St. Patrick’s Day

By Rose H.

Today we celebrate a man whose faith and courage saved an entire nation.

Enslaved and then freed by Gods hand, Patrick made the choice to go back to Ireland. As a free man he preached to the Irish people, pleading with them to leave the evil druids and come to God.

Yet the people had many questions. The people wondered how God could be three in one. The answer that Patrick gave them has been told and retold through the ages. Clover! All over Ireland you will see this three leaf clover. When the people asked him how God could be three in one, Patrick looked to the fields of clover for help. Picking a piece of clover he held it up for all to see. “See” he says. This piece of clover is one, yet it has three leaves. So it is with God.”

Such a simple and wonderful lesson tied to a small piece of clover. God is three in one. I love this analogy. 

My God can’t be contained to one name or even one person. He is one, yet He is three different and separate persons. He is amazing and awesome.

So go on, eat some clover cookies! It's an excellent object lesson! 

From the Heart

By Rose H.

1 Peter 1:22 (NIV) Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

Interesting. In this verse Peter makes it clear that it is after that we obey the truth and have purified ourselves, and then we love our brothers. Could it be that God desires us to wait until sincere love is grown in our hearts before we love others?

Let me put it this way. We have all done things that we knew our heart wasn’t in. The task was joyless and hard. We felt we should do it, but we take a big sigh of relief when the task is done. Your heart wasn’t in the task. Love was lacking.

What about when someone was nice to you, but you could tell that it was forced. You could tell that the only reason they did this nice deed was because they wanted to feel good, but they didn’t put their heart into it, or have your best interest in mind. It stings, doesn’t it?

God doesn’t want us to be kind if it means that we do it from a heart that isn’t full of love. Ouch, how many times have I just done things because I thought it was what I was supposed to do and not because of love?

From my standpoint, it’s better not to do something, then to do it simply because it’s what we think we should do.

But this verse does give us hope. Peter says that after you have purified yourself by obeying the truth, true love will grow. Purity and obedience are marks that we are becoming closer to Christ. We start to see people and life differently. The more we grow in Christ the more we can’t help but love others deeply and from the heart.

So if you find that you find yourself lacking in love ask God to show you more of His love. As you see and accept more of His love, you will find so much love in your heart that you can’t hold it in. You’ll have to let it out through your words, actions, and thoughts. And as you love, you will find yourself stimulated to love more deeply.

John 13:34 (NIV) “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Love Demanded

As I drove home this evening, I turned on the radio to a local Christian radio station.  A Christian artist I hadn't heard of was announced and the music began to play.  As the first few lines rang out, I turned up the dial to catch the words, amazed at the timing of the song.

"Sometimes I think
What will people say of me
When I'm only just a memory
When I'm home where my soul belongs

Was I love
When no one else would show up
Was I Jesus to the least of those
Was my worship more than just a son

(Chorus)
I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You
If love is who I am
Then this is where I stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back
I want to live like that
I want to live like that 

    I knew I was supposed to be writing a post on love when I got home.  So when I heard this song, I knew I had to share it. 

Love.  Not just love, earnest love.  It's what 1 Peter 1:22 calls us to. Over and over in the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles encourage the saints to love one another.  If the apostles demanded anything in the New Testament, it was that the Church love one another. 

    By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35 ESV)

   This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
(John 15:12 ESV)

    Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
(Romans 12:10 ESV)

    For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
(Galatians 5:13 ESV)

    and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,
(1 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV)

    Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
(1 John 4:11 ESV)

What is love? Is it a feeling that comes and goes as flippantly as your emotions and thoughts?  Is it a rigid form of rules and regulations?  Does love come with expectation?

We all know that Jesus Christ is our ultimate example of love. He is love. And His love is poured out in our hearts.  God's love is so different from the world's love.  It isn't a feeling.  It isn't based on likes or dislikes.  It isn't a rigid form of rules. It comes without expectations.  It is an undeserved gift.

Love dies to self.  Love forgives.  Love washes feet uncomplainingly and with joy. Love is joy and peace. Love is grace-filled and merciful. Love gives to the undeserving.  Love gives to all.  Love never fails.

Our love for others should show the world Jesus' love for them.  To quote the rest of the song by Sidewalk Prophets:

"Am I proof
That You are who you say You are
That grace can really change a heart
Do I live like Your love is true

People pass
And even if they don't know my name
Is there evidence that I've been changed
When they see me, do they see You

I want to show the world the love You gave for me
(I want to live like that)
I'm longing for the world to know the glory of the King"

Are you living proof that God is love?  Are you a walking reflection of the love of Christ to a needy world around you?  Are you living a life that shows that you have been saved by grace?

Are you showing the love demanded of you? 

Because God is love.  We must be love.


________

Song is "Live Like That" by Sidewalk Prophets

Scorning or Supporting?

written by Rachelle

Do you remember Bartimaeus?

In Mark 10: 46-52, Jesus heals him from blindness. But not without a little drama. You see, the crowd didn't like that Bartimaeus called out to Jesus. He was just a beggar, and a blind beggar, at that. "Be quiet!" they told him. "Hush now, the Teacher wants nothing to do with the likes of you."

But they were wrong.

The people standing in the crowd that day thought that Bartimaeus was beneath Jesus' love, when, in fact, it was those like Bartimaeus that Jesus came to save. After all, weren't we all once blind, before Jesus came and restored our sight?

Bartimaeus persevered in calling out to Jesus, in spite of the crowd's angry yelling for him to stop.

Then Jesus stopped.

"Call him," he said.

At that, the tune of the crowd swiftly changed! "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you!" (Mark 10:49)

They watched in amazement as Bartimaeus and Jesus talked and the miracle occurred. He could see! His eyesight restored! His life changed forever! It takes little imagination to know how Bartimaeus felt. His gratitude knew no bounds!

I wonder how the people in the crowd felt as they witnessed. Did they feel guilty for denying Bartimaeus the right to call out to Jesus?

The author of Hebrews speaks of a different sort of crowd than Bartimaeus battled with that dusty day in Jericho.

"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

This crowd supports rather than scorns. This crowd cheers instead of criticizes. This crowd believes instead of bullies. This crowd is the crowd that surrounds you and I.

Think of the people in your lives who inspire and encourage you. Your family? Your friends? Your leaders? Your mentors? Heroes of the faith?

That is the kind of crowd that Jesus is proud of, the kind of crowd He wants His church to be.

Here's the hard question: which crowd are you a member of?

Do you pass by the broken under the pretense of "following" Jesus as the crowd in Mark 10 did that day?

Or do you cheer until your voice is hoarse for the abused, mistreated, hurting, and hopeless that Jesus came to save?

Today, will you remember Bartimaeus?

HWIOH I Peter Project Update ~ Week 11 Verses

Good morning, everyone!

Winter is just beginning to release it's icy grip and the birds are singing again. Pretty soon it will be time for spring cleaning. But have you thought about doing a "spring cleaning" for your heart?

How would we go about that? Well, as the verses we memorized this week declare, we are to put our entire faith and hope in God. Is there anything you are hoping for and putting faith into that isn't glorifying to God?

Verses Hid in Our Hearts


"He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." I Peter 1:20-21 (NIV)

Lesson Learned

We all have busy lives and it is easy to become caught up in our agendas and priorities. But when I start putting to-do lists ahead of the Lord, that's when I start to stutter and stumble. I am convicted by these verses to open my eyes a little wider, look around me a little longer, and give God the glory!

To Ponder

How can you be a blessing to someone today?

***

Next week, we'll begin memorizing the next-to-last two verses (22-23) of chapter one. Happy Saturday, ya'll!

Reminders of Love

Hello, sweet blog readers!

Love. It's such a beautiful thing, true love. Patient, enduring, always there, never fickle.

To really love others, we have to understand how God loves us. Then we can try to reflect and mirror that love back to the people around us. :)

(all pictures via Pinterest)

I love this picture ^, such a great reminder to talk to the one who loves us most. :)

 When you're loved by someone, it causes such a rush of Joy to flow through your heart. Sometimes it comes out as a song. :)

When you are totally and unconditionally loved by someone, you feel comforted, safe. Worry and doubt flee like skittering cockroaches in the shining light of trust and peace emanating from the love in your heart.

Life with love is sweet.

Love brings us through trials and difficulties because we have something to fall back on, to give us courage, to help us endure. When it's hard to love somebody, remember how God loves us through thick and thin, no matter what we do.

This song has been replaying itself in my mind as of late, and the music video is even better. Take a moment to watch it and be lifted up, if you would. :)


When I first watched it, I was like "Huh?" but by the time the song drew to an end and I saw all those people holding cardboard signs that said "Beloved" I had tears welling up in my eyes. Such a powerful reminder of the way GOD labels us. We are his beloved children.

1 John 4:16-21:

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in the world.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

We love him, because he first loved us.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

And this commandment we have from him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also.  

(emphasis mine)


So let's go out and love others the way HE first loved us. :)

~Julia

*This* Is Love

Written by Miss Rachel

"Love is not affectionate feeling,

but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good

as far as it can be obtained."

~ C.S. Lewis

What is love? What does it look like? From the world's point of view love is to have someone want you and only you. It is selfish, greedy, thoughtless, and can become like a form of worship (desiring a person over desiring God). Love can fade, love can leave you...that is, if it's not based and centered on Christ first as it's foundation.

1 Peter 1:22 says we ought to have an “unfeigned love” for one another. Webster's dictionary describes that kind of love as “not counterfeit; not hypocritical; real; sincere.”

Love is hard, because it's not just an emotion but it's also action. It's hard because we are sinful human beings and we cannot truly show love to others without Christ because it goes against our very nature. We would choose to be selfish, fake, hiding who we are in front of others so they will think well of us (or so they won't know how we really feel about them), and never step outside of our own little world to help another. But when I look in God's Word, there, finally, I see what real love truly looks like. There I find guidance to know how to show love to others.

Jesus Christ, the ultimate sacrifice of love. Oh, no words can ever pen (or type!) or exaggerate how great His love is for us! :D

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” ~ 1 John 4:9

God's love for you and me is so wonderful, so real, so true and lovely. What Jesus Christ sacrificed for us when He died to pay the penalty of our own sin should motivate us to in turn give that love to those around us, whether they "deserve" it or not. When He has given us so much, should we then turn to our brothers and sisters in Christ and treat them with lesser love than He has given to us?

* * *

I have come to understand, what God's love played out by us, His children, really looks like in the past 2-3 years. God has gifted me with such dear sweet sister's in Christ here on this blog, as well as others I've met through my own blog and such. They have shown me such unconditional love, loving me as I am and not judging me for my choices or where God leads me. Often times they have been an encouragement to me...sending me a word, an email, a phone call just to say they loved me and were praying for me. Recently we had a some misunderstandings and instead of a loss of friendship, God used the circumstances to help our relationships to grow! :D I am ever so thankful. And it has caused me to desire to be a better friend and show them such love in return. I can see that my friends deeply care for me and I know that they don't have to. It makes me feel treasured to know they love me even with all my faults. ;)

When we go out of our way to take care of someone else's needs (whether that be a psychical or emotional or spiritual need), then we are showing love. God wants us to take care of each other, treat each other with kindness, and not to sit around casting judgment on each other in our anger and sin (Oh yes, I've done this too! And it must stop ladies!). We're not to be causing strife but encouraging one another! We should be seeking the "ultimate good" of one another. And that's what these girls have taught me and shown me! :D

"For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." ~ Mark 9:41

~ * ~

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." ~ John 13:35

Showing love to others? Yes, because He loved you so much and that is how we show we are His. I counted 18 verses that say to "love one another". Wow! When God says it once that's one thing, but I'd say if He says it more than twice it's definitely something He wants to get into our heads and hearts and take notice of it!! ;) We are to love each other with an unconditional love, forgiving one another (Ephesians 4:32) as Christ has forgiven us. And when others in the world see that kind of amazing love...they stop and wonder and will know that our faith in God is real. :)

Don't hold grudges. Don't hurt those around you in return for the hurt others have given you. Love as Christ loves without looking for anything in return, and with grace and mercy. Serve each other with kindness and unselfish desires.

We can choose to obey Him and show love...or we can disobey and miss the opportunities that He might have for us to learn and to grow.

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."

~ 1 John 4:11 ~

Now go out and show Christ's love! :D

~Rachel~