love one another and you will see a new light shining

This was a song my church sang when I was very young. The end of the chorus was "a new light shining in thee." God always calls us to do the opposite of what seems right to our flesh. Loving our spouse in times when they are stressed and maybe not very loving to us, can get a new light shining within us. So many times we don't choose to show love in the face of stress, but when we finally do, we are surprised that we are the ones who are uplifted and encouraged. Showing and giving love are always the keys to the greatest joy. Take shopping, for instance, I can love to shop with the best of them, but not even an awesome day shopping for myself compares a bit to the feeling of giving a gift to someone else. To go further, nothing brings more joy than to give a gift in secret. One year I gave some gift cards to people I knew needed to have money at the holidays or in the summer for clothing for their kids. The cards were sent anonymously from the retailer, and I had such joy knowing that they would open their Secret Santa card and not know who listened to the Father's prompting to give. Do we really get the verse that says, "Give and it will be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, give and it will be given unto you!" I don't think we do, at least I know I don't always get that down deep into my soul and actions. At times of great financial stability, it was easier to live that giving lifestyle, and it brought great joy. However, to give in times of financial uncertainty certainly also would bring the same joy and would be so needed by the recipient. So, let us love one another as Jesus loves us, and that is by giving all He was for us. Enjoy giving until the enemy does not know what to make of us. Let's give and trust the Lord to sustain us. L

serve one another

Who can serve? Anyone can serve. However, we often choose to look at how we are not being served, instead of how we can serve. Why is that human nature? I guess, in our humanness, we keep score, and especially notice when someone whom we have been serving does not serve us in return. If we are not believers, then that issue is important, as giving more than you are getting is a problem. However, if we are believers, then God has said that we should do good to our enemies, give to one who takes our coat, turn the other cheek, and let someone in need borrow without expecting to be repaid. These ideas run contrary to our culture and certainly contrary to our human nature. However, if we trust that God sees all and that He does work all things for our good, then we can let go of the fear of being taken advantage of, and we can know that serving and doing our best unto another is seen by our Father in heaven, and that is the only one whom we need to be concerned with anyway. Lord, let me have a heart of a servant. Let me trust that you see all and that when I serve you notice and you will honor those who honor you. As a wonderful song stated, "Make me a servant today." If Jesus served those He came across on earth, then certainly no one is unworthy of my service. Change me, shape me, mold me Lord. L

Sold out!

I used to love that Steven Curtis Chapman song, "Sold out believer". I still love the song. I have been watching Perry Noble's series on marriage online. It is the best, serious, direct, get real series on marriage that I have ever experienced. You can tell Perry's heart is to fight back against the enemy to keep marriages together. He talked often about how Satan attacks marriages and how we need to be ready as married couples to fight back against Satan. To hear that it is to be expected for Satan to attack one's marriage is reassuring to hear, only in that it puts things in perspective. You stop blaming your spouse or yourself for all of the craziness, and start telling the enemy that he can get behind you b/c you are not surrendering your covenant relationship. This series put hope and a framework to how to get our marriage stronger. For anyone married a day or 50 years, this series is wonderful. Check it out at http://www.newspring.cc.org/. To David - I believe in Jesus's power to make our marriage stronger and in His power to change us and shape us into the type of spouses He wants us to be. I pledge to you to not return evil for evil, but to do good to you even when you mess up and are not nice, and ask you to please do good to me when I mess up and am not nice. Let's be doers of the word so that Satan cannot gain a foothold. Let's walk in love so much that Satan can't get us to take his bait anymore. Thank you God for loving us first and help us to love each other with that same unconditional, undying, ever committed, waters cannot quench love. With God ALL things are possible! Thank you God for our marriage and for your work you want to do in and through us. To our best year yet in our marriage - by faith I claim that! L