unfailing love

‘Love never Fails …’ I Corinthians 13:8

It is Sunday – the last day of February

It is also the last day of our month-long focus on love

We have talked about what love is and what it is not

We have had some practical examples of love in action

We have challenged thoughts & opinions regarding love

And while there may be differing points of view, one thing is certain: we all know that love never, ever fails

Love is not always easy but it is always worth it

We discussed yesterday how we are made in the image of God, in the image of love

Understand that it is actually inhuman to be unloving

Yes, there is pain and sorrow in this fallen world where we all reside,

However, there are wonderfully joyous moments as well

Love can be full of uncertain moments and risks

Love involves the mind, will & emotions – it impacts the body, soul & spirit

The heart is vulnerable and subject to injury

And it may feel, and actually be, safer to avoid love altogether  –

It is safer, but much less interesting

It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all ...

I agree wholeheartedly

If we forever live in fear of being hurt and if we, as a result, refrain from giving or receiving love –we injure our own selves most severely

The venture into love is always worth the risk if for no other reason than to better know God and self

Love is a wonderful and awe-inspiring thing!

I have never regretted loving another human being – irrespective of the outcome

So today – let us live generously and love courageously

Love will never fail!

 

Have a Blessed Day!

‘Love never fails [it never fades or ends]’

I Corinthians 13:8AMP

image of love

‘So God created mankind in His own image …’ Genesis 1:27

It is the weekend – Saturday is finally here

Two days remaining in our love journey – including today

The time has flown by but I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together

Yesterday was a bit heavy – but very much necessary

It is also necessary to remember that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world

The God who is love saw fit to craft us in His own image – we are made in the image of love

 

We are beautifully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:4)

We have been created in the very image of God, in the image of love

‘We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the LORD and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…’ II Corinthians 3:18

We look at the glory of the LORD – at the glory of love personified – and we are transformed

We are Christ’s love letter – ambassadors of His love in the earth

‘You are a letter of Christ … written not with ink but by the Spirit  of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.’ II Corinthians 3:3

 

Never underestimate the power of love

Never discount the impact of your life, walking in love with God and others

You are special in the eyes of God

And you have the ability to shine a little of His love in the lives of those you meet

You have your marching orders … go forth in love

 

Have a Blessed Day!

 

‘This is My commandment, that you love one another even as I have loved you’

John 15:12

not love

‘My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God …’ I John 4:1_MSG

We have spent almost an entire month dedicated to love

We have talked extensively about what love is and what it looks like

However, I would be remiss if I did not dedicate at least one day to caution –

Cautions concerning love

It should be easy to see from our discussion the behaviors and attitudes run contrary to love

Yet we can often be blinded by the light and fail to recognize what is not love

Understand that even ‘the enemy disguises himself as an angel of light’ [II Corinthians 11:14]

Yet ‘we are not ignorant of the devices of the enemy’ [II Corinthians 2:11]

Impatient, unkind, envious, boastful, arrogant, rude – not love

Selfish, manipulative, irritable and resentful – not love

Rejoicing in wrongdoing and inventing ways to be evil – certainly not love

Lying, abandoning, accusing and destroying – not love

It should be obvious that these things are not love

But sometimes the packaging causes confusion – often times, it is the package bearer

‘Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people … rejects from the faith, twisted in their thinking, defying truth itself.’ II Timothy 3:1-9MSG

Therefore, ‘Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.’ I Peter 5:8

Be sober-minded but do not be fearful

Remember that Jesus said that, ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.’ John 10:10

But also bear in mind that He, Jesus came ‘that we might have life and have it abundantly’ (John 10:10)

Keep in the forefront of your mind that He has defeated the works of the enemy. ‘For this purpose was the Son of God made manifest.’ I John 3:8

Never forget that, ‘The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him.’ II Chronicles 16:9

And for the people who choose to partner with the enemy?

Love them – just as Christ commanded

It is easier said than it is to walk out in everyday application, I know

Yet the command remains, ‘Love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them.’ Matthew 5:44TPT

Understand that ‘the LORD is not slow in keeping His promise as some consider slowness. Instead, He is patient … not wanting anyone to perish but for everyone to come to repentance.’ II Peter 3:9

He will deal with them in His own time – trust me

But more importantly, trust Him

 

Have a Blessed Day!

 

‘Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap.’

Galatians 6:7AMP

love undeniable

‘If I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.’ I Corinthians 13:2

I pray and trust you slept well last night

I did – and wanted to get this post up before I am up and out of the door

We are in the homestretch of our love month – undeniably near the end

Yet true love is undeniable and unending

 

I was watching a series on Netflix last night … and into this morning

And in this Korean drama, the lead character ends up getting shot

Not very romantic, right?

It is not romantic – but the reason he took the bullet is truly romantic

He jumped in the way of a gun that was pointed at the leading lady

He almost died as a result of his injuries

Yet, there was something interesting about his actions; his actions were not consistent with his words –

Up until that point (and following that incident), he kept denying that he had feelings for her – vehemently denying any feelings for her

Yet, the thing about love is that love is undeniable – the heart betrays the mind

Now, I know it was just a movie

But there are people who go to such extremes – in their love and their protection of those they love.  We have a living example in the sacrifice Jesus made for us:

‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ John 15:13

I said it in one of our other posts that love will make you do some things

‘Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.’ James 2:15-17

Now we know faith is a strong thing

However, we also know from Scripture that love is even greater than faith

So, where is the profit in a man who claims to have ‘love’ if there is no corresponding action?

Whether you are proclaiming love or denying it, your actions will always be ‘the tell’

Couples could tell you of undeniable declarations of love evidenced by actions

Parents can certainly tell of and show their undeniable love for their children

The point is  that love, true love, is undeniable

It speaks even when it wishes to remain silent

It moves when it desires to be uninvolved and removed

 

Today –

As we think about undeniable love, let us exam ourselves

What are we proving about love?

It matters even more than what we are saying about love – and it is undeniable

 

Have a Blessed Day!

 

‘‘Love must be sincere …’ Romans 12:9 NIV

‘Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it’ Romans 12:9 MSG

seasons of love

‘Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial …’ 

James 1:12

We are almost to the end of February – five short days to go

Can you believe it?

We are still continuing our journey with the topic of love – in this season of love

Yes – I have tagged the entire month of February as the season of love

Truthfully, though, love does not have a season

Love knows no limits and is not restricted by dates on a calendar

It has been difficult to write about love every day –

Especially difficult while experiencing challenges in my own marriage

How many of you know that it is not always sunshine and bliss?

And miscommunications can intensify whatever else is going on at the moment

He and I – we speak in different languages sometimes

He says ‘I love you’ and shows it – but not always in the manner I desire

So I get frustrated – and He remains patient and kind

It takes work to make a marriage work –  loyalty, patience, respect, humor, kindness, mercy, grace, persistence, sacrifice, understanding, compassion ...

Yet all are grounded in love; these attributes, they all have their foundation in love

And what is rooted in love, it will blossom in every season

It's been over thirty years –

He still know me better than I know Him and better than I know myself

Seasons change but His love for me remains steadfast and unmovable

You cannot ask for a better life companion than that

In every season, for any and every reason, He loves me ... amazing!

 

Today –

May the LORD bless your relationships,

Whether it is with Himself, with your spouse,, a friend or family

May He help you to see with His eyes and love with His heart

May His love for you and your love for others abound in every season

 

Have a Blessed Day!

 

‘‘For  your Maker is your husband - the LORD Almighty is His name ...’

Isaiah 54:5

someone's someone

Good Morning Friends

I pray and trust that all is going well with you

I will be attending church – online – in a couple of hours

Then I will be spending the day with my guys

But I wanted to share this post this morning – one of my longer posts

I guess I am feeling really reflective after my evening last night,

When I encountered someone – an individual – in the parking lot

 

She was wrapped up in a blanket sitting with cart and a few of her belongings

She had no sign  and she was not begging –

She was just trying to stay warm ... and safe

 

We live in a fallen world –

As a result we will experience trouble – everyone, in one way or another

It may not be to same extent but all will experience challenges

Yet, we can take heart that ‘Jesus has overcome the world’ [John 16:33]

He works with us through situations and circumstances;

He brings beauty from our ashes so we can share beauty with others

He does not comfort us to make us comfortable; 

          He comforts us to make us comforters

He has established us as His Ambassadors of Hope in the earth

But we still must accept the job and commit to doing it faithfully

I drove past initially –

I had gone to the store and was on the way home to make dinner

I made it all the way to the rotary drive outside of my neighborhood

But, something kept pressing upon my heart – someone’s someone was on my heart

                                                 

So I turned around and drove all the way back to the shopping center

I went into a department store and purchased a few items;

Then I stopped at a restaurant and picked up a meal and bottled water

I honked my horn and spoke to her from my car

My heart was moved because I remembered that first night of homelessness

                With my sons and our dog back in 2011

I had always thought it would have been easier to handle if it was just me;

                I so wished my children did not have to be exposed to that

However, in hindsight, there was strength and safety in numbers

 

Initially, this woman did not want to accept what I offered

She was very much afraid – I could see it in her eyes

So, I explained that I had seen her when I was at the pharmacy earlier;

And that I had come back and just stopped at the store and restaurant

Then I got out of my vehicle and handed her the package

She was so very thankful … for the kindness

I spoke a blessing over her and we parted ways

 

Now, I normally do not speak of it when I give anything to anyone

This has also been a slightly different ‘love month’ for us than usual – thus far

But I think it is so important to talk about some of these things

It is so important to think about each someone we are blessed to encounter

They are everywhere and all around us

And they are someone’s someone –

Someone’s daughter, son, mom, dad, brother, sister, neighbor, friend

Most importantly, they are God’s someone

 

I wish that I were in a position to do more

But I will not let that stop me from doing what I can

And I pray you will not be stopped in doing anything you are able to do

Whatever situation God allows you to face – pray for His wisdom

It is not an all or nothing situation

We do not have to change the entire world –

We need only do what we can to bless the people He allows to enter our world

 

The message never changes –

‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind … 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22-37, 39

Love God, Love People

There are people that God desires to reach and He is counting on us

We are actually more important than any of us will ever realize

He is not looking for perfection – just partnership and participation

We can make  difference in someone’s life today ... 

          Let's make a difference in someone’s life today

Have a Blessed Day!

how far it goes

The weekend is here – and I have only two significant items on the agenda:

1. Watching the Superbowl with my guys tomorrow!
2. A milestone birthday celebration for my eldest son!

So I will be getting ready to run some errands to make sure I have all I need

But, I wanted to share this quick post first ...the term 'quick’ being entirely subjective 

 You never actually know ... how far my post will go 

Yesterday I shared a post about a gentleman I met at the store on Thursday

And even as I wrote, I honestly thought, I’ll probably never see him again’

Virginia Beach is a fairly large city – 

It is in the top 50 largest of all cities in the United States – for size & population

Well, yesterday afternoon I went to drop my youngest son off at work

And as I got ready to leave, who do you think was entering as I was exiting?

My new friend … and his trusty side-kick, of course!

To say I was surprised would be quite the understatement

Now, I don’t know how he felt following our impromptu meeting on Thursday

But I do know that he shared how isolated he had been feeling,

And he shared his reservations of having to interact with people

Yet, here he was venturing out, again, not twenty-four hours after our encounter

 

So, why am I sharing this and what does it have to do with our love journey?

You never know the impact you can have in the life another – just by being kind

I cannot say that our interaction on Thursday had any impact on his journey Friday

But I also cannot say definitely that it did not have some impact – even if it was minuscule

The point is you never know

That kindness you display to another person – you never know how far it will go

 

Today I am praying

That the LORD will make us all sensitive to the opportunities all around us

That He would open our eyes to see the needs of others

That we would slow down enough to make time for someone else

That we would submit to His will and partner with Him – in touching lives

That we would consent to be a ‘pebble’ ...

          If it would help in sending ripples of His love throughout the earth

May the LORD bless you and keep you today

Have a Wonderful Day & Weekend!

the hurting ...

It is Friday –

And just like that we are almost through the first week of February

I woke up this morning before my alarm went off

And one of the first thoughts was of the gentleman I met yesterday

I met him while I was shopping at Lowe’s – a local home improvement store

Now – it might not seem like it here, but I am very much an introvert

There are people who have never met a stranger – – I am not one of those people 

For me, it is highly unusual to just stop and talk to someone

However, if there is one thing that will stop me in my tracks – it is a precious doggo

I commented on how sweet she was and – there began a conversation

 

She was an emotional support/service dog –

And she was every bit adorable and focused at the same time

Her companion/owner suffers from IED [Intermittent Explosive Disorder]

And he started explaining to me all the challenges he has faced as a result of his illness

He explained the difficulty of wanting to interact with people but being fearful – not knowing what will trigger his disorder or when. He described the medications – which he advised 'helps some' – but makes him feel not like himself and unintelligent

My heart was breaking for him as he talked – and I listened

He talked about the challenges at work – not only as a result of the illness, but of the meanness of people. You see not all bullies mature and change – sometimes they just grow up to be bigger bullies; workplace terrorists. The challenges ultimately resulted in him being placed on permanent disability.

I understood fully as he talked about the extreme workplace harassment

I empathized – and I listened

He talked about the lack of friends and relationships and the extreme isolation it causes;

He explained the profound loneliness which has only been compounded by the pandemic

And I listened

He got his adorable side-kick at the beginning of the pandemic – last year

But you would think they had been together for five years seeing them together

He talked about a fitness tool he was building – and his faith in the LORD

He did most of the talking – and I listened

We talked for about twenty minutes

And when we got ready to part ways, I told him how nice it was to talk to him

He responded, ‘I’ll see you around … I hope I will’

 

Now –

It might not seem like it, but this topic has every bit to do with our focus on love

There are hurting people – all around us, every day

Some are just looking for someone to talk to

They are desiring fellowship and hoping that someone will take a chance on them

Know today – there is a God who loves

He loves you and He loves all of them – whoever the ‘them’ may be in your life

 

Today – I am praying

I am praying for all of the lonely and the hurting

I am crying out to the LORD to help this world of ours

I am believing and trusting that I will see His goodness – evident in every sector of society

I am praying that His power, presence and healing will be in the life of my new friend,

In a powerful and tangible way

I am praying for all of you as well – that the LORD’s hand will rest upon you;

That He will cause blessings and favor to abound in your life

May He bless you and keep you …

Have a Blessed Day!

one page ... more

Good Morning Friends

I pray and trust that all is well with you

I am praying that the LORD’s hand of blessing rest continually upon you

This will not be a lengthy post –

However, I did want to follow-up on something I shared yesterday

One page … more

 

In discussing love and what it means to different people,

I shared the following verse:

‘What fellowship does righteousness have with darkness?

What communion has light with darkness?’ II Corinthians 6:14

Well – 

Yesterday afternoon, I just happened to come across another version of this verse  

It was in a book I was reading that I have not looked at in a few years:

          a book entitled ’30 Lessons from The Life of David’ by Dr. Criswell Freeman

Well, I decided to pick it up and read it and just happened to open up to page twenty-four

For the record – I do not believe it was happenstance that I opened to that particular page

I say that because this is the verse that my eyes immediately fell upon:

‘Do not become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with darkness?’ II Corinthians 6:14 MSG

 

The subject of the chapter was ‘Friends Matter’ 

          - so fitting for what we were discussing yesterday

After all, shouldn’t your love interest be your friend, first and foremost? And you theirs?

 

David probably had a great deal of experience in the friendship department –

both positively and negatively

And I wanted to share this version of this verse with all of you because,

I feel it more clearly conveys the heart of that verse

Now –  

‘War’ is a strong word – particularly when our focus this month is love

However, it is an appropriate word choice

It may not be ‘war’ in a traditional sense of weaponry and militia;

But choosing a life mate with different foundational principles and beliefs;

You will find yourself immersed in a battle of warring perspective and ideals

And there is nothing lovely about that

Understand – this is not about piousness or a desire to exclude

It is about one simple truth:

It matters who you allow in your life

That is not to say that we do not love people who are different or who believe differently

That would be insanity and contrary to everything Jesus displayed 

We should love all people

But we should also understand that it is possible to love someone generally & genuinely 

          – and not be yoked to them in close friendship or romantically

Who we connect with is important

Today  –

Take some time to think about [and pray about] the connections in your life

It matters more than you know

We’re almost to the end of the week … keep standing, keep trusting

Have a Blessed Day!