We Must Be A Shelter For Others

John 15: 12-13 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Love is the greatest gift you can give to anyone and it is God's gift to us through Christ Jesus. God sent His Son to die on the cross to pay for our sin and He is asking us to love others. The cross was the ultimate sacrifice and Christ suffered, bled and died. His parting message to us were in those two scriptures as a command because loving others is a priority to our Heavenly Father.

Why would we have to be told to love others? Seems like an easy enough request but yet so difficult to see it accomplished. As children we begin to fight for our rights and what belongs to us; in other words selfishness comes naturally and God knows this about human nature. He is commanding us to love others! Have you ever commanded your children to do something that you knew would benefit them only to have them ignore you? I think we all have and it can bring on the most disappointing and hurtful emotions. We start to believe that our children are either mentally challenged or satanic forces have just overtaken them right?

God feels the same way about us when we don't follow His commands because He wants us to have the BEST life can offer by blessing us and those around us. Yet we are like our children, we want our own way and our own choices which brings no blessing but instead heartache and sometimes disaster. Seems so simple a command to love each other, protect each other, shelter each other.....There is so much hurt and pain out in the world today that we need to prepare our hearts, minds and soul to shelter those who are less fortunate than ourselves!

I took 4 different pictures that reminded me of the letters LOVE while visiting the historical district of Savannah, Georgia.

The Way of Love

 I Corinthians 13

Love never give up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

This is the "love" chapter in the Bible and one of my favorites because I need to be reminded....

My friend, Jack Alexander, used to live by these words: It's more important to engrave your name in the hearts of others than any other tribute this world can offer.

This is a picture of my young niece Mackenzie holding a shell that she found when we were swimming together in the ocean.  It looked like the letter L was carved on the shell.

Too Much Negativity?

 Do you know any "negaholics?" I get up every morning planning to have a "peaceful" day because I believe stress is the number one factor for any health issues.  The economy, war, daily news reports and let's face it, daily things that go wrong for each of us can feed the addiction of "negaholics!" Negativity is everywhere and we all recognize those individuals in our life because they zap the life from us; for me personally it can make a "peaceful" day go to hell in a hand basket.

How do we determine if our negativity is excessive and dangerous to ourselves and others? Consider the thoughts that enter our head. What are we dwelling on? Are the majority of our thoughts positive or negative? If negative, how can we change the negative to a positive? Remember excessive negativity can kill a relationship and so much more.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

This picture was taken by my niece Theresa while she was visiting Sanibel Island, August 2014. 

I am grateful she shares her photos for me to post on my blog.