution and injustice with a smile on your face and a heart and eyes full of love, then there is no limit to the places God can take you! Bitterness and unforgiveness will keep you on the ground full of potential, but never fulfilling it. Love will propel you to soar in all that God has for you fulfilling your potential!
You can't change your past responses and actions in times of hardship, but you CAN change how you respond to future hardships! Make the choice today to respond out of love!
Here's some scriptures to meditate on:
"You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy; But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike]. For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that? You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect."(Matthew 5:43-48 AMP)
"Because at [your] standing of the test of this ministry, they will glorify God for your loyalty and obedience to the Gospel of Christ which you confess, as well as for your generous-hearted liberality to them and to all [the other needy ones]." (2 Corinthians 9:13 AMP)
"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord will reward you. The north wind brings forth rain; so does a backbiting tongue bring forth an angry countenance." (Proverbs 25:21-23 AMP)
"Let everything you do be done in love (true love to God and man as inspired by God’s love for us)." (1 Corinthians 16:14 AMP)
"Hatred stirs up contentions, but love covers all transgressions." (Proverbs 10:12 AMP)
"This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you." (John 15:12 AMP)
"If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20 AMP)
"Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:11 AMP)
"Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]." (1 Peter 4:8 AMP)
"Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. ...... And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 AMP)
Endeavoring to Walk MORE in Love,
JRT
Saturday, February 18, 2012
True Love Starts as True Friendship!
“Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with” ~ Gillian Anderson
There is such truth in this quote. I once read that, "True love is a friendship set on fire by God." I was a teenager when I first laid hold of that quote and never truly grasped the depth of it, until recently.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Are You a Bridge-Builder or Bridge-Burner?
Tonight, while having a conversation with my mother, I began really thinking along the lines of burning bridges. So many in the church world want to burn bridges with other people and develop “spiritualized” reasons for why they burned the bridge to make it sound good – “They weren’t walking in love with ME!”, “I tried to have relationship with them, but they just did me wrong too many times.”, or my favorite, “God told me …blah, blah.” It seems to be a common and acceptable behavior by many, but I tend to think our biblical example is the exact opposite of this behavior.
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Woman Who Said — 'I Hate My Mother-in-Law'
I did not write the following, but I wanted to share it. It gives a more in depth discussion of what I wrote about in my blogpost Do You Hate Your Brother?, please read! :)
The Woman Who Said — 'I Hate My Mother-in-Law'
Kenneth E. Hagin
My wife and I once held a meeting in the western part of the United States. A young couple who were in the ministry went out to eat with us after the service.
The woman said to me, "Brother Hagin, tonight you quoted the Scripture from First John 3:15: Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.'"
I said, "I sure did. I plead guilty." When I quoted that verse, the Spirit of God inspired me to add, "That means mother-in-law too."
She said, "But I hate my mother-in-law." Here she was an ordained minister, and she said that she hated her mother-in-law!
I said, "If you do, the Bible says you're a murderer, and you don't have eternal life abiding in you. God wouldn't tell you to love your brother — that means mother-in-law too — if it were impossible to do so."
I knew she didn't really hate her mother-in-law, but I wanted to get her located so she could see herself in the light of God's Word. You see, just because 7 realized that she didn't really hate her mother-in-law, that wouldn't help her; I had to get her to see it.
Do You Hate Your Brother?
I was reading Love is the Way to Victory by Kenneth E. Hagin and came across 1 John 3:15 and went on to look up the whole chapter and read the passage in its entirety. Anyway it caused me to really think about some things....
Have you ever harbored feelings of hatred towards someone, because of something they did to you OR because of something you perceived they did to you? This seems to happen more often than it should in the church!
I know we are probably all guilty of "hating" someone at some point in our christian walk, I mean we are human after all and completely capable of tripping and falling every now and then. But, do you know what the Word says about hating someone? It equates hating someone to MURDER! Yep, you heard me right, murder! You may say, "Oh, but Jess, you don't know what they've done to me! You have no idea how bad it is! They did...." Maybe so, maybe I don't know what they did to you because my experiences are different, and maybe what they did to you is worse than anything that has ever happened to me, BUT the God's love is UNCONDITIONAL! And we are supposed to exemplify God's love to humanity (Psst, even the people we don't like!). Love is something you just decide to do because you feel like it, it is a daily decision you make because it is what God wants you to do!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
CAPTOR
You've captivated my heart,
In your presence I am free.
You've loved me from the start,
How could a love like this be?
Oh my Lord, my God,
You are all I want, all I need.
I seek to love endlessly
The one who loved unconditionally.
Lord, you have my life and my heart,
They've been yours from the start.
You're the lover of my soul, and
I know that we'll never part!
I offer my life as a sacrifice,
To the Captor of my heart!
JRT
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Who I See in You
I accidentally stumbled across this on a random blog on the internet and it just blessed me and spoke to me and my current state! I just love how God uses these "accidents" to speak to us! I think this is so beautiful and inspiring! So, I thought I would share it with all my young single girls! Please pass this along! :)
God has designed you to be a Queen, not a pauper! So wait for your King, don't settle for anything less! God has destined you to be so much more than you give yourself credit for! Be shaped and molded by HIS image of you!
Who I See in You
(I have no idea who this is by, if anyone knows please let me know!)
She is elegant and graceful and her beauty is like the rarest of pearls. Her beauty is rare only because the deepest part of it lies in the depth of her character. It is rare because it is not flaunted for the attraction of men, for that beauty is shallow and self serving, and for that reason it is not beauty at all. Her beauty is so awesome that she doesn’t even have to be physcially endowed to be wonderfully attractive. She does not try to seduce or beguile because true beauty needs no help in honest attraction.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Gordon's Love Letters to Freda
A friend of mine posted this and it blessed me so much that I wanted to share it with you guys! Enjoy!
Gordon's Love Letters to Freda
by Mica Charity Kilstrom on Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 6:30pm
Ladies,
I had posted these on my fb status, but it was requested of me by my dear sweet cousin to combine these in a note for all of you. Recently, I've been doing some research on the lives of Gordon and Freda Lindsay, who have always been some of the classic ministers I've admired most. Their ministry encompassed many different arenas, including pastoring, pioneering, evangelism, revivalism, writing, editing, publishing, and missions. The Lindsays were such a unique blend of gifts and anointings, and together, were a dynamic team powerfully used by God. As a writer, I've always been encouraged in how their writing and editorial gifts greatly blessed the body of Christ - especially at a time when that area of ministry was in need of pioneering spirits.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
"Come on, God, I'll Put You Up in a Great Condo!"
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Recently I watched a movie that some of you may be familiar with, in this movie a guy stops to ask for directions and meets a girl, eventually things develop between the two and the guy realizes he has feelings for the girl but he isn't ready to make a serious commitment to her, so he forms a compromise. He offers to put her up in a nice apartment, get her a car and some money, and take care of her so that when he is in town he can stop by and see her. Her response to this offer is what struck me, she says the following statement:
When I was a little girl, my mama used to lock me in the attic when I was bad, which was pretty often. And I would- I would pretend I was a princess... trapped in a tower by a wicked queen. And then suddenly this knight... on a white horse with these colors flying would come charging up and draw his sword. And I would wave. And he would climb up the tower and rescue me. But never in all the time... that I had this dream did the knight say to me, "Come on, baby, I'll put you up in a great condo."
After watching this movie, this quote just really stuck with me and God began to use it to speak to me about Christians. How many times do so called Christians make similar offers to God?
Saturday, July 24, 2010
I Love God, but Not Enough to Tithe...
Abram tithed before there was a law to tithe, he was not under 'mandate' to tithe. He did it out of love for God. He gave His son to die for us out of love, then out of love we should do the things He has asked us to do. If you claim to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your spirit, then He should not have to make you tithe, you should tithe because you Love Him. If you say you love God then show Him!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Jude ... Written for TODAY!
JUDE 1:3-25
"...Dear friends, I've dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.
I'm laying this out as clearly as I can, even though you once knew all this well enough and shouldn't need reminding. Here it is in brief: The Master saved a people out of the land of Egypt. Later he destroyed those who defected. And you know the story of the angels who didn't stick to their post, abandoning it for other, darker missions. But they are now chained and jailed in a black hole until the great Judgment Day. Sodom and Gomorrah, which went to sexual rack and ruin along with the surrounding cities that acted just like them, are another example. Burning and burning and never burning up, they serve still as a stock warning.
This is exactly the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown out, glory dragged in the mud.
"...Dear friends, I've dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.
I'm laying this out as clearly as I can, even though you once knew all this well enough and shouldn't need reminding. Here it is in brief: The Master saved a people out of the land of Egypt. Later he destroyed those who defected. And you know the story of the angels who didn't stick to their post, abandoning it for other, darker missions. But they are now chained and jailed in a black hole until the great Judgment Day. Sodom and Gomorrah, which went to sexual rack and ruin along with the surrounding cities that acted just like them, are another example. Burning and burning and never burning up, they serve still as a stock warning.
This is exactly the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown out, glory dragged in the mud.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
I’m Behind You One Thousand Percent
The following is a great story that I shared with my youth group tonight as I taught on encouragement and the power of our words and the effect our words and attitudes have on others!
"Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing. Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all]--your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you. And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we earnestly beseech you, brethren, admonish (warn and seriously advise) those who are out of line [the loafers, the disorderly, and the unruly]; encourage the timid and fainthearted, help and give your support to the weak souls, [and] be very patient with everybody [always keeping your temper]. See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody. Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always)..." 1 Thes. 5:11-16
"I’m Behind You One Thousand Percent" –
The Power of an Encouraging Word
As a youngster I developed a thoroughly annoying and humiliating problem of stuttering. Any person afflicted with this puzzling menace can tell you that certain letters and sounds are especially hard to say. Two troublesome letters for me were L and P. My name is Larry and I attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh junior and senior high schools in Pennsylvania.
In the ninth grade, I was elected president of our junior high student body. During an assembly of the seven, eighth, and ninth grades – several hundred students – I was beckoned by the principal to join him on stage for the induction ceremony.
Standing nervously in front of the squirming, bored crowd, I was told to repeat after the principal the words, "I, Larry Crabb of Plymouth-Whitemarsh Junior High School, do hereby promise…" That’s how the principal said it. My version was a bit different: "I L-L-L-L-Larry Crabb of P-P-P-P-Plymouth-Whitemarsh Junior High School, do hereby p-p-p-promise…"
The principal was sympathetically perplexed, my favorite English teacher wanted to cry, a few students laughed out loud, most were awkwardly amused, some felt bad for me – and I died a thousand deaths. I decided right then that public speaking was not for me.
A short time later, our church celebrated the Lord's Supper in a Sunday morning worship service. It was customary in our congregation to encourage young men to enter into the privilege of worship by standing and praying aloud. That particular Sunday I sensed the pressure of the saints (not, I fear, the leading of the Spirit), and I responded by unsteadily leaving my chair, for the first time, with the intention of praying. Filled less with worship than with nervousness, I found my theology becoming confused to the point of heresy. I remember thanking the Father for hanging on the cross and praising Christ for triumphantly bringing the Spirit up from the grave. Stuttering throughout, I finally thought of the word "Amen" (perhaps the first evidence of the Spirit's leading), said it, and sat down. I recall staring at the floor, too embarrassed to look around, and solemnly vowing never again to pray or speak aloud in front of a group. Two strikes were enough.
When the service was over, I darted toward the door, not wishing to encounter an elder who might feel obliged to correct my twisted theology. But I was not quick enough. An older Christian man named Jim Dunbar intercepted me, put his arm on my shoulder, and cleared his throat to speak.
I remember thinking to myself, "Here it comes. Oh well, just endure it and then get to the car." I then listened to this godly gentleman speak words that I can repeat verbatim today, more than thirty years later.
"Larry," he said, "there's one thing I want you to know. Whatever you do for the Lord, I'm behind you one thousand percent." Then he walked away.
Even as I write these words, my eyes fill with tears. I have yet to tell that story to an audience without at least mildly choking. Those words were life words. They had power. They reached deep within my being. My resolve never again to speak publicly weakened instantly.
Since the day those words were spoken, God has led me into a ministry in which I regularly address and pray before crowds of all sizes. I do it without stuttering. I love it. Not only death, but also life lies in the power of the tongue.
God intends that we be people who use words to encourage one another. A well-timed word has the power to urge a runner to finish the race, to rekindle hope when despair has set in, to spark a bit of warmth in an otherwise cold life, to trigger healthful self-evaluation in someone who doesn’t think much about his shortcomings, to renew confidence when problems have the upper hand.
From Encouragement: The Key to Caring by Larry Crabb Jr. and Dan B. Allender, Zondervan.
Source: 1000 Percent
"Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing. Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all]--your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you. And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we earnestly beseech you, brethren, admonish (warn and seriously advise) those who are out of line [the loafers, the disorderly, and the unruly]; encourage the timid and fainthearted, help and give your support to the weak souls, [and] be very patient with everybody [always keeping your temper]. See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody. Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always)..." 1 Thes. 5:11-16
"I’m Behind You One Thousand Percent" –
The Power of an Encouraging Word
As a youngster I developed a thoroughly annoying and humiliating problem of stuttering. Any person afflicted with this puzzling menace can tell you that certain letters and sounds are especially hard to say. Two troublesome letters for me were L and P. My name is Larry and I attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh junior and senior high schools in Pennsylvania.
In the ninth grade, I was elected president of our junior high student body. During an assembly of the seven, eighth, and ninth grades – several hundred students – I was beckoned by the principal to join him on stage for the induction ceremony.
Standing nervously in front of the squirming, bored crowd, I was told to repeat after the principal the words, "I, Larry Crabb of Plymouth-Whitemarsh Junior High School, do hereby promise…" That’s how the principal said it. My version was a bit different: "I L-L-L-L-Larry Crabb of P-P-P-P-Plymouth-Whitemarsh Junior High School, do hereby p-p-p-promise…"
The principal was sympathetically perplexed, my favorite English teacher wanted to cry, a few students laughed out loud, most were awkwardly amused, some felt bad for me – and I died a thousand deaths. I decided right then that public speaking was not for me.
A short time later, our church celebrated the Lord's Supper in a Sunday morning worship service. It was customary in our congregation to encourage young men to enter into the privilege of worship by standing and praying aloud. That particular Sunday I sensed the pressure of the saints (not, I fear, the leading of the Spirit), and I responded by unsteadily leaving my chair, for the first time, with the intention of praying. Filled less with worship than with nervousness, I found my theology becoming confused to the point of heresy. I remember thanking the Father for hanging on the cross and praising Christ for triumphantly bringing the Spirit up from the grave. Stuttering throughout, I finally thought of the word "Amen" (perhaps the first evidence of the Spirit's leading), said it, and sat down. I recall staring at the floor, too embarrassed to look around, and solemnly vowing never again to pray or speak aloud in front of a group. Two strikes were enough.
When the service was over, I darted toward the door, not wishing to encounter an elder who might feel obliged to correct my twisted theology. But I was not quick enough. An older Christian man named Jim Dunbar intercepted me, put his arm on my shoulder, and cleared his throat to speak.
I remember thinking to myself, "Here it comes. Oh well, just endure it and then get to the car." I then listened to this godly gentleman speak words that I can repeat verbatim today, more than thirty years later.
"Larry," he said, "there's one thing I want you to know. Whatever you do for the Lord, I'm behind you one thousand percent." Then he walked away.
Even as I write these words, my eyes fill with tears. I have yet to tell that story to an audience without at least mildly choking. Those words were life words. They had power. They reached deep within my being. My resolve never again to speak publicly weakened instantly.
Since the day those words were spoken, God has led me into a ministry in which I regularly address and pray before crowds of all sizes. I do it without stuttering. I love it. Not only death, but also life lies in the power of the tongue.
God intends that we be people who use words to encourage one another. A well-timed word has the power to urge a runner to finish the race, to rekindle hope when despair has set in, to spark a bit of warmth in an otherwise cold life, to trigger healthful self-evaluation in someone who doesn’t think much about his shortcomings, to renew confidence when problems have the upper hand.
From Encouragement: The Key to Caring by Larry Crabb Jr. and Dan B. Allender, Zondervan.
Source: 1000 Percent
I Am Your Pastor
Great expression of the heart of a true Pastor! They are there for you in your ups and downs, there to help you through the circumastances of life, there for you even when you despise them, because they love YOU!
When you rise to your highest and best, I am your Pastor.
When you yield to temptation and fall to your lowest, I am your Pastor.
When you live in the Spirit and manifest the attitude of a Christian, I am your Pastor.
I Am Your Pastor
Memo to: My Congregation
From: Your Pastor
When you rise to your highest and best, I am your Pastor.
When you yield to temptation and fall to your lowest, I am your Pastor.
When you live in the Spirit and manifest the attitude of a Christian, I am your Pastor.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Grace -- Your Get Out of Hell Free Card.
Many questions are asked today by Christians regarding Grace, that is the unmerited favor of God. One of the most popular is, "Can a Christian backslide?" Well, before we jump to a quick response, we should take a look at the Word of God and see what it has to say about the matter, after all the Bible should be the deciding factor, not a man's opinion.
Now there are many patterns of thought on this subject, but I will list the two most extreme. One line of thought is that you must achieve salvation through your works and you constantly lose you salvation and constantly have to repent and work out, through good deeds, your salvation. The other line of thought is once saved, always saves or that because we are under grace we can do no wrong and can't backslide.
First, let us discuss what grace actually is. Grace typically refers to that act of Jesus on the cross. That is, the Father's unconditional love for mankind and the sacrifice of His son Jesus to redeem us from sin and the curse, being made a curse for us (Gal.3:13).
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