Choose to Love, Not Feel

Today at church, we looked at Ephesians 6:1- 9. We are all aware of these verses about honoring and obeying our parents. (vs. 1-4). It really made me think of my ministry in the home. What an honor and privilege I have in raising four boys. But oh what an overwhelming responsibility! These verses made me aware of the importance that my every action, reaction, and thought is towards this call. How do I view this responsibility? How many times do I drown myself in frustration, anguish, and heartache with each day? If I am honest, with the boys being sick this week, just going through a move, finishing up the school year, and a lot of financial obstacles, I haven't been able to see through the burden to see the blessing. I know that the boys can feel and see this. We tend to let our hair down the most with the ones that we love the most. Wow, do I feel like a bum! I know that I haven't been such an example of Christ's love through this time. Our children get a view of God's love through our parental love. I don't want my children to grow up feeling that the Lord is tempermental and hormonal as I have been. We also talked this morning about 1 John 4:7, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." God's love always comes with a choice that is followed by action. We can choose to get enundated with the world's stress and pressures and miss our blessings; or we can stop, breathe, realize that there is a choice to be made and follow up with acting in love, despite our feelings. I am so thankful that the Lord doesn't respond to me acccording to His feelings and emotions. I have a choice! Today is a new day to recommit to a Christ-like response versus reacting in our emotions. I choose Christ!

Today is a step towards SOMEDAY!

Today I was reading in my devotion about SOMEDAY. How many times do we pray and wish for SOMEDAY? We all know the verse, Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That's in The Word! This gives us the freedom to believe in SOMEDAY! We live in a NOW society. If people can't have it now, it's just not worth it. Even Jesus' plan of redemption for us was not a NOW plan. It took time and it was a process. A process that still saves and liberates us today! You are in a process. Believe in today, tomorrow, and SOMEDAY! Jesus died and lives today as a hope and promise of SOMEDAY. I know that the NOW in your life may make it hard for you to believe in today, much less a SOMEDAY. Remember that SOMEDAY is promised to us. Jesus said in John 14:3, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." So believe! He knows the plans He has for you, and He is also preparing for your future. It's taken care of! I want to encourage you to set some goals. What does your SOMEDAY look like, personally and with AdvoCare? Remember that whatever goals or plans we have, the Lord has greater plans than we can even comprehend. Write out your short term and long term goals. Commit them to Him. Start walking toward SOMEDAY- TODAY!