I have felt a sense of conviction to do more and yet I ponder what “more” should look like. So in my uncertainty, I find myself being disobedient to God.

Lord, please forgive me. Help me to know where to go. You want all to be saved and I have an assignment to go and make disciples. And yet, there are people right around me that I don’t share You with.

It is time to...

Lord, give me Your eyes to see as You see

and Your ears to hear the needs.

Give me Your hands to touch the lame

and Your voice to proclaim Your name.

Let me not wonder where I should go,

but rather be ever in tune with You, so I will know.

It is time to...

This video does not have a political or social agenda in mind. It is just intended For Your Information only. It is intended to briefly share what Juneteen is and why it is celebrated.

Here is a link to the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. Also, here is a link to The Human Hope Podcast Bonus Episode about Juneteenth. Finally, here is a link to an article by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Until I listened to The Human Hope podcast, I hadn't thought that me sharing a little about Juneteenth might be received wrong.

I sure hope it isn't seen as anything that is intended to divide.

Love is an action word. It is all about what I do. If I never said I love you, you should still know I do by my actions. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-8a I see what love is. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.

I also see love as empathetic, as seen in Romans 12:15. I believe it is calling for empathy because it says “with” and not “for.” Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

How I distinguish sympathy and empathy is that sympathy allows me to feel what another feels, even though I may not understand or have ever experienced anything like it. Whereas empathy puts me in their shoes. I not only feel what they feel, but I, more than likely, have had a similar experience which gives me the ability to not only feel but to also understand.

God revealed, saved and proclaimed. Check out Genesis 12:1-2 and see the promise. Then in Genesis 15, what God had promised hadn’t come to pass, so Abram wanted a point of clarification and God did clarify. Genesis 15:4 God cleared it up and went on to tell him what to expect, so he would not doubt.

So, we see in Isaiah 43:12 God tells His people to recognize His mighty works and tell somebody.

I encourage you to recognize God’s mighty works and tell somebody.

What happens when you give praise to the Lord? Just being thankful causes you to focus more on what’s right and not get consumed with what’s not. And that gives God space to work because you are getting out of the way. 

Then when you give thanks to the Lord, you are filled with joy and love. That causes you to want to tell someone else about God’s goodness. You want people to know, not just what He has done, but what He can and will do.

Let’s be thankful today and make Him known.

We make exchanges all day long. We purchase items in stores where we exchange money for an item. We exchange knowledge in classrooms and through conversations. We exchange resources within relationships. There is an exchange of power in business and government. Sometimes we feel like we’ve made an equal exchange when what we receive is worth what we’ve given.

But there was a great exchange when Jesus gave His life for ours. And when we believe He died for us and invite Him into our lives as our Lord and Savior, God sees His righteousness instead of our sins; we are redeemed.

Your life is valuable. It was bought with a precious life. Let’s live it for Christ and invite others in.

When you know someone and love them, you do things that will make them happy. You know what makes them happy because you know them.

When we know Jesus, we do things to bring Him glory. We obey His commands. That’s how we show our love.

Why do you do what you do? Is it because of what you will get in return? Is it because of how others will see you after it’s done? If either of those are your reasons, you’ve gotten it all wrong.

I struggle with saying, “I’m human,” from the perspective of saying I can’t do any better. I don’t know if you’ve said it before or not, but when I am doing something that I just shouldn’t be doing, and yet I continue to do it. And then I say, “I’m human,” as if that’s my excuse to keep on doing wrong.

Most of the time, that comes into play in my life when I am making poor food choices, but that surely is not the only time. Perhaps it’s when I have a bad attitude about something, and everyone knows, even when I think I am hiding it.

Today, I don’t want to remind myself that I am human, but instead, I want to remind myself that I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me.

The world has hijacked the word, love. We say it all the time, about just about anything and to everyone. I love ice cream. I love that movie. I love you. I love the Lord. 

Often the words “I love you” are said, and there is nothing to back it up. No action at all.

The commandment of love Jesus gave was all-inclusive. We are commanded to love with all our heart, soul, and mind. That includes the very source of life and emotions, of experiences and actions, and our thoughts. And to love like that towards the Lord, which shouldn’t be hard because of His great love for us, but also towards those He loves, our brothers and sisters and those that are yet to become family.

How are you doing?