Tag Archive | Love

Living or Dying?

Sep11

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
Deuteronomy 30:19 NASB

Life and blessing or death and curses. Does that seem to be an easy choice? If it were, why are so many choosing death and curses? Could it be self-centered pride? “I can do life myself.”

Let’s take a look at what life is:

by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Deuteronomy 30:20 NASB

The promised land awaited the Israelites. The promised land awaits those today who humbly surrender to God’s eternal love, obedience to His Word, and holding fast to Him. This is life!

1. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB
2. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:
Deuteronomy 28:2 NASB
3. You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.
Deuteronomy 10:20 NASB

🌹for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
Acts 17:28 NASB

Are you living or dying?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Spirit of . . .

Aug18

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity (cowardice), but of power and love and discipline (sound judgment).
2 Timothy 1:7 NASB

Sovereign God, Creator, thank You for the gift of salvation and the indwelling of the Your Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit guide me to speak boldly in truth, love unconditionally, and practice sound judgment under Your power! I humbly surrender to your will in my life and to that which you have entrusted to me for Your glory. Amen.

🌹Guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
2 Timothy 1:14 RSV

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Living Up to Expectations

Jun15

Hannah, wife of Elkanah, had no children because God had closed her womb. Elkanah’s other wife did have children and would provoke Hannah for being barren. (1 Samuel 1:2,5).

Societies expectations, and that of others, can hurt; but don’t we beat ourselves up even more by desiring to please and meet the expectations of others and failing to meet those expectations? Being a people pleaser all the time is impossible, so let us focus on pleasing God, living up to His expectations.
What is God’s expectation of us?

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB

Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
Isaiah 26:4 NASB

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
Acts 5:29 NASB

🌹Let God’s expectation of us be our foundation. Trust that God has a plan. Seek Him and let Him rule in us.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Do You Love Me?

Jun12

He (Jesus) *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.
John 21:17 NASB

Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” and Peter responded 3 times with a yes. Jesus reponded to those three yeses with instructions to obey Him by serving. Serve by feeding others the Word of God. Serve by drawing the lost to Christ.

Our salvation is a gift. Thankfulness for that gift is serving God who entrusts us to love His sheep. Let’s excel in our love for God proving, to others and ourselves, by serving and obeying Him.
Loving Him more than family, friends, job, church, etc. Even ourselves.

🌹So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.
Joshua 23:11 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Because I Love Jesus

May12

“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble (distress); I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see (cause him to feast his eyes on) My salvation.”
Psalms 91:14‭-‬16 NASB

Wow! What a promise!
Because you love God, He will deliver you. He keeps all who love Him; preserving the faithful, His godly ones, who know His name.
Those who know His name will put their trust in Him for He will not forsake those who seek Him.
To those who love, know and trust Him He says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” God will satisfy us in life and cause us to see His salvation!
Oh let us offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to honor our Savior and walk in the path of righteousness so we may experience the salvation of our God.
Psalms 145:20/Psalms 9:10/Psalms 50:15/Psalms 50:23NASB

🌹If anyone serves Me (Jesus), he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:26 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Love the Lord – Part 5

Feb27

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ — Mark 12:30

When it comes to love I am weak. Loving is hard work. And when I try to grasp loving the Almighty God I am overwhelmed with my weak inability. But then I am encouraged in God’s word that reminds me it isn’t up to me. All that is required is surrender to God and allow His strength to give me the ability to love Him. The Lord will give us strength as we seek the Lord and His strength. As we seek Him through His word we draw closer to our Lord resulting in a deep, intimate love. (1 Chronicles 16:11; Psalm 29:11)
The strength to love the Lord is my song and I long to glorify Jesus Christ in all I say and in all I do. The strength of His love in me just overflows in all I say and do. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me through that wonderful relationship with Jesus. (Psalm 118:14; 1 Peter 4:11; Philippians 4:13)
So love Him with all your strength and seek Him continuously to ensure you have the strength to love Him.
Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.
Psalm 29:11 The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.
Psalm 118:14 The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
1 Peter 4:11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Love the Lord – Part 4

Feb24

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, — Mark 12:30

The best way to love the Lord with all our mind is to have the mind of Christ, received via the Holy Spirit that lives within us. With the Holy Spirit’s help we can truly love Him with all we are. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
We can begin by asking the Lord to test our mind so we can be made new in the attitude of our minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Psalm 26:2; Ephesians 4:22-23) What better way to love our Lord.
We then need to set our mind on the things above like whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Our focus on these things places us in the proper attitude of worship to truly love the Lord as He deserves. (Colossians 3:2; Philippians 4:8)
So let me encourage you to set your mind on loving the Lord and be greatly blessed.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.
Ephesians 4:23-24 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self,created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Love the Lord – Part 3

Feb23

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, — Mark 12:30

How do we love our Lord with all our soul? We need help because we are not able to love God on our own. Ezekiel 18:4 says, “Behold, all souls are Mine;”. Our souls belong to God. Because He is our God and our souls are His, our natural desire is to thirst and pant for Him.
He gives us the desire to cling to Him, to earnestly seek Him. As we seek Him our soul grows to love Him more and more. Seeking Him through His word it helps us to know Him and the more we know Him the more we love Him. In this we can rejoice and praise Him!!!
So seek Him earnestly through the word of God, prayer, and praise.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.
Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 63:8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 119:75 Let my soul live that it may praise You, And let Your ordinances help me.

Love the Lord – Part 2

Feb22

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart — Mark 12:30

“with all your heart”
How? By a new heart given by God. (Ezekiel 36:26) My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart (Psalm 73:26). The Lord will circumcise your heart to love the Lord (Deuteronomy 30:6:). It is all about Him, isn’t it? God is love and He is the One who enables my heart to love Him. Mind boggling.
What can we do? Pray asking the Lord to create in me a clean heart, O God (Psalm 51:10) and search me, O God, and know my heart (Psalm 139:23). We need to set our heart to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 12:14). We need His word — please receive instruction from His mouth and establish His words in your heart (Job 22:22).
I do my best to follow Your commands. You are the One who gives me the desire (willing heart, understanding) (Psalm 119:32).
We need a relationship with Jesus Christ so we can love the Lord our God with all our heart.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Ezekiel 36:26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Deuteronomy 30:6 Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
2 Chronicles 12:14 He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek theLord.
Job 22:22 Please receive instruction from His mouth And establish His words in your heart.
Psalm 119:32 I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart.

Love the Lord

Feb21

and you shall love the Lord your God — Mark 12:30

The commandment is to love the Lord, our God. How can we possibly love God who is love? (1 John 4:8) We could not even come close to measuring up to His love. We are incapable of loving God on our own. We need the help of the Master. With salvation comes the Spirit of God living in us. The love of God living in us enables us to love Him. We can love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) And if we love Him we will keep His commandments — to love the Lord, our God.

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

1 John 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us.