Quiet in His Love

More from A Renewed Heart ! Page 46: "God has a different definition of excellence, and the only thing required is love. It is not enough to merely say that you love or to have the emotion of love; you must actively live out love as Christ has shown us. That is the 'most excellent way' and a foundation to renewal. This may require as much patience and hard work as training for an Olympic medal. It exacts a payment of our emotions and time." Page 47: "'If we love, we can never observe the other person with detachment, for he is always and at every moment a living claim to our love and service.' -Dietrich Bonhoeffer" Powerful thoughts about love!  Do you find it difficult to love at times?  I know I do.  But God gives us a great resource in I Corinthians 13:1-13 that describes love.  We learn in this famous passage what love is and what it is not.  I suggest that you use it as your guide, your blueprint for loving others.  Read through the verses...

We should have a "glow" about us because we are God's children.  His light should shine through us and compel others to want to know more.  Shouldn't the world be able to see a difference in us?  The difference should be so apparent that there is no mistake that it's real.  We should have joy overflowing out of us.  Our joy should drench others - raining down on them and making them want what we have.  Have you been "glowing" lately?  Or have you fallen into the world's trap of materialism, consumerism, selfishness, envy, jealousy, etc.?  Why not get on your knees, repent, and ask God to bring back your joy, to refresh it, to renew it?  Then you will be able to smile at everyone you meet, open doors for others, leave a bigger tip than normal, hear God's voice directing you to what He wants for you, take out the trash when your spouse forgets to, edify others when they are down, and the list goes on.  Wouldn't living with a joyful, r...

This A Renewed Heart study is perfect for where I'm at right now!  I love when things fall into place, and God uses what I have at hand to speak to me!  I have quotes for you and a passage that I highly recommend reading soon.  Isn't it a delight to read God's word?  It's living!  You can read the same verses for the sixteenth time and still receive a fresh, timely insight!  I love that!  Check out the quotes below. Page 30: "Christ does not expect us to come to him healthy, happy, and whole. He wants us to come to Him with our sickness, our sadness, and our pain so that He can heal us as no one else can. But beyond our physical or emotional ailments, the greatest area in which we need healing is in our spirits. Our sin is a sickness that only Christ can heal, from the inside out." This hits the mark for me.  I have been dealing with so many things in my life for a long time.  Pain over lost/damaged friendships, the loss of two childr...

I'm really enjoying taking time to do a study!  I thank God that He's showing me things.  I pray I will not just see them but act on them to.  I want a renewed heart - a clean canvas to create on.  My reading today, in A Renewed Heart , was full of some good quotes that I want to share with you! Page 24: "We don't come to Christ as perfect creatures; we simply come to Him as we are. It is through His Spirit working in our lives that we are able to walk through our circumstances and rise above our problems. Without Him, our sin and our human limitations would defeat us." Wow!  What an important reminder!  As Christians, sometimes I think we come to Christ but continue to hang on to the reins.  We cannot keep hold of the reins.  Do not confuse the issue - when we receive the amazing gift of salvation we are not somehow given decision-making authority.  God is the One we take direction from; He is our guide on the pat...

I wanted to share some things that jumped out in my reading today!  These passages are all from A Renewed Heart . Page 11: "As you consider the life of Ruth, think about your relationship to Jesus Christ and the beautiful love that He not only demonstrated in giving His life for you, but that He shows with His presence in your life today.  He will not disappoint you. He will provide renewal for every area of your life. "  I underlined the part that REALLY spoke to me.  I am in need of renewal! Page 15: "What good would it do to be only partially renewed? How effective will we be if we try to put a 'patch' on our old way of doing things? God wants us to be renewed from the inside out- our thoughts, our emotions, our bodies, our actions. The process of renewal is called sanctification, and it should be our continual focus until we leave this earth for eternity in heaven. Without sanctification, we cannot attain the maturity God has planned for us. Our spiritual...

Today, I read the first few pages of My Heart in His Hands Bible Study: A Renewed Heart by Vonette Zachary Bright.  I found this Bible study book on my shelf last night and knew as soon as I saw "A Renewed Heart" that this book was the one to start me on my way to immersion and to a better place than where I'm at right now.  I am excited to jump into this study and see where it takes me.  I also read a chapter of Genesis.  I'm reading my way through the Bible again this year as part of my desire to study God's word and see it afresh.  I was able to spend about 15 minutes reading, studying, praying this morning while the kiddos played.  My goal is to get to bed earlier so that I can get up earlier in the morning to have a good 30 minutes+ of "study" time.  Thanks for following along, friends!  Blessings to you!

I just finished 7 by Jen Hatmaker the other day.  Great book!  Everyone should read it.  I have decided to do my own version.  My version will be quirky and unique to me.  If you like what you see below, then please consider joining me for any or all of my Eleven.  The details follow! January 14-February 10, 2015: Study -This will be a time to immerse myself in God's word on a regular basis in a deeper way than I normally do. February 11 & 12, 2015: BREAK -All BREAKS will be for preparing for the next 4 weeks and for a day of reflection or a designated time of fasting. February 13-March 12, 2015: Exercise -This will be a time to get an exercise plan in motion and stick to it. March 13 & 14, 2015: BREAK March 15-April 11, 2015: Connect -This will be a time to purposefully connect with my husband and with my children regularly. April 12 & 13, 2015: BREAK April 14-May 11, 2015: Organize -This will be a time to systematically go throug...