The most destructive habit

I read someplace that worry is the most destructive habit. I agree! A South African proverb says:

If you worry, you’ll die.
If you don’t worry, you’ll die.
So, why worry?

This is what Jesus had to say about worry:

Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I know that we get into situations that bring worry. I’ve been there. Done that! But I have also experienced the peace of God in the midst of the storm.

God has broad shoulders. He carries the weight of the world. No burden is too heavy for him. Peter knew that first hand. That’s why he wrote:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

There have been times when the burden has been so heavy that I thought I would crumble under the weight. But when I humbled myself and put it in God’s care, what a relief!

Have you heard the story of the lady that stood by the roadside carrying a big sack? A man in a pick-up offered her a ride. She continued to carry the heavy sack as she sat down in the back of the truck. “You can put down your sack,” said the man to her. “Thank you, sir,” she said. “It’s enough that you are taking me along. I’ll carry my sack.”

Isn’t that typical of what we do sometimes? God offers to take us in his loving arms and carry us through the storm, but we hold on to the burden. God is strong enough to carry you and your burden.

I remember from way back singing a song that had these words: “Why worry, when you can pray?” Exactly! Let’s lay whatever burden or worry we have at the feet of Jesus. The destructive habit of worrying can eat you from the inside out.

Obey the words of Jesus and don’t worry.

The Name

The Name is Jesus.

You can speak whatever other name, and people have no problem with it. But when it comes to praying in his name, the dispute about it has reached all the way to US Supreme Court.

Why such controversy over a name?

Because there is power in the name of Jesus!

Joseph, Jesus earthly father, was instructed to give him that name. “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. … He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:32,33).

Jesus is THE NAME for salvation.

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved… for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Rom 10:9,10,13).

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

There is authority and promise in Jesus’ name:

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13,14).

There is healing power in Jesus’ name:

“Then Peter said [to a crippled beggar], ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. … By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see” (Acts 3:6-8,16)

By humbling himself to be obedient, even to the death on the cross to save you and me, God has exalted him to the highest place. Jesus’ name is THE NAME.

Philippians 2:5-11
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

• Speak JESUS’ name.
• Believe in JESUS’ name.
• Confess JESUS’ name.
• Call on JESUS’ name.
• Proclaim JESUS’ name.
• Pray in JESUS’ name.
• Shout JESUS’ name.
• Be bold in JESUS’ name.
• Suffer for JESUS’ name.

It doesn’t bother people to talk about God. They don’t mind praying to God. The opposition comes in the mention of JESUS’ name, because that’s the name for salvation and deliverance.

From the very start people had problems with THE NAME. The apostles in Jerusalem were persecuted because of their belief in Jesus and the proclamation of his Name. But they rejoiced because they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for THE NAME. Jesus said about Saul, the future great Apostle Paul, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”  Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.”

There is no promise in the Word that the road of THE NAME would be an easy one. But Jesus promised to be with us and give us power.

Mark 16:15-18
Jesus said to his disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe:

• In my name they will drive out demons;
• they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸
• they will pick up snakes with their hands;
• and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;
• they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There is something about that name! Listen to Gloria Gaither and the Homecoming Friends singing about THE NAME.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAep0XVxubQ

I hope you feel the same wonderful presence while reading this as I have felt while writing. There is something indescribable about THE NAME.

JESUS

N is for Neighbors

In the Spanish language there are two words for neighbor.

1) prójimo: our fellow-man, everybody in general
2) vecino: our next-door neighbor

This is the first and greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” The second one is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Everything hangs on these two commandments (see Matthew 22:37-40).

• Do we want to hurt ourselves? Of course not! Let’s not hurt anybody else.
• Do we want to be gossiped about? Of course not! Let’s not gossip.
• Do we want to be forgiven? Of course! Let’s be forgiving.
• Do we want to be cared for? Of course! Let’s be compassionate.
• Do we want to be excluded? Of course not! Let’s not show favoritism.
• Do we want to be judged? Of course not! Let’s not judge.
• Do we want to be loved? Of course! Let’s be loving.

The list could go on and on. Here is the best rule of thumb. “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

If we treat others as we would like to be treated we can’t go wrong. I don’t think there is anybody that wants to be treated lousy. “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).

The apostle James calls this command, of loving your neighbor as yourself, the Royal Law. It’s serious business. The well-being of our life depends on it. (See James 2:8-9.)

Twelve years ago we lived in a house with a big yard to mow. I had gall-bladder surgery and had to be careful with the mowing. My husband wasn’t doing so well so it wasn’t wise to let him do it. One of my neighbors was kind enough to offer her help. When I had rested up after the surgery she wanted to continue with the mowing. Her son was a young teenager and she had him mow parts of the lawn. This continued for at least a couple of years. Her reasoning, “I want my son to learn to be a Good Samaritan.”

You’re probably familiar with the story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan, the man who helped a total stranger that had been robbed, stripped, beaten, and left half dead by the roadside. He bandaged his wounds, put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and cared for him. When he had to continue on his way, he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and asked him to care for the man, promising to reimburse him for any extra expense he may have.

Read the story about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-35.

The man who had been assaulted was a Jew. Jews and Samaritans did not see eye to eye. So this was doubly exemplary. I will never forget the kindness of my neighbor and her “Samaritan” son. That’s the kind of thing God wants us to do—to do unto others what we would like to experience.

There are so many stories about neighborly kindness, about giving back to the community. As I’m writing, I’m listening to the 700 Club and they are telling a story about a modern day Samaritan. I praise the Lord every time I hear about a Third Millennium Hero. But it should not surprise us. To be a Good Samaritan ought to be the most natural thing.

“Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,
and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you —
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away” (Proverbs 27:10).

Let’s be the kind of neighbor that makes a difference. Both a good vecino and a good prójimo in general. Let’s be Noble Neighbors!

To Hang On

I wrote some time ago about my friend Mary that lost her home in a fire last year. We talked this morning. She is hanging on, but what a big job she has to be able to get some insurance money for her home. If it had been burned to the ground there would be no problem. Then she would have received whatever the house was insured for. But because some things were salvaged, among others precious pictures, she now has to itemize.

She had her things itemized, written down one by one, but she put her lists in the cupboards and cabinets. If she had just made copies and put in a safe! Now she has to remember what she bought, where she bought it, when she bought it, how much she paid for it, and what she hopes to get for it today.

This lady was a collector. She collected dolls and Precious Moments figurines, among others. Now she wishes she had just “traveled lightly” through life. She is just hanging on to the memories and trying to remember everything that was in that home.

How many of us do an inventory, just in case we should lose our home? I’ve thought about it for years but the days go by and I don’t get to it. If I ever make that list, it needs to be put away safe! Some people take pictures, but that’s not enough for the insurance company. They want details!

This has been a day of calls with praise reports and payer requests. It makes me so happy that people confide in me with their needs for prayer. In between calls I worked on the story for the week.

Fanny Crosby, the great hymn writer from the nineteenth century was my subject. Did you know that she was blind? That she wrote more than 8,000 hymns? That she thanked God for her blindness? That she authored the beautiful hymn “Blessed Assurance”? That she used over 200 pen names besides her own?

Illustration for the story made by Cristina Alvarez in Peru.

Early in life she showed her poetic talent. At age eight, after overcoming a depression, she wrote these words:

Oh, what a happy soul am I!
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.

How may blessings I enjoy
That other people don’t;
To weep and sigh because I’m blind,
I cannot, and I won’t.

She went through life with that beautiful attitude. When someone commented to her that it was a shame that God had showered her with so many talents but didn’t give her sight, she rebuked him, saying that she was happy being blind. Why? Because when she got to heaven the first face that would ever gladden her sight would be that of her Savior! She wrote a song about it, My Savior First of All.

With the hope of seeing Jesus we can hang on in whatever circumstances come around. It makes me happy all over just to think about it.

Fanny Crosby hung on for 94 years. My friend Mary is getting close to that age. In the midst of all that’s happened to her she’s hanging on.

Both of us want to go to Sweden. Most of her relatives have gone one before her… she still wants to go there. We decided to make the trip when she gets her insurance money. If ever!

She just has to hang on! And I’ll hang on with her.

Gold Mines in the Making

Children become what we make them! Parents, grandparents, teachers and churches have a big responsibility.

As we know, there are all kinds of churches. A very good friend of mine told me about his daughter. For a couple of years their family had been attending a church where the preaching of the Word wasn’t the priority. For the children they would put on videos instead of teaching the Bible.

My friends changed churches to a more Bible-based one. One day his daughter said, “Dad. I’m so glad we changed churches. Before we would just watch videos. Now they teach us the Bible.”

That little girl is a gold mine in the making. “Do people where they don’t teach the Bible go to hell?” she asked. A question worth pondering!

Jesus warned, “Whoever welcomes a little child… in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matt 18:5,6).

This little “gold mine in the making” can’t read by herself
yet but she is coloring a page about God’s Word.

Withholding the precious “gold” of the Word of God from little ones will cause them to sin. It’s such a serious crime that Jesus said it would be better to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

We have a big responsibility in what we teach the children. Just as we need to feed the natural body healthy food to grow strong, the spiritual man needs to be fed. We feed it with the Word.

God’s Word is a gold mine. Children and youth that feed on the Word are gold mines in the making. Just think of the future employers that will get these “gold mines”! They will have honest and dedicates employees. They will have excellent workers, never cheating, always doing their best, over-producers. And think about the future spouses that will marry a “gold mine”! And how great for future children who will have “gold mine” parents!

It starts today. I’m proud of my daughter and my son-in-law because they are instilling God’s Word in their children. Their kids (8 and younger) are inspired to read the Bible every day. In fact, before they get to play games they have to do their Bible reading.

Do you want to be a gold mine? Follow Jesus closely and feed on his Word. What a joy for those around you to live with a gold mine!

“How can a young man keep his way pure?” asked King David, and he answered, “By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9-11).

The Word of God will make your life a gold mine.

Psalms 19:7-11
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold
than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

Let’s take good care of tomorrow’s gold mines!

M is for Money

M could be for middle of the alphabet, because that is what it is, so we have now come halfway through the ABC’s for Christian Living. I have chosen the M to represent Money, because the way we see and handle money is a very important part of our Christian life.

It is said that Jesus talked more about money than any other subject except the Kingdom of God. I have not verified it, but the way Jesus talked about money was not as something to strive for, but rather to be content with what we have and to store up treasures in heaven.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21).

If we seek for money this is what happens: “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Eccl 5:10).

But when God blesses us with money it’s a different story. “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it” (Prov 10:22).

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
‘Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.’
So we say with confidence,
‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?’” (Heb 13:5-6).

In the Gospels there is a sad story about a young man that wanted to follow Jesus, but rather than be happy and do as Jesus instructed him, he went away sad. Why?

He was an exemplary young man. He had kept the commandments. But he was tied up to his riches. When Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give to the poor, and then come and follow him, he refused. That’s why he went away sad!

A man had a dream that Jesus came from heaven to bring his bride home. The man was sure he would be one of them because he loved Jesus. Men, women, and children were all lifted up to heaven, but he stayed behind. He stretched his arms towards Jesus asking that he, too, may go with him. “I can’t take you with me,” said Jesus. “You’re tied to earth.” Sure enough! His foot was chained to his house with a big, fat gold chain. Sadly, he saw friends and family happily following Jesus while he stayed behind, chained to his riches. He loved Jesus but he loved money more.

The rich young ruler that came to Jesus went away sad because he loved his riches too much. Many like him have rejected Jesus because to them  money was more important.

Matthew 19:16-26
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
¹⁸ “Which ones?” the man inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matt 6:24).

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”  (Luke 12:15).

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim 6:6-10).

The Apostle Paul, who wrote the above, also said, “ I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:11-13).

Here is some good advice to spur you to save: “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow” (Prov 13:11).

A man named Agur had these good words to say:

“Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God” (Prov 30:8-9).

“The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep” (Eccl 5:12).

As they say, “Little is much when God is in it.” God can do abundant and extraordinary miracles when we put our finances in his hands. For a Christian money should be a tool to serve the Lord woth and not something that keeps us away from his love.

These are just a few of all the good words the Bible has to say about MONEY. Let’s make sure it doesn’t chain us to the ground keeping us away from Jesus.

Be glad, not sad. Don’t be a fool, use money as a tool.

Jesus and his love is worth more than all the money in the universe!

The Pit of Despair

Have you ever been in the Pit of Despair?  King David was there, more than once, but God lifted him out of it. Some 20 years ago I had been in that pit for quite some time. We had a difficult time of adjustment as a family when we moved to the United States. Coming from Bolivia to this country was a culture shock, to say the least. With a chronically ill daughter and no health insurance it was not the easiest thing to handle. I was in the Pit of Despair, but I held on to the promise that God would not leave us nor forsake us.

Then one morning I just woke up with a song in my heart, and I’ve been singing it ever since! A new song, a hymn of praise to God!

Psalm 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be astounded.
They will put their trust in the LORD. (NLT)

My story for the week is about a little boy and his dog. They were running and playing and by accident the dog fell into a big hole. The boy jumped in to rescue him, but then could not climb back up. The little boy was in despair but he remembered that he could call on the Lord to rescue him, and that is what he did. And he was rescued by the city workers that had forgotten to put the cover back over a hole to the sewer system.

• God rescued Daniel when he was thrown into the lion’s den.
• The Lord walked together with Daniel’s friends when they were thrown into the fiery furnace.
• Jeremiah was rescued from a muddy cistern where he was sinking in the mud.
• God sent an earthquake to open the prison doors for his servants Paul and Silas.
• An angel was sent to open the prison gates and escort Peter out.
• Even a disobedient prophet was rescued by the way of a three-day stay in the insides of a fish.

If you’re in a pit, you need a new song. The Creator, who gave us the ability to sing, can give you the new song. There is hope, even in the darkest night.

You’re not in a pit? Praise the Lord, there is even more reason to sing!

 

 

 

Celebrating 15 Years

This is a very special Valentine’s Day for me. I’m celebrating 15 years since I was sworn in as an American citizen. Yes, it really did happen on February 14, 1997. Here is the proof!

This is a day to celebrate love, and I am celebrating all the love I have received in this my new homeland. To become an American citizen was a “must do” for me. My oldest daughter could have faced deportation. When we received our Resident Alien status she was 21 years old and she could not receive the status automatically as her younger sister. The only way to keep her with us was to apply for citizenship. You should have seen her face when she finally received the Resident status! It was like she’d won millions on the Lottery!

Three years ago I traveled through Miami in February. The following was their display.

I was on my way to Peru to conduct a teaching seminar. February 14 was on a Saturday so it was perfect for that purpose. That is something else I’m celebrating today. Other than that, I have no special plans. What do you do by yourself on a day devoted to couples? Just praise the Lord for his love and make it a happy day.

My grandson David wished me Happy Valentine’s Day yesterday. The kids were home from school because of the snow. They called me and I got to talk to each one of them. Last time I saw them, my Brianna fixed me a present. She gave me an envelope with the inscription: DO NOT OPEN UNTIL VALENTINE’S DAY. I obeyed, and got the present today. Two cents!

Two cents given to a widow with lots of love! Two thousand years ago a widow gave two cents with lots of love. Jesus watched this woman at the Temple in Jerusalem when she gave her last two pennies. The rich were making lots of noise so people could hear how much they were giving and applaud them. Jesus said that this woman gave the most, because she gave all she had out of love for God.

My two Valentine’s pennies are more cherished to me than a big flower arrangement or a box of chocolates. They remind me of how God sees my love. He looks at the heart. Others might be able to do big things and give big sounding offerings, but if I give all I have with a heart full of love, my Lord sees that as the biggest offering.

On Valentine’s Days to come, I will continue to celebrate my citizenship, I will continue to remember the year I had a teaching seminar on February 14th, and I will celebrate the two pennies that were my Valentine’s present in 2012. Starting with 2 and ending with 2!

May this day bring you lots of love, and may you share love. It doesn’t matter if it’s just two pennies. I collect pennies. They are the tiniest reminders that IN GOD WE TRUST.

Here is the story of the lady with the two pennies.

Mark 12:41-44

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.”

Love Cares

We’ve had our coldest yet this winter. Yesterday I ventured out for a few minutes to a supermarket close by. Since it might snow on Monday it was best to get the main necessities. But the cold made my feet stiff as logs.

This morning I managed to get my stiff body off to church. I hadn’t been there for a couple of weeks because of the congestion I’ve been fighting. “I haven’t seen you in a while,” said one of the ladies. I told her I’d been sick. “That’s too bad,” she answered. “Keep at it, and don’t give up on your healing!” And off she went!

I‘m thinking it’s better not to ask someone how they’re doing, if you don’t care. Love cares!

One time this lady helped me with some shopping. During our trip together she told me about her weekly program. The games on Mondays, the fun on Tuesdays, the friends on Wednesdays, the outing in Thursdays, the shopping on Fridays… This was on a Saturday so I guess it was okay that I had asked for help. But it sure makes me hesitant when I need to ask for assistance.

Why did I go back to thinking about this? Because it’s better not to ask, than ask and then leave a person standing, feeling like a fool.

How do we care for each other?

LOVE CARES …

A MIABLY
B RAVELY
C OMPASSIONATELY
D ILIGENTLY
E NTHUSIASTICALLY
F AITHFULLY
G ENTLY
H UMBLY
I NSPIRATIONALLY
J OYFULLY
K INDLY
L OVINGLY
M ERCIFULLY
N OBLY
O PTIMISTICALLY
P EACEFULLY
Q UICK TO FORGIVE
R ESPECTFULLY
S INCERELY
T RUTHFULLY
U NITING
V IRTUOUSLY
W ATCHFULLY
-X TRAORDINARLY
Y IELDINGLY
Z EALOUSLY

How can we show someone we care, someone that is very needy of a caring heart.

L is for Love

It’s interesting that I have reached the L for Love in the ABC’s for Christian Living when Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. There is so much to say about love that I could spend days on end writing and would not finish. It’s the subject that will take us into eternity.

God is LOVE.

God has given the world the ultimate proof of his LOVE. Not that he needs to prove anything! God so LOVED the world that he gave himself as a sacrifice of LOVE.

God gave us a LOVE story—yes, the Bible is God’s love story to the world.

LOVE is the only debt we should NEVER get rid of. You know how popular it is to work on being debt-free!

“Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:8, NLT).

“Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs” (Proverbs 10:12).

LOVE IS …
kind
gentle
peaceful
humble
compassionate
merciful
patient
truthful
forgiving
self-controlled
faithful
generous
helpful
diligent
respectful
submissive
considerate
sincere
joyful
friendly
positive
enthusiastic
graceful
protective
tender

LOVE DOES NOT …
envy
hate
do evil
boast
keep a record of wrongs
fail
delight in evil
complain
argue
slander
use filthy language
lie
repay evil with evil
steal
murder
covet
insult

LOVE IS NOT …
rude
unkind
ungrateful
self-seeking
proud
jealous
immoral
self-ambitious
evil
impatient
greedy
disrespectful
conceited
lustful
malicious
bitter
double-minded
arrogant
judgmental
intolerant
aggressive
negative

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).

Let every day of the year be like a big Valentine!