I came across this post at riggsfamilyblog.com and fell in love with it. Enjoy!
Consider the Love Psalms 8. 3-5: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.Stop. Earnestly consider with me for a few moments what great and wondrous love God has shown to us as His children.
Job 37. 14 "Listen to this, O Job; Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.
Consider the love of God that creates us, draws us, empowers us, secures us and blesses us… then rewards us as if we did this by our own strength and ability.
Consider the love of God, who in eternity past knew that we would reject Him, deny Him, mock Him, shame Him and curse Him… and created us anyway that He might shower His love on us.
2Pet 3.14-15 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation…
Consider the love of God that gave His own Son to suffer and die because of us, then blesses us with eternal life because of Him.Heb 12.2-3 …looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Consider the love of God that waits on us in great mercy and patience, forgiving our pride; enduring our repeated failures; blessing us despite our most certain return to sin.Rom 11.22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
Consider the love of God that is deeper than our love of sin; consider the love of God that is more powerful than our love of self; consider the love of God that is more enduring than our lack of faith.
Consider the love of God that grants us everything required to live a life pleasing to Him (2Pet 1.3), and then blesses us as if we met those requirements by ourselves.
Consider the love of God that transforms and molds us into the image of His Son through no ability of our own, and then rewards us for what only He could have done.
Consider the love of God who has given us all we have (1Cor 4.7), from our very first breath to every talent we possess and then blesses us when we use those same God-granted gifts for His glory.
Consider the love of God that is preparing unimaginable eternal rewards (Jn 14.2)… a reward that we could never earn, being the opposite of what we truly deserve.
Consider the love of God that makes every day entrusted to Him a day of guiltless peace and joy in spite of circumstances (Phil 4.7)... even when those circumstances that befall us are caused by our own sinful choices.Rom 8.18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Stop. Be still. Know God. Consider His love for you at this very moment.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Day 2 ~ Love is Kind
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. -Ephesians 4:32
Kindness is love in action. If patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness i show love acts to maximize a positive circumstance. Patience avoids a problem, kindness creats a blessing. On is preventive, the other proactive. These two sides of love are the cornerstones on which many of the other attributes we will discuss are built.
Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likable. When you're kind people want to be aroudn you. They see you as being good to them and good for them.
Kind people always seem to find favor wherever they go, even at home. Kindness is broken down into 4 basic core ingredients:
~Gentleness.
~Helpfulness
~ Willingness
~ Initiative
Wasn't kindness one of the key things that drew you and your spouse together in the first place? When you married weren't you expecting to enjoy his or her kindness for the rest of your life?
Even though years can take the edge off that desire, your enjoyment in marriage is still linked daily to the level of kindness expressed.
The Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless and praise her. Among her noble attributes are these: "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" (Proverbs 31:26). How about you? How would your spouse describe you on the kindness meter? Do you wait to be asked or do you take the initiative to help? Don't wait for your spouse to be kind first.
It is difficult to demonstrate love when you feel little to no motivation. But love in its truest sense is not based on feelings. Rather, love dtermines to show thoughtful actions evven when there seems to be no reward. You will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindess.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Dare and questions to think on at your completion of your dare:
In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse (day 1 dare) again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.
What discoveries about love did you make today?
What specifically did you do in this dare?
How did you show kindness?
*The Dare posts are excerpts taken from The Love Dare written by Stephen and Alex Kendrick
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. -Ephesians 4:32
Kindness is love in action. If patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness i show love acts to maximize a positive circumstance. Patience avoids a problem, kindness creats a blessing. On is preventive, the other proactive. These two sides of love are the cornerstones on which many of the other attributes we will discuss are built.
Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likable. When you're kind people want to be aroudn you. They see you as being good to them and good for them.
Kind people always seem to find favor wherever they go, even at home. Kindness is broken down into 4 basic core ingredients:
~Gentleness.
~Helpfulness
~ Willingness
~ Initiative
Wasn't kindness one of the key things that drew you and your spouse together in the first place? When you married weren't you expecting to enjoy his or her kindness for the rest of your life?
Even though years can take the edge off that desire, your enjoyment in marriage is still linked daily to the level of kindness expressed.
The Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless and praise her. Among her noble attributes are these: "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" (Proverbs 31:26). How about you? How would your spouse describe you on the kindness meter? Do you wait to be asked or do you take the initiative to help? Don't wait for your spouse to be kind first.
It is difficult to demonstrate love when you feel little to no motivation. But love in its truest sense is not based on feelings. Rather, love dtermines to show thoughtful actions evven when there seems to be no reward. You will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindess.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Dare and questions to think on at your completion of your dare:
In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse (day 1 dare) again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.
What discoveries about love did you make today?
What specifically did you do in this dare?
How did you show kindness?
*The Dare posts are excerpts taken from The Love Dare written by Stephen and Alex Kendrick
Monday, March 2, 2009
Love Dare Journey Day 1 ~ Love is Patient
Welcome to the Love Dare Journey. I am so excited to have you all participate with me in this wonderful journey. Today I am posting the Day 1 Dare, along with some points in the chapter just in case there are some that haven't had a chance to get the book or some newbies that decided to join (in which case please sign the mister linky sticky welcome post here. Before I post the dare I will tell you a little about how I am going to do this on here. I will one day post the dare and the next day I will post my story on the previous days dare. In my story post I will add a linky for those who are blogging their journey's to link in my post and they just link that day's dare post to that mister linky. Then I will post another post with the next days dare and so on. Now moving onto Day 1. The info I post on the dare posts (not my story) are taken from The Love DAre book~Love is Patient~Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2Today's chapter talks about how love is life's most powerful motivator and has far greater depth and meaning than most people realize. It always does what's best for others and can empower us to face the greatest of our problems. Love is built on 2 pillars that best define what it is patience and kindness. The beginning of our journey begins with patience.Love will inspire you to become a patient person. When you choose to be patient, you respond in a positive way to a negative situation. Patience brings an internal calm during an external storm. No one likes to be around an impatient person. It causes you to overreact in angry, foolish, and regrettable ways. Patiences stops problems in their tracks. It is a choice to control your emotions rather than allowing your emotions to control you, and shows discretion instead of returning evil for evil.If your spouse offends you, do you quickly retaliate, or do you stay under control? Do you find that your anger is your emotional default when treated unfairly? If so, you are spreading poison rather than medicine. Anger is usually caused when a strong desire for something is mixed with disappointment or grief. It's often an emotional reaction that flows out of our own selfishness, foolishness, or evil motives.Patiences, however makes us wise. It doesn't rush to judgement but listens to what the other person is saying. The Bible says "He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick tempered exalts folly (Proverbs 14:29). As sure as a lack of patience will turn your home into a war zone,practicing patiences will foster peace and quiet.Patience gives your spouse permission to be human. It understands that everyone fails. When a mistake is made, patience chooses to give them more time than they deserve to correct it. Can your spouse count on having a patient wife/husband to deal with? What would the tone and volume of your home be like if you tried this biblical approach: "See that no one repays another evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another" (1 Thessalonians 5:15)Few of us do patient very well and none of us do it naturally. But wise men/women will pursue it as an essential ingredient to their marriage relationships. This love dare journey is a process, and the first thing you must resolve to possess is patience. Today's Dare:The First Part of This Dare is Fairly simple. Although Love is communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of our heart. For the next day, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptations arises, choose not to say anything. It's better to hold your tongue than to say something you will regret.Questions to ask yourself after completing this dare:Did anything happen today to cause anger toward your mate?Were you tempted to think disapproving thoughts and to let them come out in word?
Welcome to the Love Dare Journey. I am so excited to have you all participate with me in this wonderful journey. Today I am posting the Day 1 Dare, along with some points in the chapter just in case there are some that haven't had a chance to get the book or some newbies that decided to join (in which case please sign the mister linky sticky welcome post here. Before I post the dare I will tell you a little about how I am going to do this on here. I will one day post the dare and the next day I will post my story on the previous days dare. In my story post I will add a linky for those who are blogging their journey's to link in my post and they just link that day's dare post to that mister linky. Then I will post another post with the next days dare and so on. Now moving onto Day 1. The info I post on the dare posts (not my story) are taken from The Love DAre book~Love is Patient~Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2Today's chapter talks about how love is life's most powerful motivator and has far greater depth and meaning than most people realize. It always does what's best for others and can empower us to face the greatest of our problems. Love is built on 2 pillars that best define what it is patience and kindness. The beginning of our journey begins with patience.Love will inspire you to become a patient person. When you choose to be patient, you respond in a positive way to a negative situation. Patience brings an internal calm during an external storm. No one likes to be around an impatient person. It causes you to overreact in angry, foolish, and regrettable ways. Patiences stops problems in their tracks. It is a choice to control your emotions rather than allowing your emotions to control you, and shows discretion instead of returning evil for evil.If your spouse offends you, do you quickly retaliate, or do you stay under control? Do you find that your anger is your emotional default when treated unfairly? If so, you are spreading poison rather than medicine. Anger is usually caused when a strong desire for something is mixed with disappointment or grief. It's often an emotional reaction that flows out of our own selfishness, foolishness, or evil motives.Patiences, however makes us wise. It doesn't rush to judgement but listens to what the other person is saying. The Bible says "He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick tempered exalts folly (Proverbs 14:29). As sure as a lack of patience will turn your home into a war zone,practicing patiences will foster peace and quiet.Patience gives your spouse permission to be human. It understands that everyone fails. When a mistake is made, patience chooses to give them more time than they deserve to correct it. Can your spouse count on having a patient wife/husband to deal with? What would the tone and volume of your home be like if you tried this biblical approach: "See that no one repays another evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another" (1 Thessalonians 5:15)Few of us do patient very well and none of us do it naturally. But wise men/women will pursue it as an essential ingredient to their marriage relationships. This love dare journey is a process, and the first thing you must resolve to possess is patience. Today's Dare:The First Part of This Dare is Fairly simple. Although Love is communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of our heart. For the next day, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptations arises, choose not to say anything. It's better to hold your tongue than to say something you will regret.Questions to ask yourself after completing this dare:Did anything happen today to cause anger toward your mate?Were you tempted to think disapproving thoughts and to let them come out in word?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)