365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 8

Demonstrating love comes in many forms; surprising a friend with an unexpected gift, a hug for a co-worker, doing a chore for a family member so they don’t have to, spending quality time with anyone. How do we demonstrate our love for God? It is definitely by loving others like in the examples above but also by obeying God. To obey means complying with the command, direction and request of an authority. We must submit to the authority of God. If he tells us to love others as we love ourselves, than we should comply with His directive. But we all know from trying to obey authorities here in our world like the government, police or our boss; that sometimes the compliance doesn’t happen, it is challenging or comes but with a price. Obedience to God has its own challenges, especially if you are not in the Word of God regularly, worshiping with other believers and generally open to hearing God’s voice in everything. We do have to discern what is it that God wants versus what this world wants or what we want. Thankfully, we have Jesus who has overcome. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can have that discernment to know the voice of God and be able to comply with His requests but it is something we need to pray for everyday.

Father God, you are the ultimate authority figure for us. Forgive me for not listening to your command, for not discerning what you want for me to do, for not loving you and others as I should. I do not have it within me to do it so I ask the Holy Spirit to open my heart today to see you and hear you, to know what your will for me is and to love you and others like there’s no tomorrow. With you all things are possible. Amen.  

1 John 3-5 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 12

I got a great book about our love languages called God Speaks Your Love Language. I had heard about the love languages but had never read a book about them. What an education that was! I wish I had known what I learned from that book years and years ago. It really helped me to understand the people I loved and how the best way to love them and about me and what love language really speaks to me. I very highly recommend reading any of the love language books so you too can get in on this valuable information. After reading the book, I went through and tried to figure out the dominant love language for those close around me. My daughter was easy to figure out. She is 'Quality Time'. If I balance life well and give her some of my time her love tank is always full. My son was easy too! He is 'Physical Touch'. He loves to hug and be hugged so now into his teenage years I have found other ways to give him a loving touch without the embarrassment issue that teens can have.

My husband was a little more challenging to figure out. I think he is 'Service' which means he is always up doing and helping with any and everything but he read a summary of the love languages and thinks he is 'Physical Touch' so I have to try to give him love in both those ways to try to keep his love tank filled. I bring this all up only because hubbie has been a rock these days with helping me on things, he even becomes the 50's wife stereotype at times like last night and has dinner on a plate for me and has me come in and sit down and serves me dinner. So, today I want to praise my hubbie for all his service-oriented love for me. Although, it is not my dominant love language, having read the book, I am aware of how he shows his love. My husband loves me and I am thanking God for that and him.

Ephesians 5:33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.