Love is in the air...

Greetings,

“Love is in the air everywhere I look around, Love is in the air every sight and every sound…”  Some of us are old enough to remember this hit song sung by John Young in the 70s, and today, of all days, the lyrics are true.  

There are paper cupids plastered on all the store windows, restaurants are advertising special menus promoting service by candlelight, and my grandbaby showed up wearing candy heart leggings this morning. Jorge and I also exchanged some gifts before he left for work, and later on we’ll catch a movie and probably hold hands the entire time – something we don’t always necessarily do.  It’s all because we are celebrating love!

Love, in case you didn't know, was God’s idea, and it’s the best one He’s ever had.  

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

It is because of Love that we have the promise of a perfectly perfect eternal life!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for loving us so passionately and so fiercely that You sent Christ to secure eternal life for us.  We accept Your gift.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Progress, Not Perfection

Happy Valentine's Day,

Almost every wedding I have ever gone to, mine included, someone read that well-known, familiar passage from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up and never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance...love will last forever!"

Isn't love romantic?

Isn't love goose bumps provoking?

Isn't love HARD!?! 

Truly loving someone like the Bible defines it requires a lot of self-sacrifice.  

But I am reminded of something one of my Bible teachers said, "Progress, not perfection, is key."

Thank God!  I bet most of us haven't always loved perfectly, but I also bet most of us have made progress over the years. As I read the verses above, I cringe at some of the ways I acted as a 21-year-old immature bride and young mother. But as I re-read them I also marvel at how I have changed over the last thirty years.  My greatest area of growth has been in the keeping-my-mouth-shut department unless I had something kind to say.    

How have you grown? In what areas could you use improvement?

As we think of the people God has placed in our life to love, let's stay committed to loving them better and better. God is committed to helping us.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, Thank You for love.  You are the Creator of love and the Definition of love.  You would never ask us to live up to Your standard of love if it were impossible or if it weren't the best way to live a blessed life.  Help us to love more and to love better. Empower us to be more patient, kinder, more forgiving and giving.  Help us to keep disappointments buried and keep the faith no matter what.  Thank You that love is so powerful it lasts forever! In Jesus' name, AMEN.

God's Idea~

Greetings,

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and already the street vendors are out in full force hoping to sell roses, stuffed animals, and heart-shaped balloons.  Plus, go into any grocery store and the first item you'll run into is chocolate of some sort.  Of course, all this is fine and dandy, and Jorge and I are planning on joining the thousands of others who go out to eat and catch a movie.  We'll make sure and hold hands the entire time too!  And it's all because we are celebrating love.

Love, in case you didn't know, was God’s idea, and it’s the best one He ever had.  

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

It is because of Love that we have the promise of a perfectly perfect eternal life!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for loving us so passionately and so fiercely that You sent Christ to secure eternal life for us.  We accept His gift.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Jesus is a Savior of Action~

Happy Valentine’s Day DEVO, all you beautiful and loved children of God~

Today is all about the love.  I myself woke up to a lovely card and calorie-laden chocolate treat!  My husband woke up to well-wishes and a peck on the cheek. 

And everywhere we look we see the evidence of this special day.  Here in Miami it seems as though every street corner has a vendor selling roses, stuffed animals, or heart-shaped balloons.  Most of the folks at my office are wearing pink or red today, and I am certain there will be plenty of folks eating out tonight.  All this to celebrate love, and it’s lovely!

Love, after all, is God’s idea, and it’s a good one. 

How do we know we are loved? 

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God loved and then God gave.  Love is a verb; it always does something.

For the past few DEVO’s we have followed the encounter that a grieving widow whose son died had with Jesus.  He saw her, He told her not to cry, and then BAM! He touched her son, and he bolted right up!

What’s the point in saying, “Don’t cry,” unless there is going to be some kind of follow through to help those tears stop flowing?

It makes perfect sense to me.

May we all get it through our thick heads today that Jesus is a Savior of action.  He gets involved with words that encourage us and follows through with actions that strengthen our faith and heal our hearts.  

Glory glory hallelujah!

I could tell Jorge “I love you,” all day long, but once in a while I better cook his favorite dinner, I better control my temper, I better cheer him on when he’s had a rough day at work and keep my critical comments to myself etc…etc…etc…In other words, I better prove it.  How else would Jorge know that he is the love of my life?  How else would we have known that God loves us if He had not sent Christ?  How would the widow have felt if Jesus would have told her to stop crying and then turned around and gone on His merry way with the crowd?

Love gives, love listens, love encourages, love never looks the other way, and I love it.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for loving us.  Thank You that Jesus is a Savior of action.  In His name, AMEN~