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John 13:35 “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
I truly hope and pray that each one of us can testify to the power of God’s love in transforming our lives. The moment we believe in His Son, Jesus, that transformation begins, and our hearts are changed in such a manner that we can love others as God would—not loving conditionally, as is common with man, but with agape love—that complete, unconditional love such as God gives us. We also begin to speak as God would, using words with kindness, love, and compassion, desiring the best for others at all times. I recently read an article that so clearly demonstrates the above that I’d like to share a part of it with you. THE POWER OF LOVE by Michael Wing Epoch Times February 8, 2022 What if you saw someone about to jump off a bridge to commit suicide over a busy highway? Would you stop and open your heart to save a life? Utah man Joe Tuia’ana, 42, found himself in that situation while driving his three daughters to one of their basketball games on Saturday, Jan. 29. At around 3 p.m., they were crossing the I-15 overpass between 350 North and 760 North when Joe, a sales account manager from Lehi, spotted a young man in his early 20s in a black hoody. The run-in changed Joe’s life. ‘”He was crying and was very shaky, standing on the other side of the protective barrier fence, facing the interstate,” Joe told The Epoch Times. “He was looking down at the moving cars below while holding himself with his right hand.” Immediately, Joe knew the man was suicidal and swung his car around, parking behind the young man’s car on the bridge. He told his eldest to call the police and for his girls to stay put. “I got out of the car and immediately thought, ‘If you screw this up, not only is this young man going to die, but your daughters are going to see it happen,’” he said. “I nearly passed out due to fear and anxiety.” Joe said a small prayer, asking God to help him do the right thing. “From that point, I felt inspired to do what I thought Jesus would do: walk slowly to this young man, with your arms open to him,” said Joe. As he drew near, the young man looked over and then back to the freeway. Few words were needed, Joe knew. Just love. When close enough, I told him, ‘I love you. I love you, bro,’” Joe said. “He looked at me with fear and pain, crying so hard. With my arms open to him, I repeated, ‘I love you. I love you, bro.’” After a few minutes, he uttered softly, “help.” That was all Joe needed to hear. He jumped up, embraced the young man, and pulled him over to his side of the fence. “I held the young man in my arms like he was my own child and cried with him,” said Joe. “No words said, no questions asked. Just time for him to hug and sit with someone who loved him in peace. He was hurting and I felt like he just needed someone to love him.” Here you witness the power of God’s love expressed in simple words from one human heart to another—words that put into action true agape love. Note, however, that Joe’s words did not originate in himself, but through prayer, even his quick prayer, God listened, and the Holy Spirit inspired Joe to say just what that young man needed to save his life. Think how Joe’s words--“I love you, bro,” symbolize God’s agape love for us; no matter what we’ve done, He will always either whisper in our ears or shout into our souls, “Come to Me! I love you!” When we respond, accepting His Son Jesus as our Savior, He gives us ever so much more than physical life; He gives us life everlasting. Changed hearts, changed words, changed actions—prayer and love for others—what a difference we can make in the world when we accept Jesus as Savior and allow God to work through us in love. VERSES Proverbs 15:3 “Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time.” Proverbs 15:4 “Gentle words are a tree of life;a deceitful tongues crushes the spirit." PRAYER Father God, You are wisdom…you are LOVE…You are power. Thank you that ever since I accepted Your Son Jesus as my Savior, Your Holy Spirit has dwelt within me, giving me all I need to represent You to others. Help me now and each future moment of my life to live that out! Help me to reach out to others in their need, just as Joe did with the suicidal teen—just as You have done with each of us in our need; help me to love with Your agape love at all times. Keep working in me, growing me, changing me, and turning me more and more into your loving, compassionate, caring image. For You are my God, my only God, and I desire to honor You in all my ways! DISCLAIMER I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds
ByWilliam Shakespeare Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me prov'd, I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd. What a beautiful description of what a man’s and woman’s love should be for one another. It’s an ideal love—a love that endures through failures, discouraging times, and the aging process. Yes, we can dye our hair; yes, we can apply lotions; but no matter the solutions offered to counter aging, wrinkles happen and our skin sags. With true love, these things don’t matter; true love knows that it’s the heart that counts! Ideal love—a blissful picture! How blessed are marriages that exemplify this, but we must understand that living in a fallen world as we do, with sinners living with sinners, this ideal may not be reached by all. However, think now of your perfect God . . . “Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds…” This is God! When we wander, He is faithful to pursue us—He leaves the ninety-nine to save the one! That’s you—that’s me! He is always faithful! “…or bends with the remover to remove.” We may not feel temporarily lost; we may turn our backs and walk away from God. Perhaps to our eyes God has appeared to be too distant to hear our prayers when we’ve encountered struggles, trials, discouragement, and depression; or perhaps we see those who claim to be Christian acting hypocritically, and we do not wish to follow in their footsteps; then there are those Christians who deliberately hurt us. Why do people walk away? I supposed the list is too long to cover. The important fact to remember is that if we remove ourselves from our Father, He does not bend and remove Himself from us! What a comforting thought that is, to know our Father is constant. His nature never has and never will change; His love for us is unending, and He will pursue us to our very last breath! Hallelujah! Love …”it is the star to every wandering bark…” When we are struggling and being lured to wander, we just need to remember to look up to our God in heaven! As stars guided sailors of old, God is our point of reference—our guiding light, keeping us on paths of growth and righteousness each moment, each day. He is the One and only One who can give us hope, peace, joy, contentment, and the fulfilling LOVE we so desire and need. If you are searching for perfect love, you need do more than look up! Behold the God of all creation—the God who loves you so much He died for you; the God who loves you so much, He will never leave or forsake you, but will pursue you all the days of your life. Why? You are His treasure, His valued one. Today, may you be filled with the love of our faithful God, who, though He knew we would rebel and sin, did not bend or remove Himself from our lives; rather, in the purest act of love, He sacrificed His Son, and through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, we are given eternal life. This is LOVE, a love that “does not alter when it alteration finds or bend with the remover to remove!” VERSES: Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” Psalm 139:7-8 “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from Your presence! If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go down to the grave, You are there.” 2 Timothy 2:13 "If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.” Deuteronomy 31:6b “For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for your constant love and care. Thank You for pursuing me in the past, until I surrendered to Your loving Son; in the present, when I stray from Your love and reliance on You; and in the coming future years, when I might tend to wander. What a wonderful peace it is to know You will never leave nor forsake me, that You will always love me in spite of all my infirmities: “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark.” THIS IS TRUE LOVE, constant and never failing, and I will praise You each and every day, thanking You for that perfect love! DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! “Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.” Inspirational verse-- Author Unknown Have you ever thought about the fact that just as God’s WORD has power, being alive and active, so do our words? We speak, and there is a reaction by the recipient—sometimes immediate or sometimes after reflection—but always, a reaction. What will that reaction be? It all depends, doesn’t it? The power of our words can be a scary thought if they are not used as God would have us use them. WORDS—do you realize they all begin in our hearts! “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45 Although we don’t want to acknowledge this fact, (think of a newborn baby), it is true that all hearts are evil until we receive the Holy Spirit. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9 However, with the Holy Spirit living within us, God changes our hearts! “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 The Holy Spirit, God Himself, now works through us, and His fruit becomes evident: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Evidence of that fruit is then heard in our words—words that heal, build up, encourage, and demonstrate love for one another. As we walk through this coming week, let us remember the impact of our words and use them wisely, bringing life to others; and let every person with whom we speak be encouraged as they learn through our words how valued and treasured they are, not only in God’s eyes, but in ours. VERSES: Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Proverbs 15:4 “Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 16:24 “Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs: 18:4 “A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.” PRAYER: As Psalm 19:14 states, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Purify my heart, Lord, so that only words of Your wisdom and love come from my mouth. Help every word I speak benefit others, building them up, not tearing them down. Refine me, so that others hear You when I speak. Let each person with whom I visit know they are valued and loved, so much so, that they will recognize that You will pursue them always, guarding over and protecting them if they accept You as Savior, now and forever. Amen. SONG: “Refiner’s Fire” written by Brian Robert Doerksen Purify my heart, let me be as gold And precious silver Purify my heart, let me be as gold Pure gold Refiner's fire, my heart's one desire Is to be holy Set apart for you Lord I choose to be holy Set apart for You my Master Ready to do Your will Purify my heart, cleanse me from within And make me holy Purify my heart, cleanse me from my sin Deep within Refiner's fire, my heart's one desire Is to be holy Set apart for you Lord I choose to be holy Set apart for You my Master Ready to do Your will Refiner's fire, my heart's one desire Is to be holy Set apart for you Lord I choose to be holy Set apart for You my Master Ready to do Your will Ready to worship Ready to follow Ready to do Your will DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:1-5
TNT--explosive! Liquid nitrogen--explosive! Nuclear power--explosive! Volcanic eruption--explosive! I picture men using TNT to blast clearings in mountains for roads, tunnels, and development projects; I see physicians using liquid nitrogen to remove warts or precancerous cells; I visualize atoms being split to produce energy, or on the opposite side, a hydrogen bomb; then there’s volcanic eruption. Visit May 18, 1980—Mt. St. Helens in Vancouver, Washington. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake triggered an enormous landslide, and a lateral blast collapsed the volcano’s northern face. Magma erupted , and an ash plume reached 15 miles in height. 230 square miles were destroyed in five to nine minutes, with everything in the area being killed. Now that’s power—unimaginable power, right? Wrong! When we think of unimaginable, let’s think of God and His power. God’s Word--talk of explosive! We cannot possibly imagine how much more powerful God’s Word is than the volcanic eruption just described, but when the Word (preincarnate Jesus) spoke, time and ALL we know began. The Word spoke, creating light. The Word spoke, creating day and night. The Word spoke, creating dry ground and plants. The Word spoke, creating our universe—the sun, moon, and stars. The Word spoke, creating birds and sea creatures. The Word spoke, creating land animals and humans. The Word spoke, and rather than blasting apart the earth or atoms, all in existence was put together, not in chaos, but in an orderly manner. Creation was completed, and our triune God noted that everything was very good. God tells us in Scripture that His Word goes out and never comes back void. What an encouraging promise of action! See or feel that power? Think—just as God created mankind, He created you in His image. Power. He knit you together in your mother’s womb! Power. He put a calling deep within to fulfill His purpose for your life. Power. He gave you Scripture for guidance and for growing you. How so? Power! “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 LIVING, ACTIVE—there are two powerful words! So when Paul, in his letter to Timothy, explains that Scripture teaches all of us what is true, helps us recognize what is wrong in our lives, and teaches us to do what is right, we can understand that God’s Word is alive and active. We are transformed! God uses His power to do good works in us, changing us, bringing us into the light; then He uses those good works to bring light to others. Light in a darkened world—that was Jesus, and that is our commission as believers in Christ—to bring His light to our current darkened world. Feel you can’t do this? Just remember, if you are a believer in Christ, you have the greatest power imaginable living within you, God Himself. Now that is POWER! VERSES: Isaiah 55:11 “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” NLT “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” ESV 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” NLT “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” ESV Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” PRAYER: Father God, I recognize that it took Your power through the work of the Holy Spirit to change me from the person I was before I knew Jesus to the person I am today. What a joy it is to live in the light rather than the darkness, and what a joy it is to think on all the changes you have wrought in my life because of Your transforming power. Forty-two years I’ve been walking with You. You have helped turn impatience to patience; pride to humility; conflict to peace; jealousy to accolades for others; temper to long-suffering; and hatred to love. I have grown much, but I readily acknowledge I have many miles of growth yet before me. So as I continue to read and meditate upon Your Word, please grow my heart relationship with You so that I desire to obey You in all things. Please continue transforming me into Your Son’s image so that the fruit of the Holy Spirit explodes within me, pouring out onto others. Father, my desire is that You, and only You, be my light now and always, guiding each of my steps on Your path of righteousness with the goal of fulfilling the promise You knit within me! Amen. DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! |
Author Candice Mary Thomas writes about loving God and loving people! Coming to Christ at age 32 and now in her 70's, Candice knows what a difference it makes living with or without Christ as one's personal Savior. Archives
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