April 27, 2024

Weapons of God

SeekingHimLogo

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,
because the One Who is in you is greater
than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

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This past weekend I had the joy of enjoying the Priscilla Shirer simulcast from Huntsville, Alabama.  I love Ms. Shirer; she is funny and she understands the Bible very clearly.  She has this way about her that makes you think about the Bible in a totally different perspective.  This past weekend her topic was on the armor of God.

God is greater than all in the world.  He is greater than man and greater than all disasters and sin on the earth.  It is hard to protect ourselves from the world.  Yet, when we accept God we are from God. He sends us to spread His message, and we must be prepared.  The armor of God is a set of weapons that we can use to protect ourselves with and be part of the one who is greater than us.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me
so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains.
Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Ephesians 6:14-20

Our weapons are spiritual.  If we gird ourselves with the Truth of God we can’t be touched.  All we have to do is have faith in God and His Living Word—Jesus.  We are made ready when we get into the Word of God.  The Word of God is our Shield and Sword.  The Word of God protects us by teaching us how God wants us to live.  It is the Sword that lets us protect ourselves from the enemy.  Prayer is one of the greatest weapons…it is our direct line to God.  We can praise Him and ask Him for anything when we pray to Him.

All we have to do is become part of God and put on His armor.  His armor—truth, love, faith, the Word of the living God, and prayer—are the weapons that we are equipped with to protect ourselves from sin and to spread the good news about God to others.  The armor shields us from sin and allows us to be godly example to others.

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Dear Heavenly Father: I put on Your armor when I step out of the door every day.  I remember Your words and let them guide me.  I let Your truths wash over me and cleanse me.  Your Spirit is my Sword and salvation.  Without it, the world would consume me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Guiding Hand

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed. 

However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug, and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
Psalms 19:7-10

My son has been learning about Moses and the Ten Commandments at church on Wednesday nights. I was probably about his age when I was first introduced to them myself. When I stop to think about them, I always imagine Charlton Heston playing Moses in the movie, The Ten Commandments, and receiving the tablets from God. Just seeing the fear on Moses’s (Heston’s) face is enough to invoke trembling in anyone’s mind.

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Exodus 20:19-20

When Moses came down from the Mount, the people could tell that he had seen and talked with God. They themselves became scared. They had been trembling in fear when the thunder and lightning and the trumpet sounded. They knew that Moses had spoken to God, but they were afraid to speak to God themselves. They told Moses they would listen to what God said if Moses spoke it to them.

God gave His people His perfect Law through Moses. Moses’s face radiated the glory of God when he descended from the Mount with the Ten Commandments—the same commandments that many people are fighting over displaying today. God made these Laws to help guide us and protect us from the temptation of sin. His Laws are firm just like those of parents’ rules for their children.

God knew what human nature was like even before Adam and Eve bit the forbidden fruit. God knew that without guidance that man would fall into sin and not be able to return Him. It is wonderful to know that we have a God Who already knows about us and knows how to guide and take care of us.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guiding hand. Without it we would surely be stuck in slavery to sin. You are always with us and always showing Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Remembering and Deciding

 

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer. It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body. Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’! We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past. We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause, a hug, and the rest they so deserve.
God bless you, ladies!

 

SeekingHimLogo

Remember Your word to Your servant,
for You have given me hope.
My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.
Psalms 119:49-50

Remember in the Disney movie, The Jungle Book, Mowgli meets the youngest elephant of a herd.  The leader of the herd, the young elephant’s father, proclaims that an elephant never forgets.  However, as the herd is leaving, the elephant’s mother ends up reminding the father that he is “forgetting” their son who is still talking to Mowgli.

Yet, we have a heavenly Father Who does not forget about us.  He brings us hope and love in the midst a life of sin and temptation.  He never leaves our side.  We can call out to Him, and He will answer us in the way that He thinks is best for us.

For the wages of sin is death
but the free gift of God
is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Yet we can find comfort in our Father who does not forget about us or His promises to us.  Remember John 3:16?  God gave us His Son so we would not perish if we believed in Him.  God sent His one and only Son here to die for our sins.  Jesus wiped away our penalty—death—for sinning against God.  Our punishment for sinning is death. However, if we believe in Jesus and proclaim Him as our Savior, our penalty has been paid.  We look forward to eternity in Heaven with God.

God’s promise of eternal life for acceptance of His Son as our Savior is very powerful. The war for our souls has been won once we repent and allow Jesus to come into our heart.  It is free.  All we have to do is make the decision and open our hearts.  God’s promise preserves our life and brings comfort to our weary life.  He brings healing and love to our broken hearts.  It is a comfort that we have such a wonderful Father.

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Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for remembering us—Your children.  You created us and know every thought and move before we do.  Your love has saved us from eternal condemnation and pain.  You bring us comfort, love, and healing. Thank You…in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Belief in Christ

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
But I know that even now God will give You whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life.
The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die;

and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
John 11:21-27

Raising Lazarus from the dead was one of Jesus’s miracles while He was here on Earth.  Jesus brought him back from the dead and healed many others during His time on Earth.  It was also like a foretelling of Jesus’ own Resurrection.  Jesus defeated death to save Lazarus.  He would go on to defeat death again to save us all.

Martha believed that since Lazarus had died she would not see him again until he was resurrected at the end of time.  She believed that Jesus was the One sent to save all of us from our sins.  She believed in Him.  She did not falter in her belief when Jesus asked her if she believed He was Resurrection and the Life.

When the last day comes, will you be able to answer “Yes, Lord…I believe.” like Martha did?  Can you answer ‘Yes” today?  For those who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, they will not die.  When Judgment Day arrives, Jesus will answer for the believers, and they will live for all eternity.  The debt for sin has been paid, and the believer will never die.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the sacrifice that Your one and only Son made for us.  If it were not for His love, we would be confined to death for the consequence of sin.  May those who do not know Him come to Him.  May those who already know grow stronger in their relationship with the Messiah.  In Jesus name, Amen.

The Map to Salvation

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going,
so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well.
From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14:5-7

Have you ever been given directions on how to get somewhere?  I have, and sometimes they are hard to follow.  I get lost just trying to follow the GPS on my husband’s phone.  If I don’t know the area, I will get lost with the simplest of directions.  I have to have landmarks; they help me know exactly where I am going.  If you give me directions, make sure to give me landmarks, too, to look for while I am driving.

I must know the way if I am going to get where I am going.  Here on Earth, directions can be very confusing.  Directions can especially be confusing when landmarks are similar, or the person giving them can confuse me if they start describing landmarks or road names when I have never been in the area.  It is probably this way for a lot of people.

Yet, when it comes to eternal life, we have a great road map for directions!  Jesus gave us this road map when He spent His last moments before the Crucifixion with His disciples.  He told them that He is the way to God.  He is the truth from God.  Jesus brought God’s truth to us and gave us life.

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive;
he was lost, and is found.
Luke 15:31-32

Remember the parable of the prodigal son?  We are the prodigal sons and daughters of God.  Just like the prodigal son in Jesus’s parable, we have wandered away…thinking that we know what is best for ourselves.  And we mess up.  We sin.  We get away from God.

When we finally hit rock bottom, we come back.  We are like the prodigal son who goes looking for his father’s help.  We seek our Father’s (God’s) help in turning our life around.  Jesus told us that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  By accepting Him, we are reconciled with God and given a new life.  God rejoices when we come back to the True Way.  We were once lost, but now we are found.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the way back to You.  Thank You for the truth and the eternal life that became ours when Jesus sacrificed Himself on the Cross.  Without it we would be forever lost.  We rejoice when we find you again and You rejoice as well.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God the Gardener

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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I AM the True Vine, and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in Me, as I also remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
I AM the Vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
apart from Me you can do nothing.
If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples
John 15:1-8

Just reading these verses makes me think of everyone who is blessed with a green thumb. (I know I have not been blessed with one.)  I can’t even get a potted plant to survive past a week.  It is usually dead in just a day or two.  I definitely do not have a green thumb.

People who love to grow gardens know exactly what it takes to keep them growing.  They tend to it.  They water it.  They weed out the parts that are not growing.  They prune and trim it to keep their gardens growing beautifully among the rest of God’s beautiful Creation.

Just as a gardener works to keep their garden beautiful, so does God in His relationship with us.  He points out the things that we need to cut off and get rid of in order to strengthen our relationship with Him.  The stronger we are in God the more fruitful we are in His Spirit.  We are the branches of God’s beautiful Creation—His own garden. God makes us (the branches on His vine) stronger through our blessings and the hardships He guides us through.

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Dear Heavenly Father, we are part of Your spiritual garden.  We are the branches on Your vine that produce the fruit of Your Spirit.  Without remaining in You, we would snap off the vine and be forever lost.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The True Shepherd

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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I AM the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep,
sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees,
and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I lay down My life for the sheep.
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.
I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice.
So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
For this reason the Father loves me,
because I lay down My life that I may take it up again.
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord.
I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.
This charge I have received from my Father.
John 10:11-18 ESV

Everyone knows about the window clings that you can get cheaply at Wal-Mart and dollar stores during the holidays.  I recently hung one of a cross and a sheep with flowers on our front door.  Our children saw it this morning.  Our daughter, who is four, says proudly that it is for Jesus. I smiled…at least for now she knows what the Cross stands for. Hopefully in the next 5-10 years, I can get her to understand the meaning.  The sheep, however, catches my eyes every time I look at that window cling.

When I see that sheep, I think about how my children are my sheep. They are mine to lead and take care of until they are grown.  It is my job to help them learn right from wrong.  It is my job to help start their spiritual foundation.  I am supposed to nurture them and help them.  They listen to my voice and look to me for security and love.

Just as my children are my sheep, we are the sheep of God.  We are His children.  When we listen to His voice and accept Him as our Savior, we become part of His flock.  Jesus laid down His life so that we may be reconciled to God and return from sin.  He went to the Cross to bring us home.  He is the Good Shepherd.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being our Shepherd.  Thank You for protecting us as a shepherd does the sheep.  Without that protection, we would fall to our sin.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Re-entering The Door

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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 So Jesus said to them again,“Truly, truly, I say to you,
I AM the Door of the sheep.

All who came before Me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not hear them.

I AM the Door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved,
and will go in and out and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:7-10

For Lent this year, I gave up my tablet and the games on my phone.  I couldn’t give up the phone because I do have to stay connected for emergencies, and we don’t have a land-line phone.  I have found that I spend so much time playing on my tablet or phone that I have started neglecting various areas of my life.  I was neglecting my kids, my husband, and my time with God.  It was stealing my time.  I was letting the distractions become the thief in my life.

When distractions become too much, they become the thief of our attention in major ways.  Distractions take us away from work, family, and (most important of all) God.  We wander away from what should keep us whole and grounded into a world of chaos and discontentment. We walk out of the open Door back into what was keeping us from it in the first place when we let distractions overrun our lives.

However, we can easily reenter that Door when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Christ opened the door to redemption when He died on the Cross for our sins.  He reconciled us to God, so we may have eternal life. A s the children of God, we should pay attention to Jesus and being faithful to Him.  We should not listen to a world that has turned away from God.  If we turn away from God then we will die a certain death when Judgment Day arrives.  All we have to do is see Jesus’ open Door, give up the worldly distractions, and accept Jesus as our Savior.  When we cross over the threshold of that Door, we are no longer of this world.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for opening the Door for us to enter Your presence.  Jesus, Your wonderful sacrifice shows how much You love us.  We give our worldly distractions and walk through Your open door.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Eternal Flashlight

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM…

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The True Vine
I AM The Door
I AM The Resurrection and the Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, 
He said, I AM the Light of the world.
Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness,
But will have the Light of Life.
John 8:12

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Yesterday when I took my son to the doctor, we had to wait in the exam room for a little bit to see the doctor.  We had taken his backpack into the doctor’s office so we could work on his homework and get it finished.  We reached a stopping point because we did not have a pencil.  So, while we waiting, I read a book to him.

It happened to be a Scooby-Doo book.  This story focused on Scooby and Shaggy surviving a storm.  The window is blown open; it is dark because the power has gone out; and the shadows make them think that a monster is in the house.  The rest of the gang return from the store just as the power comes back on.  Light flows through the house.  Velma, Daphne, and Fred show that the window was blown open, and that a lamp was the supposed monster.

This made me think about Jesus…. Like Scooby and Shaggy were surviving in the dark, we are living and surviving in a dark world.  Our world is plunging into chaos as Christians are persecuted and killed in other parts of the world.  Morals are being thrown to the wayside by those who do not believe in Judeo-Christian values.  We are slowly but surely moving toward Jesus’ return.

When we accept Christ into our lives, the light is turned on for us.  We are brought out from the darkness and into the Light of Jesus.  When we decide to follow Jesus, we are no longer in the dark but are walking in the Light.  Jesus’s Light is eternal and ever-present in those who have accepted Him.  As long as we follow His Light, we will be healed and comforted.  We will not walk in darkness.  We will have life.

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Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for giving us the Light.  We do not have to live in the dark if we receive this Light.  It is due to Your saving grace that we are no longer living in darkness.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus’ Love IS

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Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

How these verses ring true!  My husband and I have known each other for 10 years and, in April, we will have been married for 8 years.  I was patient in waiting on God to show me the right one.  We have both helped each other overcome some things and issues that were holding us back—be it in the realm of love or just life in general.

Now my husband and I try to be patient with each other.  We try to please one another, but there are some days when that just does not happen.  One of us will get over whatever we are arguing about, and the other will hold a grudge for a while.  Yet, we get over it.  Our parents have been married over 30 years—somewhat of a rarity now days.  They have been there for one another when bad things happened.  They have weathered the rough storms, and they have come out stronger on the other side.  We pray that our marriage will be as strong.

Jesus’ love is the same way.  It is patient and kind.  Jesus’ love is slow to anger, and it keeps no record of our wrongdoings because we are forgiven by that love.  We are saved by that love.  It protects us from evil, and it always perseveres.  This is why Jesus’s love will win in the end.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for Your patient and protecting love.  Thank You for the protection that Your love provides.  Thank You for the healing and strength that it provides.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.