LOVE - 1 Corinthians 13

The following is taken from LISTEN TO LOVE by Regina Press:

"Love has many voices.  Love sends its greeting in the smile of a friend,

the contented sighs of a baby, the felt whisperings of the Spirit.

Often we are slow to recognize how many voices are really love's voice.

"God is love" says John the Evangelist.  "He who dwells in love is dwelling in

God and God in him."

Love speaks in many places.  It leans against the neighbor's fence or

comes sniffing into a kitchen filled with cooking.  It walks amid

the bustle of the city streets or stands on a crowded bus.

Love has many moods.  Sometimes love is bold and happy or else

it is anxious and hestitant.  Sometimes it is riotous and demanding, or

gentle and relaxed, or even sober and practical.  Sometimes love just waits.

Loves comes in all seasons.  It rides the icy winds of winter and

laughs with raindrops in the spring.  It wanders through the restless

heat of summer and catches leaves of autumn as they fall.

Listen to love."

The trouble is, we're not very good listeners these days...we talk, we text, we tweet.  If we really listened to the "felt whisperings of the Spirit", we would know that "love comes from God", that "everyone who loves has been born of God", that "there is no fear in love...", that "we love because he first loved us."  (1 John 4:2-19).

So John tells us we have been loved and, therefore, we should (and can) love.  This Valentine's Day...

...be patient and kind

...don't envy or boast

...don't be proud or rude or self-seeking

...don't be angry or keep track when others are

...rejoice in the truth

...protect, trust, hope, persevere

(1 Corinthians 13)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, FRIENDS. Love someone else as you have been loved!

For further study:  Deuteronomy 6:5, Psalm 100:5, Isaiah 54:10, Jeremiah 31:3, Matthew 22:37-40,

John 10:27, John 13:34-35, Romans 5:8, Philippians 1:9-11

Be blessed in your understanding of God's love!

Love,

Holly





"Though the fig tree does not bud...yet I will rejoice in the Lord" - Habakkuk 3:17-18

The Old Testament prophet, Habbakkuk, had, as the saying goes, "a difficult row to hoe".  His book is a lament and plea to God about the moral and spiritual decay in the land of Judah.  We see his complaints and the Lord's answers.  But the words, which may have been written to sing in the temple, in the final chapter are especially worth noting.

Notice he doesn't say what he feels...he says what he wills!  By sheer faith and determination, he made a choice to rejoice!  He had a heart of faith and he knew, even if there was something like a complete crop failutre in the land and there was nothing to eat, God would still be worthy of praise.  My commentary said "so long as he knew the Giver, he could be unconcerned about the gifts."  Wow, what a lesson for us!

My friend, Barbara Troutz, wrote Resurfacing:Climbing Out of the Pit of Grief and after losing a precious son, she said she had lost her joy and wanted it back.  She said "joy is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of God".  So what happens to the joy? She said "I have quenched it by my actions, my choices, my selfishness".  What might be robbing you of joy today?

So with our prophet and my friend, today let's say "...yet I will rejoice in the Lord".

For further study:  Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 51:12, Psalm 118:24, Romans 12:12, Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 4:4, 1 Thes. 5:16, Hebrews 11:1, James 1:2-3.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly

"Pray" - A great way to start the New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!  It seems like forever since we've been together...we married off our youngest son (see picture below) and it was a beautiful ceremony and event...family and friends came from all over...I thought I would die of happiness!   But the year has started and I've committed to once again reading the Bible through this year.  I add that to my regular devotional and am always blessed when I do.  But one discipline I can never change is my need for prayer.  I can't imagine having gone through Christmas and the wedding without my own dependence upon the Lord or the promise of our friends and family to pray for His work in all the events.  So it seemed appropriate to introduce my new pillow style for 2012 with the admonition to "pray".  I am speaking to a women's group this week about praying for our husbands and I'm using one of my points for this blog.

So, generally, why do we pray?  Oswald Chambers says "it is not so true that prayer changes things as that prayer changes me and I change things".  Besides the fact that we are in a love relationship with our Almighty God and need to spend time with him, the following are 5 possible reasons why you might pray:

1.  We pray because the Bible calls us to pray.  2 Chron. 7:14, Prov. 15:8, Romans 12:12, Phil. 4:6, James 5:16.

2.  We pray because we need to be changed.  Psalm 51:10, Prov. 21:19, Jer. 17:9, Ez. 47:1-12

3.  We pray because there is no other power available to us. Joshua 1:9, Psalm 46:1, James 4:8

4.  We pray because Jesus modeled prayer for us and we are His followers. Matt. 6:9, John 17, Matt. 26:36

5.  We pray because it is our only defense against the enemy.  Eph. 6:10-18.

If you are too busy to pray, then you will find yourself frustrataed and weary.  Stormy Omartian says "there is too much at stake if we don't pray".

May you be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

"The Lord is near to all who call on him..." - Psalm 145:18

The Hebrew word for call means to "proclaim, name or summon".  There is an action I need to take if I desire the Lord's nearness - and I do!  The second part of that verse is "..to all who call on him in truth".  To call on someone is to believe they are worth calling.   It is a willingness to yield to them and a belief they have something you need.  David, the psalmist, believed this promise!

Joe Stowell compares this yielding to obeyng a "yield" traffic sign.  It is a smart thing to do, right?  Stowell says:
                      "When I lay the baggage of my selfish and sinful choices at the base
                       of my yield sign and merge with His will and way, He knows that my
                       heart belongs to Him."

It is then that He draws near; He knows He is invited in.

This Christmas, when you read Matthew 1:18-25 or sing "Emmanuel" (God with us), be blessed as you celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus.  Because of His life and death, we can have a personal and daily connectedness with our Almighty God.  His nearness will bring you direction, comfort, joy, peace and all that you need.  Will you call on Him today?

Merry Christmas, friends.  May you be blessed by His nearness this holiday.

For further study:  2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 105:1, Isaiah 30:18, Isaiah 55:6, Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 1:18-25, John 15:4-8, Romans 10:12-13, Philippians 4:5, Hebrews 10:22, James 4:8.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly

I'm so sorry...

I'm so sorry to Anonymous who is trying to order a JESUS LOVES ME pillow.  Other than "comments", this blog is not equipped to take orders, but if you will email me at pillowholly@aol.com, I would love to take your order.

But since others of you might be reading this, I just have to tell you my "pillow of the day" scripture...it has only been embroidered, so a devotional will come later.  As many of you know, my sweet husband had abdominal/hernia surgery last week and, by God's grace, he's doing wonderfully.  But during the surgery, there was just a little apprehension about whether our precious surgeon would find returning cancer...and many were lifting prayers during that time.  Praise the Lord, he did not find any cancer and we are thankful beyond words.  But I knew whatever he did find, our Father in heaven was going to bless us in the midst of it.  So my scripture for today is Psalm 145:18:

               "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all
               who call on him in truth."

I am convinced that is the bottom line of life:  He will be present in all areas that we allow Him to be...to all the places we invite Him to be Lord.  Make Him the Lord of your life today...can you imagine any greater thing than calling on the name of the Lord and having Him be near?  I am not worthy...He alone is worthy!

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly

"In everything we give thanks to you, Lord"

I have to once again confess this isn't a scripture (although it's awfully close to 1 Thes. 5:18!) but a song by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir that always inspires me.  This year - more than almost any other year - I have so much to GIVE THANKS for.  On this Thanksgiving week, to whom do you GIVE THANKS?  The clerk in the grocery store?  The one who prepares your turkey?  Yourself for the good work you've done?
Psalm 136 says:

                                            "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
                                            his love endures forever."

When we GIVE THANKS to the Lord, we make Him our focus.  Our thoughts are elevated from ourselves to Him.  That pleases Him.  It puts Him in the right place...and ourselves looking up to Him.  Life is often hard.  The Lord Jesus gave thanks even the night before he knew he was facing death (1 Cor. 11:24).  Giving thanks takes our minds off what we want and puts them on what we do have.  It takes such little effort to GIVE THANKS and gives such great pleasure.  This day and every day, I want my heart to be very aware that "great is the Lord and most worthy of praise".  These are a few of the things I GIVE THANKS for this Thanksgiving:

1.  I GIVE THANKS for a hernia that Don will have surgery on tomorrow because he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer four years ago and we didn't think he would even be alive today.  I also GIVE THANKS for a surgeon who loves the Lord and found the original cancer and knew what to do immediately.

2.  I GIVE THANKS for our boys who are walking with the Lord and for two special young women who are walking with them.  I also GIVE THANKS because they are both getting paychecks!

3.  I GIVE THANKS for our church family that prays and cares for us and each other so beautifully.

4.  I GIVE THANKS for my God who continues to chip away at my weaknesses and imperfections.

5.  I GIVE THANKS for children in our church who are eager to love Jesus and sing about him.

6.  I GIVE THANKS for a President who has a very difficult job but is not afraid to quote references from the Bible.

7.  I GIVE THANKS that Jesus is our "better hope".  I will not despair at the condition of our world or the people in it, because He is sufficient for our every need.

I agree with a prayer read in Bible study this week:  "...my little vessel is as full as it can be"!  I will GIVE THANKS to the One to whom it is rightfully due.

For further study:  1 Chronicles 16:8, Psalm 95:2, Psalm 100:4, Psalm 136, Philippians 4:6,  1 Thess. 5:18,  Hebrews 12:29

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Love,
Holly

"The peace of God...will guard your hearts" - Philippians 4:7

This verse was written by Paul to the church in Philippi.  He was in prison as he wrote it and they had sent him a gift.  They were precious to him - beloved brothers - and he wanted to encourage them in their Christian living.  Unfortunately there were women in this church who seemed to be at odds with each other and it was causing disunity in the church.  That can happen!(#?%)  Paul used the military term of "mounting guard" to encourage these believers toward this peace that only God can produce.  Roy Laurin says:

                                         "...the peace of God is like God's sentry
                                         which mounts guard and patrols the gates
                                          of the mind and the outposts of the heart."

Is there peace in your mind or lots of anxious maneuverings going on?  How about your heart?  Is peace the reigning emotion there?  Anxiety is the opposite of peace.  Can you think of a single positive accomplisment of anxiety?  This verse gives me the assurance that His peace is much more desirable than my worrying about every little thing.

I recently read a devotional by Cathy Jodeit about her 5 year old grandson and his first soccer game.  The coach gave all the little players a chance at being the goalie - the guard who protected his team's net.  She used it as an illustration of how we must be "on guard" in our own lives.  We have to learn what to let in and what to keep out.  We have to learn to block the kicks that come to our heart.  The enemy wants to catch us "off guard" so he can score and get us off game.  When we get distracted or off-balance, he invades and destroys.  Jodeit says:

                                           "...if we let God be our guard, then our game will
                                           be played with integrity and honesty, and warfare
                                           will be in the hands of a mighty warrior."

So how do we get this peace?  Our own efforts to produce peace are futile.  Peace is a fruit (product) of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and His work in us.  Only through a relationship with Jesus Christ can that Holy Spirit indwell us.   It is through that relationship that we can know and love God.  The Captain of our team is the Lord Jesus.  Why would we want to be on any other team?

For further study:  Psalm 91:11, Psalm 141:3, Proverbs 4:13,23, Proverbs 21:23, Isaiah 52:12, John 14:6, 27, John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 16:13, 1 Timothy 6:20, 2 Timothy 1:14.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly