February 2023

February 18th – Romans 13:8

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Romans 13:8

Freedom from debt is an exhilarating feeling. And owing nothing to a creditor or the taxman is a liberation that God wants for each of us. But there is one debt that we owe and can never fully pay off. And that is the debt of loving each other. Every day we wake up owing this debt. And every day is an opportunity to pay on it. God takes this debt so seriously, that in the Bible from start to finish, He gives the commandment to love one another. So if we are followers of Jesus and are truly becoming transformed into His image and likeness, we need to be faithful in paying our debt. That means loving others as God does. For the very foundation of Christianity is love. And in one of the greatest acts of love, God became flesh and allowed Himself to be nailed to a Cross to pay our debt. And out of hearts of obedience and thankfulness, we too need to follow His example of selflessness and let love for others be the guiding light in all that we do.

 

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February 17th – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

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1 Thessalonians 5:18

Gratitude is a powerful tool in our spiritual warfare. And by remembering the goodness of God, His love, grace, and mercy, our hearts will be so overflowing with thankfulness, we can be grateful no matter the circumstance. For He is always faithful in meeting our needs. And out of that gratitude, we too need to meet the needs of others. Because seeing the struggles of others makes our eyes to open to His great love. Suddenly blessings once taken for granted, become greatly appreciated. And as a bonus, when we reach out to those less fortunate out of appreciation to the Lord, we bring gratitude into the lives of others. Becoming loving ambassadors of God’s grace and mercy. So whenever you feel yourself lacking in the gratitude department, remember this. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” (Eph. 1:4) Imagine that! Even before the creation of the earth, God knew and wanted each of us!

February 17th – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Read More »

February 16th – Proverbs 11:17

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Proverbs 11:17

There’s no way around it. It hurts when someone mistreats us. Yet while the world tells us to hurt them back, God tells us, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44) Not an easy task on our own. But when our strength comes from God, there’s no limit to what we can do. For He is our Rock, Fortress, and Deliverer. And His grace will prevent us from saying or doing things that we will later regret. Such as wronging others, ruining relationships, and harming our own hearts. We serve a loving God who gives all who love Him unmerited mercy and forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. And He wants us to do the same. Not only for the benefit for others, but also for ourselves. Because revenge and retribution makes our hearts grow hard and bitter. And keeps us from experiencing God’s very best for our lives.

February 16th – Proverbs 11:17 Read More »

February 15th – 2 Corinthians 3:18

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2 Corinthians 3:18

You may be the only Bible someone reads or the only Jesus they see. That’s why it’s so important to reflect the true nature of God. And we can only do that by being transformed from, “glory to glory.” That means to be constantly maturing and growing in our walk with the Lord. And being continuously molded into in His image and who we were created to be. This isn’t to say that our transformation will come easy. There will be times when that change will be hard, frustrating, and painful. But if we keep seeking God, allow the Holy Spirit to work both in and through us, change will come. We are all God’s glorious works in progress, and one day when we dwell with Him forever, we will be perfect reflections of His image and glory. Until then we are to mirror God’s love to the world, becoming living examples of our Lord’s love.

 

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February 14th – 1 John 4:10

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1 John 4:10

Many are the attributes of our most high God. He is good, merciful, faithful, wise, and all powerful; just to name a few. But above of else, God is love. And if there could be doubt, read 1 John 4. For in this little chapter love is mentioned over 25 times, and lies the very heart of the Gospel. God doesn’t love us because we are good, special, worthy, or deserving in any way. He loves us because He is love. And it is out of that amazing, unmerited love, that He sent His only Son Jesus to pay the sin debt that we owe. All He asks in return is that we open our hearts to Him and receive His free gift of love and grace. That’s it. No strings attached, conditions to meet, or standards to reach. God loves us, and no matter how dirty, broken, or sinful we are, He wants to call us His own. God wants to pick up us, dust off the dirt, wipe away our tears, replace our sorrow with joy, and make us royalty in His kingdom forever.

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February 13th – Proverbs 31:8-9

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Proverbs 31:8-9

Throughout the Bible we read how seriously the Lord takes the plight of the poor, the widowed, and the orphaned. And He let’s us know exactly what He expects our treatment of them to be. “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” (Is. 1:17) We are God’s mirror images here on earth, and as His representatives our lives and behavior should reflect His just and holy character. To follow the Lord means to practice justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him. To be living testimonies of the fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. (Gal. 5:22-23) One day soon Jesus will return. But until that time, it is up to us to demonstrate to the world what it means to act justly and to love mercy. To stand up against oppression and abuse of those who cannot stand up for themselves.

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February 12th – Deuteronomy 7:9

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Deuteronomy 7:9

Why does Moses call God “the faithful God”? To be faithful is to to be steadfast, enduring, dependable, loyal, and trustworthy. Attributes God demonstrates perfectly. Despite their rebellion and unbelief, God stayed faithful to Israel. Remembering His promises to their forefathers, the Lord kept His covenant with His people, and remained steadfast in His love for them. Everywhere I look I see the faithfulness of God. I see it in the needs He so generously meets. In the family and friends He blesses my life with. In the mercy and grace He patiently shows each day, and most of all in His never ending love. Such abundant devotion that He gives not because I love Him, but because He loves me. A faithfulness that turns my brokenness into healing, condemnation into redemption, bitterness into love, bondage into freedom, sin into righteousness, and my death into eternal life.

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February 11th – 2 Corinthians 8:7

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2 Corinthians 8:7

Love isn’t only something we feel, love is also something we do. It isn’t enough just to have a desire to help others. Out of the abundant grace given to us through Jesus, we need to put that love into action. Not only to glorify God, but also as proof of our sincerity for the Lord. (2 Cor. 8:8) There is no greater example of love in action than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Willingly, out of His great love, He left behind the treasures, power, and majesty of heaven. And because of His sacrifice on the Cross, giving His life for ours, we as Christians are now heirs to His great kingdom. One day very soon our Savior will return to take us to that kingdom where we will dwell and reign with Him forever! Yet right up until the minute we hear Him call us home, we are to put our love in action. Demonstrating to a lost and hurting world the great love shown to us. And abounding in the most excellent grace of giving.

 

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February 10th – 1 John 4:7

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1 John 4:7

When you think of Jesus what is the first thing that pops into your head? For me it is His love. A love that He freely and joyfully gives to all. And a love that is so strong, He laid down His life to call us His own. And I in return love Him. But Jesus wants more than our love, He wants us to love others with the same passion that we reserve for Him. Every day society bombards us with false ideas of what love is. It makes us think that love just happens to us. And we have no control. After all, “the heart wants what the heart wants” right? But the Bible teaches completely the opposite. Love is a choice we make, something we can control, and the fruit of a spirit filled life. To love the Lord means loving all that He created.  Especially those created in His image. And no more is our love for the Lord evident than when we are loving others.

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February 9th – Revelation 16:15

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Revelation 16:15

Only God has the ability to directly see what is truly in a person’s heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) For the rest of us, we can only judge others by what we see on the outside. So if we boldly claim to be Christians, our daily walk needs to mimic the walk of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We can’t have a bumper sticker on our car or wear a cross around our necks then act like the world. John tells us that we each have a spiritual set of clothes. Paid for by the blood of Jesus. And as His ambassadors on earth, we need to wear our outfits proudly. That means always being aware of our actions and behaviors. John warns that the glorious return of Christ is soon upon us. And when He comes, we don’t want to get caught wearing soiled, dirty, worldly clothes. But instead we want to be seen wearing the garments of love, grace, and mercy Jesus paid a ransom to provide.

February 9th – Revelation 16:15 Read More »