Day 356: That's Life: Series (Part 4)

Matthew 6:33
 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Psalms 119:30
I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.

Today's devo is not going to be long as it requires a lot of self reflection. The year is winding down and it's winding down fast. When we think about our lives we have to ask ourselves a few questions. What kind of life are we leading and does it mirror the life of Jesus, and is it according to the word of God. This week we have been getting  very real about life and the expectations that come with being a part of society. We have talked about leading a life based not the rules of society and gender norms. We have talked about how life is so much more than a struggle, we have to choose to see it in a different way. So I guess what I want to ask or talk about today is the type of life you want to lead. What type of life do you want to lead? I ask myself the same question. 

A huge part of being a Christian is choosing to live with God. It's making that choice everyday to walk with Christ and live according to His word, putting all things that are of the world away from us. We quickly learn that the core of this life is love. As we have talked about love and living this week, I want to ask a more detailed questioned. How will we live that will replicate the life of Jesus and being the person God has called us to be? What will we do with our life that will please Him? Are we going to love more, be more selfless, reach out to people? What are we going to do. to reach out to people? Can we live a life that does not abide by society's rules, man-made rules but by the law put forth by Jesus Christ. 

As we wrap this series up, essentially I want you to ask yourself, what is life? What is life to you, what do you see life as, what does it mean to you. This is a question that only we can answer for ourselves, no one else can give us the answer. Are we living the type of life we know is right and are we struggling to get there? Are we in a spot where we know we need to change our lifestyle, or continue to move and push forward. We must make a decision about the life we are going to lead and go ahead and do it. We cannot be on the fence about it, we have to decide. That's the challenge, to decide if the life we want to live matches the life we are living. If we want to live a life dedicated to Christ does the life we are living match the life Jesus lived? 

So take  the time to go over what we talked about this week. Take the time to access you life and the type of life you are living and the type of life you want to live. Talk to God about it, pray about it and make a decision. If you have never made the decision to follow Christ now is the time to make that decision. God loves us so much and He has a plan for each and everyone of us, we just have to choose to trust Him and His timing, and His plan. 

If you’ve never made the decision to follow Christ and you want to, or if you want to rededicate your life to Him, now is the time to do. Now is the time to make that decision. If you want to be brought into this magnificent promise of eternity, now is the time to make that decision. If that’s you if you want to make that decision, pray this prayer with me,

“Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sins and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. I pray that you shine your  light on me and bring me out of the darkness and into your light. I love you Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 357!

Day 345: Step Out of the Boat (Take Your Shot)

Matthew 14:28-29

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

Today I want to talk about the simple fact that Peter got out of the boat. This is a well known story, one of the more famous passages in the bible, we all know that Jesus and Peter walked on water. People who aren’t Christian know this. A lot of time when we read this story we talk about how Peter took his eyes off Jesus and started to sink. Overlooking the fact that, Peter got out of the boat! He stepped out of a boat on to the water and walked. How many of us can say that we have done that, not in a literal sense, but we ask God for something and when it comes we get scared because we have to step out of our comfort zone a bit. We have to take a step off of our safety net and walk towards Jesus.  Sometimes even when Jesus is calling us out of the boat we are reluctant to step out. If Peter never stepped out of the boat he would have never walked on water. Too many of us are missing our “walking on water” moments because we are afraid to step out of the boat. We’re too focused on the fact that we might sink so in order to protect ourselves we stay in the boat where it’s safe. People can talk about how Peter took His eyes off Jesus and was afraid that’s when He began to sink. but at least he got out of the boat, whether he sank or not, he stepped out of the boat, and Jesus was there to pick him up. At least he took a chance. Even if he did sink, it would have never happened if he stayed on the boat. We can grow in our moments of sinking as well. He saw the opportunity and took it, some of us can have an opportunity staring us right in the face but the fear of failure is stopping of from attempting to succeed. Peter wanted to walk on water so he had to step out of the boat and walk, that was the only way he could do it. There was no other way. If we want to walk on water, the only way to do it is to step out off the boat. Sitting there wishing isn’t going to get us anywhere. Why do we sit there hoping and wishing for something to come to us when it’s right there, all we have to do is walk towards it.

We are too focused on the fact that Peter sank. We allow that to blind us to the real miracle here, Peter walked on water. He walked! On water! I don’t know if you’ve ever tried this but I have and I sank the first step I took, but this man walked on water because when Jesus told Him to come he stepped out of the boat and did it. Sometimes we will not know what it’s like to rise if we are never in a position of sinking.

Sometimes the people we have to prove wrong when it comes to what we can do, is ourselves. We often put limitations on ourselves. As my semester is coming to an end we are doing a lot of reflections and talking about our growth. I have come to the conclusion that the only reason I cannot do things is because I never give myself the chance to do it. I took a ballet class this semester and  was very reluctant to do it but a friend of mine talked me into doing it. I was reluctant to taking the ballet class because I was scared, I never liked ballet because I was never good at it. But I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give myself a chance, and see what happens. The things we can do when we just give ourselves a chance can be miraculous. When we take the limits off of ourselves and trust in the gifts God has given us, and just trust in the person God made us to be we will end up surprising ourselves. Even if we do fall, even if we do sink, we will be okay.

All this to say, give yourself a chance. Take a shot, step out of the boat, don’t worry about sinking, just walk. If you sink Jesus is right there to pick you up.

Reflection

Take the time to go over and think about what we discussed today. Think about how you have been limiting yourself and make a decision not to do that. Whatever is going on in your life and you are stuck or afraid, step out of the boat.

Prayer Time

Take the time to pray about what we discussed today. Take the time to talk to God about getting out of the boat and take a step of faith tonight.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day! Make sure you share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 346!

Day 340: A Good Support

3 John 1:5-11

5 Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God. 7 For they are traveling for the Lord, and they accept nothing from people who are not believers. 8 So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth. I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us. 10 When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church. 11 Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.

Psalms 133:1

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

As the people of God were traveling and preaching they would not accept anything from unbelievers. Therefore it became the duty of the believers to support the apostles as they came to town. However a certain someone was telling the people not to give anything to them, and if they did they were put out of the church. But before that the scripture says that by caring for the traveling teachers we are being faithful to God. By providing for them and giving them what they need we are pleasing God. It does not please God that we let His people and our brothers and sisters in christ starve or sleep outside when we have a bed or at least extra room for them. There’s a couple of things I want to discuss today, one being the importance of support within the body of Christ and also unity in this body.

It is so important that we as a people support one another and not let division drive us apart.  If anyone should support anyone it should be the body of Christ. If no one supports us we should support one another. There needs to be unity in the body of Christ. Our support system needs to be strengthened. It’s a part of being selfless and walking in humility like Christ. We must think of others, it is also another example of loving your neighbor. There are many ways in which we can support each other that extends far beyond lending a helping hand or giving someone food. When we think of things like being generous we often only apply that generosity to people who are less fortunate than us. But what if we applied that generosity to our brothers and sisters in christ? What if we started showing up for one another and being there for one another? What if we just decided to cheer each other on? We all need a good support group and the body of Christ should be just that. It’s more than being a cheerleader for each other, but it’s not just praying and loving from a distance either. As an artist one of the most amazing things to see is artists supporting other artists. Art in any form is a profession often looked down upon by many, but we are a thriving community because we support one another’s work and art. We believe in one another when no one else does. Can the body of Christ be like this. The body of christ thrives because we are all together. We are one body moving through life together. We thrive because we lift one another up, we are there for one another. We cannot count on the world but we can count on one another. We are doing the will of God when we decide to support one another. This is why unity within the body of Christ is so important.

The scripture talks about how Diotrephes would kick anyone out of the church when they helped the travelers who came to preach the gospel, because he wanted to be the leader. We cannot allow division in the body of Christ. We cannot allow people to come in and try to stop us from being there for one another. We stand as a united front, when one falls we are all there to strengthen and pick them back up. When one is in need we are all there to help and give where we can.

It reminds me of the church in the books of Acts when the believers sold their positions and brought them to the church so that no one would be in need.

Acts 4:32-35

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.

All this to say, be supportive of one another. Not just in church, but in life. Go support that friend at their show, help with that fundraiser. We must be cheerleaders for one another, being a support group from heaven. Take the time to be there for someone else, support isn’t a one time thing, it’s continuous.

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to respond in whatever way you feel led. Whatever is on your heart talk to God about it. Pray for unity and support within the body of Christ.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 341!

Day 324: God Wants the Best for Us

2 Peter 3:9 
“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”
‭‭There is a common misconception that God want us all to perish. That God made hell for us “sinners”. That holds no truth whatsoever. It is not God’s will that any of us should perish. I remember a pastor saying to the congregation, “God does not send us to hell, we send ourselves there.” When we decide that we want to live in sin and not walk with God according to His word, we condemn ourselves. We do that ourselves, that’s not the work of God.  If God wanted us to perish and die in our sin why would He provide a way for us to be freed from the life of sin. It’s says right there in John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. That’s the God we serve. A God who wants the best for His people. We serve a God who does not delight in punishing us but delights in blessing us and drawing us near to Him.
I think sometimes when we read the Bible and we see that there is punishment for our sins we interpret that as God just wanting to punish us. We tend to see God as this mean old grandpa in the sky casting damnation upon everyone. When in truth He is a loving father who only wants the best for us. He is a caring father who will correct us when we are wrong. He will put on the right path when we go astray. He is not sitting on a throne judging and condemning us, but the exact opposite. He is sitting on a throne with Jesus at His right hand loving and leading us. God calls us to repentance not to point out our sin and judge us for it but He brings us to repentance so that we may have a relationship with Him. He calls us to repentance so that anything blocking us from Him can be removed and we can have freedom to dwell in His presence. God could condemn us, He could smite us for all of our wrong. But He doesn’t because His Love for us is so much greater than His anger. His love covers our sin. It is His love that gives us grace.
God wants us to have a good life. He wants us to enjoy our lives with Him. Sometimes we think that sin is fun, but that fun only lasts a moment. God wants to give us eternity. He wants to shower us with His love.
All this to say, God wants only the best for us. When we decide that we want to live apart from God we are throwing ourselves into the lake of fire. God wants to save us, He is not like satan walking among the Earth to see who he can destroy. But God sents His son to walk the Earth to save us from destruction and damnation.
Reflection
1. Have you ever vied God as a mean old grandpa?
2. Do you think that it is God’s will for us to perish?
3. How has God changed how you view who He is?

Prayer Time 
Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Have a conversation with God about what we discussed today. Whatever is on your heart talk to Him about it. Take the time to dedicate your heart and life to Him.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 325!

Day 321: Half Empty or Half Full

1 Timothy 6:6

But Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Philippians 4:11

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

Is the glass half empty or half full? That’s a question that I have been asking myself a lot this past year. I had to learn that it was all about perspective. How I view things, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I will thank and praise God for all He’s done rather than focus on what is going wrong in my life. I’ve learned to realize that no matter what is going on, God has blessed me so much that if He never blesses me again, I’ll be fine.

That’s what I want to talk about today because I believe that how we see our lives has a lot to do with how content we are. Our contentment has to do with our relationship with God. See, God brings all type of fulfillment, He completes us. He gives us breath in our body everyday and gives us a reason to go on. When we live in that truth when we live knowing that God has done more for us than we could ever imagine already we will find ourselves being content with where we are.

I love that Paul points out that Godliness along with contentment is what brings great gain. Before that he says, that to some people a show of Godliness is just a means of gaining wealth, but the combination of Godliness and contentment is something else. When we are live a righteous life according to God and His word that brings contentment, but when we are content in that, that’s what brings great gain. We cannot just say that we are content because we want to gain something from God He knows our hearts and He knows when they are fraudulent. There’s something about being where we are and being okay with that that allows us to really dig into our relationship with God.

Going back to glass being half empty or half full, we may not have everything we’ve ever wanted or desire but we have enough and we should be good with that. I know it’s hard sometimes, I know we struggle and sometimes are hard to get through but in our darkest and lowest moments we must understand that God still gave us life, we are still here and that’s a reason to be content. Although we want things out of life, we all have things that we dream of and God has those in His hands, but we must trust in His plan and His timing and know that it will come when He wants it to come. BUt until then we will be content with where we are and where He has us. By constantly seeking gain or having more we are saying that what we have is not enough. Where God has us is not good enough, what He’s done is not enough. When something is empty or we view it as empty we are constantly trying to fill it. BUt if we view it as half full we are content. We could use a little more and maybe we want a little more, but if that doesn’t happen we are okay with what we have.

Sometimes we are so focused on getting to next place and getting more than we already have that we miss God. We are overlooking what God is doing right now because we are so concerned with what He is going to do or what we want to do. I challenge you to be content, trust in God and His plan. Be thankful for what you have and where you are right now and watch how God works in your life. Don’t be so focused on the future that we miss out on the present. It’s a gift and we only have it for a moment, don’t let it slip away.

All this to say, with God the glass is always half full. Then He will make it overflow, keep trusting Him.

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to respond to what we talked about today. Have a conversation with God about being content. Whatever is on your heart, talk to Him about. Take this time to just pray and talk to God.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 322!

Day 320: When God Blocks...

Numbers 22:21-34

So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, 23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls.25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. 27 This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff. 28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam. 29 “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” 30 “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”

“No,” Balaam admitted.

31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him. 32 “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. 33 Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.” 34 Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”

Sometimes we blame the devil for what God is doing because it doesn’t go the way we want it to. Whatever ‘it’ may be. We tend to think that when things don’t go the way we think they should then the devil’s hand is in it. Sometimes it’s God’s doing. Sometimes God is the one putting a block in our path. Sometimes God is the one stopping us from doing the very thing that we think is right. That’s what’s going on here, God is stopping Balaam from doing the very thing He is telling him not to do.

To give a bit of background of what is going on here, Balaam is approached by the King of Moab telling him to come curse the people that have just arrived from Egypt. God’s like, “No Balaam you will not go and curse the people I’ve blessed.” So Balaam relays that message to the king he’s all like, “God said no, go home I can’t go with you.” So the king sends his people more than before, and the king is like, “Please don’t let anything stop you from coming, I will pay you good money, just come.” Hold on, let’s unpack this. So Balaam is obviously a man of God and the king knows this, instead of honoring the fact that Balaam is listening to God, the king says “Don’t even let God stop you from coming, I will give you a lot of money”. As if his money is greater than God. Some of us have people in our lives that do not care about our relationship with God. Meaning they do not understand what God means to us so they are in a way trying to tear us apart from Him. Don’t let that happen to you. God is greater. Don’t allow the people God is trying to block you from, block you from God.

Back to the story, Balaam tells the king's people that he has to see what God says. So God is like, “Since they came to get you go ahead, but only do what I tell you, nothing else. On his way there God tries to stop him by sending an angel to block his path, but only the donkey sees him. This is the part I want to get to. Sometimes we miss the signs, we don’t see what God is putting right in front of us, and sometimes refuse to listen to the people or things God uses as vessels to warn us. The donkey saw the angel in the road and stopped every time. Each time the donkey stopped, Balaam who was trying to get to where he was going got angrier and angrier because the donkey was putting a dent in his plans. How many times are we like this with God’s people. When things don’t go our way we get into a bad mood, taking it out on everyone else as if it’s there fault. But if we open our eyes and see what God is doing we will understand that sometimes God is the ery one blocking our path. Sometimes He is the one who stops is from going into our own destruction. Everything is not the devil’s work, God works a million times more than satan. We as humans tend to give the credit to satan because we don’t  like what God is doing. Sound familiar?

All this to say, God is always working on our behalf even when we think He’s not. When God blocks something in our lives allow it to be blocked because when God closes a door please believe He’s opening another one for us. When God blocks something in our path it is never without reason. He knows what He’s doing.

Reflection

1. Have you ever felt like God was stopping you from doing something but you continued to do it anyway?
2. HOw many times have you found yourself blaming the devil for something God is doing?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Take the time to reflect on what we talked about today and respond in whatever way you feel led.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 321!

Day 317: Knowing God For Ourselves

John 14:6

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

How many times have we used someone else’s faith as a crutch so that we would not have to submit our lives fully to God? What I’m asking is have we ever felt like our faith or our salvation was dependent on someone else? We have pastors, parents, and leaders who will lead us to Christ, but the only way to eternity it through Christ. We must have a personal relationship with God for ourselves. People can lead us to the water but they cannot make us drink. We can be led to Christ all our lives but if we do not make the decision to follow Him ourselves we will remain wight where we are.

The only way to God is through Jesus, the only way to eternity is through Jesus. No one else can

get us there. No one else can make the decision for us.  Many of us grew up in church or going to church, and many of us did not. For those of us who grew up in church or around church or having a common knowledge of the Christian faith, we had to at one point come to the conclusion that knowing about God and knowing God are two completely different things. We must gain a relationship with God for ourselves and that’s something no one else can for us. Our parents can drag us to church all of our lives but we have to make that decision ourselves. We have to come to know God for who He is, we must profess our own faith. We must repent for our own sins. Our parents, our mentors, our pastors, no one can do that for us.

How many times have we depended on the faith of others to get us by? We’ve depended on the prayers of others, and thought just because we go to church that we are okay. We are good because we grew up in the church and we know about God, We know about the bible. We got baptised when we were younger, we take communion and our parents dedicated us. We go to church every sunday, and we listen to a good sermon that will hold us over until next sunday so, we’re good right? No we are not we must come to know God for ourselves, our parents introduce us to our faith, but we make the decision to follow Christ. We make the decision to choose Christ every day of our lives. We make the decision to spend time with God in His word, growing in our faith, learning and knowing more about Him. These are our decisions, if God doesn’t make that decision for us, why do we put it on others to do it for us. Many of us are thriving because someone is praying for us, someone is going to God on our behalf, many say it’s the prayers of our grandmothers, but I know that it’s Jesus standing at the right hand of God interceding for us day in and day out.

What I’m getting at here is, no one can have a relationship with God for us. No one can submit our lives to Christ for us. No one can get on our knees and confess our sins to God and repent. No one can accept Christ into our lives but us. My mom would always tell me, “I can’t stand before God on the day of judgement for you, you stand before Him alone.” That struck me so hard because when I’m standing before God He’s not going to ask about how many times I went to church with my mom or how I had a relationship with Him through someone else. No He wants us all to have a personal relationship with Him. He is concerned with our hearts and how we served Him. We must do it ourselves. We have the power to walk away from a life of sin and dwell with Christ for all of our days.

All this to say, the only way to God is through Christ, not our parents, mentors, pastors, etc. If we really want to know what it is to truly live, we must get to know God for ourselves. We must have a personal relationship with God.

Response/Prayer Time

1. Are you depending on someone else to have a relationship with God for you?
2. Do you think that going to church and listening to a sermon is enough to have a relationship with God?
3. Respond in whatever way you feel led. Take the time to think about what we discussed today and talk to God about.

If you’ve never made the decision to follow Christ and you want to, or if you want to rededicate your life to Him, now is the time to do. Now is the time to make that decision. If you want to be brought into this magnificent promise of eternity, now is the time to make that decision. If that’s you if you want to make that decision, pray this prayer with me,

“Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sins and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. I pray that you shine your  light on me and bring me out of the darkness and into your light. I love you Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! If you made the decision to follow Christ today, congratulations! Do not hesitate to reach and get plugged into  a church. Make sure you come back tomorrow for day 318!

Day 308: Recap! (Kinda)

We're doing the recap a bit differently today. Take the time to go back over what we discussed this week. Whatever spoke to you the most or whatever you feel led to, take the time to reflect. As we reflect today I want to bring your attention to Day 305 when we talked about trusting in the power of prayer and praying in faith. Tonight America needs of prayer, Texas needs our prayers. As another mass shooting has taken place just a month after the last mass shooting. Both together have claimed the lives of hundreds of people. Today a gunman walked into a church and opened fire killing 26 people. So tonight we pray, tonight we lift up those people and we pray for the families. We pray for healing for those hurt and affected. We pray for peace in our world and we pray that even through the evil in the world we will always see the goodness of God. In the midst of all the hate we will love. We love you Texas and Vegas, and you are in our prayers.

I love you all and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to come back tomorrow for Day 309!

Day 248: WE LOVE!

Today is a bit of an expansion or part two of Day 245.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

What is life without love? Is there any use of going through life without love? I’m going to answer these questions based on scripture, life is nothing without love. We gain nothing, it has no meaning. Going through life without love is essentially attempting to go through life without God. I love this scripture, it comes right before the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. However the passage we are focusing on today tells us that we can do great things in our lives and with our lives but if it is without love, it’s not worth anything. I think this is so important because we use so many things to try to take the place of the love we give others. Sometimes acts of love and actually loving someone are two completely different things. We do things for people to make it look like we love them. We can do great deeds for others, give everything up for them, but if it is not rooted in love, if we didn’t love people it would not matter. Sometimes these good deeds and great acts of kindness are to make ourselves feel and look better as opposed to the wellbeing of someone else. I’ve heard countless people who were born into wealthy families say, “I would give it all up, just to have a parent that truly loves me.” The thing I’m trying to get at here is, there is no substitution for love. We cannot replace it with anything else, no matter how expensive or how great the deed. Nothing beats love. Nothing.

We know that love is patient and kind, love does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it’s own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but it rejoices in the truth. We know all of this, it’s written right there in the scripture (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) We know the definition of love but why do we love?

We love because without it we have nothing. Love is our very foundation seeing that God is love (1 John 4:8). Everything we are is built upon that truth. The scripture goes through a myriad of things telling us we can have it all but if we do not have love it is not worth it. “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.” Everything we do is rooted in love. If it’s not then what’s the point?

We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). We love because it is a command from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Mark 12:30-31, Matthew 22:37-39, Luke 10:27). We love because God is love, and if we want any part in Him we will dwell in love, because it is who He is. If we want to live like Christ and enter into the gates of heaven we will live and walk in love the same way He did.

We love because sometimes people will only ever experience true love through us. We love because our world is broken and corrupted and love covers the multitude of sin (1 Peter 4:8). We love because it is the one thing that can bring us all together as one body. That’s who we are, we are lovers of God, ourselves, and people. Everything we are and everything we do shall forever be rooted in God, meaning that it will be rooted in love.

Reflection

1. Why do you love?
2. Why do we love, as the body of Christ?

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God and have a conversation about what we discussed today. Whatever is on your heart, as HIm to search your heart and teach you how to love.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 249!