Love Wins!

Don't just pretend that you love others.  Really love them.
Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of good.
Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.
Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Be glad for all God is planning for you.
 

Be patient in trouble and always be prayerful.  
When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out.

And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner,
 

or if they need lodging for the night.

If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them;
pray that God will bless them.

When others are happy, be happy with them.

If they are sad, share their sorrow.
Live in harmony with each other.

Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people.
And don't think you know it all!

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.
Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.
Do your part to live in peace with everyone as much as possible.
Romans 12:9-18

The Other Side of Through

Jesus, in Luke 4:35-41; 5:1, after having finished teaching by the lakeshore, told His disciples in v. 35, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake (NLT)." Now, notice what He said, they were going to the other side. Well, we all know the events that followed.

A great storm came and the disciples were afraid. And to top it all off, Jesus was sleeping in the midst of this ferocious storm! Frightened and distressed, the disciples awakened Jesus, who got up and simply said three words, "Peace be still."

He then asked the disciples why they were so frightened and whether or not they had faith in Him. See, the disciples lost sight of all the previous things Jesus had done. They lost sight of Who it was they had been with all this time. And they missed the simple promise Jesus gave in His saying, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." Don't let your situation make you forget the promise. Don't become so focused on the storm that you forget the One who is right there with you in the midst of it and has the power to bring peace even in the midst of the storm.

Note that Luke 5:1 tells us that they did make it to the other side as promised and there Jesus healed the man who had been possessed by a legion of demons. Know that on the other side of the storms you face, you will have grown in your faith and because you have grown in your faith, you will have also become perserverant and more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Through the storms, come peace. Through the storms, comes increase. Through the storms, come healing.

When we have the proper perspective of our stormy times in life and understand that they come to make us strong, our attitude is that of joy rather than sorrow. It is one of the many ways in which our Heavenly Father shows His love for us. Proverbs 3:11-12 says: "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as the father the son he delights in." So whether you are experiencing a storm because of a poor choice you've made or even just from life itself, know that God allows these to come to bring us into a closer and more intimate walk with Him. And God is just SO good that He doesn't leave us to go through it alone. We have a Comfortor, the indwelling Holy Spirit of God who leads and guides us if we'd but only listen.

So, when your storms come, for they will, remember that they have a purpose: to produce growth in your life, to make you strong and to bring you closer to the Father! And in the midst of that storm, know that your loving Heavenly Father is growing you more and more into the likeness of His Son, Jesus the Christ!

Getting Back to the Basics

The minute you get away from the fundamentals the bottom will fall out of whatever you are doing. ~ Michael Jordan 

What made Michael Jordan such an extraordinary basketball player was his dedication to the simplistic essentials of the game. He understood that if he mastered them, he'd be almost invincible. So he practiced them, over and over again until they became natural. As followers of Christ, we too must have an intense dedication to the simplistic essentials of the faith. We must practice them over and over again, until they become natural. We cannot allow all the things of this life to cause us to move away from or forget who we are and Whose we are. Today, get back to the basics! Get your Word, pen and paper and find a place of solitude and silence and ask God to help you to refocus. Position yourself to receive from Holy Spirit and ask Him to guide you as you pore over the Scriptures. And then, get up and walk on the firm foundation which has been laid!

God's Got It!

David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, " Go, and the Lord be with you." I Samuel 17:37


In the midst of what would be a seeming crisis, David, the young shepherd boy, demonstrates a tremendous confidence and faith in God. He basically told them, "It's gonna be all right! I got this, trust! God's got my back." David didn't rely and rest in his own ability, rather he had first hand experience with the awesome power of God. Saul's response to David is one of doubt and a lack of confidence. He looked at David's physique, youth and his inexperience in battle as stumbling blocks to victory. Oh, but what a shame. For David may have been smaller than Saul in stature, younger than him in years and ill experienced in battle, but what David did have was an all consuming faith and reliance in an Almighty God whom he knew as Victorious!

Paraphrasing, David said to Saul, "Let me break it down for you. See one day while I tending to the sheep, along came a bear trying to get on his creep. I jumped to my feet cause he was coming after my sheep, and I had to put a beating on him! I wasn't packin' , but I was doing some hackin'. Then along came a lion trying to sneak up on me. I had to give him the beat down too. It wasn't cause of me, but because of Jehovah working in me."

David went on further to show his disgust and disdain for this "uncircumcised" Philistine who had the audacity to challenge the Almighty God. He let Saul know that he may have forgotten who God was, but David certainly had not. David had tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord and how powerful were His mighty acts. Therefore David could say, "This Philistine aint about nothin'. God's got it under control. Let me have at him. God's got this!"

What giants do you have in your life? Whose attitude best reflects your own in "giant situations", that of Saul or David? Have you lost faith because you have focused so much on the giant that your view of God has been clouded and muddled? Have you forgotten the times that God empowered you to "slay the bears and the lions" in your life? Its always good to go back to those spiritual markers in your life and to remember how you made it through. Its good to remember how when the lion and the bear came God empowered you in your frailty to take the lion and the bear by the throat and to slay them in victory. Remember, that for every giant in your life there was once a lion or a bear, but you came out victorious. God has already won the victory over the "giant" in your life, so don't lose faith.

Today, follow the example of David, wherein he didn't allow Saul's lack of faith in his life's experience to dissuade him from believing that God was able. Walk confidently in the fact that you serve an Almighty, All Powerful, Victorious God. And in the words of the Apostle Paul, "If God is for us, who can be against us?...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Romans 8:31b,37)

My Husband's Helpmeet

In His creative process, we see only one instance when God said that something wasn’t good. God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone. So, He created a helper suitable for him. This helper would complement Adam and be his counterpart in every way. Out of the place that protected Adams heart, his rib, God created Eve. She would come alongside Adam to fulfill the purpose for which God had created man. She was to love, support and respect Adam as, together, they carried out God’s purposes here on earth. 

I have learned that being a helper to my husband means that I must first understand who I am and the role that I play in his life. When I align myself under the authority which God has established, I can then, without reservation, resentment or regret, carry out and be fulfilled as his helper. Because I realize my worth and value, as his helper I can help him to be and do all that God has purposed for him and our family. As my husband’s helper I have learned to use all that God has entrusted in me, my gifts, talents and skills to enhance my husband, my home and my family. My husband knows that I will always have his back. I am his greatest fan and biggest cheerleader! Therefore, his heart can safely trust in me because I will always have his best interest at heart. I strive to be a safe haven where he can come and find peace and rest and not criticism and instead of always complaining about what he is not, pray for him where he is weak and praise him in his strengths. As his helper, I understand that when I come alongside him and walk in oneness with him in all that God has called us to, we proclaim God’s truth to the world. We give the world a picture of God’s love. 

A Marriage Investment Plan

We invest our time, efforts and money into things that we deem as important. Here are a few ways you can invest in your marriage:

• Commit to praying for and with one another.
• Commit to speaking your spouse's love language on a regular basis. Gary Chapman's book, The Five Love Languages helps you find out how you can speak love to your spouse.
• Commit to forgiveness. Don't get historical but fight fair.
• Have a time of Bible study together that fits your schedule.
• Commit to biblical love for one another. I Corinthians 13
• Make your marriage your priority. Spend time together enjoying each other's company. Have a regular date night and go on periodic getaways.
• Spend time processing through your day together...and be fully present.
• Commit to showing an authentic interest in your spouse and helping them to succeed in life. Remember, you are a team!
• Enjoy expressing love to one another through the gift of sex. Bed ministry is a must in every marriage!

Sit down together and map out how you will carry out this investment plan. Spend time in prayer asking God for His power to live out the plan He has designed for your marriage. 

Date Your Spouse!

For the past 15 years at our house, Friday night has been date night. We protect it at all costs because we know that spending one on one time having fun together is key to sustaining our friendship in marriage. If you haven't done so already, select a day and time that works for your family and stick to it. Don't make excuses but rather make the investment that will reap longlasting dividends.

 For some great and affordable date night ideas, head on over and see what date night ideas The Dating Divas have to offer this week. www.thedatingdivas.com