In Strength, Choose Love

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. – (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NIV)

Be careful. Hold firmly to your faith. Have courage and be strong. Do everything in love. – (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, ERV)

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping. – (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, MSG)

 

This is something that we are all called to live out, in every area of our lives. It is both rare and wonderful, when there are public figures who live by this principle in a way that is seen, heard and known. Last night, my husband and I went to a concert that featured my favorite band, Skillet. Their lead vocalist, John Cooper, is completely clear in his convictions as he performs, and is courageous and strong as he shares his music and message in love. After more than twenty-three years as a Christian band that tours with bands that typically are not, and it is evident that they are careful to be on their guard and hold firm to their faith. Each time I have seen them in concert, the other bands touring with them have raved about the kindness extended to them by Skillet. What that speaks to me is that they are living out loud, the very message that they follow in faith. If a rock band can cling to their convictions and love well, why can’t we? May we each be aware of the things that distract us from what is true, and with courage and strength, hold fast to the faith that anchors us secure. And in all that we do, may we let love be our motivation.

 

Help us guard our hearts,

To our faith, hold fast;

Have courage, be strong,

With the love that lasts.

For each time we choose,

In strength, to love well;

We are showing Christ,

His story we tell.

Not with our speaking,

So much as our deeds;

People remember,

Those who met their needs.

Let us choose to love,

In all that we do;

Rely on His grace,

He’ll carry us through.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You warn us to be careful of that which distracts us from the truth, and You call us to stand firm in Your strength to the truth so that we may do all things in love. Forgive us for the times that we allowed the things around us to pull us off course. Teach us to stay anchored in You. Show us how to love those around us in all things and at all times, just as we are loved relentlessly by You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we stand strong in the truth, ever aware of what surrounds us, and choose to love, just as You love us. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Stand firm , and you will win life. – Luke 21:19

Rest in His Grace

For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. – (Psalm 117:2, NIV)

He loves us very much! The Lord will be faithful to us forever! Praise the Lord! – (Psalm 117:2, ERV)

For He loves us very dearly, and His truth endures. Praise the Lord. – (Psalm 117:2, TLB)

 

After a long week, there is nothing quite so sweet as time with family. There is something about time together that reminds us of the Father’s love, and His faithfulness that knows no end. Last evening, both up north and down south, our family was appreciating the Lord’s faithfulness that carried us through the week. For my husband and I, we were grateful for the opportunity to take our eldest to dinner and enjoy time with him, one-on-one. He works graveyard shift, so time together has been rare over the last year. As for my sister, mom and family down south, it has been an insanely busy week as well. Between work, appointments, preparing for school to start, senior pictures, and everything else that goes along with life, an evening out together was enjoyed and appreciated by all. This weekend is intended to be one of exploration and discovery of the new, as well as the enjoyment of one another, both of which are things that remind us of God’s faithfulness to us, and of the endless reasons to give Him praise. May we ever be aware of the Father’s love and faithfulness forever, and praise Him as His goodness knows no end.

 

The love of the Lord,

Endures for all time;

His grace knows no end,

As we seek, we’ll find.

Faithful forever,

Worthy of all praise;

Gracious Redeemer,

The Ancient of Days.

Trust in the Lord God,

And rest in His grace;

He loves us to life,

Leads us in His ways.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You love us and are faithful forever. Thank You that You bring us to spaces of rest and refreshment when we need it the most. Thank You for the gift of family. Thank You for the countless reasons to praise You. Forgive us for the times that we get caught up in the momentary struggle and distracted from the ways in which You are at the ready to be our strength. Teach us to trust You more. Show us how to love and encourage those around us, so that they may come to know and understand the depth and faithfulness of Your love through us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for who You are and Your unending faithfulness. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28

A Tangible Display

When the time was right, the Anointed One died for all of us who were far from God, powerless, and weak. Now it is rare to find someone willing to die for an upright person, although it’s possible that someone may give up his life for one who is truly good. But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display – the Anointed One died for us. – (Romans 5:6-8, VOICE)

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – (Romans 5:6-8, NLT)

 

As we draw ever nearer to Easter, it is good to set our sights on what this season is all about. Each time I take pause and read anything related to what Christ came and did for me, I am in awe of the greatness of His goodness and His grace. Who willingly lays down their life to save another, when the very one being saved is against them? Before we knew Christ, He loved us. Prior to making a choice to invite Him to be Lord of our lives, He laid His down for us. While we were yet sinners, He came and bore the weight of all of our sin and shame so that we could be forgiven and free, and have life everlasting in Him. There is no greater love than He who willingly gave everything so that we could be made right before God and have eternal life. May the power of Christ’s life-raising love fill our hearts and minds, and lead us as we consider the weight of this wonderful week.

 

Stuck in the darkness,

Still shrouded in sin;

Christ came and He gave,

Love made the way in.

Though few might choose die,

For those who are good;

Only Christ the Lord,

In our place, He stood.

He bore such a weight,

Sin and shame of all;

So we could be free,

And on His Name call.

What powerful love,

Such wonder He is;

The truth and the life,

Our Savior, Jesus.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You sent Your Son, Jesus, while we were still sinners, far from You, to give His life for ours. Forgive us for not recognizing the weight of what You did for us so that we could have life everlasting in You. Help us to grasp the magnitude of Your mercy and the greatness of Your grace as we walk out this week leading to Easter. Show us how to love those around us with the very same mercy and grace that we have been given. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we embrace the grace that You have freely given, and go forth in freedom to love as we are loved by You. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. – Genesis 21:6

 

We Are Called Friends

If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of His Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of His resurrection life! – (Romans 5:10, MSG)

I mean that while we were God’s enemies, He made friends with us through His Son’s death. And the fact that we are now God’s friends makes it even more certain that He will save us through His Son’s life. – (Romans 5:10, ERV)

 

The reason I often post a few different versions of a verse, is my way of sharing the process of looking and listening to what He wants my heart to hear on any given day. Sometimes, the words jump off of the page and grab hold of my heart the moment I first read them, however, there are other times that something seems significant and is keeping me stuck on a verse, but it requires repeated reading. Though the main message of Romans 5:10 reminds us that we were saved while we were still sinners because of Christ’s sacrifice, God uses His words that I have read many times, to show me something new, or remind me of truth that my heart needs to hear. This morning, I took pause as I read the portion that says: “now that we’re our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of His resurrection life!” That is a loaded statement. It is rare that I feel that I am at my best, as I am well aware of my own flaws and shortcomings. That being said, whenever I am dialed in on the depth and breadth of the hope I have in Him forever, I recognize how much He has done both in and through me, and know that there is so much more as I choose to faithfully follow Him. May we ever identify the incredible gift that we have been given through the grace of God, and go forth in the hope that we hold in knowing He is with us, for us, and our eternity is secure in Him.

 

What is this great love,

That saw us in sin;

Enemies of God,

Yet still welcomed in?

While stuck at our worst,

He made way to friend;

Greatest sacrifice,

So life would not end.

It is by His death,

And rising again;

We’re forgiven friends,

Life with Christ won’t end.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that while we were yet sinners, Your enemies – You called us friends as You gave Your very best so that we could come to have life everlasting in You. Thank You that through Your resurrection, we are also raised to new life by Your mercy and grace, and empowered to walk in Your way, rather than our own. Forgive us for somehow discounting the depth of what You did and thinking that we do not qualify, rather than receiving the gift that You freely give. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would have a proper perspective as to who we are in You. Show us how to walk out our days in the wisdom that we are Your friends, so that we love those around us well. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we embrace the grace that You freely give, and walk forward in that which You have given us to share. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad. – 1 Chronicles 16:31

Drawing Strength from God

Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. – (Ephesians 6:10, TLB)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. – (Ephesians 6:10, NIV)

Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God. – (Ephesians 6:10, VOICE)

 

This is a season where such a reminder is especially relevant. Days are long and demanding, and time to rest is rare. If I attempt to power through my days in my own strength, I grow weary and do not run well. However, when I press into the Lord and seek Him to be my Source and Supply as I choose to do that which I am called to do in this season, He meets me in my need and provides the strength and stamina to stand strong and continue to answer what He is asking. Additionally, He supplies spaces of rest that I would not have anticipated, as He knows my needs far better than I do.

A simple example of His provision came as I woke this morning. Normally, I sleep between four and six hours each night. For me, it is enough, and He supplies all that I need to run strong. That being said, today is a day off, as it is our semester break, and I knew I did not HAVE to wake at a certain time. I set no alarm, and chose to allow my body to wake when it was ready. I naturally woke up at 4am, but decided that perhaps a bit more sleep would be wise. When I woke again, it was 8:30! More than eight and a half hours of sleep in one night… Strength from Him comes in spectacular ways.

May we each remember to draw our strength and might from God, as He is the ultimate Provider, and knows our every need.

 

For all that we need,

The Lord will supply;

We must look to Him,

In His strength, we rise.

Our God who indwells,

Our hearts and our minds;

Answers as we ask,

What’s needed, supplied.

Let us draw our strength,

From God who’s above;

So we can be strong,

As we walk in love.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that true strength and might come from You. Thank You that Your strength and power are present within us as we turn to trust in You. Thank You that You provide what we need, so that we may stand strong and continue walking in the direction to which we have been called. Forgive us for attempting to power through things in our own strength; for without You, we fall short and grow weary every time. Teach us to trust You more, as You are our strength and know what we need far better than we do. Show us how to love others well, so that we may build up and encourage those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we draw our strength and might from You. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. – Psalm 145:8