“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:12-15 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.15.12-15.NIV
Jesus was the ultimate example of pure friendship. His disciples weren’t just His followers or students, nor were they just servants and Him- the Master in fact He took it upon Himself to serve them. If you love someone, whether it’s a friendship, marriage or family relationship or school or work relationship- you seek out ways to help serve and care for others just as Jesus did.
Let’s think about Jesus’s beloved besties here: We got a list of the 12 disciples “the crew” or “the squad” if you may. And of those 12, Jesus had 3 inner circle “ride or die” type of friends Peter, James and John. Some say Jesus greatest miracle was still have close reliable friendships in his 30s. They are hard to find and keep the older you get sometimes. Jesus had other friends besides the chosen students of His: the female disciples such as Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susana the ones who found the empty tomb! Then there’s Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany. Also, His own biological immediate family, remember Jesus was Mary’s firstborn her and Joseph had many more children (approximately 6) after baby Jesus including James (James the Just), Joseph Jr. (Joses), Simon, and Judas known as Jude, he also had sisters but they were not named (Matthew 13:55). Jesus was and in indeed unlike anyone else, but He was and is the most approachable, gentle, humble, loving and perfect individual to ever walk this earth. Those He loves, (all of us) He loves with passion and unconditionally. He still does.
Jesus, friend of sinners. That is something He is often referred to. He was never afraid to befriend and reach out to the outcast, broken, left out misfits of society. Some of these people were outcasts because of circumstances beyond their control like sickness and disease and some were outcasts because of bad reputations like harlots and tax collectors. He is a restorer and mender of brokenness and a healer of all emotional, spiritual and physical sicknesses and diseases. Like I said unconditional and without limits, He had boundaries just like we need to but loving others to show them the way, teach them about the Kingdom of God. To seek and save the lost.
Jesus did all things: teach, lead, challenged leaders and anyone with hard questions that opened not only their minds but their hearts, heal the sick, perform amazing miracles, delivered people out their own bondage and vices, cast out demons, he served meals, he cooked, he fished, he built things, he read, he spent quiet time alone in prayer with the Father, he taught and lead by example, he loved and gave His life for His friends. Let’s live and be like Jesus. He is still alive and would love to be your best friend, if you just let Him in.
Love in friendship and grace,
Heather H. Carnley
“What a Friend we have in Jesus”
What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer
Oh, what peace we often forfeit Oh, what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged Take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness Take it to the Lord in prayer
Peace vs. Chaos. Justice vs. Injustice. Fear vs. Faith. Freedom vs. Captivity. July 4, 1776 and June 19, 1865…dates that represent freedom. One for the birth of a country breaking away from a tyrannical ruler, the other for people the first time being called free and not someone else’s property. Rewind centuries earlier, thousands of years earlier: a dreary Friday, a silent Saturday, and a glorious Sunday where death had been defeated…the day where true freedom began.
In the world as of lately, it was and is in an uproar let’s be realistic. A global pandemic causing death, everything to shut down and people living in fear. A battle against racial tension and injustice, inequality. Politics. Economic crisis. A coin shortage. Churches under attack from the enemy. And so much more, it will make your head spin if it’s all you consume yourself with. You will drive yourself crazy if it’s all you see and hear and let yourself think about. Step away and look at society, and look at it a little more personally: Who is in control of your actions? Who is in control of your thoughts and opinions? Who is in control of how your feelings and emotions cause you to react? Who is in control of the choices you make? The answer to all these questions is the same…YOU. God is in control of all things in the great big world and universe, but He gave us the ability to think, know, grow, live and make our own choices…good ones and bad ones. Freedom of choice. Freedom of opinion. Freedom of assembly. Freedom of speech. (Scripture says to be careful with our words because the power of life and death is in the tongue) We live in a country where we can do just about anything that is legal of course. You even have the freedom (free will) to go and make bad decisions (remember to everything there is a consequence). You sadly can oppress your own self by choices you make, in the form of addictions or vicious cycles if you so choose. You can work, you can dream, you can have a family. You can go into your church and worship freely. We have those rights. In the Declaration of Independence it states these three main points: All men (and women) are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain Inalienable Rights including Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. Individuals have a civic duty to defend these rights for themselves and others. You have been given LIFE by the one who created YOU. You have been given LIBERTY, freedom by His Son Jesus on the Cross. You have been given the pursuit of happiness by the JOY that He brings you…anything else you chase and pursue you won’t always catch. This world cannot steal away what it did not give you to begin with. What is given by God cannot be taken away.
Let’s go back to that last part, no one can steal your joy or your peace, because no one in this world gave it to you. But freedom now, no one or no thing can hold you captive unless you let them have the keys! What freedom feels like is walking in your calling. What freedom feels like is knowing you are protected and loved. Freedom feels like a safety net and leap of fearless faith all in one because His arms will catch you. Freedom to fly and soar. What freedom feels like is walking into the sunlight. What freedom feels like is breathing in new fresh air in lungs once suffocated by panic. What freedom feels like is a new life. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom! Jesus sets free every captive. He has the key, let Him in. Every chain can be broken or if it has a lock, you know there’s a key to it somewhere! Stop letting other people’s opinions, choices, words and actions determine you and your choices, opinions, words and actions. We often fall victim to our own thoughts, we create our own prisons of doubt and fear. Y’all, who the SON sets FREE is FREE INDEED! Stop letting others opinions and choices effect and dictate your life! We are called to live in freedom.
When you were little, were you ever afraid of the dark? I had a Barbie nightlight when I was about 5 years old. As an adult I still like to have some type of light, so I don’t trip, fall, or bump into anything if I have to get up in the middle of the night. The dark itself is not the scary part, it’s the uncertainty of what the darkness beholds. Not being able to see what is there is what scares most people. For a small child, they may think there are monsters lurking and waiting in the dark. Can you imagine being born without the ability to see or living in complete blindness and uncertainty? Never being able to see your loved ones faces, let alone know what you look like. Never being able to see the beauty of creation or the magnitude of the sunset or sunrise. Fear of the unknown is what holds many people back. Fear of not being able to see what lies ahead of them, but my dear friend isn’t that what faith is? The ability to trust and believe what you can’t always see despite the uncertainties.
How often in our lives do we walk around with spiritual blinders on? Sometimes we get tunnel vision and only see what we want to see, or what is directly in front of us. But how often do we really look around us at our surroundings, the physical and the spiritual? God gave us peripheral vision for a reason, when we get distracted we can’t see what is around us. For example, when you are driving a vehicle, you have a rearview mirror to see what is in front of you without looking back, a windshield huge window to see ahead of you and two side view mirrors to see what’s beside you. But you have this thing called a blindspot where you’re side view mirrors cannot reach. You have to physically look and make sure your surroundings are safe. Spiritually we forget to check our blindspot sometimes, the things that we allow to catch us off guard but if we had took the time to look could’ve been avoided. Did you know that when you lack one of your five senses that most of the time the other senses are heightened and even more in tune with surroundings? There is a thing called spiritual warfare. What we can’t see but feel in every fiber of your being. The invisible enemy, if we were to put on spiritual glasses we would be afraid. Scripture says we fight the principalities of darkness and evil. Scripture also says that “the angel of the Lord encamps around those that fear Him.” The world is full of darkness but as children of God, followers of Jesus the one true light of the world- we must be the light. We must not walk around in spiritual darkness and blindness.
Scriptures: Mark 8:22-25, John 9:1-7
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-25)
22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (John 9:1-7)
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
When we pray and seek for Jesus to open our eyes, just like Bartimaeus and the other blind men He healed-our spiritual eyes are opened to see the needs of other, the eyes of your heart are opened to compassion, your spiritual eyes are sometimes opened to the unseen battles that are around you. Eyes that see not only the flaws but the beauty that everyone is made in His image. We must see others as He sees them. Also, we can no longer be blind to the evil around us, nor should we be afraid.
Prayer for you today: Dear Lord, open my eyes to see Your glory, power and honor in everything. Help me to see You are in control of the seen and unseen. Thank You for fighting my battles. Thank You for Your angel armies standing guard over me. Remind me daily, of Your beauty in creation in every little thing. Lord, open my eyes to see the needs of others, to see selflessly instead of selfishly. Open my eyes to my heart Lord. Amen ❤
Did you know that perfection here on earth once existed? Think of the most beautiful place you’ve ever visited and or picture of a place that is so beautiful that people may call it “heaven on earth”. To each picture it may look different, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The beholder in this case, is the Creator- God the Father. He makes no mistakes, everything He created is beautiful and good. The Garden of Eden in Genesis 1-2 was absolutely beautiful and perfect. God created the oceans, mountains, valleys, all the plants, trees, every animal on earth and saw that it was good. Then He made each of us, in His image. Everything was as He created it to be, perfect. He gave one rule to Adam and Eve to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the middle of the garden, anything else they could have and eat freely. But the one fruit of that particular tree was dangerous-it wasn’t literally poison but the aftermath would contaminate Adam and Eve’s lives as well as everyone else after them: something toxic and deadly called sin that marred and tainted the perfection that God created. You see, that fruit opened their eyes to more than they ever needed to know: the conflicting battle of good and evil. Evil was never meant to have a place, but once that serpent saw a way to trick God’s beautiful humans He made then the serpent started His scheme. We were created to love and be loved by our Creator, we were never meant to have pain or hurt, to be sick, to hurt others or for evil to run rampant. God gave Adam and Eve, and us the ability of free will.
The problem came when sin entered the world, perfection of Eden had ended. Sin is what separates us from God, it drove a wedge in an otherwise perfect relationship.
Creation/Purpose of Mankind: “The Prologue”-Setting the Scene for God’s Ultimate Plan(Genesis 1-2)
In the beginning, God created something amazing out of absolutely nothing! God has been around before time, He has no beginning and no end. He is eternal. When the Bible says “In the beginning…” it refers to what we call time and recorded history. Genesis 1:1-2 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This universe, this earth that dwell on and everything in it was created and formed by a creative, all powerful, sovereign, artistic God with many diverse details. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” God spoke everything into existence. On the first day God said “Let there be light”, and there was light. God divided the light and darkness. He called the light Day, and called the darkness Night. This evening and morning were the completion of the first day. On the second day, God created division between the sky and seas. Then the third day God created made division between the dry land and the seas. On the third day, God also created the trees, plants, and flowers. Every beautiful, lush, green blade of grass, every diverse, creative leaf, every branch of every tree, and every colorful flower God created it. On the fourth day, God made two great lights and placed them in the sky, He called the one for the daytime, the sun. He called the other one for the nighttime, the moon. God also created and hung the planets and stars in the night sky. The fifth day, God created birds to fly in the air and fish that filled the seas. On the sixth day God created all the other animals and creatures, like mammals. But there was one special creation that was above the other things, a creation that lived, moved, and could think.
On the sixth day, God created and formed humankind. Everything God created, He spoke into existence, because He has that kind of power and authority. But when creating man God formed Adam from the dust of the earth. He sculpted, crafted, and formed man with personal care and intricate detail. Genesis 1:26-27 speaks of how God created mankind by stating “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God created man in His image, and then woman was fashioned and created from man’s rib. God formed man, whom He called Adam, from dust and breathed His very own breath of life into him and he began to live. God saw that it wasn’t good for man to be alone so He created woman, whom He called Eve, from Adam’s rib. God gave these human beings dominion and authority over all the creatures of the earth. Adam and Eve walked, talked, and spent time with God. We carry the same attributes of personality and emotion. God is love, and we were created for a love relationship with God and others. He created Eve to have a relationship with Adam. Throughout Genesis 1 & 2, numerous times it says God looked at His creation and saw that is was good. But God saw that man was alone, He said this isn’t good. Then God created woman and saw that it was good. Creation was now complete, man and woman were together. We are capable of feelings, deep critical thinking, emotions, love, and the ability to have dominion and control over the animals. Our flaws and things we may not like about ourselves like body image. God created all of His children differently, but yet we are all created in His image. Genesis 1:28 states God’s purpose for humanity, “God said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” As human beings the most important purpose of our lives to grow in relationship with God and glorify Him. All throughout Scripture the purpose of man is mentioned. Isaiah 43:7 says “Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him yes, I have made him.” later on in 43:21 says “This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.” We are created in His image to glorify Him. The purpose of God reveals His entire purpose of all of creation in Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
The Need of Salvation/Problem of Sin (Genesis 3-11)
In Genesis 3 we see this ideal and beautiful relationship between God the creator and mankind the created, become marred and tainted. Genesis 3:1 introduces a creature “more cunning than any beast”; the serpent. The serpent, Satan, was talking to Eve and Adam was also present with her. The serpent lied and said “God is just trying to keep knowledge from you, He doesn’t want you to become like Him; all-knowing and powerful”. Before the fall, everything was how God intended it to be. Then sin entered the picture. Genesis 1:28 gives the first command “Be fruitful and multiply, subdue and rule the earth. Genesis 2:16-17 gives the second command, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ‘but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” This did not mean that Adam and Eve would physically die immediately, the flesh has overtaken the spirit; meaning that because of sin we will all one day die. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Sin is the barrier that separates us from God. God is holy and set apart. Sin dominates the fallen world we live in. Adam and Eve were ashamed and tried to hide in the garden from God, but He still pursued them. Today God still pursues us even when we try to run away. Genesis 3:15 is a prophetic verse in Scripture that reminds of the consequences of sin as well as the ultimate sacrifice that has to be made. Genesis 3:15 says “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” The Seed of woman is the offspring that later comes in the New Testament, God incarnate, divinity in human form…Jesus Christ of Nazarene. The seed of the serpent obviously is Satan. A snake can strike a human’s heel by biting, “you shall bruise His heel” and a human can crush a snake’s head, “He shall bruise your head.” The world had increasingly become sinful, tainted and corrupt. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Abel and Cain both presented offerings to the Lord, but Cain’s was not acceptable to Him. Cain became jealous and angry, so he killed his brother Cain. God knew and punished Cain, banishing from the land like a fugitive and nomad. Eve eventually conceived and gave birth to another son named Seth (Gen. 4:25-26). Genesis 4 ends with the descendants of Seth.
The world that God had created and “saw that it was good” had become so sinful that a man would kill his own brother. In Genesis 5, we see a recap of Genesis 1:26-27; mankind being made in the image of God; and we also see a brief history of the genealogies of mankind. The world had become so sinful that God was sorry that He made man. God saw that there was one righteous man and his family, his name was Noah. Noah was the only righteous man that followed the Lord. Noah was not a perfect and saintly man, but He followed the Lord. God gave Noah specific and very detailed instructions to build an ark. The ark was kind of like a giant floating box, made to float like a boat but had no rudders, oars, or any type of steering. The ark floated and drifted whichever way the Lord sent it with the wind and waves. The reason God told Noah to build this ark is because God was going to send rain to flood the entire earth! God wanted to wipe the earth clean of its corruptness and start all over again. It took Noah approximately 120-140 years to build the ark. God told Noah to only bring his family, his wife, three sons; Ham, Shem, Japheth and their wives along with two of every animal that was “unclean” meaning those that they couldn’t eat as food. Yet God asked for seven each of clean animal, so they would have enough for food as well. The Lord sent one male and female animal so they could reproduce and multiply. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights until the earth was completely covered in water, even the mountains were covered! The water stayed on the earth 150 days (Gen. 7:24) Noah sent out a raven and a dove, one day the dove returned with an olive branch, meaning that the waters had receded. God placed a rainbow in the sky as a covenant and promise that He would never destroy the earth again (Gen. 9:13-15). Genesis 10 and 11 we see the ancestry of all the generations after Noah, his sons, and their descendants.
Genesis 11 tells of nations that had formed out the descendants of Noah. Genesis 11:1 says “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.” But they began to want more, similar to when Eve was tempted by the serpent to know more and become like God. In Genesis 11:4 we see that they wanted to make a name for themselves, “And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The Lord saw what they were doing. God scatters them and confuses their language. This was what we call the tower of Babel. In Genesis 11:7-9, we see how the “nations” began to spread out and grow. Genesis 11:6-9 says, “And the Lord said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” God is beginning to make many nations. We begin to see the multiplying of generations throughout the years and ancestry in Genesis 11.
Genesis 1-11 is known as the prologue, setting the scene of the beginning of God’s ultimate plan of redemption. We have four main components that introduce what we now read as our Bible. The four components are Creation and the purpose of Man (Genesis 1-2), the Need of Salvation that we have for God’s mercy because of the problem of sin also known as the Fall (Genesis 3-5), the Noah’s ark of safety amidst the catastrophic flood that God used to wipe the earth of all its corruptness (Genesis 6-10), and the flop of the tower of Babel by the scattering of many people and confusion of multiple languages (Genesis 11). All of these events form the foundation for God’s blessings and His ultimate plan to be known and worshiped throughout all the earth. The earth is beginning to be filled with people. Each of these people were sons and daughters of God. God stated a command to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth will people who reflect His glory. God’s plan to reflect His glory is through people who love Him as well as love others. We are His chosen instruments, as mankind to reflect His glory in all the earth; after all we are created to be His image-bearers. We needed someone perfect to fix everything, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth was His name.
Have you ever just stopped to think about nature and all its beauty? God created everything just as it should be. Think about how tall the majestic mountains are and how the valleys provide cooling shade amongst the canopy of trees? The intriguing and mysterious depth of all the oceans. The warmth of the sun, it’s strategically placed to maintain enough warmth to keep us from freezing and far away to keep us from burning. The detail and function of every plant and animal in the kingdom, every living organism. God created science and the building blocks of life. Lifegiver. Creator. Sustained. Provider. Father. His plan unfolded in a miraculous way.
Jesus came and showed God’s power in human form. Divinity in the flesh. He came to earth just like me and you, a baby from his nurturing mother’s womb. From the beginning conception was even miraculous, a young virgin. His birth was just like any other child, except in a barn because the inns were crowded. As a child, his wisdom grew as he learned and taught in the synagogues. Wise beyond his years. A normal kid and teenager with his parents and younger siblings. A hardworking carpenter’s son like his dad Joseph who loved to fish. He grew up into a young adult, and started his ministry at age 30.
His first miracle was at a wedding of some family friends, Mary his mother was with him. They had run out of wine, and all they had were pictures and jars of water. Jesus, provided the wine. Wine was symbolic of joy. Jesus brought wherever he went. He calmed the storm by saying peace, be still. He walked out of the water and called one of his beloved disciples to join him in by doing it too. He fed thousands with just a little snack of a lunch meant for one little boy. He can multiply even the smallest of things in our lives if we have faith to just let Him work! He healed the blind, and opened their eyes to wonders they had never seen before literally and spiritually! He opened deaf ears and the first thing they heard was the voice of truth, the Son of God! He healed the mute, their first words were praises to Him! He healed the sick and hurting from all ailments and afflicting diseases. He helped the lame to stand and walk in truth and life! He spoke the truth and changed lives for the better. He brought a dead man, who had been in the grave for four whole days, back to life! Can you imagine?! Everything he did struck up wonder and amazement!
What are some examples in your life or in the lives of others around that you’ve seen His power and glory displayed? Are you in need of a MIRACLE? Ask Him! Seek Him!
Here are two song links and MEMORY VERSES for you to study and ponder on your heart:
“Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.”
Luke 5:26 (ESV)”And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
I love people, and try my best to see everyone through the eyes of love and grace, as Jesus calls us to “love thy neighbor as thyself”. The greatest commandment, aka number one life rule “Love God. Love People.” simple as that.
What is love? I don’t mean the mushy gushy, fairytale, timeless love we see in Disney, Lifetime and Hallmark movies or read about in novels. Real love, the kind that struggles through every mountaintop and every valley. The kind of real love that rescues hearts from deep despair. Webster defines love in several ways: a quality or feeling of strong or constant affection for and dedication to another, or an intense feeling of deep affection. Today, I want to challenge you to take a different look at love through Scripture. Let’s see what the Bible says about love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind, love does not envy, love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up. Love does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth, bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
Okay so here’s the thing, each time you see the word “LOVE” when reading this passage, replace it with GOD (example: God never fails) then the second time you read it, replace the word LOVE with JESUS (Jesus is long-suffering/patient…) then the third is the hardest to do because its a reality check. Since we are supposed to follow Christ’s example, replace the word LOVE with YOUR name…Are you patient? Are you kind? Do you not get jealous, or become puffed up and self-seeking? Do you rejoice in the truth? Just a little awesome reminder of LOVE is becoming more like HIM.
Journal Prompt 1) Put God Jesus in the blank spaces and reread it. _____________ is patient, ___________ is kind, __________ does not envy, _____________ does not parade itself, it is not puffed up. ___________ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth, bears all things, hopes all things, endures. __________ never fails.”
Journal Prompt 2) Now, put Jesus in the blanks and reread it. _____________ is patient, ___________ is kind, __________ does not envy, _____________ does not parade itself, it is not puffed up. ___________ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth, bears all things, hopes all things, endures. __________ never fails.” (Except- we do fail simply because we are human. God in us does not fail when we submit to His will for us).
Journal Prompt 3) Lastly, put your name in the blank spaces and reread it. (Heart check?) _____________ is patient, ___________ is kind, __________ does not envy, _____________ does not parade itself, it is not puffed up. ___________ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth, bears all things, hopes all things, endures. __________ never fails.” So let’s take a closer look at some more verses that point to what true love really is:
John 3:16 “For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but eternal life.” {He loved us so much that He sacrificed His beloved Son. True love is sacrifice. True love is eternal. This is a verse many people know by heart; this exemplifies true unconditional and sacrificial love.}
1 John 3:16 “This is how we know what LOVE is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our life for our brothers and sisters.” {He loved us unto death and into eternity He still loves us! Love is something we must give away. Once again, love is sacrifice. This explains how we are to love others just as Jesus did, sacrificially loving others. Think about our military and first responders: everyday their life is on the line, risking it all to save lives. Sacrificing can mean that things that may inconvenience you and your comfort, are making a way of love to help someone else, or better yet let’s go further than that: if someone was with you and you know they are not a believer and you know where you will be when you die, would you willingly die knowing that you had the chance to save their life from hell?}
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” {Before we even knew Him, yet while we were out still being natural born sinners just ignoring His love and affection for us, He fixed it. Even before we existed He loved us. He went ahead and took the penalty and met the needs before we even realized that we needed it}
1 Corinthians 16:14 “Do everything in love.” {Well if that ain’t plain and simple itself. Everything little and big thing you do: all of your thoughts, words, deeds, and actions…do it in love. Even speaking the hard truth and hard decisions, consequences and sacrifices- every little thing should be coated and covered with love, not out of ulterior motives or spite.}
1 John 4:9 “We love because He first loved us.” {Love must be given away, not selfishly gripped in our own needs and wants. It must be freely given like His unconditional love for us. This is the only way that we know how to love is by His example not the world’s viewpoint of love on a superficial and conditional basis}
John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” {Jesus’ love note to you, abide in MY love He says. Staying in His love, reminds us that even when you may feel lonely, lowly, like no one loves you, or that we are unworthy- His love is our safe haven when the world is harsh.}
1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.” {Deep love is rooted in forgiveness. Love covers sin. It did at the cross and it does still today. Love doesn’t forget, but love does forgive, it keeps no record of wrongs. Grudges/Hate and love can’t exist together just like faith and fear cannot.}
Hebrews 13:1 “Let brotherly love continue.” {Simply put: Love others, never stop spreading and giving love. When love stops everything does too.}
Don’t forget to spend time with the one who gave you life, the breath you’re breathing right now, and the heart that’s beating in your chest, GOD. He loved us before we even existed. He created to love and be loved. The one who knows you better than anyone even better than you know yourself. I’ll leave you with this: Celebrate with random acts of kindness. Or better yet if you are still searching for love; look no further. Love doesn’t come in a heart shaped box, it’s at the cross. True unconditional love, came with blood, sweat and tears and the words written in red are proven love letters. Don’t forget to spend time with the One who gave you life. The breath you’re breathing right now. The heart that’s beating in your chest. GOD. He loved us before we even existed. He created us to love and be loved. The One who knows you better than anyone. Better than you even know yourself. I’ll leave you with this: Celebrate with random acts of kindness. Or better yet, if you are still searching for love, look no further. Love doesn’t come in a heart shaped box. It’s at the cross. True, unconditional love, came with blood, sweat and tears. Jesus meant every word that He said and every action of love that He taught. Scholars and theologians who translated the Bible to what we have today, that Jesus’ words are typed in red. The words written in red are proven love letters. Red the color of His blood that flowed from the cross. Let your heart be captivated by the One who created it. Love is at its finest moment when it’s given away. One kind word or act of kindness can change someone’s day or even save a life. Give love away. I’m not perfect, but I know the One who is. Perfect love casts out all fear. His name is Jesus.
Many of you have heard the phrase, “a penny for your thoughts”. Hundreds of thousands of thoughts flood our minds daily. If you’re anything like me (borderline ADHD multitasker) your thoughts bounce all over the place, which is why I keep a notebook near for any random creative ideas I may have. Thoughts can be good, bad, random and everything in between. Scripture states in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 10:5), “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”. {2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2co.10.5.ESV}. Taking every thought captive, and holding it to Christ’ light. Opinions lose sight and do not hold as much value when compared to facts, meaning the Way, the Truth and the Light (Jesus, John 14:6). Paul also writes another letter to his friends the Philippians as well (Philippians 4:8) “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Our simple thoughts, opinions and ideas can either destroy us or encourage us on the journey Christ has called us to. Anything negative, raised against the knowledge of God including the fact that we are indeed created in His image…which negative self talk, self image and self doubt have no place to crowd your mind. Oh snap. An opinion that doesn’t line up with God’s word, is lofty” and must be “destroyed”. Our thoughts can be or our biggest downfall our greatest asset. We need only to think upon these things like it says in His Word that are “pure”, “honorable”, “true”.
So what happens when we listen to things that are NOT true and let those things steal our thoughts away?
I want to share with you a little interesting tidbit about a new hobby that my husband Wes and I just started a few months ago, coin collecting. (Where’s my fellow jingle junkies at?!) I remember my mom giving me a Susan B. Anthony dollar coin because I did a report on her in third grade. I remember when the Sacagawea gold dollar coin came out in 2000. When I was a kid in 1999, I remember when the first state quarters came out and my uncle and mom had a book and started collecting them. Each one had something unique that represented each of the 50 states. Wes and his brother say they remember their mom having a book of state quarters as well. My mother in law , has a collection of wheat pennies that my husband now has. Wes started this with pennies, mainly because they are the easiest entry level and cheapest way to start coin collecting. One roll of pennies is 50 cent, a roll of nickels is only $2, a roll of dimes is only $5, and a roll of quarters is $10. Some people buy them by the box from the bank, just to open them all and hunt for rare coins. To think, something that we used to use almost daily (now its debit or credit), is now rare. The value of saving up and counting coins, has it lost its charm? What makes rare coins worth collecting? Some are composed of different metals-pure silver, copper, and steel and some are percent mixtures of different metals. Some were struck accidentally by the stamp at the mint and have a rare error that makes them unique and valuable. Some are special edition and commemorative. Some were made exclusively during a certain historical period bearing heritage on its face. Some coins were made it small batches making them hard to find, the more rare the better. Some were completely messed up, a dime stamped on a penny. Errors, mistakes, irregularities, small quantities, all these factors make them unique. The coins are graded by appraisers from different mints, to see what kind of metals they are. There they know their worth.
How many times in life, are we like these coins? We think our errors, flaws and mistakes make us less than or some how depreciate our value. These indeed in fact prove the opposite, they are worth more. We think that our small contribution, like a 1 cent penny pales in comparison to larger coins like quarters, half dollars, and gold dollars. We compare ourselves to others who may be more new or shinier than ourselves. You see, most coins bear their mint mark of where they were made: “P” for Philadelphia, “D” for Denver, and “S” for San Francisco. Coins are graded and appraised by people who know the content and makeup of these coins. We, bear the “mark” of our Savior, He determines our value because He knows exactly how we are made, because He crafted and created us Himself.
I leave you with this passage the “The Parable of the Lost Coin” found in Luke 15:8-10 “… Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.15.8-10.ESV) Once again, it doesn’t matter the quantity but the quality. Each coin has worth. You see, every coin added together creates a greater sum. The body of Christ as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We belong to the Maker, and He thinks you and I are in “mint condition”.
Here’s another little quote, my mama taught me as a little girl, “See a penny, pick it up all day long have good luck.” Even if it was on tails, I’d flip it over and see ole honest Abe, made good luck for someone else. ❤ Know your worth.
-with love, Heather
Our coin collecting books: Wheat Pennies from 1909-1959, State Quarters from 1999-2009, and National Park Quarters from 2010-2021.A handful of change, different eras, different markings, different coins. All valuable in their own unique way. Pictured in the background are half dollars composed of large amounts of pure silver.
No more Christian nice girl. Being nice is easy. The hard the thing is being nice when it has become something people use to their advantage on you. Not happening anymore.
No more being a doormat to others, I refuse to being walked over.
No more letting others’ opinions of me or what they think “I should do” rule how I do things in my life.
No more being disrespected or looked over as my opinions or ideas don’t matter.
No more guilt tripping from others. Your happiness and mood does NOT depend on me or my shoulders, and mine certainly doesn’t depend on you. Your responsibilities don’t belong on my shoulders. My responsibilities belong to me. God gave them to me, I will be a good steward.
No more sitting idly by and watch the world fall by the wayside. Sin running rampant and ruin lives. Not today Satan.
No more wasting time and energy.
No more worrying what others think of me. Their opinions do not determine or define my worth or value.
No more feeling inadequate. No more feeling insecure. No more feeling less than or better than.
No more feeling judged. No more feeling left out.
No more believing the lies of the enemy. No more settling for less.
No more negative self-talk.
No more niceness being mistaken naivety. Being a nice and good wholesome is not a free ticket to be treated as if you are dumb.
No more worry. No more doubt. No more fear.
Enough is enough.
I am good enough. You are good enough. I am better than the lies from the enemy that thwart and twist the real truth, no one is better than or less than. Every doubt, fear, and worry and insecurity fades away.
Take back your heart. Put it in the hands of the One who created it. The only acceptable surrender is to God, not others. Declaration of dependence on God alone. Declaration of defiance to the enemy. No more Christian nice girl, this princess wears armor not just a crown. Suit up, sis.
Do you ever just have to stop and pause sometimes? Well I’m asking you to just stop. Just pause and think before you have a thought. Pause before judging. Pause before becoming jealous. Pause before negative self talk. Pause and THINK: T- is it true? H-is it helpful? I-is it inspiring? N-is it necessary? K-is it kind?
{I am her} or {I was her} is threaded throughout just so you know I’m not calling anyone out or saying that these things are only how I see others because I , too have been there. You are NOT alone. I feel you, girl.
Stop saying things like “You’re not a mom, you don’t understand.” Or stop saying things like “You don’t know what it’s like to have anxiety”. I’m 99.9% sure you’re NOT the only person who feels things the way you do. Since when did society become a contest of who’s more busy, who’s more supermom or perfect housewife, who’s more successful at their career, or who’s got more issues? “Wonder Woman” becomes a woman who wonders why and how I do it all? Why do we compare? Why do we judge? So what if you’re a stay-at- home mom (thats great you can enjoy more time with your babies, a blessing!) and your bestie is a working mom who takes her kids to daycare, or better yet what if she doesn’t have kids yet? Doesn’t mean you or her either one is any less of a mom because of parenting choices. Breastfed or formula, homemade puree baby food or store bought: either way mama you are feeding your growing little human. You are a mama and that in itself is a gift. And the friend or family member isn’t any less of a woman just because she is not yet a mother who brought life into this world. What if she isn’t ready yet? {I am her} What if she and her husband want to grow as a couple in their marriage before bringing tiny humans into the picture? {I am her}What if sadly she struggles with infertility? {Many of my friends face this} What if you’re a self made, work from home, ground- up, start-up business entrepreneur rather than your friend who is “stuck” in a 9-5 job where she desperately wants to flourish and grow but feels trapped? If you are an entrepreneur, girl own it! I’m proud of you! Embrace the privilege and insight God has gifted you with, enjoy the process! If you’re in a job or career where you want to change or feel stuck, maybe God has you there for a season (however long that season maybe months, years, or decades) to grow you and prepare for every season, again embrace the process! Your diligence, hard work and perserverance don’t go unnoticed. I’m proud of you too! Don’t spend each day waiting for the next big change, step or life event.{I was her} Or here’s another; a woman who’s career choice others may consider difficult, hard, stressful and may not understand why she does it, but she absolutely loves it even if the pay isn’t as much, but the rewards are far greater? {I am her} (Example: childcare teachers like myself, or first responders-a volunteer firefighter like my husband). What about the single friend who’s the last one left of the squad to find someone? The divorced friend? The single parent friend? What about her, she has a picturesque perfect Better Homes & Garden style home that is perfectly decorated, organized and CLEAN. What if she struggles OCD or compulsive cleaning and feels like a failure because things are a mess, maybe she feels like if she fixes things and tidyed up here and there that she’s got it somewhat together and things in her control even if it’s temporary. {I am her} The one who seems to always smile and be a ray of sunshine to everyone but hurts inside. {I was her} The one who has anxiety attacks from things she can’t control or irrational fears and someone just says “Calm down and stop freaking out”, “You’re overreacting it’s not that serious”. People struggle secretly with different things like this. {I was her} Anxiety is a real thing, not made up. It comes in different forms from irrational fears and phobias, to feeling like you have no control over a situation, or fear of missing out (fomo as people call it) or feeling left out or less than? {I am her}
Do you see a pattern here? These things are thoughts that we create in our own minds and they hold us prisoner and captive. Scripture says we are to take every thought captive, and hold it to the light of truth to God’s Word! Philippians 4:8 states “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
(NIV) If it isn’t pleasing or pleasant, encouraging or edifying; toss it out of your mind like yesterday’s trash! Negative thoughts should not hold us captive!
I ask all these questions and bring out all these traits and flaws because of judgement and insecurity. What if we stop judging the other mom, the other wife, the other teacher or co-worker, the other entrepreneur, the other sister, the other friend about how they do things differently than you? Just because someone has a different method or idea than you doesn’t mean their thought process is wrong: its just different (and thats okay!) The old saying “Don’t judge someone because they sin differently than you” is correct. Have you ever gotten mad at someone and they didn’t even know it? Sometimes we make up the “mean girl” syndrome in our own minds thinking “oh well she’s judging me”, or “I don’t agree with her on things so we must not be friends” or “she didn’t include me, I felt left out” and the thoughts of what we felt when we misheard someone or how we perceived and received what they said (communication is 90% of how you say it rather what you say; delivery is everything). I would get upset with friends or family when I feel they don’t support me in the little things, not invite me, or feel like they secretly judge me, or just don’t have time for or appreciate me. God had been teaching me and showing me grace in these areas. We may think people are mad at us, or we find a reason to be mad at them, or we think someone is judging us or we find some reason to judge them. Jealousy leads to judgement. Which leads to a root of bitterness. Once again, creating a prison of our own thoughts! Things that may not even be realistic or in all actuality even true! The lies we believe come from the enemy, to try to make us mad at our other brothers and sisters in Christ. We must not let our stereotypes, lifestyles, thoughts, opinions or anything define us or make us define others. We are NOT perfect beings. There is no perfect husband or wife, perfect mom and dad, or perfect kids. We are all learning as we go. No one, has it all together. If we stop pretending as if we do and just talk with others about their same struggles we can muddle through the beautiful mess together. The struggle is real, but so is Jesus. We must be REAL and raw and authentic, listen without judgement or even listen without the sake of responding, sometimes people need to be heard, not always advised or fixed. (Look up in Scripture about Job’s friends there’s alot to learn from them both good and bad). You must take this seriously, not lightly…when someone comes to you in confidence and confidentially keep it that way. Your worth or mine, is not defined but how you judge people but how you treat people, or by what you do but who you are. Judge not lest you be judged. Affirm someone by not assuming you know their story. Love one another, bear one another’s burdens. Chances are someone else really does know how it feels. Joy over judgement. Be intentional, not insecure. Be kind, not catty.
You are sitting at home and you scroll through your newsfeed, there it is…your best friends went out without you or family and coworkers had a get together and you simply were not invited. Or if you try plan something, no one can come or has other plans…thats life its okay we are all busy. But the lie that the enemy is whispering “your friends don’t have time for you” and “nobody wants to hang out with you or be your friend”.
Someone you love, whether family, a parent or friend or boyfriend or husband…left from your life and isn’t coming back. The lie of “I wasn’t good enough to make them stay, they didn’t want me”.
You hear snickers and whispers and then they get quiet when you enter. You wonder if they were talking about you. Important information wasn’t communicated to you, you were simply left out of the loop. Once again the lie of “they were talking about you, they don’t like you”.
You are the only single girl left, your friends are all engaged or married. You are the only one of your friends or siblings without children. You feel like you’re waiting on a husband or maybe you and husband are waiting and desperately praying for a baby. The sting of “you’re single enjoy it”, “you’re not married yet, someone needs to snatch you up!”, “when do you want to have kids?” or the classic “you’re not a mom you wouldn’t understand”. These kinds of comments make you feel like the world is moving forward and you’re stuck. The comments from good-intention family and friends, or strangers who don’t know your story…comments that sting and make you believe the lies from the enemy.
The fear of missing out.
Your creative new idea was shot down just as soon as you got excited about it. The lie of “that was stupid why did you try that?”
You give your best and try to accomplish what you can, your progress is evident but the way the “constructive criticism” or guidance was delivered made you believe the lie of “you’re not good enough”or “you can’t do this right”.
Insecure. Uninvited. Inadequate. Left out. Lonely. Abandoned. Unaccepted. Rejection. All of these are lies.
You, my dear sister are not the only one who has ever felt this way. I, too know what its like because I am just like you. I have felt rejection or the constant pity party of being left out or forgotten or looked over. Pity parties are no fun when you’re the only one with an invitation! Duh!
In some way, shape, or form we have all experienced some kind of disappointment or rejection in life. Whether it was intentional or not. Sometimes people don’t realize they hurt someone’s feelings.
How do we deal with this type of hurt? The answer…we go to the truth instead of falling for the lies. Those lies come directly from the enemy who wants to destroy you.
I am who HE says I am.
I am loved. I am created by Him. I am treasured and cherished. I am His beloved. I am beautiful, not ugly. I am not a mistake. I am wanted. I am good enough. I am worthy of His love. I am strong, but my weaknesses glorify His strength. I am smart, not stupid. The only thing stupid are Satan’s lies. I am not perfect but His mercy and grace renews me. I am not alone, He is with me. I am not abandoned because He has never left me. I don’t have to feel left of people’s plans because His plans are far greater than what I think I’m missing out in life. He gives me what I need rather than what I always want. His timing is far greater than my day to day calendar and schedule. My life is not meant to be lived by someone else and neither can I live theirs. I can only be who He made me to be. My worth, I was born with nothing I will do or won’t do can make my worth any more or less. His creation is worthy of His love. My hope is secure.
Here are some verses to remind you:
When you feel alone:
Isaiah 41:10-“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
When you feel insecure:
Psalm 139:13-14 –“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
When you feel unworthy:
1 Peter 2:9-“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
When you feel like you’re missing out:
Ecclesiastes 3:11– “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to.”
-Sincerely, the girl who used to feel less than who now knows true worth. ❤
Hope For Her Heart 