Repentant Heart

 

Moving along with our Lenten series, this week we focus on a repentant heart.  Have to share, sometimes I forget that God knows everything!  Yes, I am always aware that He sees all that I do, but I have to be jolted into remembering that He also knows all that I think!  During my daily prayers, I tend to ‘ask’ God for things – healing those that are hurting, providing direction during uncertainty, covering my family with blessings and peace.  My focus in prayer is not always on asking God for forgiveness, which I certainly should be doing daily!  When I do go to God with a repentant heart, I typically will ask for forgiveness in the things/actions that I did or did not do that go against His will for me.  Speaking harshly to someone out of frustration.  Not going the extra mile when I should have.  The list is long! 

Where I am deeply remiss is asking God for forgiveness in my ‘thinking’ sins, ways that my mind may have gone astray during the day, when my mind should have been on Godly thoughts.  When I have bad thoughts about someone or a situation.  When my pride takes over my mind instead of humility.  When I am distracted from Godly focus, such as when I am in devotion.  Again, the list is long of areas where I should be bringing those to God as well, items of the heart.

There are numerous verses in the Bible that focus on God’s forgiveness.  When I ask for God’s forgiveness, it is always with a heart filled with shame.  “I did not meet your expectations, God.  Please forgive me.”  I am ashamed of my thoughts and behavior.  What I absolutely love about this verse is the invitation to return to God, not out of shame, but out of love.  Here we are reminded that He is gracious and compassionate, ABOUNDING IN LOVE!  His love is so great for us that our broken heart of sin is quickly restored by God to a heart of love.

Friends, during this Lenten season, may we remember that our Lord is a gracious Savior, filled with love, grace, and compassion for us sinners.  Go to Him.  Share your sins.  Be restored with His love and grace.  Have simple faith that He is waiting to hear from us!

Complementary video to this post:  Repentant Heart

Dearest Lord, thank you for your love that covers all my sins.  May I come to you with a repentant heart, filled with humility and may you restore my heart to one of love – for You and others.  Amen!

Softening Heart

 

As we continue our Lenten Series of giving our hearts to Jesus, we come upon the topic of a Softened Heart.  Over the years, I have felt as if my heart has hardened.  My ability to release bitterness, forgive, or even have empathy seemed to deteriorate.  I could blame my hardened heart on a variety of external factors. 

There have been people close to me who have hurt me or have wronged me.  Seeping into my heart was a sense of betrayal.  Why would they treat me like this?  If they cared about me, if they loved me, how could they share such hurtful words?  In my attempt to stop this from happening, I found myself putting up barriers or ‘hardening my heart’ so that the hurt could not enter.  If I kept these folks at arm’s length, then I would not feel the hurt.

There have also been times when my pride took over.  What could have been mine, or should have been mine, did not materialize.  Those occasions have typically been associated with work.  I have worked hard; I deserved to be recognized.  I knocked it out of the ballpark; I deserved a raise.  Have you had thoughts such as those race through your mind?  In contrast, if I hardened my heart, I found my pride taking over and a level of humbleness would disappear.

As my heart grew like stone, my resentment increased.  Although external factors may have caused me to feel this way, I had control over my heart at the barriers I was putting up.  These barriers were not just put up to those around me, they were also increasing a chasm between God and me.  I felt distanced from God.  And I should have felt that way.  God does not want us to have a heart of stone.  He does not give us that heart, He gives us a new heart, with a new spirit.  My friends, that is the heart from God.

How can we change our heart of stone to one of flesh?  Prayer.  By going to God and asking for His help, we are able to release the resentment, the stone, the pain and fill it with forgiveness and love.  God is in our hearts, waiting for us to come to Him.  All we need to do is hold Him close to us and know that He is there.  When I finally let go of the resentment I had for a person or a situation, I found peace!  Only God can give us peace that will fill our hearts. 

It is time, friends, especially during this Lenten season.  Open your heart.  Let go of bitterness.  Let a new spirit enter and let God turn your heart of stone to one of flesh.  Peace will cover you like a blanket.  All you need is simple faith!

Video complementing this post:  Softening Heart

Heavenly Father, we know we can go to heart for a new heart and a new spirit.  Help us to put our hardened hearts aside and fill us with forgiveness, releasing bitterness for peace.  In your name we pray, Amen!

Listening Heart

 

Welcome to Lent 2026!  There are so many ways Christians honor this time of year.  Many choose to give up something of meaning (sweets, cursing, etc.).  Certain years, I have focused on giving up bad habits.  This year, I would like you to follow on my Lenten journey of Hearts for Jesus.  During the next few weeks, I will be focusing on ways we can prepare our hearts during this Lenten season.  This week, we start with a Listening Heart.  I adore this passage for today where Samuel speaks these words to God, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

So often on life’s journey, I want God to talk to me.  I want Him to answer my prayers, my questions, and my concerns by opening up the heavens, sending a beam of light on my face, and talking to me.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?  Just as He did with Samuel, He would say, “Susan, Susan” and my response would be “I’m listening”!  Sounds too good to be true.  Is God really going to do that for me?

I believe He does.  Yes, I believe He parts the skies to speak to me.  My problem is I am not the one who truly listens!  My husband and I were having this conversation the other day where we discussed whether God really speaks to us.  It may not be as dramatic as I would like it to be, yet I do believe God’s voice avails itself to us.  Our problem is we have our hearts and souls ready to receive His voice.

You may be saying, “Of course, I am ready to hear God, Susan.  He just does not speak to me.”  Let us take a look at the following:

**Quiet – How often do you find yourself in quiet moments?  When we genuinely want to listen to someone, that means our attention needs to be fully given to the other person.  Other distractions need to be quieted so we can listen intently.  Are you giving God moments in your day where it is quiet so He can speak to you?

**Not Busy – Are you saying to yourself, “I’m just too busy”?  Days can seem as if they are never ending, with responsibilities, chores and busyness taking our time from sunrise to sunset.  Trying to unbusy yourself may seem like a huge chore.  We will always have things to do, my friends.  Shouldn’t we be more like Mary than Martha?  If scheduling your days is important to you, how about scheduling some time for God and not rushing past His importance in your life?

**Reception – Is your heart ready to receive what God is speaking?  Our hearts need to be ready to receive whatever God is saying to us.  Sometimes, that may be in contradiction to what we want to hear from God.  I want prayers answered MY way.  I want answers to coincide with MY thinking.  Friends, God’s way is good – ALL THE TIME!  When we listen to God, we will hear HIS way, the best way.

As we look to move our hearts towards a listening heart, may we find ways to quiet our hearts, unbusy our hearts and ensure our hearts are open to receive what God is saying to us.  He is speaking to each of us in ways that we will understand.  Our goal is to have the heart that will say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 

Complementary video to this post:  Listening Heart

Heavenly Father, thank you for speaking to me.  May I have a listening heart to receive what you want to tell me.  Help me to quiet myself, make my time unbusy for you, and receive YOUR words into my heart.  Amen!

Reflect Love

 

As we end our short series on love, we end with how God wants us to live our lives, in love.  Understanding God’s love for us is a critical starting point for living a life focused on God.  This is where we began this journey.  Moving to an insight on how we action His love for us was our focus last week.  Today, we will review how we can reflect God’s love in who we are, both to others here on earth and to God!

This verse begins with “And what does the Lord require of you?”  This is where we pick up how we can portray our dedication to God.

Act Justly – God gave us the commandments and a Bible that clearly helps us to determine right from wrong.  When He asks us to act justly, that is what He is requiring of us.  Our actions should be clear to those around us and to God, that we fully understand the difference between right and wrong and live our lives in a way that portrays that.  Is it always easy? No!  Are we sinners?  Yes!  Yet, our goal should always be to act justly.

Love Mercy – This is close to what we discussed last week, showing people love!  This consists not only of what we do to others but also what we don’t do to others.  Quick to negatively respond, outbursts, comment without understanding – all of those scenarios and many more can lead to not showing people love.  To love with mercy in our hearts and to share that love with others will always be God’s way.  Look how He loves us!

Walk Humbly – Walking with an assurance that everything we have and all that we are is from God helps us to walk humbly.  Again, not an easy task, but one that we all should continue to strive towards.  We are nothing without our Lord.  It is our responsibility to ensure we give praise and thanksgiving “in all circumstances”.  Often, those around us have difficulty with our praise to God, especially during challenging times.  It is this love for God that helps us to walk humbly, knowing we are nothing without our Savior.

Friends, our walk in love starts with the wonderful example of how God loves us.  He shows us, He teaches us, He tells us and He walks beside us to help us on this journey.  It’s hard, but our goal of living our Jesus’ love to others around us with a sense of right/wrong, with mercy and with humility will help us to love as God loves us.  I know I fail at walking on this journey time and time again.  I also know that God is waiting for me, knowing I will fall, and is ready to pick me up to continue the walk in love.  May we find comfort in the simple faith that God will always be there – loving us!

Video that complements this post: Reflect Love

Heavenly Father, thank you for helping us to understand how to reflect the love that you so abundantly provide to us.  May you help us on this journey to share Your love with all that we meet.  Amen!

Love Others

 

Continuing the ‘love’ theme this week, we move from God’s love for us to our love for others.  I thought this verse was particularly appropriate as we search to express love to others.  As I wake up each morning, I strive to live my day with God’s love shown to others through me.  As much as I may reflect to ensure my actions spoke my faith loud and clear throughout the day, I can’t say that is always the case.  In fact, I can guarantee it is not.  Good intentions are taken over by lack of patience, pride and a myriad of other behaviors that are not God’s love in action.

This verse made me step back to think about what actioning God’s love really means. 

• ·       Paul is very clear from the first word in this verse that I need to “do”.  Not reflect, not plan, not ‘make a list’, but get up and DO!  Time to act!
• ·       The next word is just as powerful – EVERYTHING.  Paul states that it is not my role to pick and choose what I want to do in love, but that all my actions are rooted in love!  Tall order, isn’t it?
• ·       Lastly, the word of the week, LOVE!  Paul isn’t giving us an option of acting with kindness or empathy or productivity.  He wants us to do everything in love. 

We have a wonderful example of this in Jesus.  Jesus did everything in love, from His birth to His death.  His actions, His words, His gestures, all came from love.  He loved every person He encountered, even when the world told Him not to.  Friends, it is this example that we need to follow. 

It may be difficult to action love in all aspects of our lives.  People have hurt us, rejected us, or maybe even abused us.  We all have situations that have affected our lives and build us into the people we are today.  Yet our Lord is asking us to live as He lived and not let the devil take over our lives.  We will stumble and fall.  I know I certainly have in pursuing the mission of doing everything in love.  Jesus knows that and is ready to pick us up, dust us off and have us continue on the love path.

Take some time to think about how we can show love in everyday aspects of our lives.  While making a child’s lunch put in a note to let them know you love them.  Instead of picking up your phone to scroll through social media, call a friend.   If you are going to get a coffee, ask a colleague to go with you.  While saying grace over dinner, give thanks for not just the food, but the people you are eating with.  Love can be actioned in so many ways.  Let us get moving and do everything in love!

Video that complements this post:  Love Others

Dearest Jesus, thank you for being a wonderful example how we can do everything in love.  May the Holy Spirit move us to walk in this way.  Amen!

God's Love

 

It is time for a little love!  As we enter February, I will be taking the first three weeks of the month (prior to Lent) to focus on love.  We certainly need a bit more love in our lives these days.  When I look around, or turn on the news, my heart breaks for all that I see and hear about.  Bringing love to the forefront of our thoughts and actions, regardless of our circumstances, is something God asks us to do.

This week, we are focusing on God’s love for us.  God’s love is uncomprehensible to me.  It is hard to imagine love without any conditions.  A love that is not hurt when the recipient turns their back.  A love that loves us at our worst.  As humans, as sinners, no matter how hard we try, unconditional love is tough.  Today’s verse sends forth such a powerful message of God’s love.  Let us unpack it.

1)      “. . . God shows His love. . .”  God acts on His love for us.  He does not idly stand by and says He love us; He does something about it!!  Isn’t that just like God?  There is no idling with God – He is an action type of God.

 

2)      “. . . while we were still sinners. . .”  His action is taken not while we were ‘good,’ but while we were sinners.  Friends, throughout the day, although we may try to stand up to the devil, sin takes over.  It is hard to love someone when they have sinned against us.  When someone hurts us, physically or emotionally; when someone disappoints us; when someone turns their back on us, it is tough to come back and love them.  But God is not us, God is not human.  He showed His love for us while we were sinners!!

 

3)      “. . . Christ died for us. “There is the action that was taken!  While we were sinning, while we were turning our backs on God, God actioned His love for us by giving His only Son to us – to DIE for us.  Jesus spent 33 years on earth only to know that He would walk to Calvary, for us!  His death and His resurrection are the greatest actions of love to us sinners.

It is hard to imagine showing love to another human after great hurt or disappointment.  Showing God’s kind of love to those people?  Not possible.  That is the truth!  Only God could love us like this.  We will always have His love, even if love is not present for us here on earth.  I remember praying for love, for a relationship, for someone to come into my life.  A wonderful friend Barbara shared with me that I have someone like that already – my dear God.  What a wonderful reminder from her that God’s love for us is greater than anything on earth.  We need to have simple faith to know God’s love is always with us.

 

Video that complements this post:  God's Love

Dear Lord, thank you for your unconditional and ever-present love for us.  Amen!

The Word

 

A few years ago, I challenged my staff at the beginning of the year to select a word that they were going to focus on for the year.  Each of them selected a great word to be their driving force as the year unfolded.  There were times throughout the year that we would go back to those words for guidance.

When we turn the calendar page on the new year, there are many expectations we can set for ourselves.  As the days and weeks progress throughout the year, we can easily lose our focus in achieving these expectations.  Many times, this can be reflective of lack of time and energy.

Selecting a word for focus can drive actions, incorporating our time and energy.  I don’t know about you, but selecting just one word can be difficult.  There are many words I would like to be my driving force.  Friends, let us not forget the blog post from a couple of weeks ago – our goal for self-improvement needs to begin with the One who made us, God.  If we spend time reflecting in His Word, I believe that we will find the word we need to be our ‘front and center’ for 2026.

My mother had many favorite Bible verses, but this one always rose to the top.  I have to share; it is one of my favorites as well.  It is the verse that I keep at the forefront, realizing that the plans that Jesus has for me will always bring me closer to who I should be in Him.  His plans are never to bring harm, but hope.  As we round out our focus this month on how to face 2026, I am going to challenge all of us to open our Bibles and chat with Jesus.  Ask Him where the focus should be for you in this new year. 

God may be sharing that it is time to have true FAITH in Him and Him alone.  Is it time to SURRENDER all your sins and not take them back from Jesus?  Jesus may be helping you to gain the COURAGE to move forward in your life, to achieve His plan.  Whatever may speak to you, find the verses that can help to lift you up on this 2026-word journey.  Write them on cards and put them in places where you can see them every day.  Make them the screen saver on your devices. 

Don’t forget to find a way to hold yourself accountable.  Sharing your word journey with a friend is always helpful.  Spend time journaling on the progress you have made with your word.  Bring your word and your actions to Jesus in prayer and listen to what He has to say to you.  We can do this, friends!  I’m challenging myself as well.  Feel free to share your word with me – I’d love to hear the power of Jesus in action! 

Let us have the simple faith that Jesus will set our plans to His desires.  He will walk beside us as we walk in His journey.

Video that complements this post:  The Word

Dearest Jesus, thank you for setting our plan for us.  Help us to identify the direction you want for us and continue to walk with us as we do Your will and walk in Your way.  Amen!