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1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

A picture is worth a thousand words. I am sure we have all heard that one before. I am equally sure actions are greater than words is a popular saying. As a matter of fact, that phrase can be traced back to today’s verse. Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth1 John 3:18.

I can tell someone every single day that I love them, but if I treat them like trash it means nothing. If I demand things from them or impose impossible goals or tasks for them to complete, I am not showing love. To take it in another direction, if I go around telling them to their face that they are going to hell because dress, speak, or blow their nose on the first Tuesday of the month, I am not better than the abuser, cheater, or user who told them they love them.

You want to spread God’s love to people, serve them. Be God’s hands and feet. Be His arms and shoulders. Be His ears. People don’t need to be told how messed up their lives are today. They don’t need a bunch of religious rhetoric spouted at them. They need hugs to hold them. They need ears to listen to them. They need shoulders to cry on. People need love in action! They need God’s grace. Sound familiar? I am sure you need it too!

Lord, send me those who need love and show me how I need to show it to them. ~amen

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1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Have you ever had one of those problems that you just felt better when you let it all out? I don’t even mean crying, but hey if that is what you need then go for it. I mean just saying the words out loud. I know that some days when my mind just seems to swirl and I feel overwhelmed, it helps to just brain dump. This can mean picking up a pen and writing everything down that comes to my mind or picking up a paintbrush and just letting the paint flow. However, sometimes, I need to just talk. When I begin to blurt things out, pieces start to fall together like a puzzle. No matter how I dump my brain, my anxiety always seems to drop. The problem doesn’t always go away and I don’t always find the answers, but the anxiety leaves.

God is waiting for you to turn all those anxieties over to Him. He wants to help you clear your mind. Just brain dump all over Him! I am going to let you in on a little secret. Your brain dump prayer can look so different from anyone else. Maybe, it is down on your knees, sitting on a lawnmower, running, walking, biking, or even with a paintbrush or pen in your hand. It doesn’t matter how you want to spill or where you want to dump it all out that is important. He is still there listening.
As Nike would say, “JUST DO IT!”

Lord, I am so glad you meet me where I am and are ready to listen anytime I need to brain dump. ~amen

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Romans 6:17-18
In the past you were slaves to sin–sin controlled you. But thank God, you fully obeyed the things that you were taught. You were made free from sin, and now you are slaves to goodness.

“All ships that land at the sore of grace weigh anchor from the of sin”(-Grace, Max Lucado). If a ship has no anchor when it gets to shore the tide will toss it around and take it right back out of the port spilling it into the sea. It will start slowly and steady Then faster and deeper it goes. Soon, it will be swallowed up, and cannot see any land around. It becomes stranded and lost at sea.

Our lives can follow this pattern very easily. Everything seems to be going smoothly. Then we make a small choice, nothing big. A ripple starts to form. It grows and begins to tug at us. We move a little and begin to float aimlessly. Soft and steady at first, then the tide picks up and we feel tossed and unsteady. The waves begin to wash over us. Before we know it we are stuck in the middle of our mess with no way out, or so we think.

Here is the good news. Even if we find ourselves lost at sea, God is still there and is ready to hand us an anchor. Grace is still available. In the past, we may have let our sins control us. However, thank God, we have been made free from sin. He can reach up to God and once again feel His grace anchoring us to the shore. The storms and tides can rage on around us,
but no longer have to be tossed to and fro
because we are anchored in Jesus.

Lord, thank you for being my anchor. I am no longer a slave to the waves of sin. I can stand firm in whatever storms Satan tries to call up around me. ~amen

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Jeremiah 29:11314
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

My husband loves to tell the story of him and his father playing hide and seek when he was a small child. His father would close his eyes and begin to count. Todd would quickly start darting everywhere to look for the perfect spot. As the numbers got higher, he would hold his breath waiting for the words of “Ready or not here I come!” He would close his eyes tight, so his father wouldn’t see him. Then his dad would yell “Todd where are you?” Todd being the good son would say, “Mom told me not to tell you.” Ok, my husband didn’t quite grasp the concept of the game . . . LOL! I on the other hand was much smarter when playing with my mother. I just always hid exactly where she had hidden the round before . . . LOL!

I for one am very glad God doesn’t play hide and seek very well either. “I will be found by you declares the LORD.” Just call out His name and He will pop up with “Here I am!” He “hides” in the same place every time. He is standing right there in front of you when you open your eyes. As a matter of fact, I hear God’s voice calling out whenever I hear James Taylor singing,

You just call out my name
And you know, wherever I am
I’ll come runnin’
To see you again

What a wonderful thought! Seek Him and
He will be found! Matthew 7:7

Lord, I am so glad you are terrible at playing hide and seek. Thank you for always popping up and telling me where you are when I cry out. ~amen

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1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Ouch! Boy did I ever read this verse today and felt a sharp slap in the face. Not that someone abusing you or fighting you kind. That one where someone is trying to wake you up and splashes ice cold water in your face. Ouch!!! Let me explain.

At 5 a.m. this morning, my dogs began barking and I saw a light flash through the doorway that leads to our garage. My husband wasn’t due home for another 4 hours. So, jumped out of bed and grabbed a giant wrench I had been sketching the day before. I crept through the kitchen and into the washroom. I saw a shadow and raised the wrench up over my head. Then I saw it was my husband coming in the house and his arm was in a sling.

An injury at work sent him home with us looking at possible surgery and off work for several months. Wow! After getting him settled in bed, my heart fell. “What are we going to do now Lord?”, I prayed. Then I read this verse and I felt God asking, “Do you love me?” Yes, Lord, I love you, and if I love you, I have nothing to fear. I hear you Lord.

No matter what lies ahead, I am safe. We are safe. God will carry us through. He loves us and we certainly love Him. There is nothing to fear!

Lord, I love you and I am so glad you are in control. I have nothing to fear. ~amen

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Romans 13:9-10
9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

You want to walk the Christian walk? You want to wear the bracelet, buy the t-shirt and live the life of WWJD? It doesn’t take the 10 commandments. It doesn’t take the 613 Jewish laws listed in the old testament. It takes one “Love your neighbor as yourself.” OK, we should probably tag the little verse about loving God with all your heart also. However, if you want to really show God how much you love Him, what better way than loving your neighbor as yourself!

When Jesus came, He filled the law for us. He is the new covenant between us and God. It isn’t that we have ditched the old law. We have just replaced it with something better. You see if you read the ten commandments you will uphold each one of them if you just love God and others. God isn’t telling you to eat, drink, talk, walk, or even blow your nose a certain way. He is asking you to take a look at your life. Is what your thinking, doing, saying, or not saying loving others? That is the real question.

So, if you searching for how to follow Christ? Pick up a mirror and maybe a magnifying glass. Now take a nice long look at your day. Did you love others today as yourself? Good job! You are on the right track!

Lord, show me where I am not loving my neighbors as myself and help me correct it! ~amen

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Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God. Let’s add a few things. Neither an empty checkbook, no job, piles of bills, depression, anxiety, PTSD, cancer, covid, death of a loved one, anger, hatred, or differences of opinions will be able to separate us from the love of God. I think I should add etcetera, etcetera, etcetera! Nope, nothing, nada, zilch, big fat 0 will separate you from God’s love.

Isn’t it a great feeling to know you are always on His mind and in His heart? I know it is a great comfort for me today. I am struggling with my depression. It is a my body hurts all over from the depression kind of day. One of those, even a shower seems like too much of a battle. The thing is I know it is OK to let go of the world and let it go on without me today. I know it is OK to not be OK today. I know I don’t have to fight to smile or even get in the shower. I know God loves me and is hanging on to me. It is Ok for me to let go today.

There is nothing in this world that is going to get God to stop loving you. Cling to that thought today.
Let go of your problems and let God grab
you in a great big hug.

Lord, I need to let go today. I need to concentrate on just breathing. Thank You for loving me and hanging onto me when I can’t hang onto myself. ~amen

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James 4:1-3
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

As Shakespeare once wrote, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”. However, many people have warped this saying into, “Methinks thou doth protest too much!” Either way, it points the finger at someone, and remember, when you point your finger there are three more pointing right back at you.

Today’s verses are reminding us of those very things. Quarrels and fights take two people. I can also guarantee that in most cases neither person is 100% right or wrong. Why would I say that? We are all human. Into every situation, we bring our baggage, our pride, and our faults. We fight because of a desire we have, even if that desire is to just be right.

Truth time. I remember being in a fight with my husband. I honestly, don’t remember what the fight was about or how it started. What I do remember is praying to God asking Him to change Todd. I also remember God answering me quite loudly, “What about you?” I wasn’t asking the right prayer. I certainly wasn’t asking with the right heart. I changed my prayer. I prayed that God would change our hearts and open our ears to each other.

You want to stop fighting with others. Take a long look in the mirror and pray God will open your heart and your ears. Put down your desires and search out God’s.

Lord, help remember that to open my eyes and heart when differences arise. ~amen

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1 John 3:11
For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

Is it too much to be asked to be loved by someone? No, not really. We all want to be loved by someone. However, we also should remember we are loved by God and that is enough. Everything else is just icing on the cake!

Today’s verse instructs us to love one another. That is it. It is a short verse with no strings attached. It doesn’t say we should love those who love us. Nor does it say we should only love those who look, dress, talk and act like us. News Flash, it doesn’t even say we should only love those who love like us. Nope, it says love one another. Like I said, short, simple, and no strings attached.

So, why do we find this so hard? We want to be loved for who we are and not just because we look, dress, talk, and act like someone else. We want to be loved with no strings attached. Shouldn’t we offer the same love to others? YES!

God has already offered that love to you. Now it is your job to pass that love on to others. God never said He would only love you when you clean your act up. He never said He would only love you if you look, dress, talk, or act a certain way. No, He said I love you today, tomorrow, and forever! Now, it is your turn to go out and spread the love!

Lord, help me love one another with no strings attached. ~amen

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1 John 4:10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Have you ever heard someone tell you that their pet picked them? I can honestly say I have been that pet owner. My first service dog grabbed my husband literally when we walked by her cage. She sat across from me staring until I called her by the name we agreed upon before picking a dog. I said Annie and she leaped from her spot into my arms. My current service dog did something similar. He got away from the volunteer that was working with him and came and sat in front of me. I was told later that Meshach had been abused and went to no one. Everyone was absolutely shocked when he did this. My point is I never imagined having these two in my life.,but they picked me.

God isn’t waiting on us to pick Him. He already loves us. There is nothing we can do that will stop Him from loving us. He loves us right where we are. Yes, even in the middle of our muck, we are loved.

Are unsure if you are worthy of His love? You aren’t. You never will be and that is what makes it so special. He loves you just because you are you. He Loved you yesterday. He loves you today and He will love you tomorrow. No need to clean up before you
meet Him. He is waiting on you and ready to jump in your arms because He picks you!

Lord, I am so grateful You picked me!
~amen

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