Hello, and welcome to the READ-PRAY-SING Blog! I'm glad you decided to join me. The thing I learned while writing this blog post: When we choose to love and forgive others, we open ourselves up to receiving God's favor.
In this Blog Post:
An Unexpected Source of Inspiration
After opening a box of personal books that had been packed away for a while, I came upon a book titled, JOY That Lasts, by Gary Smalley.
Ever read it?
You should!
And I will tell you why.
Upon reading the first few paragraphs, I remembered how much this book had inspired me years ago!
Wanting to reacquaint myself with the message of this book AND find joy that lasts, I decided to gobble it up as fast as I could -- even re-reading some chapters over again.
Boy, the second time through the book moved me just as much -- if not more -- than the first time!
Something occurred to me halfway through the book, though: I kept coming across quotes, verses, and inspirational thoughts I wanted to recall at a later time, but there were too many to remember!
Well, halfway through the book an awesome idea came to me!
Why not mark the pages I want to refer back to with little sticky flags!?
So, I started doing this right away, and it worked perfectly!
(See picture below.)
Being Filled with God's Love
The moving impression throughout this book was that happiness can be found by anyone once they learn how to love God and love other people.
If you are a Christian woman like myself, we are already aware that:
God loves us
created us
and has a purpose for our lives, which is His will for us.
How do we go about finding what His purpose and will is for us?
Let’s look at Matthew 22:37-38:
A lawyer asked Jesus, What is God’s will?
Jesus told him that God’s highest will, the greatest commandment, is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
Then, he added the second greatest commandment: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love Filled Me When I Obeyed God's Word
The author of JOY That Lasts shared this portion of Scripture, then went on to emphasize that OBEDIENCE is the key to properly applying this Scripture to our life.
When we obey the first commandment, which is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, God can fill us with His love.
Once we are filled with God’s love
and adopt the second commandment as our own
we need to ask the Lord to direct us on how to show love
ONLY THEN can we let His love for others flow out from us
This will begin the process of uncovering our basic purpose in living, which is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
This purpose is for everyone, not just for Christian women.
Once we have tapped into this source of love and ability, we will overflow with:
motivation
creativity
and excitement about life
Doesn’t that sound exciting?!
Who doesn’t want to be more creative and excited about life?!
I Used My Talents to Show God's Love
So, how does this happen?
Well, first of all, we have to allow God to fill us with His love.
Consider thinking of ourselves as an empty cup that is filled with God’s love as we spend time reading our Bible and praying.
We are filling our minds, our hearts and our souls with faith, truth and love.
As we practice this every day, God’s love will start to flow out of our cup to others.
Since His WORD is a living power that fuels His love within us, we will begin to have and receive creative ideas to love others.
Motivation Filled My Heart
When we see how God’s love is affecting others we will be motivated to show more love.
It will make us happy, boost our self-worth, and cause our cup of joy to overflow!
Here is an illustration of this concept:
There was a post on social media that kept circulating and it contained a picture of a school hallway filled with blue balloons. One day, I finally decided to tap the picture and read the post.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much it touched me, and even shared the story with my husband.
A principal of a high school asked every student to blow up one balloon and write their name on it. Then, they were instructed to toss the balloon out into the school hallway.
The principal told everyone to go find the balloon with their name on it.
He gave them 5 minutes to do this, but no one could find the balloon with their own name.
Then, he instructed the students to pick up one balloon, any balloon, and find that student whose name was written on the balloon and give it to them.
All the balloons were gone within 5 minutes.
The principal told them to remember this lesson: You will never find fulfillment while searching for your own happiness, but you will find fulfillment helping others find their happiness.
Pretty cool application, huh?
My Soul Lifted Me
We can only find joy and happiness when we help others find their joy and happiness.
This is our purpose.
When we see people,
renewed
encouraged
blessed
and touched by an action of love we have shown them
we become happy, too!
It builds us up, lifting our self-esteem until our self-worth is soaring!
Why? Because we are being used by God to show His love to others.
OK, so now what?
Maybe we have decided we want to obey the first commandment and be filled with God’s love.
Now what do we do?
How can we be filled with the love of God?
The VERY FIRST place to start is in your mind.
God Honored My Attempts
Being filled with the love of God means we trust in God, and trust that everything we pass through in life has passed through our Father first.
He has allowed us to face this and that, to go through this and that, for our good.
So when situations arise that steal our peace away, or make us angry or resentful, we need to remember that our Father approved of this situation to happen for our good.
He gives us opportunities every day to respond in the right ways.
AND the right way is to ALWAYS respond in love.
Somewhere in the pages of JOY That Lasts, I read the phrase, “God honors those who love.”
Now, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of this phrase.
My Heart Surmised: God Honors Those Who Love
I want God's favor, love, and blessing on my life.
Maybe you do, too?
1 Samuel 2:30 (KJV)
“God honors those who honor Him, and despises those who disdain Him”.
The honor of God can be described as someone having the tangible evidence of the Lord’s approval and favor.
We call this the blessing of God!
L-O-V-E
That four letter word is so simple.
Could that really be the answer to finding our happiness?
Loving others? And trusting in God?
The best years of my life were when I was home raising my children.
Why? Because I was pouring out love to them.
Loving them made me happy.
Out of love for my husband, I made well-rounded meals for dinner, I washed his clothes and cleaned the house.
I still do.
Why?
Because this makes him happy.
He is happy to be presented with warm yummy food after a long day, sit in a clean house, have clean clothes to wear, and have a happy wife.
AND I enjoy blessing him, which makes me happy.
Learning what people need and looking for creative ways to meet those needs is what it is all about.
Genuine fulfillment and happiness in life will only come by knowing and loving God, then serving others in this capacity of love.
Go forth and love one another, forgiving one another, even as Christ has forgiven you!
Cast off every weight that weighs you down and freely give LOVE to others without wanting anything in return.
Show love and you will receive SO MUCH MORE in return.
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How We Can Demonstrate Love to Others:
Be kind to those around you, even when faced with difficult situations. Remember that everyone is fighting their own battles, and a little bit of kindness can go a long way.
Listen actively to others when they speak, without judgement or interruption. This shows that you value their thoughts and feelings, and can be a powerful way to demonstrate God's love.
Look for ways to serve others, whether it's volunteering at a local charity, helping a neighbor with yard work, or simply holding the door open for someone.
Practice forgiveness, both towards yourself and others. Holding onto grudges and bitterness can create a barrier between you and God's love, so strive to let go of negative emotions and embrace a spirit of grace and understanding.
Share your own experiences of God's love with others. Whether it's through writing, speaking, or simply having a conversation, sharing the ways in which God has touched your life can inspire and encourage others.
Finally, remember that God's love is not something that can be earned or bought. It is freely given, and available to all who seek it. So don't be afraid to reach out and accept the love that God has for you, and allow it to overflow into the lives of those around you.
Philippians 1:6 (Paraphrased)
He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
