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.
The Value of Each Other
As much as the world around us tries to lure us into self-dependency, God created us for each other. For community. For a life that’s not alone.
The author of Proverbs said it like this:
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
Proverbs 17:17 NIV
We’ll all face hard times—sometimes when we least expect it. But a friend’s genuine care can mean the world, a sibling’s unconditional love can’t be replaced, and a neighbor’s practical help is priceless.
We need each other more than we realize: emotionally, practically, and spiritually.
If you’ve found yourself in a busy season where you’ve unintentionally neglected your true friends or been too busy for your real family, now is the time to reprioritize.
If there’s unresolved conflict with a friend or family member, and it’s slowly deteriorating the relationship, now is the time to set aside your pride and choose to make things right.
If you’re silently struggling on your own, now is the moment to let someone in. Give them a call, send them a text, or show up on their doorstep. If you can’t be honest and vulnerable, it will be difficult to get help.
Not only do you need people, but those same people need you.
You have strengths, gifts, talents, and a personality that’s unique to you and beneficial to them—and vice versa. Why bury them in the ground, in the name of autonomy, when they can benefit others?
Sometimes we need to ask for help and sometimes we need to be the help.
Do you need help, or can you offer it? Could you use a hand, or do you have some extra time, money, advice, or expertise to give?
If you’re tempted to self-isolate, don’t forget: we were meant to live life together.
Sacrificial Love
Jesus, all powerful and completely perfect, chose to give up His life for us. He willingly went to the cross to be crucified, the most painful death imaginable, because He loved us so much.
And He invites us to do the same.
1 John 3:16 tells us, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
How can we demonstrate this kind of sacrificial love in our own lives? How can we give our time, attention, or resources to help someone in need? Are we intentional to listen and be present for others, even when it's not easy or comfortable? Are we willing, if it comes down to it, to give up our lives for the sake of God and others?
This kind of love is challenging. It asks us to look beyond our own needs and to see the needs of others. It calls us to be selfless. The good news is, Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything for someone else that He wasn’t willing to do for us first. He knows ...
“And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cæsar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.”
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