The other day I was scrolling through my Instagram feed after a very divided nation was arguing each of their sides to the issue of a recent Supreme Court ruling. I was taken back by the comments and reactions of each side. This isn’t the first time our nation has been divided on how to handle the care of human life nor will it be the last. The question we can ask ourselves in these times of heated debate is, how will the outcome be most beneficial, in our reactions or our response?
In our reactions we will always stay in the argument, the debate will never end because reactions are fueled with our emotions. The enemy would like nothing more than for us to stay in our reactions, because in our reactions is how the enemy distracts us and keeps us in the argument and chaos.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of react is: “to exert a reciprocal or counteracting force or influence—often used with on or upon. 2: to change in response to a stimulus. 3: to act in opposition to a force or influence—usually used with against 4: to move or tend in a reverse direction.”
To react is to respond without thinking, is impulsive, immediate, and chases our emotions. Our reactions are usually driven by our fears, attached to unmet expectations, and are short-sighted not able to rationally see the entire perspective of our situation. As you can see in the definition, to react is usually a negative response in opposition of something.
Definition of respond: “to say something in return : make an answer respond to criticism 2a: to react in response to a call for help b: to show favorable reaction, respond to surgery. 3: to be answerable”
In the Bible, when Jesus was presented with a situation, he responded not reacted. One of the greatest examples of this, is the woman’s life he spared from stoning in John 8. When the Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to Jesus, they wanted Him to react to her sin and make an example of her to others. But Jesus doesn’t react, He responds to what the woman needs, His grace. According to the Jewish Law of Consequence this woman deserved to be stoned publicly to shame her for what she had done. But Jesus shows a new way, one that forgives and restores, that doesn’t codon or condemn.
Jesus then stood up and said, “‘Where are they?’ ‘Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; and from now on, ‘sin no more.'” (John 8:10-11).
Jesus didn’t react to the woman’s sin, he responded to her deepest need. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to react to what this woman deserved. But this is where the enemy will entrap us to react, to cast stones at someone’s behavior, to keep us in a cycle to constantly throw stones at one another. Jesus breaks the cycle and doesn’t respond to the crazy, but sets a new path to enter into his healing grace.
The response is intentional, delayed, comes from a place of love and respect, rational, comes from self-control, and thinks about the long-term picture. From the definition, to respond is to show a favorable reaction. There will always be something we don’t agree with. An argument. A debate. We have to ask ourselves what is the outcome we desire? My desire is that everyone I know, knows the love of Jesus and one day I will see them in heaven. Life is too short and precious to spend it arguing especially with loved ones. Is my opinion and battle to be right the desire I want? Not Really. We all want to be seen and heard. We get lost in the fight to be right and miss out on God’s victory, a battle he’s already fought and won.
If there is one thing I hear Jesus telling me, is my role is to be the vessel, the messenger. My job is to bring the loaves of bread and fish, Jesus will feed the 5,000. My role is to show people the love of Jesus, not to cast stones. My purpose is to step out of the boat, not to sit there and wait until the storm is over to respond to what is happening in the world. I may get wet or even sink but Jesus will be there to hold my hand. I don’t have to like or agree with what everyone is doing, but I am called to love others no matter who they are or what they have done. We are all sinners and don’t deserve what Jesus has done for us, his gift is for everyone, we don’t have to earn it. The love of Jesus is for everyone.
Next time you see a post you don’t like or agree with, Ask God:
How should I respond?
What is the outcome you desire?
Will people see Jesus in my reaction or my response?
We may not have control over our situations, but we can control how we react or respond to our situations. Jesus came so we could have life and have it to the full. We miss out on His abundance when we allow our reactions to have the best of us. If we don’t control our reactions, our reactions will control us. How can you respond today to a situation you don’t like? We are able to have peace and serenity restored when our response is driven by God’s love.
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Do you desire to more Scripture and Prayer to guide your marriage?!?!? So do I! I’m so glad you’re here! Staying close to God’s truth is the best way arm and protect our marriage from what the world says. So many marriages are under spiritual attack and need the stability of God’s truth to stay grounded and healthy. Learning what God says about marriage will set our marriages us for success to continue to grow stronger and stronger. Keep these Scriptures nearby, so you can refer to them at anytime.
Marriage can be like a full-length mirror reflecting our inadequacies and flaws or like iron that sharpens iron, a process that refines us into the best version of ourselves. God’s intent for our marriage is to be sacred and holy. Staying connected with your spouse in daily prayer is another way to be rooted and grounded in God’s truths and protected from the enemy. Print out the Marriage Prayer Bookmark to use and pray with your spouse the armor of God over your marriage.
Here Are 10 Bible Verses About Marriage:
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about marriage, is when I am having a bad day or my spouse is having a bad day, two are better than one. Our relationship with God makes us complete. He has made and created marriage to help refine us, not leave us to do life alone. Allowing our spouses to come alongside us when we’re having a bad day can be one of the most life-giving things we do. We don’t have to have it all together all the time. Marriages are made to help support one another and bring out the best in each other. When we don’t allow our spouses to help us back up when we fall, we are missing out on the beautiful gift God has given us, our spouse–these are the moments that will bring us closer together.
2. Prayer is a beautiful power gift God has given us, especially in marriages. I have been guilty at times of not making prayer a priority in my marriage. As a result we can slowly see our marriages suffer. I never regret making prayer a priority, a daily habit especially with my spouse. In times of desperation we can always pray. God hears us especially in numbers. For more ways to pray with your spouse, either print out the bookmark below or click on link 5 P’s to Pray over your marriage.
3. Whenever there is a struggle in marriage, I can guarantee you, there is the enemy behind the scenes at work. The enemy would like nothing more than to come between our marriages, cause division, and destroy what God deems holy and sacred. When we allow God’s desires to be our desires, He aligns our hearts with HIS WILL, not ours. If there is a struggle, tension, or an argument, take a step back and analyze a heart’s motives, is this MY WILL or God’s? Sometimes we have to let go of our own expectations and desires of what we want, to allow God’s desires to Fill our hearts.
4. One of the best ways to allow God to be the center of your marriage, is to empty your heart of all things worldly. When we SEEK God with ALL of our hearts, we will find an overabundance of God’s wisdom, peace, joy, freedom, and love. In marriage we may not always see eye to eye, understand each other or agree, but one common ground we can trust and stand on is God’s TRUTH of who He says we are, His WISDOM, His LOVE, His GOODNESS.
5. This is my prayer not only for my marriage, but my family as well. When we love what God loves, with all of our heart, soul, and strength the bond that we build in our relationship with God and our marriage is strengthened with a strength that nothing in this world can break or destroy. The Love of God is meant to endure, persevere, and be eternal. The world can never offer anything beyond temporary, mediocre, or idleness.
Marriage is a gift that is meant to make us more holy than happy. Happiness is the byproduct of God’s holiness that turns into an eternal joy no one can take away when we allow our hearts and marriages to be God’s dwelling place for His wisdom, love, peace, and freedom. No amount of evil, circumstances, or tragedy can take away God’s eternal gifts He has given us. Imagine what the world would look like if we all allowed our hearts and marriage to be God’s dwelling place.
Life will throw so many curve balls at us. To expect we will never have seasons of hardship is an unrealistic expectation. To expect marriage to always be blissful and happy is also an unrealistic expectations. When we take out the language always and never, we can learn to plant, grow, and harvest the way God intended for us. In due season we will reap the harvest 30, 60, 100 fold (Mark 4:20).
8. You are God’s handiwork. He makes no mistakes. He has created you to be his workmanship, to display His glory, and prepare you for eternity. Marriages can be the most sanctifying process we go through and the biggest platform to display His glory. Whenever we go through a struggle we can turn to God and say thank you for another opportunity to be a reflection of you! We are meant to be a reflection of Jesus. Whenever a situation occurs we can refer to the One who knows all and allow Him to guide us, and seek His wisdom in the process!
9. A strand of three cords is not easily broken. A marriage that puts God first and center of their lives and marriage is a marriage that is not easily destroyed. We are meant to do this life together with God, not separate, apart where we are exposed to the enemies attacks. We are stronger together.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
10. God’s love never fails. When we choose to love we are choosing to be hurt and disappointed, because our love isn’t perfect and we get it wrong every time. God’s love will always prevail and keep us safe. His love is eternal and everlasting. God’s love always forgives. In marriage we will have to forgive, when we do we learn how to love like Jesus. God’s love will never ask you to hide, keep secrets, or allow for bad behavior. His love requires boundaries that help keep his love in and the enemy out. Just like in the garden of Eden, God’s love will be found at the beginning and end of every boundary (Dr. Henry Cloud), will flourish, grow, and refine us more than we could ever imagine.
I’m so honored I’ve been invited to speak at the 2021 Wives of Integrity Marriage Conference! I want to invite you to 2021 WOI Marriage Conference! FREE Registration and the discounted ALL-ACCESS PASS for $39 ends 11:59 am May 9th TONIGHT! Pricing increases to $59 tomorrow, May 10th. Here are some of the topics the conference covers.
Healthier, happier communication.
Better physical and emotional intimacy.
Seeing sex as an act of worship, not a chore.
The ability to trust God with your husband’s salvation.
Learning how to have financial intimacy.
Understanding how to have hope and healing after betrayal.
The gift of prayer and fasting for your marriage.
…AND SO MUCH MORE!
Here are other Resources to help grow and build your marriage!
Stay Connected in marriage by reading God’s word and staying in Prayer. Here is a 30 Day Marriage Bible Reading Plan and FREE Printable Marriage Prayer Book mark.
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Who are my avid readers out there? What do you like to read? What is your favorite genre of books? This year one of my goals is to read 40 books in one year, which means I have to read 3 books a month. I’ve been reading 1-2 books via audible, 1 book via kindle, and 1-2 hard copy books a month. If you like to read, I would love to have you join me on the journey to read and discuss some of these books.
That is why I started my first book club, The Healing Book Club! (Click on link to join the FB Group)
We will read faith based books and books written by experts such as doctors on topics such as mental and emotional health, healing from pasts hurts, inspirational stories, and social injustice. I love to learn and have conversations about books I’ve read and learn where I can grow and do better. I’m excited to share this upcoming month’s book pick She Writes For Him, “Black Voices of Wisdom,” written by a couple of my friends Kennita Williams and Carol Chisolm. This May they will join us for the book club discussion. We will be able to listen to their stories and ask them questions. If you’re anyone like me, you’re probably thinking, I don’t have time to read a book and talk about it. When I set my goal, I knew I needed accountability.
Click image to buy
Here are 3 Reasons Why You Should Join a Book Club:
1. To Be Intentional– Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Nothing Changes, when Nothing Changes?’ When I’m doing the same thing over and over and expect something different to happen, that is the definition of insanity. We can’t expect to have something new or different in our lives when we’re only viewing life from our own singular perspective. Reading books from different authors and backgrounds, allows us to view life through the lens and eyes of someone not like us. It allows us to hear their heart and what concerns them. James tells us, “my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; (1:19). Committing to reading a book a month, helps us to be intentional, and engage in interesting conversations about new topics. It helps us to step out of our comfort zones and engage in new things. Something always changes when we try something new.
2. To learn and grow. I’m always amazed how inspired I am when I learn something new about a topic. I always feel so inspired after reading a book, and to make changes from the things I’ve read and learned. That’s why I like to read the Bible, God’s instructions help keep me straight and identify where I am lacking and need to grow most. 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” You will never regret being in a place of humbleness where you are willing to grow and learn. I love to read books that make an impact and challenge me to do better.
3. To engage, connect, and make new friendships. Whenever I join a book club, I meet so many new people, and have engaging conversations I never would have had before. Connection and togetherness is God’s design for our lives. Reading books from the perspective of someone else who is different than us, broadens our sight and hearing beyond our own lens. It allows us to walk across the street and move beyond the four walls of our homes. “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). We need each other to grow. The connections and conversations we have in book clubs are life giving and something we can always take with us. You never know what a conversation might spark or connection you will make in a book club that God will use for what he has for you next.
Here is a description of the next book from Amazon.
Hear the Voices and Hearts of Your Sisters.
In these turbulent times when the ugly stain of racism is at the forefront of our society bringing rampant division and mistrust, we desperately need ways to come together.
To build bridges of understanding between all in the body of Christ, we bring you twenty-three voices of Black Christian women, authors, ministers, educators, leaders, and mothers. Their powerful life experiences and heartfelt wisdom will shake you, open your eyes, and help you understand your sisters in Christ.
From the ways women of color are treated in our society, to raising Black daughters and sons, how a Black woman can have a white supremacist attitude, to how to respond as Christ would have us, their life experiences will be a link in bridging the gap between us with love.
May this powerful volume be a part of the bridge of love and understanding we need to walk across with our sisters.
Other Books we will possibly read:
The Gift of Pain- Phillip Yancey Permission to Feel- Dr. Marc Brackett
Be the Bridge- Latasha Morrison Together- Dr. Vivek Murthy
Clean Up Your Mental Mess- Dr. Caroline Leaf The Power of Vulnerability- Dr. Brené Brown
Get Out of Your Head- Jennie Allen Outliers- Malcolm Gladwell
Oneness Embraced- Tony Evans The Power of Moments- Chip and Dan Heath
How to Fight Racism- Jemar Tisby Boundaries- Dr. Henry Cloud
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After years of marriage, we can go on auto-pilot. You pick up the dry cleaning, and I’ll pick up the kids. It is Taco Tuesday and church on Sunday, and one day you wake up and realize you have just been going through the motions. This happens to couples all the time. Their once hot and heavy romance turns into a situation where they are more like roommates than lovers. Or maybe your husband works long hours and you stay home with the kids. By the time he comes home, he is looking for love and all you want to do is collapse when it comes time for bed. There are millions of other possible scenarios, but the bottom line is God has SO MUCH more for our marriages. When Christ is the center of your life, the connection you have with Jesus overflows into every aspect of your life, including your marriage. When we walk in the fullness of Jesus it changes our hearts, our marriages and it changes us.
Enter Amanda Davison. Sometime last year Amanda had a big God-sized dream to help wives thrive in their marriage through community. Amanda formed the non-profit ministry A Wife Like Me and developed an online space to gather wives in community. She assembled a team of authors from across the country to help her implement the vision that God gave her to start a community and a movement of wives. Women who were committed to growing in relationship to Jesus and their husbands by practicing Biblical principles in their marriages. The A Wife Like Me team has written its first book in response to the needs of women through our gathering space and feedback from the blog.
Dear Wife: 10 Minute Invitations to Practice Connection with Your Husband
We have a fantastic team of contributors at A Wife Like Me team who have come together to contribute monthly blog posts and provide Biblical resources for wives. We’ve had the best time coming together under Amanda’s leadership to dream, plan and pray how to best serve wives. And thus Dear Wife was born. Dear Wife is written by seventeen different contributors from the A Wife Like Me team. All the contributors who wrote this book are accomplished authors, speakers, and Christian leaders who have walked through fire in their marriages and have lived to tell about it.
Dear Wife Contributor Team
Dear Wife begins with a sweet invitation to draw near your Savior Jesus Christ and contains 26 invitations, with ten-minute practices, to grow in your connection with your husband by growing closer to Jesus. Each invitation includes scripture from the life of Jesus and a devotional application, and thought-provoking reflection questions to grow closer in connection to The Father and to your husband.
My two invitations in the book are the third invitation entitled What We Really Need and the final invitation Surrendered Service.
Dear Wife: 10 Minute Invitations to Practice Connection with Your Husband
Do you wish you had more alone time with your husband? Do you find yourself going through the day-to-day busy routine of life while your marriage is on cruise control, without intentional time together spent connecting? Do you desire deeper intimacy and love with your husband?
Being married is great, but being married and feeling intimately connected is what every wife desires.
Dear Wife provides you with twenty-six heart-changing invitations to discover how Christ desires connection with you and how through connection with Christ, you’ll develop deeper connection with your husband.
In this book, you will:
Replace boring and busy with building deep intimacy and love
Swap ongoing complacency with intentional connection
Spend guided alone time with your husband and God
Experience more depth in your marriage relationship
Restore and build connection with God and with your husband
Dear Wife is available for preorder now and releases 5/1. Dearwifebook.com #dearwifebook
Misty Phillip is passionate about helping women overcome challenges in life by seeking Jesus, studying the Word and growing in grace. She is the author of The Struggle is Real: But so is God Bible Study, Founder and host of the By His Grace Podcast, sought after speaker at MistyPhillip.com and contributor to both Dear Wife and to A Wife Like Me.
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I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below. Have a Blessed Week! In Him,
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If you are apart of a family most likely you know where they are. Nowadays there are apps to locate loved ones or smart homes to let you know when they arrive home. I am one that is not so technologically advanced and have to rely on my kids or youtube to help me with certain tasks on the phone.
One app our family downloaded, is the Life 360 app which can tell me the exact location of my family. I simply click on the app and pictures of my family pop up on the map of where they are located. The app comes in handy when I’m at work and it’s not my day to carpool. I know when the kids arrive at school because the app alerts me, they arrived! The app also tells me how much battery life each family member’s phone has to let me know if their phone is about to die in case I’m not able to get ahold of them.
Isn’t it nice to know the location of your family and they are safe?
Knowing the location of our families isn’t just important in the physical sense, knowing where they are spiritually is just as important. We need to keep track, so we where they are and if they are safe.
3 Ways to Pray for Your Family With CONFIDENCE:
1. Know Where They Are. Can you confidently say 100% my loved one is going to heaven? This is one of the most important questions to ask yet we shy away from it, why? Because we’re afraid we might hurt feelings or don’t want to offend anyone? Not asking you’re loved one where they are spiritually is a greater loss than asking them–Do they believe? Knowing where they are spiritually can give you a better idea of how to pray for them. Pray for opportunities to share Jesus in a non-confrontational way, pray for doors to be opened for you or others to speak truth and grace into their lives, for them to receive the love of Jesus.
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:2-4
2. Know Where They Are Going. More than anything I want to confidently say all MY Family is going to heaven. More than anything I want to say I will see them there one day. In the above verses, Jesus is speaking to Thomas and at this point he’s confused and asks Jesus, “We don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5 ESV). Jesus then responds………..
Praying for our family’s eternal salvation is one of the most important life changing prayers we can pray. I have been praying for family members my whole life that one day they will accept Jesus and go to heaven. Don’t give up, keep praying you never know how God will work.
3. Know Where They’ve Been. I’m not talking about in a creepy stalker way, I’m saying in a loving concerned way. Can you say with confidence I know where my kids/family have been, what they’re doing, who they’ve been hanging out with? Can you confidently say I know what they’ve been exposed to, for how long and if they are in safe situations? We all slip up and make mistakes. But allowing consistent patterns of losing track of where they are can create new paths of not knowing where they will be going.
We want to train up our children to be the ones that transform the world not be transformed by the world. Pray you will stay alert, ask the right questions, that you’re loved one will open up to you and be honest. Pray for opportunities to have good/hard conversations. Pray you will have the right words to say and your loved one will be open to listen.
And above all seek wisdom and obedience. A surrendered heart accepts the will of God better than any disobedient heart.
More than anything, I want to confidently say my family is safe and I know where they are going. If you haven’t had that conversation with your loved, ask yourself why not? What’s holding you back from asking?
God has planned a place for us. He has planned a way for us to get there–through Jesus. And He plans to come back to get us. Will you and you’re family be ready?
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT).
When we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are all apart of one big family. How amazing will it be when we are reunited again with our loved ones? How amazing will it be to know we are all in the same place?
Just as our phones can’t operate without being charged our physical lives can’t operate without sleep and nourishment, as our spiritual lives can’t survive without a relationship with God. Staying in prayer, staying in His word, not only gives us the spiritual strength we need but also transforms our hearts and lives. There is a Bible app that can help refill our spiritual lives that has lots of info of the place God has prepared for us.
We don’t have to have it all together to follow Jesus, in fact Jesus loves broken people. He loves everyone no matter who they are. When Jesus comes back he’s not going to ask us, “Do you believe everything the Bible says?” He’s going to ask, “Do you believe I sent my son to die for you?”
If you are a believer, you become my sister or brother in Christ. Nothing brings me more joy than to know my brothers and sisters are going to heaven. We become apart of the same lineage, adopted into the same family. If you’re struggling, it’s okay to wrestle with God and question why? I promise you He has the answer to your pain, your heartache and struggle–His love. God loves you more than anything.
Do you believe?
Can you confidently say all my family is going to heaven? If not start praying with confidence!
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I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below! Have a Blessed Week!
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There are some things in this life that are hard to describe unless they are witnessed firsthand. I have been a nurse for almost 19 years and have witnessed some of life’s most amazing and devastating moments. I would like to share with you one of those moments today that has been ingrained forever in my heart.
This particular day, I had already finished a couple of cases in the operating room. People who know me, know I wear a cross necklace. As I entered the room of the next patient, he saw the cross I was wearing around my neck. Before I had the chance to introduce myself, he held out his hands for me to hold. He took my hands then said, “Do you believe Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior?” I said, “Yes.” It was obvious this patient did not speak much English. He smiled and said in his broken English, “Then you are my sister.”
Here was a man (probably of Russian descent) whom I’ve never met before, embracing and proclaiming me to be his sister in Christ before he even knew my name.
As I was still holding this man’s hand, I responded back to him, “Then you are my brother.”
What’s so amazing about this moment, it didn’t matter this man could barely speak English. It didn’t matter he didn’t know my name—he didn’t need to. He only needed to know that I loved and accepted Jesus as my Savior. We didn’t need to speak the same language to understand God’s love for us. God’s love is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.
This man showed me it doesn’t matter if we are Catholic, Greek or Jewish. When we accept the love of Jesus, we become the same lineage, united by the blood of Christ which makes us brothers and sisters. In God’s love, there are no orphans left behind. It doesn’t matter if we came from a broken home, a perfect home or don’t have a home. The love of Jesus provides a home for everyone– his love is our home. We are all apart of God’s one big family when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, adopted by the blood of Christ.
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:5 NLT
Once we are adopted into God’s family, we become new citizens not of this world but of heaven.
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;” Philippians 3:20
God’s love is what transforms our hearts and our lives.
“who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:21
My patient recognized I was a part of his family that day because I was wearing my cross. What if I wasn’t wearing my cross? How would others recognize we are apart of the same family?
Watching the news, there is so much division and hard to tell who is apart of God’s family because of our differences. Even in our differences, God’s love is what unites us.
His grace is what saves us. When Christ lives in us, his loving kindness overflows from within us, allowing others to see the love of Jesus. When we give the lovingkindness of God, others will know how much God loves them and in Christ, we are all apart of God’s holy family.
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!” Phil 4:1
There is no greater love than the love of Jesus. God could have lived anywhere in the world but he chose to live in our hearts! (author unknown). You are loved my sister (or brother)!
Are you apart of God’s one big family?
How can we show others we are apart of God’s family?
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Want to know more about being apart of God’s big family? Are you my brother or sister in Christ? Please introduce yourself, I would love to hear from you! Please Leave Your Comments Below. Have a Blessed Week!
https://i0.wp.com/www.heathergillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/you-are-my-sister_orig.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=110801080Heather Gillishttp://www.heathergillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/heather-gillis-logo.pngHeather Gillis2019-02-08 02:00:382019-02-08 03:40:23A Love That Transcends All Borders
I’m always so amazed when I’m in my closet looking for an outfit when I pass by something I’ve worn before at an event in my life, I’m taken back to that day.
When my eyes set on my wedding gown that’s preserved in a box in my closet, I’m taken back to my wedding day.
When I browse by an ugly sweater I wore to a Christmas party I’m taken back to that day.
When I peruse past a certain dress, I’m taken back to the day of the funeral, the ball, the function I attended.
Why is it every shirt, pair of shoes or dress I wear just by looking at the outfit I’ve worn before, my mind takes me back to that memory of the day of the clothes I’ve worn.
Yet when I put on those clothes I am branded with the memory or feeling associated with those clothes.
My memory is my memory regardless of the clothes I wore, yet I identify myself with them.
Colossians 3:10 MSG, “10 Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.”
Paul is telling the Colossians they don’t have to focus on past labels or the old fashions of life. He was teaching them when their focus was on their Creator, on what He had done for them, they were putting on a new wardrobe, a new self one that was free from their past.
Colossians 3:12 MSG
12 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.
We have been chosen to live out a life of love and not bound to the mistakes of our past or ugly cycles of defeat. When we clothe ourselves with the loving kindness compassion of Christ we are putting on a new wardrobe, a new self.
So maybe the clothes I wear do define me?
The worldly clothes I wear don’t define me, but the clothing of Christ does.
I love the way Paul teaches because he uses analogies we all can relate to of physical, worldly things and translates them into the spiritual. He even tells the Colossians in (Col. 3:8 MSG), “Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire.”
We don’t have to revert back to old ways, we don’t have to keep putting on that old wardrobe that keeps us cuddled up to our sins. We can take them off and throw them away for good never returning back to them because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Do you have the one stand out garment in your closet, the go-to garment you put it on and everyone recognizes its unique and different?
Paul gives further instructions and tells us about stand out garments.
“13 Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. 14 And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it”. (Colossians 3:13-14 MSG).
When we put on love we are able to be kind, compassionate, humble, and forgive. We are able to leave behind the past allow ourselves to walk into the future filled with hope and freedom.
When we put on love we will be filled with God’s strength and discipline. We don’t have to try with our own strength when we put on love we are free from our sinful tendencies.
When we put away our bad tempers, irritability, meanness, profanity, and dirty talk, and put on love, others in the world will notice and recognize the love and compassion of Christ. And “When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too – the real you, the glorious you” (Colossians 3:4 MSG).
What kind of clothes do you wear?
What’s in your wardrobe?
A Prayer- Lord Jesus, help us get rid of anything keeping us in the past, keeping us from you. Help us get rid of our old worldly wardrobes and clothe ourselves with your kindness, humility, strength, discipline and above all else your love, God. I pray we will choose to wear love every day. May it be apart of our everyday lives, our everyday speech and actions. May love be our choice and response above all things, Lord. Help us put on a new wardrobe, one that you have created, never to put on our old wardrobe again. We thank you and praise you Jesus for who you are and what you are able to do. We love you. In Jesus name, Amen.
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Have you ever had one of those neighbors who were just hard to love? Some years ago, my husband and I had a very humbling experience with one of our neighbors. We had just moved into our new home and there was a knock at the door. Behind the door was a woman, who didn’t introduce herself, but instead handed me an envelope and said, ‘give this to the owner’ and then walked away.
Turns out the woman who handed me the envelope was our neighbor. Inside the envelope was a bill for a few thousand dollars stating we owed her money for our ‘shared’ fence. We had been the fourth owners of this property and were very confused to be informed we ‘owed’ our neighbor money. We thought by ignoring the hand-delivered letter we would avoid our neighbor’s request. We were wrong.
As it turned out, our neighbors were lawyers. If we didn’t address this issue they would take us to court. Even in our debacle, I heard God’s voice whisper to me, ‘love your neighbor.’ Technically we didn’t owe them money because of the statute of limitations. We knew if we didn’t oblige, our time would be spent arguing in court about whether or not we owed them money.
In the end, we gave them money for the fence. But something happened in the process. It changed our hearts. Our decision to love our neighbor instead of arguing with them showed them kindness and softened our hearts.
Maybe you don’t have an extreme neighbor situation like we had, but maybe there’s that one neighbor that rubs you the wrong way. Maybe your neighbors’ dog poops in your yard and doesn’t clean it up. Maybe they leave the porch lights on that shine into your house all night or maybe they’re just noisy. We may not always like our neighbors or what they do, but we can always pray for them.
How to Pray for Your Neighbor
Pray your neighbor will know the love of Jesus. The best way for our neighbors to know the love of Jesus is to introduce ourselves, invite them over, get to know them. Learn their names, their stories and how you can pray for them. As you’re driving or walking in the neighborhood pray for neighbors to know the love of Jesus and for opportunities to show them His love. Col. 3:12, Micah 6:8
Pray for unity in the community. Pray there will be no division in your neighborhood amongst neighbors. Pray God’s peace and love will bind you. Pray there will be love and acceptance even in differences. There is unity in community. Do something to bring your neighborhood together–host a community garage sale, organize a neighborhood clean-up, host a neighborhood chili-cookoff, do a neighborhood BBQ in a nearby park. Practice being a good neighbor, it will bring your neighborhood closer together. Ecc. 4:9, Rom. 16:17, Rom. 15:7, Col. 1:10
Ask God to help show your neighbor the love of Christ. God commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves in Mark 12:31. Pray Mark 12:30-31, together as a family to love the Lord God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul and to love your neighbor as yourself. Do something kind for your neighbor–bake banana bread or a meal for them, invite them over for coffee and doughnuts, offer to watch their pet, invite them to church. No one would ever know the love of Christ if we don’t show them.
Praying for our neighbors softens and changes the attitude of our hearts to be focused on how God wants us to treat others. Even if we don’t like our neighbors, we can pray for them. We are meant to live in community with one another. Being neighborly prepares our hearts to live in the best community ever for when we go to heaven.
Being a good neighbor fulfills God’s greater plan, strengthens communities and destroys the enemy’s plans for division among us. We are stronger together.
This summer, reach out to one neighbor, practice the art of neighboring by doing one action step and pray for them.
Do you know who your neighbors are?
How can you pray for your neighbor?
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I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below.
http://www.heathergillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/heather-gillis-logo.png00Heather Gillishttp://www.heathergillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/heather-gillis-logo.pngHeather Gillis2018-06-01 01:00:542018-05-22 20:04:05Why We Should Pray For Our Neighbors
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