Tag Archives: First Epistle of Peter

Love With Fierce Determination

A heart being used as a symbol of love. Photo ...

“Actions can change feelings.”

“Motion can result in emotion.”

“Love is established not so much by fervent promise as by often-repeated deeds.”

I read this in yesterday’s devotional. The truth of the words struck me. Love is not always about the other person, most of the time, it is about me. What am I doing? How am I showing love?

In this world, love has been cheapened, distorted, and tortured. There are people looking for love in all the wrong places, wanting, hoping, seeking to find what seems so elusive. Love is treated like a game, instead of a commitment. Marriage is seen as unnecessary by today’s standards, and vows are said with the intent, “I’ll stay with you as long as I love you.” Love is understood as an emotional whim, not a fierce determination.

There are times, even in close relationships that love feels lost, or old, or broken. None of are perfect and neither is our love. But, there is One who does have perfect love and it is through His Word that we can learn what love should be.

I am reminded what love really is…

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails … (NIV)

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (NIV)

Ephesians 5:33
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (NIV)

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (NIV)

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (NIV)

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (NIV)

 

 

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My B-I-B-L-E

It’s cover has faded from a rose pink to more of a faded blush. The once new leather, is now soft to the touch. There is only a faint bit of silver

Cover for a NIV Bible

left on the embossed letters of my name. The binding is broken, and the books of Ephesians through 1 Peter have to continually be tucked back in. There are pages that have tape and creases that can’t be fixed. It’s not really much to look at anymore…….

And yet, it is one of my most prized possessions.

This Bible of mine, is precious to me. It is personal. It is real…. from God to me. It’s a law book, a life manual, a treasure trove of wisdom, an adventure story,  a romance, and an autobiography. The past, the present and the future collide in a heart pounding, mind blowing, life changing book.

I write in my Bible. Some would reprimand me for this. Others would say that they do the same. Regardless, if anyone were to pick up my Bible they would see my life story mingled among the pages of God’s Word,  laid out before their eyes.

Notes scribbled in margins, words from various pastors. Quotes that meant something to me. Questions next to particular verses. The baptism of my son in 2002. The death of my late husband in 2000. Scripture underlined for emphasis. Other words boldly highlighted. The Wednesday night service after 9/11 happened….when I was crying and didn’t understand. Other times I wrote my thoughts when the words deeply resonated with me. I added my wedding date to my second husband. I had written in margins, words that reminded me that, although life might not have gone according to MY plans, life is still good and God continues to be Sovereign. I am blessed. Really, blessed. Far beyond what I deserve.

Above all else, my Bible reminds me that I love a God who did not create me and then leave me forever.

He is coming back for me.

It won’t be over. It will just be beginning.

And I can’t wait to read that next chapter.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 109:105  NIV

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Today I am thankful for:

* bright glowing, fiery sunrise

* morning quiet

* late summer coolness in the air

* purring cats

* a new school year

* being able to teach

* helping others

* a car that runs

* A God who is involved

* Jesus who is preparing a place

* laughter

* birds swooping through the sky

* a clean dining room table

* getting a good deal at the store

* a happy sister

* good kids

* a husband who reminded me that we are “stuck” together for as long as we both shall live

* fresh eggs from my own chickens

* looking forward to family visiting

* life

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Causing Me Anxiety

0610 list

Do you ever have days where you just don’t feel good? You’re not sick, per se, but you just feel yucky?

I’m having one of those days. My eyes even hurt. I just got up a couple of hours ago, so my eyes can’t be tired, and I haven’t done any eye straining work…yet, they hurt.  Ugh.

Sigh.

I’ve got a bazillion things to do today. Isn’t that always the way?  On the days when I’d rather just hibernate, I have to get up and get moving.

When I have my to do list in my head, thoughts whirling around of those things which I MUST get done, it causes me anxiety.  When I’m anxious I tend towards resembling a raving lunatic. It’s not pretty. Believe me.

Another sigh.

It’s time to pull out my Bible and read what God has to say about wives and moms that turn into maniacs when stressed out.

Aahhh…..here it is.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4  NIV

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. I Peter 5  NIV

I think I’m going to add these verses to my eucharisteo list. God cares about me.

Me.

He cares.

Really, is there anything better than that?

 

 

 

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Confident Expectation

Today, we are discussing hope, at A Holy Experience.

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Hope.

Not just wishful thinking…but, confident expectation.

Many of you that have read my blog for awhile, or know me in person, realize that I am an avid reader of C.S. Lewis.  This man died before I was even born, and yet, there is something in his words, that draws me to him. He had something to say about hope, something that stirs me, with words that I do not think I could improve upon. Will you read them with me?

“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.  (Oh friends, I know you also have tasted the disappointments of this life. We are really not all that different, are we?)

“At present we are on the outside… the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the pleasures we see. But all the pages of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get “in”… We will put on glory… that greater glory of which Nature is only the first sketch.  (Have you ever stood and watched the sunrise and wondered at the beauty of it all?)

We do not want to merely “see” beauty–though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words–to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.”  C.S  Lewis   (Don’t we all long for more?)

We were not made for this world. We live here, that is for sure…but, we were created for something better than what this world has to offer. Yes, there are many things in my life that bring me great joy and happiness. I stand in awe of the beauty of nature…and praise the Creator. I love my family and friends and am thankful for their relationships with me. I’ve had some wonderful experiences. So much is nice…

And yet.

I am not completely comfortable here. There is longing…longing for, the more.

I survive in this life I live.

Through deaths, pain, hardships, fright, harsh words, misunderstandings, disappointments, anger, betrayal, lies and hurt. This world is full of discontentment…because this world is broken. And I have not escaped this pain. I am broken in it.

But, I have hope.

Hope, that confident expectation, that there is more.

More than this. More than the lacking. More than the failing health. More than compromise. More than grief.

I was made for more, because HE is more. HE is the great expectation. It is Christ, and He alone, that brings joyful hope to a hurt and dying world.

A world that needs Him.

Individuals that need Him.

1 Peter 1:3  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

Romans 5:2-5 “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Great expectation for what is to come.

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The Day Death Died

Garden Tomb 02

Image by stevenconger@sbcglobal.net via Flickr

It did not end with Jesus in the grave. The tomb could not hold him. Death could not conquer him. On the third day he arose! Just like he said he would.
A favorite hymn of Easter….
LOW IN THE GRAVE HE LAY
  1. Low in the grave He lay,
    Jesus my Savior,
    Waiting the coming day,
    Jesus my Lord!

    • Refrain:
      Up from the grave He arose,
      With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
      He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
      And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
      He arose! He arose!
      Hallelujah! Christ arose!
  2. Vainly they watch His bed,
    Jesus my Savior;
    Vainly they seal the dead,
    Jesus my Lord!
  3. Death cannot keep its Prey,
    Jesus my Savior;
    He tore the bars away,
    Jesus my Lord!
1 Peter 1:18-20 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. (NIV)
Matthew 28:7   “Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
HE HAS RISEN!  HE HAS RISEN INDEED!
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What Is My Worth?

Our Kitchen Counter

Image by Josh Michtom via Flickr

The morning is quiet.

Time to think…before the day begins

I prepare breakfast.

Pour coffee

Wipe down counters

Notice the fur bunnies that need to be swept

See the explosion in the microwave, that needs to be cleaned

Remember an activity the kids want to attend

Remind children of school work that needs completed

There is laundry to wash before a trip

The big and little things that make up the life of a mom

My life

Sometimes the day to day is overwhelming….other days I am bored.

I look in the mirror.

I wonder what my life is worth?

On days when I don’t feel like what I do is exciting, or interesting…

When I feel trapped in the mundane

I am reminded of what I am truly worth to the One that loves me beyond measure.

It is WHO I know that gives me value.

It is WHAT I know about Him that brings me worth.

It is WHERE I go that fills me.

It is WHEN I go that humbles me.

It is WHY I go

To live……

 

New International Version (©1984) Luke 12:24
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

New International Version (©1984) Hebrews 11:26
He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. I Peter 3: 3-4 NIV

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A Moment Of Clarity

People Praying

Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr

Waiting is hard.

I want to DO something. I want to BE something. I want to SEE the plan.

At times I feel confined. Restrained. Broken…from the waiting. Frustrations seem more than I can handle at times.

I long to know the plan. I want to see what is around the bend.  Get all the tools I need. Be prepared.

Waiting is a struggle for me. In my journal I highlighted these words from a man who understands waiting. Charles Swindoll once said, “Lord, this is your battle. This is your need you’ve allowed me to trust you for…and I’m waiting for You to do it. I’m waiting for as long as necessary for You to do the impossible.”  I contemplate this man’s words.

Waiting is not passive. It is difficult. It takes a great deal of my effort to remain still, to trust, to obey. I am not too proud to admit that there have been times in my life, that I’ve argued with God. Times that I have asked, “Why?!” , “Why me?!”, “What good will come from this?” or ” Lord, I want this so badly, why won’t you allow it?” Arguing with God is exhausting.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8  NIV) And if I’m honest with myself, do I really want a God that I completely understand? That I would understand all His “why’s” ? That I could keep in a small box?  I have trouble understanding tax codes, how to drive a stick shift, or work my MP3 player. If I could understand God, wouldn’t that make Him small?

The questions of my heart rise to the surface and I am forced to consider what I really believe. About myself, and more importantly about God.

God, do you really love me? Do you care? Didn’t you create me for something greater than this?

The answer is a resounding YES to all three questions.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10 KJV)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)

So, I wait.

Father, please give me the grace to wait patiently on You.

 

 

 

 

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