Monthly Archives: October 2016

So I Have To Love Them?

Love done right is about giving. Giving and not expecting anything in return. Basically, love done right is about loving for the sake of loving. And therefore giving others a glimpse of Jesus in a world that is in desperate need of Him.

If you were to ask me if loving people is a challenge for me, I would immediately say no! I persistently strive to love regardless of the level the love is reciprocated at. Well…as long as you are referring to family and friends and people who treat me well. In fact a pretty impressive list of people comes to mind.
But then there is that one Scripture passage that also comes to mind. You know, the passage we could all do without? The one that if it was somehow removed from the inerrant, inspired Word of God, we would not raise too much of a fuss? However, every Bible I have checked still contains these words found in Matthew 5, from the Sermon on the Mount.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
I can proudly proclaim that I am killing it when it comes to loving those that are easy to love. (Which by the way, is not much of an accomplishment.) But when it comes to enemies?  That is another story.
In this world where rebellion is revered and absolutes are avoided, it is a good idea to remind ourselves of the good old-fashioned truth that if God tells us to do something, we should. Period.
Loving our enemies is a bold example of loving like Jesus does. It is most certainly a time when you can safely not expect anything in return! It is against our human nature to show love toward those that have hurt us and treated us badly. ESPECIALLY when we know or suspect that the love will not be reciprocated.
I have pondered spending a little time trying to find a Biblically-based teaching on NOT loving our enemies; one that justifies gossiping about, giving dirty looks to, and silently wishing bankruptcy or a mildly sprained ankle upon my enemies. However, I would be wise not to waste my time looking for a loophole…The bottom line is: God says we need to love our enemies. Oh, and pray for them too. He does not command us to do something, and then NOT give us the ability to do it. You know what that means, right? We cannot use the excuse, “I have tried, but I just can’t do it…” when attempting to justify why we aren’t following the “Love your enemies” command. If He tells us to do it, then it is possible to do it!
With God’s help, we can love others. ALL others. Imagine: love done right can come from us. What a blessing. What a responsibility. What a gift.
Lord, help us love like You. Help us give others a glimpse of Who You are by showing this world love done right. Amen

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“All In For Him” College Athlete Devotional

allinforhimlargefrontI have to say I am both excited and nervous about the new territory I am finding myself in: I wrote a 21-day devotional for college athletes and in a few months, it will be available through Crosslink Publishing, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble! When Crosslink Publishing contacted me and said they had selected “All In For Him” as one of the books they want to publish this year, I was ridiculously excited. And then soon after that, I became ridiculously nervous. What do I know about the publishing process? Nothing! Absolutely nothing…

So, I am diving in and learning as I go.

I requested and received some endorsements from some great people, I wrote a bio, I wrote a subtitle, I have read through my manuscript endless times to look for typos even after it has been edited by the publishing company, and now I am looking at ways to market it. I may know nothing about publishing, but I know even less about marketing!!

God gave me this idea, and He has been guiding me through it. So…I am just going to keep walking…trying to hold on to His hand. I am just going to keep feeling excited and nervous, but I am also going to keep being confident in the One Who has proven Himself to be faithful again and again and again. I am trying to take the approach of going “All In For Him.”

If you think of it, I would be very appreciative if you would say a prayer for me as I try to navigate this new terrain!  An even more important prayer I would ask you to join me in is as college athletes read this devotional, their faith will grow stronger. That they will see that responding to the issues they face with a Christlike attitude can impact coaches, teammates, and fans alike. That they will see how going “All In For Him” is the way to go!

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Rejoicing In The Rain

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”(Psalm 118:24)

What If you wake up tomorrow with your mind already made up to rejoice in the day and be glad in it? How will your attitude tomorrow differ from your attitude today?  I have jumped out of bed with a determination to rejoice ‘no matter what’ before, and I have done a commendable job…right up until the first difficult situation arose.

       To choose to rejoice in the day no matter what happens is a significant decision, because we all know that every day brings both joy and trials. Sometimes joys outweigh trials. However, sometimes the scales are tipped in the opposite direction, and we are faced with multiple moments in which our resolve to rejoice is tested.

When something good happens, we find it easy to rejoice! A dictionary definition of the word “rejoice” is: to feel or show that you are very happy about something. Saying, “Thank You” to God directly for people, protection, and positives He blesses us with is a wonderful example of how to rejoice.

On the flip side, when we come up against a problem, rejoicing is not usually our first instinct.  However, once we have made a decision to rejoice in this day whether the sun shines or not, there are genuine reasons to rejoice in the rain.

First, we can rejoice because we get to see God work! We get to see Him bring beauty from ashes. When we have a problem that needs solving, being thankful that we worship the Ultimate Problem Solver is something to rejoice in!

Also, we can rejoice that we have an opportunity to display God’s grace to others while we face difficult situations.  Arguably, this should be number one on the list of reasons to rejoice when trials come! When we handle difficulties with a joyful spirit, stemming from the fact that we know we have a faithful God who is going to take care of us…even in the midst of a storm, we give others hope. We give them a glimpse of Who Jesus is in our life, and Who He can be in their life!

One more reason to “rejoice in the rain” is that after we have gone through a trial, we may be able to help someone that is facing a similar trial. We can offer them empathy and encouragement. We can offer them concern and comfort.

We can give them a reminder of the overwhelming faithfulness of our Father. Coming alongside someone and encouraging them to draw closer to God is a blessing that is well-worth rejoicing over!

Trials, difficulties, hardships, and rain – all can help us grow, to bring consolation to others, and to rely fully on God. All rain can give us cause to rejoice.

I clearly remember one gloomy day as a preschool assistant, lamenting to the children that it was raining – forcing our playtime to be inside instead of on the playground. A sweet student looked at me and wisely declared, “Rain is good! It makes the crops grow.” Yes…rain is good. And rain does in fact make the crops grow. Five-year-olds just get it sometimes.

This is the day the Lord has made: Let us rejoice, really rejoice, and be glad in it. Rain or shine.

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