Love does not boast, it is not proud (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV). Jesus has no room for pecking orders. His solution to man-made caste systems? A change of direction. In a world of upward mobility, choose downward servility. “Regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3 NASB). Jesus flip-flopped the pecking order.

Would you do what Jesus did? He swapped a spotless castle for a grimy stable. He exchanged the worship of angels for the company of killers. If you knew that only a few could care that you came, would you still come? If you knew that those you loved would laugh in your face, would you still care? The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that’s what love does! He loves you that much! Drink deeply of God’s love for you—and ask him to fill your heart with a love worth giving!

By Max Lucado
Read more A Love Worth Giving
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:  https://maxlucado.com/about/

FURTHER READING

The Upside Down Life

Living in God’s Upside Down Kingdom

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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We love Him because He first loved us.  – 1 John 4:19 (NKJV)

What is love? Is it definable?

Various dictionaries have defined love as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person, affectionate concern for the well-being of others, the benevolent affection of God for His creatures or the reverent affection due from them to God.

Where do you look for love to fill your heart?

• in status
• in money
• in people
• in a career
• in possessions
• in power or position?

If you’re looking for love in people or things, you’re looking in all the wrong places.

The right kind of love comes from the person of Jesus Christ.

He loves you with an everlasting, all-forgiving, unconditional, perfect love. You were chosen to love. The apostle Paul wrote, “[In His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:4a, AMP)

If I asked you what you love the most, what would your immediate response be? Your boyfriend or girlfriend, your spouse, your children, your car, your bank account, your physical appearance, your iPhone?

Jesus asks you,

“Do you love Me more than these others?” (John 21:15, TLB)

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.” (1 John 4:16-17, NLT)

May you know and grow in this perfect Love!

Lord, I desire to know more fully Your precious love for me that I might be a vessel of Your love to others.

by Lynn Mosher
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Substitute God

Seeking God’s Face

How Can I Know God Personally?

The post Love Where Are You appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body…” 1 Corinthians 12:12

“Six degrees of separation” is the unproven theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. While the theory can be the basis of stimulating conversation, it is just that: a theory.

In an email from friends ministering in Peru, we received word that Libby, their sister-in-law in the United States, was dying from a traumatic emergency that occurred shortly after giving birth to a baby boy. Doctors fought to save her, but life was literally draining from her body and they gave little hope that she would survive. Her husband, family members and Christian friends gathered in or near her room to plead with God for her survival and health. Although we did not personally know this woman, we too began to pray. Soon we began hearing from people who somehow knew Libby and her family. From Peru to Indiana to Pennsylvania to New York to Europe and Asia, this “connection” surfaced and was strengthened.

It took many weeks before Libby began to improve; medical personnel were amazed and many wept as Libby took her first halting steps. It was many more weeks before she could return to her and family. Physical healing was truly a miracle. But another miracle had taken place: Christians again proved that in the family of Christ, there is no such thing as “six degrees of separation.” We are all connected not by blood relationships but by the blood of Christ, a far stronger bond.

Jesus had observed in His disciples how quickly dissension could enter the ranks and spoil the mission. He prayed, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name…so that they may be one even as we are one…so that the world may believe that you have sent me…” So that the world may believe. There is no randomness in God’s plan; as we live out unity with our brothers and sisters in visible ways, the world’s defenses can be broken as they marvel, “See how they love one another.”

Lord, I have experienced the deep bonds in your family, but I also know how quickly I can bruise my brothers and sisters with thoughtless words or a judgmental attitude. Help me look upon my family members with your eyes.

by Marilyn Ehle
used by permission

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RELATED READING

Peace Has Been Provided

In God We (Nearly) Trust

Give Me Eyes to See

The post Zero Degrees of Separation appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Love one another as I have loved you” John 13:34

The Greek word used for love (agape) denotes an unselfish affection.  The final phrase is the essential one: “as I have loved you.” Have you let God love you?  Please don’t hurry past the question.

We don’t love people because people are lovable.  People can be cranky, stubborn, selfish, and cruel.  We love people for this reason: we have come to experience and believe the love that God has for us.  We are beneficiaries of an unexpected, undeserved, yet undeniable gift— the love of God.

It is only by receiving our Father’s agape love that we can discover an agape love for others.  Be loved, and then love.  Just as hurt people hurt people, loved people love people.  So let God love you!

This is how happiness happens.

By Max Lucado
Used by Permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:    
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

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“. . . I am gentle and humble . . .” Matthew 11:29

One of the first devotionals in J. I. Packer’s Knowing God Through the Year uses the above verse.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

My eyes stopped when I read, “gentle and humble.” I began to consider what I read.

Here is the Creator of all things — the God Almighty, the God who knows everything and is all wise, the One who is holy, the Ruler Supreme — telling us that He is gentle and humble, and that we will find rest for our souls if we come to Him.

You would think He would say, “Hey you, don’t you know how important I am? I don’t have time for you, I am too busy.” But He didn’t. He said, “Come to Me.” Wow!

The greatest leader, and He is gentle and humble. How many people do you know who invite you to come to them? How many leaders do you know, who, after they have become powerful, display gentleness and humility?

And then we must ask ourselves the question, “Am I gentle and humble?” Do people feel peaceful in my company?

A gentle spirit  is something we cannot produce in ourselves.  But the Holy Spirit produces “love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness” and much more.   Why not ask the Holy Spirit to be in control of your life from now on and He will change your to be the person you want to be.

Here is a prayer for you:

“Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have been directing my own life and that, as a result, I have sinned against You. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ’s death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I now thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit.”

If you prayed this prayer we would love to hear from you . If you would like to know God deeper we can connect you with an email mentor and/or send you some great links.

By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

God is my Delight

What a Friend we have in Jesus

Father God’s Intimate Love Letter to You

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Read Psalm 145:1-6

The first few verses of this beautiful psalm of praise by David show us 3 practical ways in which we can honor our Lord daily. Following these 3 steps will strengthen and enhance our walk with Jesus. They are:

Praise Him every day

“Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever” (vs 2)

There is so much to praise God for and we should be lifting our praise to Him every day. Let us start our day with praise and end it with praise! Let us praise Him as we walk the streets, as we sit at our desk and as we travel. Praise is contagious and soon others will follow your example.

Illustration – I remember a Christian leader saying that as he was traveling in the bus one day and enjoying the beautiful scenery around him, he couldn’t help humming the powerful hymn ‘How Great Thou Art’. The person seated next to him soon turned and said, ‘Feels so true doesn’t it’? A short while later, a few others in the bus started humming the great hymn! That’s the power of praise!

Have you praised God today? Read the rest of the Psalm (21 verses in all) and list down the many reasons David praised God ‘EVERY DAY’.

“My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord” (vs 21)

Meditate on His works

“I will meditate on your wonderful works” (vs 5b)

The works of God are revealed in His powerful Word. We also see them in creation, in our own lives and in the lives of others. Let us meditate on His Word and His works. Meditating on His Word and His works lifts our faith whenever a new challenge comes our way.

A preacher once mentioned that meditating on God’s Word can be compared to a cow ‘chewing the cud’. As the cow receives help with its digestion when it chews the cud, so we too can receive all the strength contained in God’s Word as we spend a few minutes or more, meditating on it. It is interesting to note that The Collins English Dictionary describes the term ‘chewing the cud’ as follows – ‘to reflect or think over something’.

“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” (Psalm 119:97)

Proclaim His Great Deeds

“.. I will proclaim your great deeds” (vs 6b)

What has God done for you recently? How did He bring you to salvation? Have you been telling others about His blessings to you? Have you been sharing them with your children? I rejoice in the fact that my 2 sons aged 12 and 10, love to hear my stories about God’s interventions in my life and ministry. In fact, they often ask for repeats!

“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts” (vs 4).

Why should we proclaim God’s great deeds? We need to do it “so that all men may know of your (God’s) mighty acts” (vs 12).

Last week, at our midweek service, I was praying at the altar with a young man over a burden he was carrying in a very personal area of his life. As I shared my own testimony in that particular area of life and how God came through for me, his eyes lit up and he shouted, ‘Yes, I now believe God can do it for me too”!

There is power in proclaiming ‘His great deeds’, more so, when we tell people about His mighty ‘saving grace’ in our lives! They just might want what you have!

Prayer: Lord help me to honor you every day by praising you, meditating on your works and by proclaiming your great deeds. Amen.

By Palitha Jayasooriya
Used by Permission

Further Reading

• Who is On the Lord’s Side – by Deborah Yemi-Oladayo
• Called to Praise – by Laura Rath
• Salvation Explained

The post 3 Ways to Honor God Daily appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“ . . . for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5b

Abandonment is a common issue in this world. Maybe you have experienced it yourself.

Your spouse may have decided to leave you when life became tough, but God says he will stick with you no matter how hard it gets. Your family members may have been pushed to the limit and have had enough of you, but God doesn’t feel that way about his children.

Regardless of whether you feel abandoned or not, take time to develop your relationship with the Lord. When you take baby steps toward relying on him as your source of comfort, you will find that the comfort provided by people pales in comparison.

Even for those who have ever experienced abandonment, developing your relationship with God will help you be well equipped if the time comes. You won’t act as disappointed and hurt as one who has not known the unending love of God.

His love is unconditional and the deepest love you will ever experience. You can’t compare it to the love that your family members, spouse, or anyone else has given you. In fact, it exceeds any human love you’ve ever experienced.

God reminds us that he will always be with us both in good times and bad times. We may try his patience with our sinful selves on a daily basis, but he is patient and faithful, continuing to care for us anyway.

Why not take comfort in this promise of God to never leave you or forsake you? Love others and let them love you, but love God first and embrace his eternal love as your joy.

Dear Lord, please give me the ability to rely on you as my sole source of joy and comfort. Thank you for not abandoning me. Amen.

By Ashlea Massie
Used by Permission

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RELATED READING by other authors

Never Abandoned

We’re Never Alone

Never Alone

The post Always With Us appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Unbelievable peace is available through Jesus Christ, even when life feels uncertain, troubled, or overwhelming. His peace is not dependent on perfect circumstances. It is a lasting gift that calms the heart, steadies the mind, and reminds us that God remains present in every situation.

Be blessed today with the peace of Christ.

Be blessed with His peace that goes beyond human understanding—a peace that remains when questions are unanswered, circumstances are difficult, and the way forward is unclear.

The peace Jesus gives is not like the temporary peace the world offers. The world often defines peace as the absence of conflict or difficulty. Christ offers something deeper. His peace creates a calm and secure place where you can rest your heart, even while uncertainty continues around you.

Rest in God’s Unbelievable Peace

God does not ask you to carry every fear, solve every problem, or understand everything before you can experience His peace. He invites you to bring your concerns to Him and trust that He is still working.

Take a moment today to slow down. Release the thoughts that have been troubling you. Remember that you are held securely in God’s care. His presence is greater than the confusion around you, and His love is stronger than the fear within you.

Be blessed today as you rest in His unbelievable peace, untroubled and unafraid. Do not rush away from this place of rest. Linger in God’s presence and allow His truth to quiet your heart.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples when they were facing uncertainty. He knew they would experience fear, confusion, and grief. Yet He assured them that His peace would remain with them. That same promise is available to everyone who places their trust in Him today.

You can read John 14:27 in its biblical context and reflect on the peace Jesus promised His followers.

A Prayer for the Peace of Christ

Father God, thank You for the peace that only You can give—a peace that goes beyond understanding, even in the middle of chaos. Help me release my worries into Your hands. Teach me to remain in Your presence and allow Your peace to penetrate my heart and mind. Help me trust You with what I cannot control or understand. May Your peace guard my thoughts and guide me throughout this day. Amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by permission

Further Reading

• Hearing God’s Voice
• How to Have a Quiet Time With God
• Salvation Explained

The post Peace Like No Other appeared first on Thoughts About God.

While situated temporarily in a house that boasted three bathrooms, it seems so effortless and such sheer joy to keep the sinks sparkling after the rough cement slab we had used in Japan.  I could not imagine that such a task could ever become drudgery!

But now this was another day!  A surplus of sinks and bathtubs was not the source of my satisfaction. It’s just that now beautiful sinks are so commonplace!

Really, when one stops to think about it, this is much the story of life in general in this materialistic world of ours.  It makes little difference whether it is a new hat, a new car, a new house, or a new position.  In and of itself, the newness soon loses its sparkle and its attraction, and the object may in time become “old fashioned.”

Scripture reminds us that it is also possible to lose our “first love” for the Lord.  In fact, it is more than possible—it’s inevitable—unless one is careful to keep looking to God and His Word rather than to embrace the ceaseless changes that swirl around us.

“Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in me” John 15:4

“Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same.  All may change but Jesus never!  Glory to His name.”

by Muriel Hanson
Used by Permission

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FURTHER READING

“First Love” Intimacy  Read more..

Love Works  Read more..

Falling in Love with Jesus  Read more..

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“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

What does that say to you?

“But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” Malachi 3:2-3

After changing into some coveralls, we entered the mine shaft elevator and descended some two miles below the surface of the South African earth. As we exited the elevator and boarded the mining train, I was surprised that the temperature exceeded a hundred degrees. After travelling what seemed like miles at such a slow speed, but was probably only a few hundred yards, we arrived at the mining site. Miners with heavy hydraulic tools were chipping ore from the vein. As the hoppers of the train cars were loaded, the gold ore began its long trip to the surface.

Once on the surface, we followed the refining procedure. First, the ore was broken into smaller pieces with a giant machine and then through a water screening process and finally crushed as fine as sand between giant rollers before once again being filtered through water to separate out the pure gold. Two piles of material were produced, one was a giant pile of processed ore and the other a small pile of pure gold.

The ore was hauled away and the gold was put into a hot fire. Heated at exactly the right temperature in the right amount of time, the gold turned into a reddish gold colour. The impurities floated to the top and were skimmed off and discarded leaving the pure gold that was slowly poured into a mold, where it was allowed to cool. Gold cools quickly and in a short time, the gold brick is snapped out of its mold and someone handed me the seventy-five pound brick to hold and admire.

As I looked at this beautiful and valuable ingot of precious metal, I thought of all I had seen it go through to go from being trapped in rock two miles below the earth to being subjected to the toughest of physical procedures and then being melted into a viscous state so that it could be pure and be molded to the mining master’s precise specifications.

God is like the mining master and we are His precious gold, but before we can become pure, we too have to be forged by fire, separated from our natural impurities and then molded to His specifications for serving Him. It is not easy and it is not fun, but when it is all done, it is so beautiful. Is God waiting to purify and sanctify you?

by John Grant
Used by Permission

John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

FURTHER READING

• Energizing Verses for Every Day
• Weighed Down
• Why We’re Less Likely to Try Great Things for God

The post From Rocks to Pure Gold appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“And [Jesus] did not permit him but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marvelled.”  Mark 5:19-20

The place held a lot of bad memories for him. Leaving town to start a new life somewhere else would be so much easier than staying. Everyone in the area knew about him, had seen him naked. The people had shackled him with chains and watched how, in a crazed frenzy, he’d wrenched himself free and broken his bonds in pieces. He had made his home among the tombs because only the dead could tolerate him. How many people had he hurt when the voices controlled him? No wonder people feared and avoided him.

So, after Jesus had healed him, the man previously possessed by a legion of evil spirits (Mark 5:1-20), begged Jesus to let him go with him. But Jesus said no.

You see, the miracle terrified the local people. They begged Jesus to leave. So, Jesus told the restored man to stay. Jesus instructed him to go and tell his story — how God had healed him — to everyone who knew him. He wanted the man to explain his transformed life and tell how God had mercy on him.

The man obeyed Jesus. He freely shared his shameful past, God’s great mercy, and Jesus’ incredible healing power. Everyone who heard his story marvelled.

God wants to use your story too, no matter how much pain it involves. Tell how the Almighty God freed you from your bad behavior, the anger that controlled you, or your feelings of inadequacy.

Go — by God’s power — and live differently among the people who know you.

Thank you, Lord God, for having mercy on me and saving me. May your Holy Spirit make me bold in telling everyone what you have done for me. Amen.

By Suzanne Benner
Used by Permission

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FURTHER READING

Living Like Jesus

Love Like Jesus

Jesus Recycles

The post Proclaim How Much Jesus Has Done for You appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Spirituality is a popular subject these days. Whole stores are filled with books and various gadgets that are sold to help one get in touch spiritually. There is just so much out there and at times one can feel confused about it all.

In these days of growing awareness in the spiritual and the supernatural, God gives us guidance as to what to watch for. He tells us how to grow in our spiritual life without confusion. He spells it out for us quite simply:

“Grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

True spirituality moves you toward knowledge of Jesus as the Influencer of your heart. If something or someone other than Jesus takes front and center stage in your search for spirituality, be on guard. Guard your heart from merely knowledge of religious facts or focusing on special powers or energy. True spirituality is allowing Jesus’ influence on your heart to reflect change in the way you handle yourself. It is His power at work in you.

If you desire to develop spiritually, allow Jesus to influence your heart and your choices in a greater way today. Allow His influence to cause you to turn from the choices that exclude Him, and to accept His forgiveness. Ask for His wisdom to help you determine if a particular activity or source of information will increase your understanding of how Jesus can influence your heart and your life. Anything less is a cheap counterfeit.

Father God, There is so much out there today on spirituality. Please help me to grow in my knowledge of Jesus and His strength in my life as my Savior. Help me to grow in allowing Your influence upon my heart in such a way that it changes how I live. Forgive me for the times when I have focused on spirituality that was not centered on Jesus. Help me to be discerning and wise as I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. In His strong name I pray, amen.

Question: How can you seek to grow spiritually in the next week, month, and year?

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

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The Secularization of Spirituality

Pray and Seek My Face

The Transcendent Life

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