Everything We Need

Because He First

I wasn't going to choose one word to focus on for 2017. I don't know why exactly; I just wasn't.

However, after praying I decided I will focus on one word, a four letter word, a word that is used often and maybe is a little watered-down as a result: LOVE.

There's just something about it that seems so cliche and easy. Like, I can't think of a good word to focus on so I'll just go with love. (I can be confident that my word for the year is from God because I would have never chosen it on my own.) It's probably the world's view influencing my decision. After all, it's common to hear someone say they "love" a certain food or tv show. It seems to have lost a little of it's value.

But I don't want to love like the world loves. . .I want to love like God loves.

There is a beautiful picture of God's love in 1 John chapter 4. Check out verses 7-12:

     Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of
     God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In
     this the love of God was manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that
     we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he has loved us
     and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought
     to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and
     love is perfected in us.

Wow. Like I said, beautiful.  

And that's what I want. God's love perfected in me so that others can see God through me. The following verses of 1 John chapter 4 (13-16) gives direction on how this is done:

      By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And 

      we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

     Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have 

      come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in 

      love abides in God, and God abides in him. 

In order to love like God, I need to remember that love comes from God and God is love. I need to abide in love (to remain in it). I need to know God's love and believe it. 

My focus verse this year will help me do all that: 1 John 4:19: We love because He first loved us. 

No Longer

I love reading through Titus in the Bible.
 heart emotico reading through Titus!

Sometimes I feel like I'm odd because I actually LIKE the verses that show what you are like without God--but that's okay.

Check out Titus 1:15-16
smile emoticonCheck out Titus 1:15-16

"Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good."

Detestable. Disobedient. WORTHLESS for doing Anything good. Ouch. 

When you look at who God says you are, isn't it important to look at what you are not?

 I USED to be detestable, disobedient, and worthless for doing anything good but not anymore! Jesus gave his life to free me from Every kind of sin, to cleanse me and to make me his very own daughter (Titus 2:14)! 

The God Who Rescues

He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. Psalm 18:16

Sometimes in life I get overwhelmed and I have the sensation of being in over my head. Have you ever felt that way? 

God with you--always. Even when you are doing things you aren't proud of; God is there waiting for you to turn from your sins and run into His arms instead. He wants to rescue you as He has rescued me. 

It doesn't matter what you have done in your past, simply "declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you. will. be. Saved." (Romans 10:9).

Rescued.

Paul puts it best:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (as the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is our through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above of in the earth below--indeed, noting in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-38)

Amen. 

The Stars at God's Command

Isaiah 45:12 =  [This is what the Lord says] It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hand stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.

I love the New Living Translation which says, "All the starts are at my command."

What an awesome and powerful God we have!

Chosen By God

I am God's Masterpiece (and so are you!).

For my first Bible journaling entry this year, I felt lead to do Isaiah 43:10: "You are my witnesses," declare the Lord, "any my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

Wow. I just love this verse.

For my journaling entry, I wanted to make the page beautiful. I like the combination of orange and pink together so I used my gelatos to blend in a sunset style background; something that is very pleasing to my eyes. I gave it little more "pop" with colors by adding some floral washi tape with pink and orange flowers--perfect!

After meditating on how to visually show the verse, I was pulled to write out the words to add even more emphasis to them. It's fabulous to show the verse with pictures but I wanted to add even more focus on the words. . .

. . .because I AM chosen by God! And why did he choose me? SO THAT I may believe and understand that there is no one like God and He has called me to be His witness!

Just soak this verse into your soul. It's so refreshing and encouraging.

All Praise to the God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the spiritual realms with every spiritual blessings in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

One Word

I can't remember the last time I started a New Year's Resolution.

Part of the reason I haven't made a resolution is due to my stubbornness--I don't need a new year to make a change; and part of it is due to my fear of failure--I don't want to commit to something I'm not going to be able to finish.

This past Sunday,  I was teaching in Children's Church. Before service started, a team member asked me if I made any New Year's Resolutions to which I responded, "Oh, no. I don't do that." She said she didn't do it either and then asked if I had heard of "one word."

She went on to explain that instead of choosing a New Year's Resolution, you choose a word to focus on and strive towards throughout the year. I remember thinking it was a cool idea, much better than a resolution, but I wasn't inspired to focus on one word myself.

I love how God works.

After Children's Church, I drove back home to pick up my family so we could all go to church together. Multiple friends had invited us to attend their church so instead of going to our regular church we decided to go to theirs. Let me just note, I absolutely love my church so I was little sad about "missing it" to attend another church but my husband had been wanting to try it since different people kept inviting us to go.

So, I'm sitting in this beautiful church, a little reluctantly simply because I'm missing "my" church, when the Minister mentions that it doesn't matter why we were there this morning but we were there for a reason. This perked my ears up a little bit and I prayed, "Okay, God I'm listening."

And do you know what he preached on? His sermon was on choosing one word to work towards this year. I could have written this off as a coincidence but I know better. Twice in one morning my attention was brought to the idea of striving towards one word this year and I decided right there during that sermon that I was going to do it.

The Minister mentioned a few different ways to determine the one word but the general theme is, "What do you want to be like at the end of the year?" He suggested finding a Bible verse to go with the one word so that you can focus on throughout the year. When he mentioned the Bible verse that I remembered God had already given me one to focus on this year! I heard a whisper, "Then you already know your word."

Some examples of words to strive towards are: Grace, Love, Stewardship, Trust, and Light. The word God gave me is: Masterpiece. After hearing the other examples, I thought my word is a little weird but it works for me.

I am striving to see myself as God sees me this year; what better way than to focus on the fact that God says I am his MASTERPIECE! Created anew in Christ Jesus to do good works! Which God Himself has gone ahead of me to prepare just for me to do!

My one word helps me to redirect my focus on God in an area I struggle with--my identity. Focusing on who I am in Christ will help me overcome distractions of doubt and keep my eyes on Jesus.