Tag: love

Encouraging Each Other

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

Everywhere you go, people will say things like, “Times are hard,” or “I wish things would change” or my favorite, “I can’t wait until God judges all of this wickedness.” From higher prices at the pumps and in the grocery store to absolute evil being promoted over the airwaves, most of us are tired of the direction things are going in our world today. So, what should be our response? Instead of bemoaning all that is wrong and wishing for God’s imminent judgment, I think that we need to be encouraging each other to hold on, be steadfast in our faith and to keep loving the unlovable. I think that is what God wants us to do…to “occupy until He comes.” We cannot do that if we are being like the other people in the world and focusing on the problem. We need to focus on what is good, kind, righteous and uplifting. Be a Tigger in a world filled with Eeyores!

We need to let others know when we see them doing something good and right, encouraging them to keep walking along that path. There are few in the world who hand out sincere compliments, but I believe that Christians should make it a point to do this daily.

My hope is that you are already encouraging each other, but this verse says to just keep on doing it. The times are tough and they promise to get tougher because Satan knows his time is short and he is pulling out all of the stops. Just remember that God is in control, He is greater and you need to encourage others just as they encourage you. Be sincere in your praise, but praise often and smile at those you encounter. You may not make a big difference right away, but the difference you make will be in your heart and in theirs. Feel like whining and complaining about the situation and the current state of the world. Tell God how you are feeling and tell the world how God has taken that burden and you are letting Him handle things in His way and in His time. Again, be a Tigger, not showing a fake happiness, but demonstrating the real joy that only comes from having spent time in God’s presence and laying down your problems before Him. Be joyful with a positive attitude that shows others that you trust that God will come through in the end. I hope that you are not wishing for God’s judgment to come right away. The Book of Revelation with all of the judgments to come is scary and awesome, but I am appreciative that God is delaying His final return in order that as many as possible will seek His forgiveness and repent. I want Jesus to return as much as anyone, but I want it to be in His perfect timing and according to His will, not according to how hard we whine.

Have a blessed day and as you encourage others, may you find encouragement yourself, in His Word and in the difference you are making in the lives of others.

The Month of Love

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

Before the month of February gets started every year, I see boxes of heart-shaped candies, ads for low-cost roses and cards depicting Cupid everywhere. I get ads in my inbox and see them online, too. In spite of this onslaught of advertising, I am thoroughly convinced that the world that doesn’t know Jesus doesn’t know what love is either. It saddens me that many people settle for a cheap substitution and never consider the real sacrifices that true love requires.

This Scripture verse goes along with what our pastor told us almost five decades ago when my husband and I were going through pre-marital counseling. He said, “Love is always choosing the highest good for the other person regardless of what sacrifice you have to make to do that.” His pronouncement has stayed with me through the years and has meant that in spite of our many difficulties and differences, Harry and I have stayed together for almost fifty years. We have learned to see things through each other’s eyes and make a concerted effort to make choices that will be for the good of our life partner. In today’s world, marriage has become a trial and error situation. If it doesn’t work out, you can always get a divorce and move on. That is not the way we approached our commitment to each other. We saw it as a covenant before God and have spent many hours praying about situations beyond our control that tested our relationship with one another. Regardless, we did not see marriage as a “if it doesn’t work out” proposition but rather as a promise before God to love each other in the way that our pastor described, choosing the highest good of the other person.

I don’t like all of the hearts, flowers and candy that attempt to romanticize a commitment that is taken seriously by God. Sure, they are nice surface things but the flowers die, the candy gets eaten, the card gets misplaced and the love that you felt for that one day or that one month fades quickly into the daily battles of everyday life. I prefer to think of love as a lifetime commitment, not a month of hearts and flowers, no matter how pleasant the latter may seem. I want the love that lasts through the mountains and the valleys, the one that says, “In spite of everything, I choose you.” My husband and I spent many years separated due to his military deployments, but not once did I doubt his love for me. His calls, letters and the cassette tapes he sent just so I could hear his voice when I was lonely showed his desire to fulfill his commitment to me and our children. So, a month of love is not for me. I prefer the kind that lasts forever, the kind that brings candy home “just because” or the kind that plants flowers outside of my window for me to enjoy for the entire season. Yes, the temporary things are nice, but the ones that are deeply rooted in God as the foundation withstand the storms of time, life and trials that we all undergo. It’s good to have someone to go through life with. Life is hard…it takes a lifetime of love to make it. Jesus set the example with His sacrifice and showed us the way to truly love.

May you each find the love that God has for you and the love that is meant to fulfill you in this life. Have a happy life filled with love!

Love Without End

On By vickleaIn Scripture7 Comments

I know that my husband loves me even though he gets irritated with me sometimes. We are very different people. I am the one who wants everything in its place and calm, quiet times at home. He likes piles of things everywhere and to go and see new things. Nevertheless, we have managed to stay married for almost five decades, putting up with each other’s strange ways and loving each other in spite of it. Or maybe because of our differences? I have never been sure of that, but I am sure of his love for me.

I am equally convinced that God loves me and oftentimes, He does so in spite of me, my actions and my behavior. He loves me because He made me and knows exactly who I am and loves me anyway. That is something I can count on. I cannot see God, but I can feel His love for me each time He sends the Comforter to be with me and whisper the words from the Scripture that I need to hear at the right moment that I need it. I know that He loves me when I feel His protection all around me in scary situations. I feel His love surrounding me when I am feeling weak or tired, what I tell others is just “bone weary.” Yes, God loves me, but He also loves each of you and wants you to know it. He wants you to hold His love for you deep in your soul where it will always be with you, no matter the challenges you face in life. God is not a respecter of persons (no favoritism with Him), so His love is never-ending and unchanging for each of us. Good news! God loves me and you, sometimes in spite of us, but always because He is love!

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His eternal love shine in your life, reaching to others who need to know that they, too, are loved!

One Another

On By vickleaIn Scripture11 Comments

The Bible is filled with Scriptures about how we should treat one another. The question is how do we treat each other at all if we don’t ever spend time with others, in fellowship with other believers to start with and then reaching out to the world? I have found myself wanted to insulate and isolate during my two weeks at home. I love going to church and seeing friends there, communicating with them and hearing what their lives are like. But the last two weeks, I have had to get my body moving forcibly to get up early and make the effort to attend. It’s a good thing that my husband doesn’t put up with slackers!

It’s hard to love one another if you never see one another, isn’t it? A phone call or a card just doesn’t make up for the personal touch that you and others need. That listening ear that you offer so freely also goes along with an expressive face and others need to see it to know that you truly care.

Just as loving is almost impossible without contact, so is serving one another. In fact, how do you know what the needs are if you don’t see them and hear about them from the person in need? Furthermore, you have needs too that can only be met by others in the Body of Christ who reach out to you with the love of the Lord.

Christ forgave each person in a personal and real way. Can we do any less? And how do others know that we have forgiven them if we never go around them? Forgiveness is a foundation of our faith; we offer it to others because it was first given as a free gift to us. I think we need to be in the community of believers to practice this skill called forgiveness. It is not something that is easy to do, but it is easier if you are among others who believe that it is necessary to move forward in your walk with the Lord.

Devotion and honor starts with giving yourself to God and spreads to giving of yourself to others.

Confession to one another holds us accountable and makes us want to be better and to do better the next time that same temptation comes around. We pray for each other and face temptation fully girded and ready, but also knowing that our fellow believers are fighting the good fight with us.

Finally, we must encourage each other. The world is a dark and lonely place, filled with sin and all kinds of horrible things. But we are not alone in the world and God never meant for us to be alone. In fact, when He created woman, he said that it was not good for man to be alone. It still is not good to be alone. We need each other for encouragement and for building each other up. Together, we build the house of the Lord which resides inside us.

I have heard many say that it is not good to go to churches because they are so hypocritical and filled with sin. Actually, what they are is a building in which we worship God and the building is filled with imperfect people who are there to encourage, forgive, confess, honor serve and love. One another! Because that is how God planned it. We are stronger together.

May the Lord bless you and keep you as you minister to one another, first in the Body of Christ, and then to the world to which He has called you to serve.

My Covenant with God

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

I really didn’t understand when I first became a Christian that I was making a commitment to honor and revere God forever. I recall excitement about spending eternity with Him and not fearing death, but I do not recall the fact that I had a part in this covenant relationship, too. I am committed to spending the rest of my life serving the One who served me by sacrificing His life for me. The best way for me to serve has been to ask God daily what He wants me to accomplish and then work on achieving it. I honor Him when I do my best at the tasks He has given me to do. I revere and fear Him when I show respect for His Name and His Word. He is the Only One worthy of all of my love, honor and respect. The covenant that we make with God when we are saved from our sins works two ways. We need to acknowledge that God desires a relationship with us and work on establishing daily communication with Him. It never shows respect to turn away from God while we pursue our own pleasures. In acknowledging that God is always with me, I am more likely to be careful what I see, do and say because I want to be pleasing to Him. He wants me to be comfortable in my choices and I can only do that if I am making choices that prioritize His importance in my life. Thus, I may choose not to review a book that is objectionable or watch a show that others are raving about. I don’t do these things to be noticed by people but so that God sees that I am honoring my covenant with Him to put Him first and not do anything that would dishonor Him. Have I fallen and disappointed Him? Yes, more times than I can count. But He is always faithful to pick me up, remind me of His sacrifice being enough to sustain me and encourage me to move on, forgiven by His grace and mercy that never end. I’m in a covenant with God, but it is not an equal one as we think of covenants on earth because not only did God establish this covenant with me, but He is constantly renewing it and showing me how much He still loves me in spite of my failures.

He has never stopped loving me and for that I am thankful.

May your day be blessed with the knowledge of just how much God loves you and sustains you each day.

Thankful to Be Disciplined

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

If anyone had asked me when I was a child if I was thankful for being disciplined, my immediate response would have been, “Of course not! It hurts!” But nowadays, I am thankful for God’s discipline because it shows me how much He loves me and wants me to be more like Him.

When God stops me in my tracks and gently chides me and disciplines me, I am not always happy at the time. But when I reflect back on the chastisement of the Lord, I always realize that it was for my good and because He sincerely loves me.

My parents, especially my mom, hardly ever convinced me that her discipline was from a heart of love. However, God has me completely captivated by His love, which includes His discipline. He loves me enough to discipline me, to make me more and more His disciple, so that I can share in His holiness. I am not perfect and have not arrived yet. I would not be walking on the earth still if that were true. Thus, God disciplines me and gets me back on the narrow path towards holiness so that I am pleasing to Him and being the witness He desires me to be for Him.

I cannot say whether I have always experienced a harvest of righteousness following God’s disciplinary action, but I can say that in my heart and soul, I feel closer to God and more ready to take on the next challenge in my life. I don’t cower away from God’s discipline but rather I welcome it as a part of my necessary growth and maturity as a Christian.

May you be blessed with the understanding that God’s discipline is always for your good and will always result in your becoming more like He wants you to be.

Thankful to Be Surrounded

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

As a child and young teen, I used to watch old westerns with my grandparents. Frequently, if not every show, the good guys (wearing the white hats, of course), called out to the villains who were hiding in a dilapidated building, “Come out with your hands up! There is no escape. We have you surrounded.” That led to the inevitable conclusion of the show with the good guys always winning. That being said, I am thankful to be surrounded, without the pressure that comes from wanting to escape.

You see, I am surrounded by God’s love, mercy and grace. I am surrounded by His total peace and the security that comes from being encircled by His loving care. I have already surrendered to Him and know that He is there to protect me from harm and sometimes from my own foolishness.

May you know the peace and security that comes from being surrounded by God’s presence in your life.

Thankful for My Intercessor

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Many years ago, my husband and I attended a Bible training school called Youth with a Mission. I don’t recall a lot that we studied there, but at least one truth we learned and book that we studied stuck with me through the years. The title was THE INTERCESSOR by Norman Grubb and it relates how to be an Intercessor like Rees Howells, a man of God who made a difference by praying for others. If you want to perhaps purchase the updated version, here is a link to do so:

Christian Book

The reason this book made such an impact and stayed with me is that this true story of a man who believed in prayer and made a difference with his petitions to God was amazing to me. Since then, I have strived to be an Intercessor for others, but I have never reached the heights of Rees Howells, not even close.

Today in my devotional, the verse that jumped out at me was about Jesus’s being my intercessor.

I cannot imagine Jesus sitting at God’s right hand and speaking up on my behalf, but that is what the Holy Bible says that he does. The tense used is one of the present ongoing tense, not past, not done, but rather still happening. I remember when I was a child that my father was my mediator with my mom. She had a heavy hand of punishment and I seemed to be always in trouble for one infraction or another. It was my father’s soothing voice that calmed her down and prompted her to think before she dealt out severe blows to my legs. I still got punished, but the punishment was not half as severe as when daddy wasn’t there to intervene. Now, I can put that into the context of Jesus speaking to God on my behalf and letting the Father know that I am His and the price has already been paid for my salvation. Yes, I still mess up, and there are consequences to actions, but Jesus’s intercession is there and the Father has shown me mercy and grace over and over again.

If you get a chance to read THE INTERCESSOR, remember to put it into the context of Jesus interceding for you, on a daily basis and every time you need it. He is right there, always ready to go to bat for each of us because He loves us so much. Yes, He is the King of Glory, He is the Lion of Judah, and He is also the Great Intercessor who speaks to the Father for us, always operating with unfailing love and forgiveness. I want to be like Jesus, in Intercessor for others, and I am thankful for His example and His sacrifice that makes Him the Intercessor for me and for each of His children who know Him as Savior.

May you be blessed today with the knowledge of how dependable an Intercessor Jesus is for you and be confident in His love, grace and mercy.

Thankful for My Intercessor

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Many years ago, my husband and I attended a Bible training school called Youth with a Mission. I don’t recall a lot that we studied there, but at least one truth we learned and book that we studied stuck with me through the years. The title was THE INTERCESSOR by Norman Grubb and it relates how to be an Intercessor like Rees Howells, a man of God who made a difference by praying for others. If you want to perhaps purchase the updated version, here is a link to do so:

Christian Book

The reason this book made such an impact and stayed with me is that this true story of a man who believed in prayer and made a difference with his petitions to God was amazing to me. Since then, I have strived to be an Intercessor for others, but I have never reached the heights of Rees Howells, not even close.

Today in my devotional, the verse that jumped out at me was about Jesus’s being my intercessor.

I cannot imagine Jesus sitting at God’s right hand and speaking up on my behalf, but that is what the Holy Bible says that he does. The tense used is one of the present ongoing tense, not past, not done, but rather still happening. I remember when I was a child that my father was my mediator with my mom. She had a heavy hand of punishment and I seemed to be always in trouble for one infraction or another. It was my father’s soothing voice that calmed her down and prompted her to think before she dealt out severe blows to my legs. I still got punished, but the punishment was not half as severe as when daddy wasn’t there to intervene. Now, I can put that into the context of Jesus speaking to God on my behalf and letting the Father know that I am His and the price has already been paid for my salvation. Yes, I still mess up, and there are consequences to actions, but Jesus’s intercession is there and the Father has shown me mercy and grace over and over again.

If you get a chance to read THE INTERCESSOR, remember to put it into the context of Jesus interceding for you, on a daily basis and every time you need it. He is right there, always ready to go to bat for each of us because He loves us so much. Yes, He is the King of Glory, He is the Lion of Judah, and He is also the Great Intercessor who speaks to the Father for us, always operating with unfailing love and forgiveness. I want to be like Jesus, in Intercessor for others, and I am thankful for His example and His sacrifice that makes Him the Intercessor for me and for each of His children who know Him as Savior.

May you be blessed today with the knowledge of how dependable an Intercessor Jesus is for you and be confident in His love, grace and mercy.

Thanksgiving Month

On By vickleaIn Scripture9 Comments

Hurray! My favorite month of the year has arrived! It’s the month with beautiful colors outside, a little nip in the air but not too cold and the month when we are reminded to be thankful. My personal opinion is that thankfulness should be an every month, every day thing, but I am grateful that here in the United States, we at least still have a holiday to be thankful. I just wish more people were mindful of the fact that the One we should always be thankful to is God, not our bosses or our own selves. Anyway, my plan is to post things daily to make us think of thankfulness to God. Today, I am focusing on attributes of God from my devotional this morning.

God’s love is absolutely unfathomable to our finite minds. Just when I think that I have a small grasp on what it’s like, I find out that there is so much still there for me to discover.

Since all of creation was made by God, He has compassion on each of us and on each of the creatures and other living things He has made. Some in my family have the belief that God is just up in Heaven somewhere waiting to crush us. Not so! He is there but He is waiting to pour out compassion and love on us, since He knows our weaknesses and how hard we have to work to stay on the right path. He understands because Jesus lived the earthly life and went through trials and temptations just like we do. God didn’t say life wouldn’t present challenges, but He did say He would be with us through it all.

Nothing, not one thing on earth or anywhere else can separate us from God’s love. His love surrounds us daily if we just recognize it. Sometimes I have to pray especially to see the evidence of God’s love for me. It’s not a selfish prayer, just a realistic one for me that I need to pray sometimes. And the answer is practical and immediate. I see His love all around me in His creation: in the smile of the baby in the stroller, in the report from a friend that she is out of the hospital and doing well, in the sun shining through the branches of the colorful trees outside and in the blue sky laced with clouds. God loves me and you so much that He gave us the world to enjoy while we occupy the earth. Look around you and see God’s love, for yourself and for all of His creation.

May you enjoy this thankfulness journey with me and may each day bring new insight into all that each of us has to be thankful for. God bless you!