“Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one […]
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Have you ever questioned your own value and worth? That’s a normal part of life. Everyone wants to feel valued and valuable. God established your value by taking the initiative to rescue you from […]
“Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one […]
“‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV) What’s love got to do with it? Everything! Your love will be directed to the object of your affection and to […]
“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the […]
“‘You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.’” Job 10:12 (ESV) Job was in a season of desperation. He knew calamity on a first name basis. Surrounded by an inner circle of friends, Job made a profound statement about God’s provision. In the midst of severe adversity and […]
“‘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.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 (ESV) We are by nature self-absorbed, self-centered, and self-focused. […]
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV) Can you imagine life […]
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14 (ESV) Love is the fuel that ignites compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. As you experience God’s love personally, you will unleash His love freely. Loving others will be a byproduct of your personal encounter of God’s love for you. God […]
“‘You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends […]
“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you.” 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (ESV) How do you make your love for others grow? You place the same value on others that God does. If we could ever fully embrace God’s perspective on people, then our love […]
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV) The “Love Chapter” has been […]
“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.“ Psalm 40:3 (ESV) What is your life song? Has God put a new song in your mouth? As children of God, we have the life transforming message […]
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” James 2:8 (ESV) We are by nature self-absorbed, self-centered, and self-focused. When anything happens around us our first question is: How will this affect me? In many ways, we act as though the […]
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” James 2:8 (ESV) We are by nature self-absorbed, self-centered, and self-focused. When anything happens around us our first question is: How will this affect me? In many ways, we act as though the […]
“Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (ESV) What prompted Jesus to leave the glory of Heaven in order to come to earth and be mistreated, misunderstood, and crucified? Why would Jesus leave an environment where He was worshipped […]
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 (ESV) Did you know that you will multiply what you model? Now that is convicting! That means that it truly does matter how you live your life. It truly matters how you conduct your […]
“But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.” Mark 15:11 (ESV) Have you ever encountered injustice? Have you ever been treated unfairly? I think we have all been there. It hurts! The scars serve as a constant reminder. In our verse today, we find a word that […]
“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, […]
“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.” James 2:8 (NIV) We are by nature self-absorbed, self-centered, and self-focused. When anything happens around us our first question is: How will this affect me? In many ways, we act as though the earth really does […]
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV) Have you ever questioned your own value and worth? That’s a normal part of life. Everyone wants to feel valued and valuable. God established your value by taking the initiative to rescue you […]
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1 (NIV) God’s generosity flows out of His love for humanity. Even though […]
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:19-20 (NIV) God was pleased! His unconditional love prompted His pursuit of rescuing us from […]
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 (NIV) Be devoted. People matter to God and as followers of Jesus Christ we view others through the lens of God’s redemptive activity. Be devoted to demonstrating brotherly love to one another. You can add value to others by loving […]
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Romans 12:9 (NIV) Are you contagious in your Christianity? Your influence for Christ is propelled by sincere love. Love that is genuine, authentic, and without hypocrisy is the kind of love that makes your Christianity contagious. This kind of love originates with […]
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 (NIV) A few years ago Tonya and I participated in the Love and Respect Conference led by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. Dr. Emerson identified what he called the Crazy Cycle. During conflict in marriage, we […]
“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1 (NIV) When do you feel most loved? Have you […]
“Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one […]
“‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV) What’s love got to do with it? Everything! Your love will be directed to the object of your affection and […]
“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for […]