For those of you who don't know me very well, I want you to know that I LOVE people. I really enjoy talking to people, listening to people, hugging people and a lot of other things that involve people :). For those of you who know me well, I'm pretty sure you knew that :).
So, even though I LOVE people, I am still learning new ways TO love them everyday. Here is a verse in 1 John that I read this morning about love...
1 John 3:18-20 18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.
Our actions mean so much! I want to be better at SHOWING people I love them! That means, taking MORE time, MORE energy, MORE everything to love...
I am surrounded by people who do an awesome job at loving me, I wanted to share just a couple of ways people have showed me they love me recently:
~my mom and sister drove 5.5 hours to see me (sure, the outlets are on the way...but im pretty sure they came for me :)
~my sister told me to sit in the front seat, even though I know she wanted to ;)
~my friend text me to see how I was feeling on the day that she gave birth!! (AND while she was in labor!!!)
~my husband took my car to get it inspected before he took his own
~my husband is buying draino and bleach for me today :)
~my sister spent time helping me find clothes for work, rather than getting some for herself
~one of the teenagers order food for kevin and I last night because we got tied up at church longer than we thought
~another one of the teenagers went grocery shopping with me AND help me put it away! (sooooo...thankful for that!)
Those are just a couple that came to my mind right now...I am so thankful for those around me who show their love in different ways!
Now, it's time to get better at REALLY loving people...Here are some ways we can start:
~clean our rooms, WITHOUT our parents asking
~holding the door for someone and letting them walk through first
~choosing to do something that your friend likes, instead of what you would have liked to do
~send random texts, emails, facebooks (is that something?), or phone calls...
~mow our neighbors yard...without them asking or paying!
~hug more
~give someone a ride, even if it's out of the way
~give food to someone who doesnt have any
Those are JUST a couple...
How will you SHOW your love this week?
I LOVE YOU!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
us vs. the world
::For some reason, it didn't post the whole thing the first time...so, if you've already read it...skip to the bottom :)::
Last night at Youth Group we split the girls and guys up and talked about, yep you guessed it...sex. Kevin said some really awesome things to the guys and I really enjoyed the time spent with the girls and talking about our value in God's eyes!
Afterwords one of the girls and I talked about how her friends bug her because she has never had a boyfriend or kissed a guy. I told her that its a great thing! That she hasn't given in to their words and that they notice!
So, I have been going through 1 John on my own and this is what I read today, I thought it was awesome and ties so perfectly into the conversation I had last night!
1 John 2:15-17 (New Living) 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
Now, The Message version...
1 John 2: 15-17 (Message) Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
How often do we choose to give in to our wanting, wanting, wanting? Wanting the thing that will satisfy the moment, or make us happy for a second? The cool thing is...we DO have a choice, a choice to say, "NO." whenever we need to.
When I talked to the girls last night, we talked about the difference between, "NO" and "hehehe...noooooo" (imagine and smile, giggle and tilt of the head :). When we "play" or "flirt" with the world and our wants, it is not saying "NO."
One more really cool verse:
James 4:7-10(Message) So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.
So, I choose to say a firm, "NO.".
Do you?
Last night at Youth Group we split the girls and guys up and talked about, yep you guessed it...sex. Kevin said some really awesome things to the guys and I really enjoyed the time spent with the girls and talking about our value in God's eyes!
Afterwords one of the girls and I talked about how her friends bug her because she has never had a boyfriend or kissed a guy. I told her that its a great thing! That she hasn't given in to their words and that they notice!
So, I have been going through 1 John on my own and this is what I read today, I thought it was awesome and ties so perfectly into the conversation I had last night!
1 John 2:15-17 (New Living) 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
Now, The Message version...
1 John 2: 15-17 (Message) Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
How often do we choose to give in to our wanting, wanting, wanting? Wanting the thing that will satisfy the moment, or make us happy for a second? The cool thing is...we DO have a choice, a choice to say, "NO." whenever we need to.
When I talked to the girls last night, we talked about the difference between, "NO" and "hehehe...noooooo" (imagine and smile, giggle and tilt of the head :). When we "play" or "flirt" with the world and our wants, it is not saying "NO."
One more really cool verse:
James 4:7-10(Message) So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.
So, I choose to say a firm, "NO.".
Do you?
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