Love Deeply

"Now that you have taken care to purify your souls through your submission to the truth, you can experience real love for each other. So love each other deeply from a [pure] heart. You have been reborn - not from seed that eventually dies but from seed that is eternal - through the word of God that lives and endures forever. For Isaiah said, 

'All life is like the grass, 

and its glory like a flower;

The grass will wither and die, 

and the flower falls,

But the word of the Lord will endure forever'

This is the word that has been preached to you" 
(1 Peter 1:22-25, The Voice).

I like this version from The Voice. As new creations, we are made alive by God's grace as we have turned to put our trust in Him as Lord and Savior. The body of Christ can come together and have a pure love like He does, since He fills us with the Holy Spirit and teaches us more of who He is. He can renew our hearts and help us forgive, reach out to and care for those around us. He can give us new eyes to see others as His precious creations that He can give new life to as well. We have known and have been filled with His love, and so we have the opportunity to multiply the world with a kind of love like God has shown.

Kelli Martin

How can you love someone today or this weekend? Recently, I stopped to talk with a neighbor who has dogs and was shocked to find out she has had recent back troubles. I wished I was there closer to when the troubles first occurred. We exchanged cell phone numbers, and I hope that I can be there for her in the future. Is there someone around you who may even just need a smile or a hopeful outlook of God's purposes? Maybe there is someone near You who doesn't know the hope and peace our God Father and Savior brings.

Let's pray that God fills us with His love so we can extend it to others and point them to God who has shown us the deepest love we've ever seen.

A couple of worship songs: "Bones" and "Like an Avalanche" by Hillsong United (Live in Miami video with lyrics)
Photo from Pinterest and psweadoreyou.blogspot.com.

God is Holy and Pure

"And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth” (Isaiah 6:3, HCSB) .

“God is holy and pure. There is no impurity in Him. He cannot look on evil. He is a God without blemish; He is a God who is free from all flaws. As leaders, we can only be holy and pure by coming before Him and allowing Him to cleanse us and sanctify us. We do not assume that saying a quick ‘God forgive me’ will do it. We take the time necessary to repent and to allow Him to remove our impurities and make us holy. We are to be holy because He is holy. Only those who have come before Him on a continual basis can be holy and pure leaders. When we disregard our need for Him, we lose our effectiveness to be the holy and pure leaders that He calls us to be.”

Oh Lord, make us holy and pure today. We want to lead like You.

(excerpts from Chapter 4 – Follow the Leader by Jaye Martin, Women Leading Women, Martin & Stovall, B&H Academic, 2008).

with grace and heart

"He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend." -Proverbs 22:11

This Monday, when I came back from my fall reading break, I was happy to see the two girls that I babysit. They are in first and third grade, and I take care of them after school. We laughed as the first grader dotted her nose with ice cream while the third grader crowned her with a sombrero made of a paper napkin. We get along well, but sometimes starting homework is not so fun.

This past Monday was Columbus Day, so the girls had homework about the holiday. The younger one had a reading booklet, but told me that she did not want to read it. When I asked her to read it anyway, she sighed and said it was just for fun. Then, I asked her if I could read it. Both of them looked up as she responded, "Sure." After I read the first page and began explaining its picture, she took the booklet from me and began to read it to us on her own.

This may sound simple, but it was a revelation for me! In the past, I think I had approached asking them to do homework with more of an attitude that was not so filled with the Spirit. However, on that Columbus Day, I saw that my attitude could make a difference on the experience of homework. When I spoke with more grace, I was showing them that I had hope in them and that the process could be an enjoyable. That day, homework had become a fun adventure instead of a heartless duty.

I pray that there will be more days like this where I choose to live and speak with an attitude and a heart that is more like Jesus!

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." -Psalm 51:10

Picture from http://www.visitoakpark.com/