Journal Entry ~ 08/24/18

20 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. - 1 John 4:20-21

Nothing demonstrates our need for His amazing grace like our inability to love others well. I’m not talking about those easy to love people, I’m talking about the difficult people in your life. The ones who push your buttons, irritate you or annoy you, act without considering you, or have hurt you deeply. Sometimes it isn’t one person in particular, but it’s a type of person that’s difficult for you to love - someone who is shallow, or inconsiderate, or rude. Nothing screams we need a savior like our inability to love others well. 

Yet this is what He calls us to do. When you read scripture with the sometimes overwhelming list of dos and don’ts and countless examples of lives lived poorly and lives lives, with pages and pages of wisdom, she Jesus is asked what’s the most important thing in all of it, He says love. He boils thousands of pages of commands and stories down to one thing - love. That means if we get this one thing wrong, we fail at all of it. All of it is about how we are to love - him and others. All the examples, wisdom, and prayers we find throughout the pages of scripture - they’re all about how to love. 

Our response in every situation is to be love. When we don’t know what to do, we are to love. When we’re struggling with a decision, we are to love. When we are seeking advice about how to handle a difficult situation, we are to love. Simply put, ask yourself what’s the most loving thing I can do right now?  That’s the answer. That’s always going to be the answer to every question you ask. 

The problem with this formula is that our needs dictate our love and responses to others. Think about it. What you consider to be the most important thing is guiding how you behave and treat other people. Whether we need a better job or a better spouse, whether we need to be respected or we need to be loved, whether we need to be understood or we need to be supported - our needs dictate our responses. 

Our greatest need today is the gospel. Our greatest need is not a better house or a better spouse, it’s not to be respected or supported, its not to have obedient children or financial security.  Our greatest need today is Jesus, who came down to this earth to die for your sins to teach you how to love. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Medical Update ~ 09/27/17

Image
Today was a challenging day.  I met with the oncologist to discuss chemo as part of my treatment plan.  The oncologist explained there were 3 additional invasions discovered during surgery, so there were actually 4 isolated invasions in the breast tissue.  To review - my diagnosis is Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  All 4 of the invasions are HER2+ (aggressive) and hormone negative (recurrent).  My oncologist walked us through the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCM) guidelines for treatment of this type of aggressive, recurrent cancer - chemo and radiation. The good news is God had already moved the mountain in my heart opposing chemo, and rested me in a place of acceptance.  While my initial prayers focused on not having to have chemo as part of my treatment, after hearing I had multiple invasions, He moved me to a place of understanding that chemo is a necessary part of my treatment.  If there were 4 invasions in the sample they took, there co
Read more

My Journey Begins...

I am a believer in Christ, and I have breast cancer.     On August 17, 2017, I was diagnosed with an aggressive (HER2+), recurrent (hormone negative) type of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  At this point, they have not yet staged my cancer because they are waiting for the biopsy results from a suspicious spot in the second breast. The biopsy is scheduled for September 5th, with a lumpectomy to follow on September 7th.  They will formally stage my cancer after they biopsy my lymph nodes, which will be taken during the surgery.  It doesn't make any sense to me that I have a cancer diagnosis - I am a fairly healthy woman who runs 2 miles almost every day and eats a gluten-free, primarily paleo diet, with no family history at all.  But it makes sense to God, and so here I am. Update ~ They found 4 isolated invasions during the lumpectomy.  Due to the nature of my cancer (HER2+ and ER-), the recommended protocol is chemotherapy and radiation.  Beginning in October, my chemotherapy regime
Read more

Grace in Marriage

When we launched our new blog we had no idea if anyone would see it or be helped by it, but we knew that the LORD was prompting us to step out in faith and just do it. The response has been amazing and we are looking forward to how God will use this space for His glory. We have learned over many years of service in a variety of ministries, that God does not require human assistance to realize His plans for individuals, churches, nations, or the human race. But the story of the bible is the story of God’s will playing out through the words and actions of the His children. So…we pray, meditate on his Word, and write from the heart about the truths that mold our faith, guide our actions, and inspire our hearts and minds. Please visit the site and subscribe to continue receiving posts.  https://graceinmarriage.com/ It is our sincere hope that you are blessed by our work here and welcome your input on how we can make Grace in Marriage even better. Thank you for your support.
Read more