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.
Why Love Matters
It’s a satisfying feeling to do something you’re good at, and God created each one of us with talents so that we might become who He calls us to be. Some of us are good communicators. Others are good at offering solid wisdom. All of us have talents that can be used for God’s glory.
In 1 Corinthians 13 though, Paul emphasizes that without love, our God-given gifts cannot be used to their fullest potential. Paul even suggests that we can be the most talented people in the world, but if we don’t have God’s love in our hearts, our words and deeds are essentially meaningless.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. Love never fails."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV
Love is considered the greatest of all characteristics because it positively impacts everything—including how we use our gifts as a response to God’s love. When we know God’s love for us, we can have the faith to trust that He is who He says He is, and does what He promises to do.
God created faith, hope, and love so that we would continuously trust in His ability to restore the world to its best. He also created these things because when we use our gifts, and confidently expect they will be used for eternal purposes, He honors our trust and moves powerfully through us.
So take a moment and process where you have tangibly seen God’s love at work in your life. Then, ask God to reveal how you can exemplify His love to others this week.
Power, Love, and Discipline
One of the miracles of salvation is that when we have faith in Christ, God not only saves us—He also gives us the power to live according to His will. Your life in Christ is one that is empowered by the Holy Spirit living within you.
This is a great gift, but a big shift. It often takes time to change how we think and act. We may have bad habits that take hard work to correct, or patterns of thought that are challenging to break.
Thankfully, God promises to be with us and to empower us to make these changes in our life. When Paul is writing to his mentee Timothy, he encourages him to continue to develop the gift that God has given to him. While we are saved in an instant, it takes a lifetime to develop and work out what God is doing inside of us.
Paul reminds Timothy that God’s Spirit does not give us fear or cowardice. Those things are tools of the devil who is trying to keep us from God. But the Spirit of God empowers us with confidence in Him. He gives us the ...
