Category: Psalms

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The King’s Daughter

When I was a girl I wasn’t a Girl Scout but I was a King’s Daughter. That was the organization we had at church for young girls and there was also a group for the boys.

It was there I learned to memorize Bible verses. It’s been almost 55 years ago that I was in that group but occasionally I test my memory to see what I remember. The first whole chapter that I memorized was Psalm 100.

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know that it is He who hath made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Be thankful unto Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His mercy endures to all generations.” Psalm 100 KJV

Not quite word for word but almost.

That Psalm reminds me to always be ready to praise the Lord. He has given me life and His goodness, mercy and truth will always endure.

Another verse I learned back then comes to mind quite frequently and still gives me guidance when I’m wondering what to do and how to do it.

“Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11 KJV

There are many other things that I learned while in King’s Daughters but the one that has stayed with me – the one that has been life changing – is the training I received to love God’s word and to honor His promises.

Right now our daughter is teaching our little grandson how to write. He knows his letters, colors, animals, sounds, numbers, etc. The other day she sent me a picture of his writing lesson for the day. He’s really very good.

It brought back memories of when our kids were little and I was teaching them these things. It’s important to have a good education. As important as these things are, it is even more important that we know the words of our Father. They bring us life.

“Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9 Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 ERV

Just as children learn from their earthly parents, it’s vital that we remember and know what the Father says. After all, we’re the King’s kids.

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Not My Power

“I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don’t depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit.” Zechariah 4:6 CEV

When I woke up the words above were the ones that came to mind. Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts. This is an all encompassing word of encouragement.

Right now, I have a friend who is facing a very serious heart surgery. One of my children is recovering from back surgery and another has a surgery scheduled next week. Our youngest daughter is pregnant and has had a rough time with morning sickness. We have friends who have been overwhelmed by business details and work situations.

As I was praying about these areas and many others the Lord kept reminding me of the verse above. Not my might, not my power but total dependence on the Lord. When I finished praying I found these words that I had written a couple years back…

What’s your focus when you wake up in the morning? Is it the project before you – the diagnosis you recently received from your doctor – the financial challenge that seems overwhelming? Maybe it’s physical pain in your body – a relationship that is factured and fragile – possibly physical danger and unrest?

If those things remain in the forefront of your mind, your day will wrap itself in worry, distress and then eventually lead to despair and depression.

However, if your focus is on God’s goodness and His provision you will find hope, joy and peace. That’s why I love starting my mornings in the Psalms – it is good to begin each day celebrating the faithfulness of the Lord.

“Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole world sing to the Lord! 2 Sing to the Lord and praise his name! Tell the good news every day about how he saves us. 3 Tell all the nations how wonderful he is! Tell people everywhere about the amazing things he does. 4 The Lord is great and worthy of praise. He is more awesome than any of the “gods.” 5 All the “gods” in other nations are nothing but statues, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 He lives in the presence of glory and honor. His Temple is a place of power and beauty. 7 Praise the Lord, all people of every nation; praise the Lord’s glory and power. 8 Give the Lord praise worthy of his glory! Come, bring your offerings into his courtyard. 9 Worship the Lord in all his holy beauty. Everyone on earth should tremble before him. 10 Tell the nations that the Lord is King! The world stands firm and cannot be moved. He will judge all people fairly. 11 Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be happy! Let the sea and everything in it shout for joy! 12 Let the fields and everything in them be happy! Let the trees in the forest sing for joy 13 when they see the Lord coming! He is coming to rule the world. He will rule all the nations of the world with justice and fairness.” Psalm 96 ERV

Let the Lord rule over the circumstances in your life today and receive the peace that floods in when you let go and trust God. It’s not our might or power but HIs Spirit that brings the answers and defeats the enemy.

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Live What You Preach

Writing yesterday’s blog was a real challenge!

We left home on Friday morning and headed to Yuma. We were going to be there less than 24 hours and then would head to Picacho Peak to meet Kim and Austin for another less than 24 hour stop so I decided there was no need to take the laptop, I could do everything from my phone.

About half way to Yuma I thought I could take advantage of the driving time to put a few ideas in draft form and develop them further for Sunday morning’s blog. You see I had already written Saturday morning’s and had it scheduled to post on time. When I went to log in, my password didn’t do the auto-fill process. I’m not good with remembering my passwords so I tried several times with what I thought was right but no success.

When all else fails request a new password. I did that…several times and the email confirming a password change never came through. By now I’ve been fiddling with this for almost an hour as Dave was driving. Finally, I had success. New password confirmed and I was in.

I wrote for a while but didn’t have enough time to complete the posting so I saved and decided to come back to it later. Now, if truth be told this probably wouldn’t have been a problem for most of you. You have much more computer knowledge than I do but I was reminded of something I learned years ago – the Lord only allows me to teach things that I have already learned to walk out. In this case, it was the lesson of being joyful in every situation, avoiding frustration and trusting the Lord to work everything out.

So the saga continues. Saturday morning after we left the hotel in Yuma and headed out for the campground several hours down the road I decided to get back to it. You guessed it, my password didn’t work. But this time I knew how to reset it quicker and I was ready to edit and include the story about the kind people at the hotel. My texting skills leave a lot to be desired so everything I was writing was the hunt and peck method with many, many stops to make necessary corrections. I am more skilled with my full keyboard.

Just as I got to the last two paragraphs and was looking for a photo to include in the post my phone completely died. I had not been watching the battery level. Double yikes!! I determined I would just wait and finish it in the morning so I enjoyed the evening with Dave and our kids and put it aside. Before bed my daughter brought the coffee maker outside so I could have coffee while I finished my blog. It would be perfect. I made sure my slippers and robe were where I could find them easily in the dark and I was ready for morning.

About 5 am Glory and I got up. We headed outside and I grabbed an extra robe to put over my lap while I enjoyed the early morning quiet of the campground. Glory and I took a short walk, she got her breakfast and I made a cup of coffee and opened my phone to add the finishing touches. Those last two paragraphs were gone. Really!

“Lord, you know this challenge is really beginning to annoy me.”

“Look around Kristi. Do You see me here? Can You sense my presence? I did this for you. I want you to enjoy it. Happy Anniversary.”

“Thank you Father. I love what You’ve done with the place.”

I recreated the last two paragraphs and did a search for an image to use. Found one, copied it and went back to the writing program and couldn’t figure out how to add a picture in the mobile app. No problem. Posted it without an image and then I just sat and took in the beauty the Lord had provided.

It was gorgeous! And the quiet time that the Father and I shared was amazing. It was cold but amazing. If everything had gone smoothly the day before I probably would have slept in – it was my anniversary after all. I would have missed the wonder of the mountain coming alive at sunrise. I would have missed the birds coming out to welcome the day. I would have missed an intimate time between my Father and I.

So when you read these morning blogs and think I don’t experience the same things you do, you’re wrong. The Lord never lets me teach/share something that I haven’t first had to live. It’s never just words on a page; it’s life experience.

“Be patient and trust the Lord.  Don’t let it bother you when all goes well for those who do sinful things. 8 Don’t be angry or furious.  Anger can lead to sin. 9 All sinners will disappear, but if you trust the Lord, the land will be yours.” Psalm 37:7-9 CEV

“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

Look for the beauty that the Father is wanting to share with you today.

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Through the Looking Glass

Do you remember getting to use a magnifying glass when you were a kid? My grandmother had one on her desk and I remember her showing me how to use it when I was in first or second grade. It was amazing the detail you could see…

There was a time I used a magnifying glass as a part of everyday life. I had a job once and it was my responsibility to examine an item for flaws or essential markings. I would go over the piece with my naked eye and then with a glass and list everything I saw on it. Very often I would find maker’s marks that no one else had seen. The people I worked with called it “Kristi Vision”.

Just a few days ago Dave and I were looking at something and he asked for the magnifying glass. Out it came and our examination of intricate details was in full view. This kind of magnification is a good thing. However there are some Negative Nellies out there who like to examine and magnify their problems. It’s as if they want to see only the worst and their tunnel vision excludes the best. That can be disastrous.

The last two days I have focused on, magnified, Psalm 40 and I would like us to finish up there today.

“I have not concealed Your righteousness within my heart; I have proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation. I have not hid away Your steadfast love and Your truth from the great assembly. 11 Withhold not Your tender mercy from me, O Lord; let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve me! 12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about; my iniquities have taken such hold on me that I am not able to look up. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me and forsaken me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!
14 Let them be put to shame and confounded together who seek and require my life to destroy it; let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish me evil and delight in my hurt! 15 Let them be desolate by reason of their shame who say to me, Aha, aha! 16 Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified! 17 [As for me] I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought and plans for me. You are my Help and my Deliverer. O my God, do not tarry!” Psalm 40:10-17 AMP

You’ll notice King David pointed out the problems he was having and there were quite a few but in verse sixteen he changed his focus. Let the Lord be magnified. It is always appropriate to magnify the Lord and recognize that He truly is our Help and Deliverer! He centered in on all that the Lord had done for Him in the past. He stopped looking at his circumstances and looked at his deliverance.

God has not changed – He remains the same yesterday, today and forever. His word has promised to bring us out with victory when our enemies attack – “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4 NKJV

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 NJKV

When we place Him in priority, when we focus on God’s word, His love and provision above our circumstances, we magnify the Lord. In looking up we find the answer to life’s most difficult problems and there we find our deliverance and our help!

Get out your glass, clean the lens and focus on the goodness of our God. Let the Lord be magnified!

Look up today. Magnify the Lord!

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Stuck, Really Stuck

Dave and I have been watching a show made for Australian television that focuses on a ranch run by women and the struggles they face. They have both cattle and sheep. It seems they are always out on a muster. At least once of twice a season they come across a sheep that has gotten stuck in the deep mud at the edge of the creek. It takes a lot of hard work to get them out. That happened again when we were watching the program last night and it made me think of a verse in Psalm 40.

I shared with you from the middle of Psalm 40 yesterday. These verses at the beginning of the chapter had a greater impact after watching the struggle of both the shepherd and the sheep on that show.

“I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. 3 And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord. 4 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who makes the Lord his refuge and trust, and turns not to the proud or to followers of false gods.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; no one can compare with You! If I should declare and speak of them, they are too many to be numbered. 6 Sacrifice and offering You do not desire, nor have You delight in them; You have given me the capacity to hear and obey [Your law, a more valuable service than] burnt offerings and sin offerings [which] You do not require. 7 Then said I, Behold, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me; 8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; yes, Your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:1-8AMP

It amazes me how often King David talks about being in a miry pit (adverse circumstances) or facing enemies (personal or spiritual ones) and how over and over again he thanks the Lord for delivering him out of them all. It’s always something to sing about. David drew on his work as a shepherd as a correlation to the way the Lord provided for him when he faced troublesome times. He saw the Lord’s deliverance on more than one occasion; he lived it daily.

God was always faithful! And David was always ready to do what God had asked of him – he delighted to do God’s will. He had learned that in doing God’s will there was protection, peace and provision. It was a place of blessing.

The Apostle Paul’s greatest desire was to share the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ with others. He was always ready to share when given the opportunity and he prayed for opportunities. Paul faced many obstacles on his missionary journeys. He was thrown into prison, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, lied about, mistreated constantly but he said the hardship couldn’t compare to being able to share the Gospel.

“He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me. 10 I receive joy when I am weak. I receive joy when people talk against me and make it hard for me and try to hurt me and make trouble for me. I receive joy when all these things come to me because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Corinthians 12:9-10 NLV

Paul knew that Christ would be his strength. He knew that there was no situation where he was weak that the Lord wouldn’t strengthen him. Maybe you feel like you’ve been stuck in some pretty deep mud. Immobilized by your circumstances. Don’t lose hope! God is there and He will bring deliverance and strength.

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

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I’m Excited!

Yesterday I started the new book! Barely. There is so much to do in the beginning with the formatting, downloading templates, doing temporary key words, coming up with a title and synopsis. But it’s started.

Years ago when I realized that the Lord had given me an ability to teach and share His word, it became my goal to share about His unconditional love, His mercy, His grace and His gift of sonship available to us who believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried and is risen as our living Savior.

I saw so many Christians who were like I was; reading the Bible but not really applying it to their everyday lives. We had grown up in believing in a God that’s “going to get you for that” or “you never know what God’s going to do” relationship; fearing God and His retribution rather than living in His love. So I accepted my calling to proclaim the “good news of the gospel” to Christians. It was and is my desire to see believers grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. It was my desire to see Christians walk in the full power of relationship with Christ. For us to receive fully from His blessings so that we truly are examples of Jesus, Christians, on the earth. It will be the goodness of God that draws men to repentance and not the condemnation of man.

There is nothing I find more fulfilling than sharing God’s word either by written communication, one on one personal interaction or teaching to a gathering. It’s my heart passion. These verses convey all that I desire to share with others.

“Lord my God, you have done many amazing things! You have made great plans for us—too many to list. I could talk on and on about them, because there are too many to count.

6 Lord, you made me understand this: You don’t really want sacrifices and grain offerings. You don’t want burnt offerings and sin offerings.
7 So I said, “Here I am, ready to do what was written about me in the book.
8 My God, I am happy to do whatever you want. I never stop thinking about your teachings.” 9 I told the good news of victory to the people in the great assembly.  And, Lord, you know that I will never stop telling that good news. 10 I told about the good things you did. I did not hide these things in my heart. I spoke of how you can be trusted to save us. I did not hide your love and loyalty from those in the great assembly.
11 Lord, do not hide your mercy from me. Let your love and loyalty always protect me.” Psalm 40:5-11 ERV

Look particularly at verses 8-10
“ My God, I am happy to do whatever you want. I never stop thinking about your teachings.” 9 I told the good news of victory to the people in the great assembly.  And, Lord, you know that I will never stop telling that good news. 10 I told about the good things you did. I did not hide these things in my heart. I spoke of how you can be trusted to save us. I did not hide your love and loyalty from those in the great assembly.”

So let me take the opportunity to declare again today – God is faithful, He is righteousness, He is my salvation and His lovingkindness endures forever!

Take time to read all of Psalm 40 today, it will be a blessing to you.

And I would appreciate your prayers for clarity of thought and no computer problems while writing this book.

God bless you all today!

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Recovering From A Storm

Our last few days have been anything but quiet! You all know how much I enjoy the peace and tranquility that I have here in our neighborhood. It has been disturbed in a big way.

Some of you will remember we had a huge hail storm back in October. The hail was the size of golf balls and it pelted us for almost an hour. The trees and shrubbery were stripped of their leaves, cacti had holes shot through them and the cars were dimpled with hail marks. Window screens were shredded and one of our sky lights were broken. It was a hard storm.

What we didn’t realize until a couple months ago was damage had been done to our roof. First one neighbor and then a few others called their insurance companies to have adjusters come assess the effects of the storm. It was quite wide spread in our area. When we called, we found that our roof needed to be replaced because of the damage that had been sustained from the hail.

Two days ago the workers came and began stripping away the old roof. Our home is a flat roofed, Santa Fe style home. They spent all day peeling away the damaged roofing material. Yesterday they came and began laying the new roof. The banging, pounding, deconstruction and reconstruction was almost deafening. There isn’t a picture in the house that is hanging straight. Little bits of dirt and dust that had lived in the vents for thirteen years was now on my furniture and floors. David even put pillows under some of our hanging lights in case they fell.

After the workmen left yesterday I sat in the living room enjoying the quiet. The peace had returned. However, they will be back again today to finish the job. Sitting here my heart was filled with empathy for those who live in areas that are ravaged by floods, tornados, hurricanes, fires and devastating earthquakes; those who face complete loss while I only experience a few days of inconvenience.

These storms may destroy physical property and possessions but many experience the loss from storms that devastate their emotions, their sense of inner peace and their spiritual well being. In these cases it’s important to remember the one who can repair the damage and restore the peace.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. The Lord has chosen me to tell good news to the poor and to comfort those who are sad. He sent me to tell the captives and prisoners that they have been set free. 2 He sent me to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness, when our God will also punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort those who are sad, 3 those in Zion who mourn. I will take away the ashes on their head, and I will give them a crown. I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. I will take away their sorrow, and I will give them celebration clothes. He sent me to name them ‘Good Trees’ and ‘The Lord’s Wonderful Plant.’

4 Then the old cities that were destroyed will be rebuilt. Those ancient ruins will be made new, as they were in the beginning.” Isaiah 61:1-4 ERV

This was written about Jesus and told what He would do when He came to earth. He came to heal, deliver, comfort, bring freedom and rebuild. He came to restore us who have suffered loss and destruction.

“You, Lord God, bless everyone  who cares for the poor, and you rescue those people in times of trouble. 2 You protect them and keep them alive. You make them happy here in this land, and you don’t hand them over to their enemies. 3 You always heal them and restore their strength when they are sick. 4 I prayed, “Have pity, Lord! Heal me, though I have sinned against you.” Psalm 41:1-4 CEV

“I know what you are like! But I will heal you, lead you, and give you comfort, until those who are mourning 19 start singing my praises. No matter where you are, I, the Lord, will heal you and give you peace.” Isaiah 57:17-19 CEV

I don’t know what storm you have been through. I don’t know the destruction that has come to your heart but God does! He comes with a promise of comfort, healing, restoration – peace. If, when, we come to Him he promises to give us peace and rest.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28 ERV

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A Love For The Ages

About this time every year I began to reminisce, remembering where I was in 1973.

Next week, Dave and I will celebrate our 46th anniversary and when I got up this morning, I sat in my chair for a long time thinking of what I was doing 46 years ago – with only a week left before the “big day”, what was I focused on? Putting the finishing touches on the dress I was making, double checking on the flowers, helping Dad finish the wedding arch. There were many more details I don’t remember but I do remember how excited I felt to be marrying my best friend and the love of my life! 46 years – many of you haven’t even been alive that long…

As I sat there thanking the Lord for what He’s done in us and for us over all those years, my heart filled with song – yes, a song. I heard the words “I will sing of Your love forever, I will sing of Your love forever, I will sing of Your love forever”. Thankful for the love of my husband and that of my Heavenly Father.

Then I remembered so many verses that tell us that the Lord’s love will endure forever. His love is so great – amazingly unconditional and eternal!

“I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.” Psalm 89:2

“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

“For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 117:2

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” I Chronicles 16:34

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.” Hosea 2:19

Did you get that last one? I will betroth you to me forever, the Lord has chosen us as His beloved! Wow – amazing!!

Paul tells us in Ephesians that the loving, godly relationship between a husband and wife is really an example of Christ and His love for us.

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:22-31 NIV

We became His betrothed and He gave up His life for us. He loves us as His own body, He covers us with His strength and protection, He presents us spotless to His Father.

So now, look back and remember the preparation for your wedding day, the excitement, the anticipation, the LOVE. And put that in context to your relationship with Christ and join with me…

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” Psalm 89:1

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Sight Reading, Auto Correct & Life

A friend of mine made a post on Face Book the other day that I thought was so good. It went something like this: I always proof read my texts, normally after I hit send.

Isn’t that the truth? We input something, knowing it says exactly what we want to say, hit send and it auto-corrects and we can’t get it back. We are left to send another text trying to explain what we meant in the first one. Ridiculous.

Thank God, he isn’t that way! His word is true and it doesn’t need to be corrected or changed.

“Grass dies and flowers fall, but the word of our God lasts forever.” Isaiah 40:8 ERV

When our youngest daughter was in first grade she learned something called sight reading. The teacher was trying to get the children to read in a smooth and flowing way. Each night they were to read out loud for 20 minutes. If they came across a word they didn’t know they could substitute it with a word that started with the same letter. The intent was to keep them reading in a constant cadence.

We laughed about the way the word substitutions changed the meaning of the text. Some things were ridiculous. The intention was good but the meaning of the story had been completely misconstrued.

It should be our goal to see that God is honored and pleased by the things we say and do. Our words and our actions should reflect what’s in our hearts. We don’t want those around us to get a wrong message like those that come with faulty auto-correct or the word substitution of sight reading.

“Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my Rock and the One Who saves me.” Psalm 19:14 NLV

“Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45 CEV

“People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:15-16 ERV

Lord, I desire that the message I live and speak is clear, concise and easy to understand. I want to be a messenger for you in all I do and say.

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Sibling Rivalry

Anyone who has kids knows from time to time they will bicker and squabble. Parents offend wonder “why can’t you guys just get along”. It hurts our hearts when our kids, who we love so much, have times when they fuss and say hurtful things.

The scripture tells us that God wants us to get along with our brothers and sisters also. He is our loving heavenly Father and He doesn’t like it when His kids quarrel. Doctrines, traditions, rituals may be different but that doesn’t have to be a reason to sever relationship or to talk badly of one another.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Jesus spent a lot of his final hours and days talking to his disciples about loving one another. And for good reason – one of them was going to betray Jesus, one was going to deny him and the rest were going to scatter. I think Jesus was trying to prepare them for what was ahead. He wanted their hearts set on forgiveness and not blame; for them to walk together in unity and love so that they could draw on strength from one another.

“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13:34-35

A real sign to the world around them would be the love Jesus disciples had for one another. The love Jesus was talking about is supernatural – the unconditional, never ending love of God in their lives would be a sure sign that Jesus had impacted their lives. There is verse after verse written about our loving one another, letting the love of God flow through us; Jesus spoke many of them and then the whole book of I John is devoted to our loving one another.

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Jn 15:12

“These things I command you, that ye love one another.” Jn 15:17

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” Romans 12:10

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” I John 3:23

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” I John 4:7

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” I John 4:11

Anytime God, the Father, puts this much time and teaching into a subject you know it’s important. These are but a few of the verses that I found on love. I’m not sure what any of us will encounter today but I know God’s message for sure – He wants us to walk in love.

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