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!

 

Faith over Fear

 

It was the night before my first physical therapy appointment after my knee replacement.  I had heard horror stories about what a painful process it could be.  The pain from the surgery seemed to be enough to endure – did we really need to push this so hard?  The pain, the doubt, the unknown – fear exuded from every pore in my body.  There was no sleep the night before that first appointment.  I walked into physical therapy that morning almost ready to cry over the immense amount of fear I had.

We all have our own fears.  We may have everyday fears (do not even ask me how I feel about the dentist).  These may be fears where we know what is ahead of us, but they provide anxious moments.  Yet, we can also fear what is in front of us, of which we are unaware.   The unknown, the uncertainty, the unchartered – all words that find us searching in the dark for understanding or clarity.  It is difficult to navigate when fear consumes.  Fear can drain all the reality from decision making.  Fear can force its way into awareness and show up in ambiguity.  Fear can take assurance and turn it upside down to anxiousness.

When fear blankets over us, running to people or things to calm our fear can be futile.  My friends, there is only One who can truly anchor our fears to where they belong and rise above them with faith, our Jesus!  By going to Jesus with our fears but giving them over to Him and sharing how our fears are consuming us, our Jesus can provide us the peace that we need to move forward.  Jesus’ perfect love, as shared in 1 John, is the only thing that can cast out the fear that takes hold over us.  Only God can provide the strength we need in moments of fear.  Let us read Isaiah 41:10:  So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

He is there for us when we need him most.  Our lives are richer, and less anxious, when we anchor ourselves in the faith of God versus the fear of earth.  We are able to become the rational people God created, knowing that He will deliver us from the fears we face and bring us the peace we can only have through faith in Him.  The next time doubt and fear reign down on us, stop before the spiraling continues.  Pray to the one who is always with us!

The next time fear began to inch in was prior to my follow up appointment with my doctor.  I began to fear that the bandage that covered my incision would reveal stitches and staples that would need to be removed, again, filling me with fear of pain.  Then I remembered God is here for me.  I turned to faith in Him that all would be good.  Guess what?  Neither were there – they glued it together (modern medicine)!  I left a happy camper!  Let us have faith over fear during 2026 – simple faith!

Video that complements this blog post:  Faith over Fear

Dearest Jesus, may we turn to you in faith when fear and uncertainty enter our lives.  Bring us the peace only you can!  Amen

Faith Forward

 

Ahhh, the New Year!  Often, we look at the new year as turning the page into the chapter of our book called life.  With the new year comes new beginnings and a time for us to reflect on what went well during the past year, where we veered off path, and what do we want to do differently in the new year.  We will name these new beginnings words like goals, resolutions, or dreams.  Self-development tends to be at the center of these new chapters in our lives. 

There was a time in my life when I put a great deal of focus into self-improvement or self-development.  I felt that if I read enough books on a certain aspect that I wanted to improve upon, I would find the golden answer to what I needed to do, or not do, in order to achieve success.  I spent an incredible amount of time journaling goals, documenting developments, and ensuring I was doing everything possible to meet these goals.  Typically, within six months, I was disappointed that I did not reach the goal.  It was a terrible reflection on my ability to depend on myself to make improvements in my life.  Like the Scarlet Letter, I word a huge F on my chest for Failure.

What I learned over the years is that I needed to shift my focus.  By setting these self-improvement goals and resolutions, I was depending on what I needed to do in order to make changes.  I set the goals, I set the journey, I executed the journey, and I reaped the benefits (or not).  Get the picture – I was walking in MY path set by me.

Friends, we are just not that talented.  Our path is not set by us, but by God.  The plan for our lives is developed by the One who loves us so much that He sent His Son to save us.  When I shifted my focus from me to God, I realized that I was not living the plan He had for me; I was living my plan.  When I went to God in prayer, and truly listened to what He was saying, my focus changed – and His path was my correct path – not the one that I structured.

It is hard to depend on God.  We are humans, we are sinners and we like to be in control of our own destiny.  The fact is that we are not, only God has that level of control.  What do we do?  Go to Him and ask.  Listen to His words.  Read the Bible for answers and know that our path is laid out by the One who has our best interests in mind, God.  We need simple faith and dependence on Him for all that is good.

Video that complements this post:  Faith Forward

Dearest God, help us to shift our focus for this new year from us to you.  May we depend on You to show us the right path for us.  Amen!

The Constant

 

Welcome to 2026!  I believe the older I get the more quickly time passes.  I know, time is time.  Yet, it does feel as if the days move quickly.  As we enter a new year, I will be taking the month of January to focus on “new year” themes to get us kick-started into 2026.  This week we will focus on the constant.

Before we move to what is constant, it is important for us to realize that our time, no matter how quickly it passes, is filled with change.  Changes can originate in a multitude of ways.  There are changes that we may want to introduce into our lives.  A new year can orchestrate this for us with reflections on what was successful in the past year and what may have caused us time to pause.  It is those reflections that can help us to determine where we may want to embark on a new way of thinking, of doing!  

Along with ways we may want to introduce changes in our lives, we may also have change ‘gifted’ to us – areas where change comes into our lives that we may have not expected.   Some changes can be tough, a loss of relationship, job, or a loved one.  Some changes can be positive, such as a new job, new relationships, or new adventures.  Regardless of how we look at where our change originates, it can bring disruption to our lives.  It can be challenging to navigate change.

Often, it is while we walk through change that we may say to ourselves, “I wish just ONE thing would remain the same.”  Friends, we have that ONE thing – and His name is Jesus.  He is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  He will never change.  He will walk this life journey with us, regardless of what changes we may see.  He is faithful, loyal, and supportive.  He will guide us, protect us, and most importantly, He will LOVE us.  As we face the winds of change, whether self-induced or not, He will never leave us.  I find great comfort in that knowledge.

As we begin 2026, let us always be reminded that change will occur in our lives.  We can be guaranteed!  We also have the guarantee of a Savior who will be with us always during those changes, Jesus!  When we need to hold onto a simple truth, may we have simple faith that Jesus will provide the strength, the comfort, and the guidance we need on our journey!  Here is to 2026!

Video that complements this post:  The Constant

Dearest Jesus, thank you for being our constant amidst the change in our lives.  May we prioritize coming to you first for the support we need during these changes.  Amen!