I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Love Like Him
From friendships to family, relationships can be tough to navigate sometimes. But if there’s one thing that can set your relationships apart, it’s understanding real love.
In Paul’s first letter to the believers in Corinth, Greece, he explains that even if you have all the faith, all the knowledge, or all the generosity in the world, or if you can speak in tongues, or if you have the gift of prophecy—none of it means anything without love. He continues:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV
Chances are, you want to be a patient person. You intend to be a kind human. You desire to be a content and humble individual. But, sometimes you get in a hurry. Sometimes you get annoyed. Sometimes you can be rude, selfish, jealous, unthoughtful, or arrogant.
Sometimes, it’s hard being human. But God knows that and He wants to help you.
In the same letter, Paul goes on to say that love keeps no record of wrongs and rejoices in the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Most notably, love never fails.
But why love does seem to fail at times? After all, divorce rates are high, estranged families are commonplace, and the brokenness of this world is evident on just about every news broadcast or social media feed.
And that’s exactly why Jesus came! He offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of the world. And that’s what real love looks like—to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). He is love, and His love never fails.
So, now that redemption has begun to break through—first, through Jesus and, now, through His Spirit inside of us—we can love others well by looking to Him, leaning on Him, trusting in Him, listening to Him, and following his lead.
God has given you everything you need to love others like He loves you.
Luke 11
“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity...
Remember What God Has Done
Remembering what God has done is an important part of Jewish worship...
After God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, He instructed the people to remember His words. He told them to diligently teach His commands, and to talk about them in their houses, when they walked, when they were lying down, and when they got up in the morning (Deuteronomy 6:7).
The Israelites were told to constantly remember what God had done, who God was, and what He had said.
And so, in Psalm 85:2, the Psalmist engages in an act of remembrance by reflecting on God’s forgiveness:
“You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin.” (ESV)
The Israelites had sinned against God many times, and many times over God forgave them. The author of Psalm 85 didn’t want Israel to forget God’s great kindness, so he crafted a Psalm that would remind anyone who repeated it of God’s mercy, forgiveness, power, and love.
The Psalmist appeared to know that purposefully remembering what...
