Reminded me how tricky I can be, in general, masking truly nasty behavior behind more charming descriptors. Calling gossip a “prayer request”, for instance —
“…and she does this over and over again. (sigh) She just looks idiotic! We should pray for her.”
click pic for source
I should call it what it is.
A sin’s a sin.
I should own it and confess it.
Then I can comb my hair and go on, forgiven.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” ~~1 John 1:9
Do you know the one who made Merriam Webster? (Hint: not the book, the man.) Well, since God IS love (1 John 4:8), by definition, He loves you. =]
Click the pic below for a quick introduction. Make knowing Him #1 on your “Top Ten” to-do list.”:
What was that annoying, please-swat-me, buzzing sound emanating from my TV when I tuned into the World Cup?!
Can you say, “vuvuzela”? (voo voo ZAY luh)
What in the world cup is a vuvuzela?! Watch and learn:
Forgive me for tooting my own horn here, but when we “have not love”, I think we’re being “vuvuzela Christians”.
See? —
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, buthave not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1
It’s all about love…
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
source
Let’s pray:
Oh, Father, you ARE love, the Bible says. (1 John 4:8b)
I want to be like you, so I’m trading in my clanging horn of selfishness for your patience, kindness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
May my life be a “sweet, sweet sound in Your ears” (from song below).
my husband and son changing a flat on a windy day.
Why doesn’t life behave itself?!
I mean, getting a flat on a bike ride isn’t bad enough. Sometimes, like today, you have to get two! That’s what happened to my poor little Lance-Armstrong-wanna-be husband this morning when he was out riding in the country, far, far from home.
And, sometimes — even worse –good people die horrible, agonizing deaths.
And, sometimes — whether we like it or not — and no matter HOW HARD we try, we have a bad hair day. (Hey! You have your tragedies, I have mine. Don’t judge.)
That’s life.
Bummer.
BUT, like Chip Ingram ** (a pastor) reminded me on the radio yesterday, “Life is hard, but God is good.”
And, like the song says, “If you can’t trust His hand, trust His heart.”
Oh, Father, you so loved us that you gave your only Son so that whoever would dare to believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life with you. (John 3:16)
You comfort us when we’re down, and, not only are you compassionate toward us, but the Bible says you are “The Father of Compassion”. ( 2 Corinthians 1:3)
may we “have power… to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of [You].” (Ephesians 3:18-19)
You are able to do way Way WAY more than we anything we could imagine! (Ephesians 3:20) In Jesus’ mighty, powerful, loving name, AMEN!”
“..to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” ~Ephesians 3:21
Do you know Jesus? Click on the pic below to be introduced…
HE LOVES YOU A CHOCO-LOT!
**(click on Chip Ingram’s name above to hear what I was listening to. See the audio list? Click the second one, June 10th, 2010)
Click the name to see one of my favorite BloggingEverAfter Posts. (Bookmark it for later, if you don’t have time to read it now.)
Ok, part of getting the award is passing it on to another blog (see bottom of post. I’ll be awarding one a day for 3 days)AND sharing 10 things that make me happy.
First, TEN THINGS THAT MAKE GLORIS HAPPY (the music builds…)
I’ll share a few each day, starting with (drums rolling…)
1. —JESUS/GOD/HOLY SPIRIT!!!
It wasn’t always that way, of course. God hasn’t always been at the top of my happiness list, and I’m praying that it will be more and more that way every day.
Here’s BETH MOORE, author/Bible teacher, encouraging us from Psalm 63 to love God. ( :)Beth Moore makes me happy, so that’s my #2 )
Doing her Bible studies is a faith shot directly into my heart! Here’s one of my favorites:
🙂 BELIEVING GOD is another happy thing for me, so it’s #3.
Click on the pic to see about signing up for the it online version if you’re interested. It’s great to do online studies in the comfort of your own home, in your pajamas, even. They’re so convenient.
Ok, Let’s pray that God will be “ours”, like Beth Moore suggested:
:)prayer makes me happy, so that’s #4.
love you, Oh, Lord my strength. You are my Rock, my Fortress, and My Deliverer. You are my God, Rock in whom I can take refuge; my Stronghold. I can call to you and be saved from my enemies (Psalm 18:1-2), from my powerful enemies who are too strong for me. (i.e. Satan and his cohorts)
Oh, Father in Heaven, You are love! (1John 4:8), and you love me more than I could ever love myself. Show me how deep and wide, how high and deep your love is for me. I want to be rooted and grounded in that love. (Ephesians 3:17-18)
And I want to believe with all my heart that it’s true, that, in fact, you do love me.
Increase my faith!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
( 🙂 Now that’s a happy verse! # 5 )
And the receiver of the first Happy 101 Award from Gloriadelia is … envelope, please… MutteringsfromtheMoor!
Click on the blog name to see the first post of “Mrs. Mutterer’s” that I read. It about a little wooly lamb named, Annie, that grabbed my heart and made me very happy. (:) #6) The blog is “mutterings” from the moors of England.
Check back in tomorrow for other Happy things and Award #2!
“Oh, sorry I’m late! I forgot to spring ahead this morning.” *sheepish grin*
Great excuse for being late for church while it lasts. But it only gets you by for so long before the excuse police start to intervene. They can’t wait to point out the obvious, “It’s July!” Partypoopers!
Heard on the radio that one clever church waits till after the service to spring ahead. Keeps their members from being an hour late once a year.
Anyone who forgets and springs ahead eats bagels and drinks coffee ’til the rest of the church shows up. Hmmmph…no excuse at that church — “Sorry, I’m late, I forgot to spring ahe….never mind.”
In other Springing Ahead news, I heard on TV that doctors are blaming the loss of an hour’s sleep with increased heart attacks and strokes this time of year. Hmmm…”Sorry, I’m late, I’m protecting my heart…” It’s got possibilities….
Well, there’s one thing we don’t want to sleep through, no matter what day of the week or time of the year , and that is the fact that GOD LOVES US! I don’t know why, but He does. That’s the way He rolls.
And, in case you doubt that, here’s some verses you can “fall back” on for proof. (I know. It’s clever. Hold back your applause):
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
“This is love: not that we loved God, but thathe loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another… And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:10-11, 16
You know God calls his church, his beloved, his bride. Not his wife, mind you, but his bride. Significant, maybe, because there’s A LOT of passion/ joy/love a groom has for his bride that might cool down years later when she’s “just” his wife.
Here’s a wedding video that I hope brings a smile to your face and maybe might “wake you up” to how much GOD REALLY LOVES US!!!!! The Bible says he dances over us with great joy!!!
“He who has the bride is the bridegroom…” John 3:29
Do you know the One who IS love? (1John 4:8) There’s no time to waste! Click on the pic below to be introduced:
Gloriadelia 