The Love Project!

{EDIT: If you are following along, I have no way to separate these posts other than by pictures. So each new post will have the picture above it. Also, you can hit "ctrl" "F" at the same time and search "Luke Chapter __" Whatever chapter you are on and it will come up! Thank you for following along!}

                                   

    What is this? This is something that God has been speaking to me for some time now. You know my desire is to have a heart after God's, to love like Jesus, and to love the way we were intended to. Problem is, I struggle daily with this. I pray and pray and pray and pray some more which YES! It does help tremendously. But, what about the days I don't pray or I am more fleshly than I should be. Those days, love goes out the window!
    So I was thinking about this and God said, "If you want to know how to love, read the Gospels and follow my Son's example." Wow, how come I didn't think of that :)
   So, after putting this off for sometime now, I am just diving in. I can not promise you I will write on this daily but I will promise to write at least once a week while we get through The Love Project.
  I am very excited to be doing this and I pray you will see His love from what I find and I also pray you will be going through on your own and seeing what you find!
    Please, if I can ask one thing, is that you will pray for me while I am doing this! You know our enemy loves to tear us away from Christ so please be praying protection over me and my family. I will be praying a covering over you and your families as well! May be grow closer than ever to finding out what Love really is!

 Here is the plan...... (and, this is all God's so if He decides to shake things up, I am OK with that! So, these plans are not set in stone :) )
    ~  Staring in Luke chapter 1
    ~  Read one chapter and write down as many examples of Love I see
    ~  Update the blog on what I found and what I felt God speaking to me through what I read
    ~  As stated above, I plan to do this and update at least once a week which puts us about the
         end up May being done with Luke

    And my prayer is not only protection for you and your family but that you will grow and increase in the knowledge of God and His love for you. That we will become who He truly wants us to be, And that we will become better disciple makers by the way we love and by showing His grace to all around us. I pray that you will hear His words, not mine, and that you will only glean from truth and His writings and that anything that is not of Him will be erased from your mind. May His grace abound and His love be shown!

           

   

December 4, 2014

Luke Chapter 1

    Where does one start to look for examples on how to love? Yes, starting this project, I figured we would look at Jesus's life on earth as a man but, starting out, what better example than God's love for us?
     I am doing this project with my husband and son once a week so it is amazing to hear what they gleaned from what we read and see their points. This particular week, my heart was drawn to Mary because I love how she reacts to being chosen. Her day and age, for her to pregnant would not be a good thing yet she see's it as a blessing.
     I am not going to write about that, maybe another day, today, I am going to write about God's love for us. My husband loved how God chose Zacharias and Elizabeth. Two elderly people who have had no children. They were righteous before the Lord. He chose to bless them!
      What I love is this "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard." Don't be afraid and he calls him by name. Yes, this is an angel but, he is an angel of the Lord. And not only are they blessed with a child, but listen to the blessing that is poured out,
       13-17 "But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
            And as promised, so it happens
                 and Elizabeth conceives.
     Then, to go on, down in 28, Mary gets a visit! I LOVE this, "Rejoice highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women." Oooh, to be called that, highly favored one!
   And the blessing follows, 30-33 "Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
         There is so much more to be talked about here for sure but aren't these perfect examples of love? Elizabeth and Zacharias really are not "important" people in the Bible. Most Christians wouldn't really even know who Zacharias is if you ask them. Yet, He chose them!
      And Mary, oh Mary. She is a young girl. A girl! A nobody. But He made her someone, He made her special, and He showed her He loved her.
      This is important, especially if you are a woman. We feel like nobodies, like we are unworthy but He makes us worthy! He loves us. And men, look at Zacharias, a hard worker, obviously, and a good man but really a nobody other than that and God see's him and more importantly, He hears him. He hears you!
            So, what do we do in response to knowing this?
                                What did they do?
       Zacharias did probably what I would have done and not believed at first, so he became mute for a time, (Vs20) But regardless of his lack of faith,  his wife did conceive.
    Mary believed and said  in verse 38 "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." She didn't care how she would look or what persecution may follow, she trusted God.   She  then visits Elizabeth and she sings a beautiful song to the Lord! Verses 46-55. If you have not read that, I would encourage you to! So, she said, ok! and then she praises God for all He has done and is going to do.
      When it comes time to name baby John, people say no, you can't, that is not a family name but this time, they obey what God had said and name him John. This is where Zacharias is able to speak again! Then he blesses the Lord and prophesies in Verses 68-79.
      What I hope you can take away from this is simply that God loves each of us, even if you are a stay at home mom or a man who works two jobs to provide for your family, if you are a young lady who is lost in this big world or a very successful business man. No matter who you are, where you are, what you are, He loves you and is calling you to love Him in return, to praise Him, and to know He loves you and listens to you!

               Dec 5, 2014
PS.....   I was thinking and praying about this and I felt God saying this to me, Remember Elizabeth also. How many years she prayed for a child, how many years she hoped and dreamed, and probably stopped praying since she was well advanced in her years thinking God must have other plans for her. "I heard her!" And He hears you! You may have been praying for years for something, don't be discouraged! Yes, the answer may be no, but it might be yes. Remember, God can see the whole picture and He has so much in store for you. So no matter the answer, rest assured, it is the best answer for you!!!!

December 16, 2014

Luke Chapter 2

There is so much to write about in this chapter. I could take numerous posts to talk about Mary, about the shepherds, about God, the angles, and about Simeon.....but this week, I am going to talk about Jesus. 

  He is, after all, Love! 

   First lets look at this, if you believe in Jesus....lets do this, lets just read John 1:1 because it is the best way to get across what I am saying : "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Verse 14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only, begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

    So, if you believe that...then, think about this. 

   What King of Kings comes to a place and is born in a manger? Among cattle, among stench, in the cold? What king does that? Our King! Why did He do that? I believe to show us that He loves even the least of these. If He had come and was born of a famous women among kings and born in a palace, would those of us who are pretty much nothing and have nothing, would we love Him the same? Would we trust Him the same? 

     LOVE!

   Then, fast forward to the age of 12. Ok, I have a 12 year old boy and man oh man, let me tell you; attitudes, moodiness, back talking, anger, UGH the list goes on but when he needs something, he needs his mommy....but Jesus....He was different.

   Luke 2:41-51

   They went to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover every year. This year, when Jesus was 12, Jesus lingered behind in the temple among the teachers listening to them and asking questions. To the point that in vs 47, "all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding." He was not saying He knew everything, He was not arguing, He was listening. He was asking questions politely. He was there, on his own, doing mighty fine, for three days! 

   So, from what I understand, it looks like He could pretty much be on His own at this point. But, Mary and Joseph found Him and said vs 48 "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." Mary was a mess! Let me tell you! I can only imagine the worry and the thoughts going through her mind. 

    Jesus said, "I was about my Fathers business." But because they didn't understand, because Mary was a mess, because they cared about Him like that, He stayed with them. He was "subject", verse 51, to them for many many years. Why? Because of love. He loved them. Simple! 

  What an amazing example of love!

   So, how do we put that in to our lives? If we love like Jesus, we obey what we are told by our parents, by our bosses, and we don't complain. We love. We do things not because we have to, but our hearts are changed so we do them because we want to, because we would love to. Love people by doing things for them even if you could be doing something else and actually do it with love, not with bitterness.

   Oh Jesus, teach me to love like this please!

December 30, 2014

I, firstly, would like to apologize. I committed to you do to this at least once a week and failed! So, please forgive me!

LUKE Chapter 3

  As we read today, through Chapter 3, there were some things that my family and I loved. Things John the Baptist said and did. So, for Chapter three, we will look at his example.  First off, John never made things about him. It was always about Jesus. He never wanted to take credit. He didn't baptize or teach for himself. In verse 16 he says, "I indeed baptize you with water, but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."

   Remember back in Luke 1, John the baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from the time he was conceived in his mothers womb....so, he, if there ever was anyone, he would be the one to boast...but he doesn't and that is love! 

  If you think about people around you, the ones who boast about their lives, do you feel love from them? I sure don't. I feel unworthy, unloved, and sometimes, annoyed. So, for me, this is one example I will put into practice. Not to boast about my life because it is not loving. I should be pointing to Jesus always! Just like John!

   Back to Luke 3, He also answered the crowd in some questions they had in verses 11-14. Great ways to show love.

   Verse 11 "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  

    Verse 13 "Collect no more than what is appointed to you."

     Verse 14 "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

   Sure, you could argue he was answering certain types of people, soldiers, tax collectors, etc....however, I personally believe, these are great ways to show love. Share what you have with others from food to your gifts. Don't ask for more or take more than what you are given. Don't bully people or gossip nor throw out false judgments, and be content with what you have. 

      Above all else, point towards Christ! 

(playing catch up Dec 30, 2014)

LUKE  Chapter 4 

   This chapter is such a great chapter on so many levels. Jesus goes out to the wilderness, make note, filled with the Spirit and led to the wilderness, vs 1, and he was tempted by the devil. I find this interesting and would like to point out. When we isolate ourselves, lets make sure we are filled with the Spirit and are called to do so, because, we are not alone like we think we are. Read 1-13....the devil was there and he was not quiet!

     Jesus answers him so perfectly,  "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God." vs 4, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve." vs 5, and vs 12 "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." 

   What I love about this, not only does it show how human Jesus was, but, it shows us how crafty, conniving, and cunning the devil is. And most importantly, it shows us that Jesus dealt with it so He can comfort us and show us how to deal with it!  That devil knows the Bible, will quote it, and will twist it but stand fast in Christ. He will guide you, lead you, and protect you. Why? Because He loves you.
  He came to earth because He loves us. He wants to show us He has been there, He has done that.
   How do we apply that to our lives in showing others love?
   
    My mom is a quilter and so I will use this analogy.....I think of Gods love as a HUGE quilt. Quilts are comfy and snugly right? So, He wraps you up in it but...there is left over, there always is. Now that you know how to comfort, take your extra part of the quilt and comfort someone else.
  Christ came as to save us but also to live as a man, to be an example to us. Take what you learn from Him, the comfort He gives us, and share it with others. Be there for people. When you're sharing your quilt, listen, be a shoulder to cry on, spend time with that person, and if you have Godly advice to share, share. If you don't, just be a comfort to them because that is a HUGE thing!!!!

    Luke 4:18-19

    "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 

Because He has anointed Me, 

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

Why? Because He loves us!

   In vs 33 and 43 He casts demons out of people. I don't know if you have ever witnessed a demon possessed person but they are not the greatest people to be around. They were the "low" people of town, the "dirty" people, and yet, He cared for them! He cares for them!
    In vs 38, He heals Simon's wife's mother who was sick with a high fever. He didn't have to, but He did because He loved her, he loved Simon's wife, and He loved Simon.

   In vs 43 He shows His love " I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I Have been sent."  He wants everyone to know of Him and of His love for us! Because He wants us all to be with Him forever in Heaven. How does that happen? By sharing His love to people!

   I pray that you and I both can learn to love like Jesus. That we can share this love with everyone we come in contact with. That would could slow down at the grocery store to see a lady hurting, or to slow down at church in between the duties we do to see our sister hurting through her fake smile. That we could be Jesus's hands and feet and show love. That we could have His heart!  Oh Jesus, to have Your heart of love.  Please help us see You through Your word and show us how to apply it to our lives to share Your love with others. In Jesus name, amen!

January 5, 2015

LUKE Chapter 5

     There is just so much love abounding in Jesus that it is very difficult to pick and chose which to write about. I would encourage you to read these chapters and talk with Jesus about which ones He would like you to apply to your life; as each of us are different! 

   I think, for sake of length of this chapter and article, I will go over a few verses but camp out in the latter section of the chapter. I am always so amazed at Jesus. I read these stories, think about them, and re-read them not remembering how amazing He truly is. I am in awe!

    From going out to the fishermen to find apostles in verses 1-11 to dining with tax collectors in verses 27-32. "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous , but sinners, to repentance." Luke 5-32 (But remember Romans 3:10 "There are none righteous, no, not one;")

   On a side note, I do see it quite often how Christians hang out and go out to "Christian" areas. I read one blog where the author described it as a "Christian neighborhood". Some don't go to seek and save the lost. I love my mom dearly, but one time, she told me, "You do not put a white glove in the mud and expect the mud to come out glovey." I never liked that because, while this is true, and while you should be cautious where you go, how else is the mud ever going to hear about the glove? Jesus did this. He jumped all in to the mud!

  So, back to our chapter, Jesus has time for the gross people, the lepers, the paralytics, the ones we often avoid. Verses 12-16 and then verses 17-26. He loves them and even touches them! Verse 13 "Then He put out His hand and touched him saying "I am willing; be cleansed." 

     Now, 17-26, that is one of my most recent favorite stories! Reading through Chapter 5, you see how many people surrounded Jesus all the time. To the point He goes out on a boat to teach and He has to withdraw to the wilderness just to pray. (I love that He wants to be alone to pray! vs 16)

      So, this particular scene, He was teaching in a house that was packed. There was no way you could squeeze through the crowd to see Him and certainly no way if you had a few friends with you carrying a bed with another man on it.  

   These men  had such great faith in Christ that they did not see this as a deterrent, just an obstacle they had to overcome. They looked around and found a staircase, probably on the outside of the house leading to a flat roof (my Bible notes say this is most likely as women did their chores on the roof).  They then, lowered the man down on his bed, in front of Jesus. 

   Could you image this? 

   Jesus saw their faith!

      So, I am thinking these guys had such great faith that they knew Jesus would heal this man. They figured they would take him right up to Jesus and He would be healed. But nope! They had to carry him to the roof, let him down in front of Jesus, and then what does Jesus do?

   Verse 20 "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

    So, if that would have been me, I probably would have yelled down to Jesus, "Hey, do you know what we had to do to get him  here? Hello???"

   But see, that is the thing. Jesus KNOWS us and LOVES us so much more than just healing us of our physical needs. He loved these men and the paralytic man so much He forgave him of his sins. What good is that? Well, personally, I would rather live a life on earth as a paralytic and live forever healed in heaven with Jesus than be healed on earth and end up in hell. Jesus knew!  Jesus sees the whole picture. 

   These men who brought the paralytic could have known too because it does not say they argued or they were upset that Jesus healed his sins first. The Pharisees were upset though! So, what does Jesus do? He goes ahead and heals the man as well as forgiving his sins!

   Why did I chose this to focus on learning about love? A few reasons!

1. The love of the men for their paralytic friend. In those times, that had to be a very difficult task to get a paralytic carry them on a  bed, up stairs, to a un-stable roof, and lower him down. And....it really does not say that this was a friend of the men, just a paralytic. 

Do you love people enough to do something like this? 

                                                                Do I?

 In today's day and age, it would be like going to the state hospital, finding the person who is very sick and can not move, carrying them on a stretcher through crowds of people at a Super center on black Friday*, to find Jesus in the middle of the electronics section. Then, knowing you can not get through, you have to carry him up the stairs and lower him down through the roof. 

   I ask the question again, would you? Would I? Honestly, I can not say I am there yet....I can say I would do it for someone I love, a friend or family member, but would I do it for someone else? Would I go into the darkest neighborhood of my city to find the dirtiest sinner of them all so his sins could be forgiven by Jesus? 

                             No, I wouldn't. 

Do I want to be in a place where my answer would be yes? 

                                                   HECK YES!

           In my heart, I would like to say I would do that but in reality, I could do that. Jesus is available everywhere. I don't have to drag someone to a store on black Friday* to introduce them to Jesus. Jesus comes with us and is with us, and He goes before us! 

   SO, be honest, instead of would you or would I? The question should be...

             Are you? 

                             Am I?

2. Jesus see's their faith. He see's through the crowds of people and see's their faith. Imagine being in the football stadium on Super Bowl Sunday trying to find one person. Could you do it? I couldn't. But He does. He see's us!!!!!!!! Psalm 147:4 "He counts the stars and calls them by name." If He knows the stars, He surely knows each of us!

3. He loves that man so much that He risked judgement and death to say, "Your sins are forgiven you." This is one of the things leading to His crucifixion. But...isn't it so much more important that being healed of an ailment? Eternity in heaven with our Creator or health on earth? I think the choice is simple! 

       So, what can we take from this section and apply to our lives?

 Loving people, loving neighbors, loving family, and loving the un-loveables! 

      Having such great faith in Jesus that we would not be scared to take Jesus to people.  Knowing Jesus has the power to not only be with us as we go, but to forgive people their sins. If we really understood this and believed it....shouldn't we be doing this more often?

     And seeing people around us. To love people is to take the time to see them. To see the pain in your best friends eyes, to see the hurt in a child that passes you on the street, to see the last shred of hope leave a person's eyes as you bump into them at the grocery store. 

   The song that is such a great example of this is Give me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath. 

"Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see"

I love this song and that is my prayer! Jesus, give me Your eyes, Your heart, give me all of You! 

      

   *Yes, a super center and black Friday are just to help you grasp the idea of how much of a crowd I am picturing....NO, I don't suggest you try this next black Friday! I don't think you will find Jesus in the electronic section :)

January 8, 2015

LUKE Chapter 6

                Oh, this is such a great chapter...who am I kidding, all of God's words are so beautifully written and so rich, it is all great! I am trusting that you are reading through these chapters on your own time. So, with this chapter, I just want to go through start to finish and write out the Love parts. Because, this whole chapter is so full of how to be like Jesus! 

         The first thing I would like to mention is in verses 6-11. Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath and a man came in whose hand was withered. Jesus wanted to heal it but he could see the Pharisees thinking about how it is the Sabbath. I love what He says to them in verse 9 "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" Then He heals him. Amazing. Jesus knew what this would lead to, ultimately His death. He knew that He could have just let the man live one more day with a deformed hand, but he didn't. He reached out his hand and healed him.

    So, how can we apply this? Jesus was teaching on a Sabbath day. In our day and age, it would be like our sacred day off of our daily duties, work, school, etc. A day where you just want to do things for yourself or stay home. But you see someone in need, you are asked to bring  a meal to someone, you might see someone crying down the road in need of a friend, you might be asked to help a neighbor out, etc. What do you do? "Sorry, its my day off." "Sorry, I can't help today." Or, do you do what Jesus did and show love to them no matter where you are and what you are doing?

   Make note, verses 12-16, Jesus had a great support system around Him, didn't He? Sure, they were not perfect, sure, some of them would turn on Jesus, but He still loved them and they loved Him. Might be a novel idea to have a good support system around you. People who would be praying for you, helping you, and being there for you!

   Jesus was always found with the "gross" people, the "dirty" people, and the "sinful" people. I love this so much! People were drawn to Him to. Verse 17 "....came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed." He loved them too! Power went out from Him and healed them. His power is in us! We need to love people, even those who are hard to love!

    The beautiful Beatitudes:

"Blessed are you poor, 

For yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now,

For you will be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,

For you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you,

And when they exclude you,

And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,

For the Son of Man's sake.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!

For indeed your reward is great in heaven, 

For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. "

                            Luke 6:20-23

   And then some warnings:

"But woe to you who are rich,

For you have received your consolation.

Woe to you who are full,

For you shall hunger.

Woe to you who laugh now,

For you shall mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

For so did their fathers of the false prophets. "

                         Luke 6:24-26

   Reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, There is a time for everything so remember not to boast in what you have, because it can be taken away. It is better to be on the poor, hungry, weeping side of things now as heaven is such a sweet, sweet reward! When we are on the other side of things, it is easy to forget how hard it is to be poor, hungry, weeping, hated. 

     Then what does He say? Verse 27 "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who persecute you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." 

    The hard stuff now huh! Love those who hate you. Be good to them. Bless them. Pray for them. This is hard one to do but for me, I have found not only is it good for them, but it is so healing for you to pray for the ones who hurt you, to love them, to bless them. It is hard, but when you do it, it is good for you as well as them. And that shows Jesus's love for us and through us. It is a beautiful thing!

          In this day and age, even in the church, it is so easy to judge people, to condemn people, but what is the number one thing we have learned? LOVE. There are times to have church discipline, yes, but have you loved first? Did you meet the person where they are, not expecting them to change first, and show them Jesus's love through you? Did you introduce them to His grace? Or did you just judge them and say, "Change or be gone?" Oh, I could go on and on about this, I will save it for another blog post! Just remember, "There are none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10. Look at yourself before you judge them. Verse 42 "Remove the plank for your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye." 

   If you truly seek His heart and are loving people, you will be known by your fruit. Verse 43-44,

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit." Be a tree of Love with His love running through your core!  Verse 45 "..For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

   And verse 46  "But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" Built a strong house on a strong foundation with Love filling the inside and pouring out. Do what He is calling you to do. This verse, oh, how it humbles me to the core. If You are my Lord, I should do what You ask...Jesus, I am so sorry for not doing the things You ask of me!

       May we strive to love more, learn more about His love, be rooted in Him with His love overflowing through us, and may we do what He commands us to do. Keep reading His word seeking His heart! 

                              

January 16, 2015

LUKE Chapter 7

   From healing of a Centurion who felt unworthy to be in the presence of Jesus, to the widow whose deceased husband Jesus rose from the dead, this chapter is full of Jesus's unfathomable love for us. I could write books on the amount of love that is shown in this one chapter. Funny, in the beginning I didn't think it would be this hard but choosing a few things in one chapter to write about when His whole being is Love, that is hard! 

   So, for today, we are going to look at Luke 7:36-50. I love that stories are recorded in the Bible that held importance and in a day and age where women were not of importance, it is easy to think most of the stories pertaining to women could have easily been thrown out. But God wanted them in here. He wanted this to be His Words and that is what has happened.

   In this story, we see Jesus going to eat at a Pharisee's house. Then, the unimaginable happened. A sinful, disgusting woman came to the house as she heard Jesus was there. She was probably not a wealthy lady and she was probably looked down upon as we can see by the  way the Pharisee's perceived her. 

   She brought with her a flask of oil and when she saw Jesus, she began to wash His feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and then anointing them with the expensive oil. She also kissed His feet many times. 

   The Pharisees did not like this and thought, verse 39, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." 

   I find this funny because how often do we do this? We are like, "Ew! That person is a drunk with no job and is a wretched sinner." "Ew, did you see her?" "Oh my goodness, look at that, that man had an affair...." And the list goes on.....but.,..what does the Bible say? We are all sinners. So this verse makes me laugh a little because the pharisee is very  hypocritical. We are all sinners saved by His grace. 

   But Jesus, being incredible and loving, addresses Simon. He doesn't call the pharisee out, He doesn't accuse Him, He just speaks to Simon.

     Then He in verses 41-42 He asks which forgiven debtor will love the one who forgave them more?

   Simon responds with the one who was forgive more. 

      He then builds this woman back up from where she was. She walked into this house a dirty, sinful woman, looked down on by most "Christian" people, and Jesus says, verse 44-48""Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with  oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 

    Not only does He look at her, makes them look at her, He restores her, He loves her, and He forgives her. 

   This love He has for us, there is no way we could imitate that because we are sinners and our hearts are dirtied by our sin. However, we can strive to have the kind of love for people. 

   Not that I want you to put yourself as Jesus, but bear with me, imagine you were where He was, sitting at the table about to eat. In walks a person who you think is such a disgusting, sinful person. That person proceeds to sit behind you and wash your feet and anoint your feet with lotion. Would you be loving or would you say "I am fine, please don't." OR worse?

    Honestly, this is tough. I know a person who I was helping for a while who drove me crazy. She was needy and she was living a very sinful life with no desire to change at that point but she was seeking help to find Jesus. I had a hard time dealing with her and had a very hard time finding time to make time for her. 

   We all have those people in our lives, the ones we don't want to deal with, the ones who annoy us or bug us when we don't want to be bothered. In my case, I was stuck on trying to "fix" her walk and trying to show her how not to sin and what to fix rather than giving her the most important gift of all. 

   Jesus.

  That is all she needed. Though I talked about Him, I didn't show her love like He loves. I didn't make her feel important to me or special to me. I didn't meet her where she was in her life, I wanted her to meet me where I was. I didn't give her grace. I didn't show love like Jesus showed me love, like He shows all of us love. I don't honestly know where she is in her walk with Christ. I see her now and again but she doesn't even talk to me. I failed with her. I wish I could have another chance. However, this is something we can learn from. Love those unlovable people. Give them Jesus and only Jesus. Don't try to fix them, just give them Christ and He will work on them. 

   The lady in the story, all she needed was Christ. Period. That is all we all need. So, lets start loving people to Jesus! Thankfully, when we mess up, like I did, Jesus is so much BIGGER than that so I know He will reach her. But, next time, I pray I am more like Jesus! That is my hearts desire!!!

January 23,2015

LUKE Chapter 8

      Oh Jesus, how I love how you speak to us! How you make things easy to understand and how You love to speak to us! 

     In Chapter 8, He begins His parables. Please, as we go through chapter by chapter, read all the chapter, not just what I put up, as all of it is so very important.  The parables are such great stories to understand what He is saying! Dont be  like verse10 

"Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand."

   In Chapter 8, He starts off by healing and making a point to show that He loves women. I truly believe, as I have said before, He does this because in that day and age, women were not worth much and often left out. He tells the stories of the women to show us He loves us! He cares about us! We are not worthless. 

    He show us that He loves those who we might call unlovable. Like the demon possessed man in verse 26-39. He was naked, living in tombs, and demon possessed. Not just one demon, but a lot. Jesus not only casts them out into the swine, but He then clothes the man, lets him sit at His feet, and hangs out with him!  Jesus loves this man enough to cast out the demons and loves him even more than that by clothing him and letting him hang around.

  I think sometimes we get in a mindset that once we do our  "good deed" we can just smile and go home.

 "I showed love today! Woo hoo for me!" 

     But how often do you hang out and enjoy the person you just helped? The person you just showed love? See, Jesus's love is real love. 

    I speak from experience in the fake love department. I have been involved in events to help people in  need and once I am done, I am out! And even worse than that, I was not truly loving even during the event. Just having an event is good enough right? No! Look at Jesus. He had the event, did the event with love, and then, He hung out with this man!

   Oh Jesus, help me to love like You do!!!!

   Then in verse 40 to the end we see some beautiful works here....As Jesus is hearing about a little girl who is dying, a woman who has had a flow of blood for 12 years, who no doubt came from money as she saw many physicians since her youth, and who was never healed made her every effort to simply touch Jesus. She had such great faith in Him she just had to touch him.

  Lets pause a second....Have you ever been to the doctor for something only to find out they have no idea what is wrong? Then another doctor? And another? Still, the problem you have is not fixed yet? I don't know about you, but for me, after about the third doctor, I gave up! I don't want anything to do with doctors!

   This lady here, she doesn't give up because she knows and believes Jesus will heal her if she can touch Him. I personally think she also didn't want to be an inconvenience or distraction either, that is why she just wants to touch Him. Maybe she even feels ashamed of her flow of blood, embarrassed even.  

   But what happens when she does? He feels her and wants to see her! He turns to her and says, verse 48, 

"Daughter, be of good cheer, your faith has made you well. Go in peace!" 

     

     Daughter! 

  

    And then He hears that the little girl who they were talking about has died. Verse 50, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." He goes to their home and sees all the weeping people who do not believe. He takes the parents and a few apostles with Him and says in verse 54 "Little girl, arise." Make note as well, He took her by the hand! And as always, He then says in verse 55 "...And He commanded that she be given something to eat."  Showing she was truly alive for those who did not believe. 

    Things to use in our lives...

~staying after our "love" has taken place to hang out with people, love on them with real love. 

~Touching people...there is such love in a hug or the holding of a hand!

~Not only love the person you are loving to Christ but be aware of those around you and make sure you are loving them to Christ as well. If we have His love, real love, this should just be natural! 

   Jesus, that we could have  Your love so these things would come natural. Please forgive me that mine do not come natural, not yet anyway. Keep growing us in knowledge of Your love and keep growing us closer to You that we may shine and overflow on others! In Your precious name, Amen! 

February 2, 2015

LUKE Chapter 9

  "Majesty, Majesty, 

Your grace has found me just as I am,

Empty handed but alive in Your hands."

  From the song, Majesty by Martin Smith and Stuart Garrard

    Words fail me today! I am praying, begging Jesus to speak through me about Luke 9. It is a long chapter! 62 verses to choose from, to glean His example of Love from. But it is very apparent to me that God is speaking to me about just a few of these. From studying this chapter last week, to the sermon at church yesterday, all the way to this morning, in my quiet time of worship with Christ when I flipped to Majesty in my chord book. 

    Love....

   We study it, we say we long for it, but do we? Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone of people? Are we willing to hang out with people who don't look like us, who don't act like us? Are we willing to hang out with other churches? Other Christians??? 

 Yes, other Christians!

    See, that is a big one there. In my small town, we have numerous churches...some who don't teach the Jesus, but a lot of them are good Jesus teaching churches. Have you found yourself ever saying, "Oh, no, I won't go to their house cause they go to such and such church?" or "I don't agree with the way they do worship so I wont go to that event." etc. etc. 

    The biggest part about having a heart of Jesus and loving like He does is letting go of our preconceived notions and our judgments of others. We have talked about this before, about meeting people where they are. We don't need to get the unsaved people to a certain standard before we can introduce them to Jesus. His Grace covers them where they are!  We don't need to only be around Christians who go to our church because that other church does not live up to our standards either. Or we don't agree with the direction God is calling them. God's grace is so much bigger than this little box we put it in. 

   As much as this frustrates me and makes me sad...I find myself doing this too. So...how can we change our hearts and our minds? By reading His word and praying for His help. His grace still covers us too!

     In Luke 9, we see the same examples of Jesus we have seen before. He loves the outcasts, the lepers, the least of them, even the children. He shows the apostles that all they need is Jesus for their ministry yet they still try to do it on their own. Just like we do. 

   We are going to camp in verse 49-56. 

    In verse 49-50 we see the church example. At least, that is what I felt He spoke to me about this. "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."

    One sentence with so much  in it......here is how I took it: " Jesus, we saw some other pastor casting out demons in Your name but he doesn't belong to this inner circle church. I told him he needs to quit!"

   John assumed that because this man did not follow the apostles, though he was using Jesus name, he surely should not be doing that. And he used his authority to tell him not too. 

   Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

I love this!

"He who is not against us, is on our side!"

   To bring this closer to home, we recently had to leave a church we belonged to for many years. A church who had become our true family. But, through some things that happened, we felt God calling us to a new church where we now feel we belong. At first, I just knew that the church we left was wrong...they should not be "Teaching" etc. But...that was because I was hurt having to leave. Some of my old family has excluded us and that is when it hit me. We are all on the same side here. Just on different paths. 

   Many people leave churches because of disagreements, dislikes, etc. but that doesn't make that church a bad church or the new church a bad church. It doesn't make the pastor or you or someone else bad people either. If they are teaching Christ, we are all on the same side. We need to love each other!!!

   I have since reconciled to a dear friend and spoke those very words. We need to encourage those who left and those who stayed to love each other because we are all on the same side. If you don't believe me, you can not argue with scripture! And there it is, verse 50. 

    Then we continue on through 51-56 where they passing through where some "people" did not receive Christ. James and John were like, "Lets send fire from heaven and kill them! How dare they not receive you!" I love James and John's enthusiasm but this was definitely not how Jesus was. Jesus replied in verse 55, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."

    What can we take from this? You will have people who do not want to receive Jesus from you. Do you punish them? Do you hate them? No, you love them. With love, through love, through building foundations of  Love, He will save them through you. 

   So, today's applications:

~It is OK to hang out with fellow believers who do not go to your church. We are all on the same side and we all need each other!

~Love is the way to lead people to Christ. Not punishment, not fire nor brimstone, love. Because His graces covers us all just where we are! 

~ We don't need to get people to a certain place out of their sin in order to receive His grace, it meets them just where they are, just where we are.

~Grace is for everyone! Not for us to decide who gets it and who doesn't! 

   I pray you find joy and strength from today's entry. I pray it brings you peace and maybe even courage to reconcile to an old friend whom you lost in a church split. Keep loving the good fight and remember, we are all on the same side! 

   

    

February 5,2015

Luke Chapter 10

     Luke Chapter 10 verse 26-27 

"He said to him, 'What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?'  So he answered and said, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' "

   If you are searching scripture to find out how to love like Jesus...it doesn't get more clearer than this! 

Love God

Love your neighbor

  But here is the awesome part, to make it clear to us who have a hard time or who like to look for loop holes, the lawyer asked, "And who is my neighbor?" in verse 29. 

   Then Jesus spoke to them clearing in a parable so they could understand. Oh how I love this story and how this story makes me sad. If you read verse 30 and thought about that happening on the street you walk down, what would you do? Would you switch sides of the streets? Or would you do what the Samaritan did and go help this man out?

   In today's world, it is so easy to ignore people who are in need of help because we find "loop holes". I know for myself, it is a safety thing. What if this is a trap? What if this person wont in return  will hurt me? And in all of my "what if's", do I once stop to pray? "Lord, do you want me to help this person? Would you please surround me and protect me as I show mercy on this person?"

  In a simple answer, no! In the past, I have not. I pray you have!

  Because, isn't Jesus so much bigger than a bad person? If you did go to help someone, and they turned out to be a bad person, God is so much bigger and stronger. I fully believe if you prayed about it, believed God to help them, then God is going to protect you! 

  He tells us in Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-mediate on these things."

So, this verse throws our worries out the door, right? What if's are not allowed, only whatevers! :) 

Jesus also spoke the words to us right here in Luke 10 verse 37b.

"...Go and do likewise." 

   This doesn't mean you can be horrible to your actual neighbor. This means, we are to be neighborly with all we come in contact with, real neighbor included to the helpless person on the street. 

   I work at a sandwich shop with the public all day. The thought came to me last night as I was thinking about how to love people more. What if I made each person who walked in feel like they were loved, that they were important? Even the ones who annoy me or who are extremely rude. 

   This challenges me but I want to do this. This is going to be hard because I have gotten myself in a bad place of gossip and judging people when I am at work with my co-workers so changing is going to be hard. But, I want to have the heart of Jesus so I know this is my next step.

   How do I do this? How do you do this?

  I find it quite interesting that the next set of verses is the Mary and Martha set. I think our answer lies here!  You are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha. Martha is working away trying to be a good host for Jesus, which is a good thing. I mean, if you were having Jesus over for dinner, wouldn't you want to have a clean home, an amazing meal, etc? But Mary, she just sat at His feet. When Martha complains, what does Jesus say? He speaks her name twice, gently, and says in verse 41-42 

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chose that good part, which will not be taken away from her." 

    

    See, Mary sat at Jesus's feet. She knew there was time for everything else later, that the most important thing was to be at Jesus's feet. And that is our answer. We can not work hard to please Jesus. He wants us to spend time with Him, at His feet! And when we do that, we in return come closer to knowing His heart and being able to love like He loves. 

   Jesus is all about grace and love. He is not about work, work, work. Yes, we should do work for His kingdom, but it is not a "Have to" thing. He still loves us and covers us in His grace even if we don't work. But loving Him and seeking Him inspires us to go out and try to love people to Him.

   When you go to a good restaurant, you tell everyone about it to try to get them to go there. When you meet an amazing friend, you introduce them to all you know to share the good person. So, this is the same, when we sit at His feet and get to really know Him each day, we are going to want to share Him with everyone we know. And, we should share Him with everyone we don't know! 

   Oh Jesus, please forgive me for my judgmental attitudes and bitter heart I have at work. Help me to change my ways and love more and more. Lord, I truly desire to treat each person the way You would. Please, help me get there! Thank You that I can come anytime and sit at Your feet. What king would allow this but the One true King! Thank You Lord that we can come! I love You Lord so very much. In Your precious Name, Amen! 

February 12, 2015

LUKE Chapter 11

     From the example of a prayer to casting out demons, from asking our Father to letting the pharisees and lawyers have it, chapter 11 has a lot to read. I would encourage you, as always, to read it all the way through. 

   Since our title is "The Love Project", we are going to look at prayer.

 Firstly, verse one,

"Now it came to pass as He was praying in a certain place, 

when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 

'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.'"

      Something very important to note is how much Jesus prayed! Lets think of it like a car (bear with me). If you are a car, and you are going on a long journey to spread the Good News of Jesus, you are going to run out of gas at some point, right? Just like a car, our souls need refueling. Jesus shows us this time and time again that even He needed alone time with His Father. We need this too! 

    Prayer is a time where we can sit down, spend time with our beautiful, glorious Father in heaven and seek His will, His direction, and His strength. I don't know about you, but I can not do this life on my own. I need Him to help me and to guide me. 

   And how did He teach us?

"Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one."

   Lets break it down!

The first two lines, praising our magnificent Father in heaven. He has done so much for us, we could do nothing but praise Him the rest our lives on earth and that would not be enough. So, this is first and foremost very important.....and yet, so easy to forget to do. I tend to go straight to the "I need" section of my prayer.....And for that, Father, I am sorry! For you are glorious and amazing! 

  The next three lines is allowing Him to be in control. As it should be. He can see the whole parade, not just the float in front of Him, so why wouldn't we want His will, not ours? Hard to do again, but so true!!!

  Give us this day our daily bread....I love this on so many levels. Not only do I take it as food for today. Just give us exactly what we need, our provisions, rather. But also, it is a great reminder that we only need "daily" bread. We don't need to say, "Give us our months bread or weeks bread." We just need today's allowances. We don't need to worry about tomorrow. (And we are almost to that chapter :) )

   Then the next two...forgive us, and, we forgive. Oh how those words are easy to speak and hard to do. Forgiving those who wronged us. It is so important to pray this too because we do sometimes need help to forgive those who have hurt us. But forgiving is so important. Not just for the person you are forgiving, but even more so for the healing of yourself. If you have someone you are upset with and have not forgiven, please, pray God will help you forgive them because the sweet release of that anger is so peaceful. 

  The last two lines are straight forth. Lead us out of temptation and deliver us from the evil one. Look at when Jesus was fasting in the desert. Who was there? Temptation from the evil one. So, we know he is out and about ready to tempt us whenever he can. So this is important to be aware of. 

   Now, I know there have been week studies on the prayer but this is just what I feel God speaking to me in light of seeking His heart. There is so much more meaning and examples from this prayer, so please, study it when you have time. But for now, lets just glean what we can.

   To have the heart of Jesus it is important to prayer to our Father in heaven. We need Him! We need to ask for help, for strength, for direction, for comfort, you name it.

     Our beautiful Father in heaven, Thank you for this amazing earth You have given us. Thank you for the clouds that dance through the skies. Thank you for the warmth of the sun on my face as it shines down. Please Father, let your will be done in my life and in the life of those around me. I pray you would provide for me the things I need today Lord and help me see the things I need to do today, just today. Help me see what You have planned for me today! Father, please forgive me for my sins. For my anger, for my judgmental heart, for my lack of praising You. I thank You that you are always here for me even when I keep sinning over and over. You always forgive me. Please help me to remember that when I need to forgive someone for their wrong against me.  Please lead me out of temptation God. Help me see a way out when that evil one comes. I pray this for all those who are studying along with me God that you would help us have a heart like Jesus. That we could love those the way He loves, the way you Love.  We love you Father. In Jesus precious name, amen. 

February 19, 2015

LUKE Chapter 12

   Oh, we have come to my favorite verse! As you read on, I will share it with you. Luke 12 has such a great array of ways to seek Jesus's heart and to be like Jesus. So, lets list them!

   In verses 1-3: Don't be a hypocrite, even if you are a person of power or fame, whatever you do in the dark will be made known in the light. 

   4-7: Fear God and don't fear anything else. God is the only One who can save you or send you to hell. Man can kill you but it is only an earthly death, be more aware of your eternal place. 

  8-12: Don't deny Christ. He has given us everything, don't deny Him. 

  13-21: Don't be so worried about money, about storing up money, and about having things. Again, we need to be about our Father's business and thinking of our eternal home, not here on earth! 

  22-33: We will come back to this and stay a while :)

  

  35-48: Be watchful of Christ's return. You know the truth, you read His word, so don't act like you don't know He is coming back. We need to be doing what He calls us to do. We need to be living the way He tells us to live. And He warns us if we are not doing so. So, be warned!

  49-53: Following Jesus and loving like He does will not always bring joy and happiness. It will divide families, friends, nations, and  even churches. So, be prepared for that but continue to love! And when you are going through a dividing time, love! Make sure you do everything in love. Don't let you idea of what is right push love right out the door. LOVE!

   54-56: Pay attention! 

    57:59: Basically, love! Don't fight or argue with people. Don't go to court over things. Settle them with love and grace! Just as God has done with us! 

  So yes, great words to live by! Great ways to live like Jesus and to love. If we have our minds focused on heavenly things, (Colossians 3:2) and remembering all Christ did and still does for us, it should make us want to love people more and to be more merciful to people. Right? I hope so!

    Ok, back to Luke 12:22-34. You guessed it, my favorite verse lies in here! 

   Do you think worry hinders us from loving one another? How many times did I worry about getting my son to Sunday School and pass right by a dear friend in pain? How many times have I worried about how much money I had for groceries while shopping and ignored a person who needed to be loved on?

  

Worry!

Definition of worry according to Google : give way to anxiety or unease; allow ones's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.

   With all the above instructions Christ gives us, do you think worry fits into them? No!

   I am going to list out what He says here;

Do not worry about your life!

Do not worry about what you will eat!

Do not worry about your body!

Do not worry about your clothes!

Do not worry!

   Does that leave anything to worry about? 

 Nope!

   I love the way He speaks to us "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor bar; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?" 12:24 <My favorite verse!

  Verse 25: And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?

  Verse 27 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

  Verse 28: "If God then so clothes the grass, which today is in the flied and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe You, O you of little faith!".

  Verse 29: "Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind."

  Verse 30-31: "For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows what you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

  

   Verse 32-34 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moths destroy. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

  Not much to say here other than, let us not worry, let us love! When we worry, we need to look around at Creation. When I worry about money or feeding my family, I look at the birds. God provides for them and I believe that! I know He loves me more than the birds. So, I trust He will take care of me too! If you have trouble with worry, ask Him to help you see this beautiful picture He has painted for us!

   When we let worry go, love will enter in! 

  "My little children, let us not love in words or tongue, but in deed and in truth!" 

 1 John 3:18    

                      

           

March 9, 2015

LUKE Chapter 13

   

   Sorry for the delay, I have been sick these past few weeks. So, I am going to try to update this once a day to get caught up :) We will see how that goes!

       "But He will say, I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity." Verse 27

    This chapter has a theme, a very strong, important theme running through it. He is warning us that we might not make it to heaven, for narrow is the road. He shows us how much He loves us by warning us and telling us to pay attention, to make changes, and to seek Him. 

   The first thing is -REPENT! Verses 1-5 explain that we are all sinners and we need to repent. 

   -Dig out the bad and fertilize so you can bear fruit! Verses 6-9 explain that fruitless trees will not get in, you need to bear fruit. (I also think this verse illustrates that even if you have spent years bearing no fruit, it is not too late to change. There is always hope!)

 - LOVE! Verses 10-17 He shows His love for His people by healing on the Sabbath. 

-Heaven! Verses 18-21 speak of how magnificent heaven is! 

-Narrow path- Know God intimately so He knows you!  Verses 22-33

- Understand His love for you! Verse 34b "How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing." Be willing! Oh how He loves us!

   These warnings and instructions are ways in which He shows His love for us. He wants to spend eternity with us. He wants you! In return, we need to share His love with others and encourage them with His amazing love, with His amazing grace, and with His amazing instruction. 

    

  

March 10, 2015

LUKE Chapter 13

   "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

  Luke 13:14

   Wanting to have a a heart like Jesus's heart, it is so very important to study and get to know Him more and more. And not just reading a chapter each week or even a chapter each day, I mean, digging in and really getting to know him.

   How do you get to know a person? You sit down with them and have a conversation! So, while we read each chapter, remember to talk to Jesus because He is waiting to have a conversation with you! He has so much to offer us and so much to teach us!

   Luke is such a great chapter to see His guidance. Just like in the verse above, He is showing us where to have our heart. Do we invite people over so they will in turn invite us over? Do we do it to look good or because we have to? Do we do it so our church elders will be pleased with our church family bonding? We really need to look at our motives!  

   Here, Jesus is saying to not invite those people but instead, to invite the less lovely people. The poor people who live in the trashy trailer park, the druggies and drunks, and the ones who you would probably cross a street to get away from. 

Why?

  Because, these people would truly love a meal with you and even if they didn't, even if they just came to eat your food, you will find joy in loving the unlovable. And, just as He says above, "You shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just!"

    How much do we need to love or have a heart like Jesus? To where Jesus is our one and only. We place Him above our spouse, our children, our friends, our family, our church family, our jobs, etc. And to be honest, once you start to grasp His love for us, this doesn't seem to unreasonable. Knowing how much He loves me and how much He loves my husband, my son, etc. it is easier for me to let Him be number one because without Him, I would not have them. And He loves them more than I ever could! He also loves me more than anyone ever could and that is probably the hardest one to figure out! He loves YOU more than anyone or anything ever could too! 

   So for today, get to know His love for you! Talk to Him. Ask Him to show you! Love the unlovable! Smile, say Hi, and give of your friendliness to others! Give the good seat to someone else. Be humble! Put Jesus as number ONE in your life. And if you have in the past, but have simply lost your flavor, like salt, then spend some time with Him and get your flavor back! 

   I pray you know how much He loves you!!!! You are worth everything to Him! Everything! 

           

March 12, 2015

LUKE Chapter 15

     And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing, And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors saying to them,'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!"

                    Luke 15:5-6

    This whole chapter is one of great importance (All of them are, really!). But this chapter really shows us Jesus's heart for His people. He spoke in parables so we could understand and how simple is it to understand the parable but how hard is it to accept that it is for us?

         The first parable in verses 1-7 is about the lost sheep. One has wondered away from the 99 and the Shepherd leaves the 99 in search for the 1. And when He finds the one, he rejoices, carries it on His shoulders, and then tells all his friends so they can rejoice. 

    The second parable, verses 8-10, the Lost Coin, she loses one coin, she lost it, and what does she do? She cleans, searches, and rips her place apart looking for it. When she finds it, she rejoices and calls her friends. 

     The last parable, verses 11-32, the Parable of the Lost Son. This is a well known parable. The son takes his inheritance and goes out on his own. He then wastes all of his inheritance and is poor and hungry. So, he comes home to be a worker on his dads farm. But when his dad see's him in the distance, he runs to his son, embraces him, and then throws him a party. Meanwhile, the other son is upset because he has been there this whole time and yet, the lost son gets all the parties and love. His dad says, "Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost but now is found." verse 31-32.

   These parables are quite similar in story and I believe it is so we can get it through our heads of how much He loves us.   For me, the first thing is that I need to understand how much He loves me. How much He loves you. He left heaven, a perfect place, to come to earth as a Man to die for my sin, for your sin. He would have done it if just to save you, if just to save me. He loves us that much. And we need to understand this so that we can understand how to love others. 

"We love, because He first loved us. "

 1 John 4;19

  When we finally start to grasp that, we can see how we are to love others. Think about that person who you went to church with. Maybe they left because of some things that went wrong between them and you or them and the church. Could you go after them, lovingly, to try to bring them back to Christ, even if it means forgiving them? Remember, He loves us and has forgiven us much! 

   What about your family member who used to belong to Christ but now is on a bad path causing many waves of sin rippling into your life and causing trouble? Could you love them enough to want to try to make peace and show them God's love for us?

  I will be honest, this is much easier written down then actually doing. But, as I think about this, I truly think if we let go of how we think a "Christian" should be or how they should be living, and just meet them where they are. This would be easier. I used to think that I had to change them, show them their sin and get them on a proper path, then, and only then, Jesus could use them. Boy, I was wrong. He meets us right where we are.

   Look at these stories, He didn't wait for the sheep to come back all clean and humble, He went looking for it finding it right where it was. The lady with the coin, she lost the coin. Her fault! But she goes on cleaning and searching everywhere for it and didn't stop until she did. She didn't just forget about it and move on or blame someone else for the loss.  The parable of the lost son shows us how the father did not ask the son to say sorry, to make things right, none of that. He RAN to him to love him. He met him right where he was. 

   To love someone to Christ is, to me, this. It has taken me a long time to get here, and again, this is to me: ~Meet them where they are.

           ~Don't expect them to change or even ask them to change.

           ~Love them with God's love and His ability.

           ~Show them grace, just as God has shown me grace time and time again.

           ~Introduce them to Jesus's love...LOVE...showing them how much He loves them.

           ~ Pray! 

           ~ Let God do the rest. 

  He will show them their sin. He will show them what He wants them to do and what changes they need to make. He has got that covered. All I have to do is love them like He loves me. 

       I hope this encourages you in His love for you 

and how understanding that will help you love others! 

March 19, 2015

LUKE Chapter 16

   

   Chapter 16, tough chapter to live out, huh? Jesus goes from explaining how we are to love God above money, to not be shrewd or evil but to love. For, in verse 10 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and he who is  unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." So, be faithful in little, not wanting more, for when we are in heaven, we will have much. 

  Then He goes on to further say, "God or money?" You can not serve both. Even though things look good on earth, like the American Dream, that is not necessarily what God wants for you. And a reminder about divorce. God loves marriage. 

  But the part I really want to touch on is the last section, verses 19-31 about the leper Lazarus and the Rich man. The rich man probably passed Lazarus every day and didn't see him or chose not to. He didn't offer him food, help, clothes, or even a friendly, "Good morning." We have those people in our lives, don't we? 

  So they both die and Lazarus goes to heaven and is relaxing with Abraham. Meanwhile, the rich man is in Hades burning and in constant torment. The rich man hollers, in verse 24, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."  My, how the tables have turned. The rich man just wants the leper to dip his finger in water and touch his tongue to help him for a moment. 

   Father Abraham replies, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us."

   This is such a great picture in so many ways. So here are some thoughts.

~This fleshly life we have is but a glimpse of eternity. So cherish what you have and be content. Why have things now in this glimpse when you could be eternally blessed in heaven? Some people sell their souls to have things in this life, but then live eternally in hell. Not much of a trade off in my mind. So, please, live for God and be content with the little you have. 

~Be kind and generous with what you have in regards to those who have less than you. If you see a homeless person, do what you can to help. Don't get me wrong, I have those people who beg day after day for money to spend on alcohol. Be diligent, pray, and ask God who you should help and who you should not help. In my family, we pray for those we see begging. For God can help them more than my dollar can. That being said, I also know a few families who are struggling and need help but don't ask. Why not help them. Dinner? School supplies? Gift card for gas? So many ways to be generous without them even knowing it was you.  Even paying it forward and buying the car behind you an espresso. Be generous because you want to and enjoy it. 

~ Smile! Do you know how far a smile goes to a sad stranger? Oh how I hope you know! Smile and "Good morning!" 

~Don't wait for a sign to repent and seek God. You never know when it will be too late. Read verses 27-31. He is calling you now! 

     I don't know where I would be without Christ. With my depression I struggle with daily, I know I would have done horrible things to myself whether just cutting or trying to end my life, but I don't because I know God loves me. And I don't want to disappoint Him. I do disappoint Him, I am sure, but His grace reminds me that He loves me still. So please, hear Him. Run to Him as fast as you can! He is waiting! 

March 31, 2015

LUKE Chapter 17

   We are getting towards the end of Luke, so we are getting into a lot more instructions from Jesus on how to live, what to do, etc. In Chapter 17, He talks about making sure to not offend, to forgive, to be forgiven, and that forgiveness is something that you must do, even if that person offends numerous times a day.

"And if he sins against you seven times in a day, 

and seven times in a day returns to you saying 'I repent', 

you shall forgive him."

 Verse 4

   So, in learning about love, this is a huge one. Forgiveness. I have found that though it may be very difficult to forgive, it is sometimes more for you, than for the person being forgiven. It is freeing to let go of the anger and offense that the person has done. And, hopefully, it leads to reconciliation. So, I pray that we would learn to be great forgivers in our search for loving like Jesus! 

   Faith! 

   Another lesson in our search for loving like Jesus is having Faith. Oh how important it is. Sometimes, seeking Him, loving like Him, asking Him to show His will, to guide....sometimes we don't hear him right away, but have faith! He is there! Looking back on my life, I can see His handiwork so clearly in some spots, and others, not so much, but I know He is there, He was there, and He will be there! Have faith!

   In this section about faith, verses 5-10, He also explains about servants and their place. I will be honest. I had to research this a little. The last few verses through me a bit, could be the tiredness, could be I just needed to dig deeper. So, I went to Biblegateway.com. There is a great tool that you can study a section of Word there. 

   Here is what I learned. We are servants of God. That is what we are. Fact! He does not need us! Fact! He does not need anything we can do for Him or give him! Fact! So, we should not expect Him to give us treats and be indebted to us. He is our Master, we are His servants. Fact! 

    One more FACT, He loves us! That is why He wants us. Because He loves us!  But again, we should still not expect anything in return for doing our work for Him. If that is your motive, I would suggest doing some studying and praying about it. We should desire to serve, to love others, and to do what He calls us to do, because He loves us, because we love Him, and not because we want something! 

   In verses 11-19 He heals 10 lepers and sends them on their way. When one saw he was healed, he returned to Jesus and fell on his faces praising Jesus. He was the only one. I think this was added to the Bible to show that we need to be thankful, ever praising God for all He does for us. Though we do not deserve to be rewarded and we surely should not expect it, He does bless us. This is one area I do struggle. I love my God, I praise Him, but sometimes, I forget to say thank you! 

 THANK YOU JESUS for all you do in my life! For being with me every step!!!

 The last section of the chapter is talking about the end times. There will be a time when Jesus returns where some will be taken, some will be left; the rapture. He is saying to not worry about your life. If you are in the field, don't turn back to get your life at home, your stuff, look to Him. So, be watchful, don't cling to possessions, yet, just cling to Him!

    

Love, Forgive, have Faith, be a humble servant, Praise Him, and Cling to Him!!!!

LUKE CHAPTER 18

April 21, 2015

  Though I have not kept our agreement of having at least one done each week, I do hope and pray you have been faithful in your reading. I am deeply sorry for the delay. I could give you reasons and excuses, but, I am just sorry!

     Luke chapter 18.

   As we learn about love, how to love like Jesus and God our Father, I love how this chapter starts. With love!

   He is speaking in parables to them again and said a certain judge kept hearing the pleas of a widow. So, finally, he deals with her plea. He only did it because he was tired of hearing her complain. Then, in verses 6-8, 

 "Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily, Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

   He loves us deeply and wants us to cry to Him, to talk to Him. Sadly, the truth of it all lies in the end of verse 8. Will He really find faith on the earth? That is a whole-other blog post. But short version, I agree. I believe, especially in America, in big churches and small alike, we have lost our faith. Not religion, FAITH. We don't need it. We have health, wealth, and happiness to strive for. It is said and I believe that is what He was talking about. 

   Nuff said :)

  HE goes on to talk about the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Oh how I love this. (And this goes hand in hand with the faith.) Some respected pastors or leaders who profess Christ are very boastful in their approach. They boast in the goings on in their church. They boast in where they have been. They boast in how they pray. Jesus is saying, NO! He wants humble people, like the tax collector, who know they are nothing apart from Christ. 

 "...For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." verse 14.

   So, know that God our Father loves us and cares for us. Be humble cause we are nothing apart from Christ. And show the love and humility to others! Love the children and be like them. They have faith so great that we tend to lose as we age. 

    In 18-23, here is what I get from this. I think that a lot of good Christian people think that we have to be good. I mean, law good. And, if you are not, it is almost nearly the end of the world. And that in order to look good and to go to heaven, the more "perfect" you are, the better. 

   This is not possible!

  We are all sinners saved by the grace of God. GRACE! He knows we can not live a perfect life. So, be humble about that and know that you are going to make mistakes. God will forgive you. Does that mean you can go out and sin cause He will forgive you? No. If you truly love Him, you don't want to sin against Him, but we are human and we will mess up. At least I do. Daily! But thankfully, my God loves me and offers me grace! 

   So, how do we use that in our search to love like Jesus? Show others the same grace. Think about the times you have committed the same sin over and over. And how Jesus forgives you over and over. He is patient. He is kind. He is love. We are to strive to be like Him! 

    The rest of the chapter is about how all things are possible with God. How His death and Resurrection are near, and how He gave a blind man sight due to his faith. For sake of length, I will stop here. But I want to reiterate, love. Forgiving people numerous times, being humble and not high and mighty, not bringing attention on yourself or boasting in self, and just being kind and loving. These will draw us closer to having His heart and loving like Him

    Keep seeking Him. Keep talking to Him. Keep loving! 

   

LUKE Chapter 19

April 29, 2015

"And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature." ~3

"So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way." ~4

"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." ~5

  I don't know about you, but I can clearly see this happening. I am short! I have been in crowds and could not see. If a sycamore tree had been handy, I am sure, on many occasions, I would have climbed it. So this story, this story, I can visually see. 

   If I were Zacchaeus, I would have been a little irritated at people being so rude not keeping down in front! I would have been a little angry and about ready to give up when I saw the tree. Then, LIGHT BULB! Climb! 

   The important part then happens. I am positive Zacchaeus just wanted to see Him. He believed in Him and just wanted to see Him pass by. He didn't expect any more and he knew who he himself was; a sinner, a tax collector, etc. He also knew who He was! 

   But what does Jesus do? He stops, looks up, and says, "Hey, lets hang out!" 

   Do you know what? Jesus says that to us too! Everyday! He meets us where we are, no matter who we are, and wants to hang out. He doesn't care what people think about Him. He doesn't care what they say about Him. 

"But when they saw it, they all complained, saying 

'He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." ~7

  I can so totally see this too. The gossips in town, saying, "Ooohhh!!!" Covering their mouths in utter shock, "Did you see that? Do you see Jesus go off with that guy or that girl? Can you believe it? Doesn't He know he is a .......(shhhhh, under the breath) sinner?" O.M.Gosh

   We have been there right?

   What about the minas? Are you the person who says, 

"Master, your mina has earned ten minas." ~16

or

"Master, your mina has earned five minas." ~18

or are you

"Master, here is your mina, which Ih ave kept put away in a handkerchief."~ 20

  

  What does this mean? How about love? Since we are doing a love project, how about the minas be God's love. He gives us love and grace right? So, what do you do with it? Share it and have it grow and spread or keep it hidden?

    These first two sections of chapter 19 are wonderful ways to seek His love. Firstly, make time for Jesus! He LOVES to hang out with us. And when we have more of Him, it is easier to share Him. At least for me it is!  

   Meet people where they are! They are usually not hard to find if you look. Up in a tree, on a park bench, walking alone...etc.

  Don't worry about what earthly people will think if you are hanging out with....dare I say it? A poor person? A drunk? A drug addict? A divorcee? A ___________fill in the blank with whatever stereo type makes you say, O.M.GEEEEEE

   and SHARE His love with others. It is meant to be shared. What good is it if you get to heaven and be like, "Hey Jesus, I kept Your love hidden here all my life. I didn't show it to anyone at all!" 

  What do you think He is going to say? His love was meant to be shared. That is why He died on the cross and bled out dying of a broken heart. 

  

   As we come near to the end of Jesus's life as a man on earth, we see His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey as predicted. Blessings being shouted.  But make note, we also see Him weeping for Jerusalem. They never realized He was there with them. They are still waiting for Him. How heartbreaking! Don't be like those in Jerusalem, see Jesus first and foremost. Spend time with Him! Then see the people around you and share God with them. They need Him too!!! 

LUKE Chapter 20-24

May 14, 2015

    As these last chapters are about His last days as a Man on earth, I decided to join them together. Since our task is looking for how Jesus loved and how we can learn from His example, combining was the best option. 

   In chapter 20, one thing we can learn is how he handles Himself in front of  the pharisees, the Sadducee's, and the scribes. They question Him in hopes of catching Him say something that is against their law or that would convict Him but Jesus doesn't get angry, He doesn't argue, and He just simply answers with simple, smart answers. 

   When we are dealing with people, especially when talking about Christ with people, it is easy to get angered, to want to argue, and to try to loudly get your point across. But lets follow by example and listen, speak smartly, and do things out of faith and love not anger or rightness. 

   In Chapter 21, He warns of the end of days and advises us be on guard. In our search for having a heart like His and loving like He does, we need to heed His warning. Especially us Americans. We have it so easy. We can be "Christians" on Sunday and maybe Wednesday, and maybe even pray every day but how easy is it to put off His Words for TV, for alcohol, for lust, for a job, etc. We are called to love, called to share His words, and called to stay alert for the time is drawing near. This is part of loving. 

   How can we love someone when we are not doing what He calls us to do. We are then hypocrites. And living in America, we know how much of an excuse that is. We are all sinners, saved by His grace, but we should act as though we are truly trying to do better, to love more, to seek Him above all else. 

   Chapter 22 is a very special chapter to me for a few reasons really! One, we see the communion. How in verses 19-20 He shows us that He is doing this for us. 

"And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

"Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."

                                                                                 For you! 

   Another important point is this, Jesus knew what was going to happen. He knew He was going to die painfully on a cross. He knew Judas was going to betray Him. He also knew Peter would deny Him three times. BUT.....He had His last supper with them. He loved them knowing they would sin against them. He still died for them! This is important! Jesus loves us even though we are flawed sinners! We need to love those who are flawed, aren't we all?

  In chapter 23, sadly we see a world where they found Him blameless but still wanted Him dead. They made fun of Him. They beat Him. They spit on Him. They whipped Him. They crowned Him with thorns smashed into His head. This world back then is so very much the same as this world right now. People are full of hate, full of pride, full of wrath, full of lust, full of self, etc. Yet....He still died for us. He still loved us that much! He has not given up on us! 

  Gloriously, He rises from the grave in Chapter 24 showing us that in this world, we will be hated, we may be beaten, we might be outcasts and shunned but we have something amazing to look forward to. We get to see Him in heaven forever. There will be no more tears, no more pain, and we will see Him and be with Him forever. So, when you are hurt and feel like giving up, feel like having a heart like His is just too much, remember that. Heaven...it is not that far away. This life is but a second in the glimpse of eternity! 

   May love be what rules your heart, His love. I pray that through these chapters of Luke it has helped you see things differently and how to love people. It is a struggle but keep at it. Keep praying! Keep your relationship with Christ first and foremost!