Demonstrating your love for God

John 4:19-20

We love because God loved us first. But if we say we love God and don't love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don't love the people we can see?

Your heart hurts from others and so now you're wondering how do I love people who hurt me?
Jesus was hurt and rejected by the ones who claimed they loved him the most. He was betrayed, denied and deserted at a time when he really needed a friend.
The secret was he kept his eyes on Me.
Peter walked on water until he looked at the waves instead of Me.
Keep your focus strong and sharp on Me.
It's so easy to look at the waves, but your load will be easier if you can just remember to look at Me.
I love you!
I will give you the strength to be patient, kind, humble, giving and persevering.
Come to Me when someone hurts you. For I always speak Truth in Love.
I will help you face your hurts. Don't draw back. Don't build walls. Don't refuse to call to Me.
I know you want to run and hide, but don't!
Come to Me quickly and then go forth and love.
The only way you can show Me love is by loving others, this is why the one command follows the other.
Guard your heart for your words follow and guard your words for your heart follows.
Jesus laid his life down.
Follow Him and lay your life down.
Submit your life to Me.
Take the crown off your head and let Me be King of your life.
Love is in actions not words.
What do you think about?
Where do you spend your time?
Where do you spend your money?
Bring My Kingdom to your life.
Love others and then I will know you love Me.

By Invitation

Another devotion I wanted to share- I wrote this in 2006...

Read Galatians 2:16-21


“Let it be so with me!” Luke 1:38

It arrives in my mailbox, linen white and crisp, with striking calligraphy addressed with my full name. I open it with anticipation and inside I find an invitation to attend a party. My heart and mind race as I think about the night, what I will wear (a twirly dress of course), how beautiful the night will be and how I will dance the night away. I quickly send my RSVP back letting my host know that I say, “YES!”
This invitation reminds me of other invitations that I have heard about through stories told to me. Cinderella was invited to a ball and despite incredible obstacles her answer was, “yes,” and it changed her life forever. Mary was invited to be the mother of the Messiah and again despite incredible odds her answer of “yes” forever changed her life.
The most important invitation I have ever received was and continues to be the invitation to be in relationship with God through Christ. My first “yes” to His invitation forever changed my life, and it took me almost thirty-three years to say. As I look back to that time, I realize God was wooing me to come to Him and asking me to allow him to make a home in my heart. He gave me an incredible dream, Christian people in my life and the desire to seek Him. I wrestled with Him fiercely and it physically felt as if my heart would break in two. Then one night as I was discussing my distress with my husband, he asked me why I was fighting what I knew to be true in my heart. The veil was lifted! I finally said, “yes,” and accepted the gift God had been waiting my whole life to give me and my life was, is and is being forever changed.
Recently, I have heard another invitation from God. His gift of grace never ceases to amaze me! He has asked me to be His Beloved. He has invited me to admit my weariness and stop my striving so that I can make my home in Him. He wants me to stop hiding in “less wild lovers” called service and discipline and to seek his heart and trust in his goodness. He has waited for me to embrace what he is doing and who I am in him rather than what I do and who I try to be apart from him.
I hear Him saying, “Kim, I have more for you! Won’t you trade in your dime store pearls for the real ones I want to give you? Your activity is not your identity. I am your identity. I have made my home in you, but you still have other lovers you go to for comfort. When will you stop looking to yourself and your personal gifts for redemption? I love you just the way you are! Come make your home in me!”
I say, “YES!” Yes to the Romance with my Love. I am only at the beginning of this journey. He has not promised it will be easy, but he has promised to be with me every step of the way. I won’t pretend that I am healed, restored and redeemed just because I have agreed to take the journey, but I know his grace is sufficient for me. I can tell you I feel hopeful, excited and amazed at the grace my Beloved pours out on me. My prayer is that you consider if you have truly made your home in Christ. He waits for your, “yes.”

Prayer: Gracious Lord, Lover of my soul, I thank you for the gift of your treasured Son who has bought me and sought me with his redeeming blood. Thank you for making your home in my heart. Beloved, I am ready to faint in my weariness into your loving arms. I ask you to bring down the walls that I have built to hide my pain. Help me remember that you are my Comforter, and I can trust you and make my home in your heart. Thank you Precious One for your gifts of grace, faith, hope, and love.


Thought for the day: Invite God into your heart daily and allow him to be your Comforter, your Beloved.

Prayer focus: Those who have yet to say, “yes” to God’s invitation.

Love your neighbor as yourself

Acts 3:1-10
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. when he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently and Peter said, "Look at us!" The lame man looked at them eagerly expecting a gift. But Peter said, "I don't have any money for you. But I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!" Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and anklebones were healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet and began to walk! Then walking, leaping and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. All the people saw him walking and praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded!

Peter and John were on their way to praise Me- to be in My Presence- to worship Me.
But they weren't in such a hurry that they did not notice the needs of one.
How many times do you walk by someone in need on your way to be with Me?
Peter and John loved Me and that translated into grasping each opportunity to love My children.
In this case, a lame beggar.
Imagine being carried to the Temple gate every day of your life to eek out a bare existence of a life by begging from strangers.
Never had the lame man been into the Temple. His whole life had been spent on the outside asking for handouts. Does your heart break for him like Mine does?
This man just hoped for enough to get a meal for that day, but I wanted to give him Life.
He didn't even look at the people who gave him coins.
He learned as a child that people did not want to look straight in the face of pain.
So he took what they gave and searched for no more, until Peter said to look at them.
Then the lame man looked expecting a gift.
Come to worship expecting a gift! Come expecting to see Me!
The lame man expected a monetary gift, but he left that day with so much more! More even than a physical healing.
He found Me!
Peter and John stopped to love Me by loving this one man and allowed the Holy Spirit to work through them.
Allow Me to love others through you- one at a time.
I will bring them to you - don't look away - look them in the eyes and love Me by loving them.
I won't ask you to give what you don't have.
Imagine this man's heart as for the first time in his life he entered into the Temple. The place that had been off-limits to him his entire life.
No wonder he was leaping and praising Me!
Have I not done the same for you?
So leap and praise Me and let others be astounded by what I have done in your life!
Peter and John demonstrated loving their neighbor as themselves and they gave Me all the glory.
I provided the opportunity, in the lame man, they stepped forward in faith to love him, and I was glorified.
Open your eyes to the opportunities I give you. I am faithful to provide them them daily.
Depend on Me to turn your weakness into My strength.
Expect miracles!
Expect Me to work in your life, then eagerly wait and watch for Me.
Love everyone one person at a time.
Remember I am with you every moment to be your Help and Strength.
Never forget that I love you so much that I gave My life for you, and that I want to be with you for all eternity.
My Love will never disappoint you.
My Love is great enough for you to risk loving others the way I love you.
I know it makes your heart race from fear and excitement.
Come love others with Me.
Dive in!

Alive inside out!

from a devotion I wrote a couple of years ago...
Read Luke 6: 46-49

John 4:14
“but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

Are you spiritually dead? Do you look alive on the outside and to others but inside you know you are anything but alive? Do you easily fall into the “going through the motions” trap or the “usefulness” trap? I can say that I have fallen into both at one time or another.

Do you ever wake up and realize you are just going through the motions in your marriage or singleness, at church, and or on the job? I have. You know how it is. You wake up in the doldrums. Then you realize when someone asks you how you are doing that you say, “great,” even though you don’t feel great, because you really don’t want to go into why you think your life isn’t great, and besides you know the other person doesn’t want to hear about it anyway. I used to get depressed when I would feel this way, but now I rejoice. I rejoice because it is a wake up call from God. He is helping me to realize this feeling as a sign that I am trying to become an island unto myself. It is time to remember who I am and whose I am and to be grateful for that. I am a child of God and I belong to Him. It is at these times that I realize that I am allowing my relationship with the Source of my being to drop out of first place.

The same effect can occur when I try to be “useful” to God. Useful service can be a subtle trap because I start to concern myself with how useful I am being for God rather than focusing on my relationship with Him. I have to watch myself from falling into this trap and remember that my relationship with Christ is above all the ways I serve Him. I have to remember to trust that God will use me when I place Him first in my life, and that I will not be aware of how my service will affect others most of the time nor should I be focused on that.

My relationship with my Redeemer takes intention and effort. When I return to the basics of prayer and study of His living Word, then I come to my foundation, Christ Jesus. When I am in right relationship with my Lord and Savior I am ALIVE! He pours “rivers of living water” (John 7:38) into me. When I return home to my Center, Christ, God transforms me into a spiritually alive being. Disciple Bible Study has been a vital method for me to remember who I am and whose I am. It always serves to waken me from spiritual forgetfulness.

I find that when God calls me to a particular ministry, His purpose is to transform me. His main purpose in calling me is for me to learn to be obedient and trust Him. He knows what I will face, what I will learn and what I need to overcome so that I can continue to place Him first in my life. In relationship, where I surrender in obedience and trust, He can transform me into the likeness of his most holy and precious son, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for wake up calls and thank you for your transforming power in our lives. Thank you for your gift of being spiritually alive! Amen.

Thought for the day: Remember that faith is much more than stating what you believe to be true. Faith is more than appearing righteous to others. Faith is relationship, which requires trust and obedience. Faith is being true to your relationship with your Lord and Savior and loving him with your whole heart.

Prayer focus: Those who do not realize that they are spiritually dead

All your soul

John 21: 7-8

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water and swam ashore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore for they were only about three hundred feet.

Matthew 26:39

He (Jesus) went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.

Love Me with All your soul- your life- your will.
Do you think the water Peter jumped in was nice and warm? No! It was cold.
But that didn't stop him loving Me with all his soul.
Jump in the water and swim with all your will toward Me.
Three hundred feet in cold water- far or not far? Peter could have waited with the others in the boat.
This time it was not about walking on water, but his extreme passion for Me would not allow him to wait.
Remember this is the one who denied Me and would not claim Me.
But then My Resurrection occurred and he was forever changed.
Experience My Resurrection every day. I am here waiting for you to jump in with all your soul.
Even in the Garden of Gethsemane I was teaching you what it means to love Me with all your soul.
To desire My Will over yours is the answer.
Even when you can't truly pray this, admit it to Me, talk to Me. I understand.
Pray daily, hourly, never cease praying that you will desire My will over yours, and I will transform you from the inside out.
My grace is sufficient for you. My mercies are new every day.
Surrender your soul- your will to Me.
For only when you find rest in Me, will your soul find peace.
My peace I give you. It surpasses human understanding.
Remember your heart is unique to Me. I miss you specifically when you don't seek Me and worship Me in the way only you can.
Don't worry or compare yourself to others. Be you. The unique you I created specifically to worship Me in the way only you can.
Do you love Me?
Feed My lambs.
Do you love Me?
Take care of My sheep.
Do you love Me?
Feed My sheep.

God's Love

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Love is not a feeling, it is action.
I acted on your behalf by sending My Son, not only to save you from eternal death but to save you for Love.
Relationship with Me and with others is My higest calling for you.
Don't you think I know how hard the love I describe and prescribe in My Word is for you?
That is why I come to live in your heart.
You are right, without Me this Love is impossible, but with Me all things are possible.
Oh the joy, the blessings, the abundant Life that awaits your simple obedience to My Word.
When you learn to order your life around this value, make love and relationships your Priority, then you will live the abundant Life I have planned for you.
Love Me, Love others.
Simple words, hard action and your effort is required.
Choose the Life of Discipleship. Following hard after Me requires discipline.
Is it so much easier to pick the lesser thing, but as you have learned and are still learning you feel empty with the lesser things- choose the better part.
Yes, the words that describe the Love I call you to pierce your heart, but don't wallow in your failure. Instead rejoice that I am teaching you, bit by bit, step by step, how to love the way I love.
I have designed it to take your lifetime!
I rejoice in all the little and big ways you choose love.
I don't expect you to run until you have crawled and walked.
You are never alone.
I am with you always.
I will be here when you fail, loving you, keeping no record of wrongs, picking you up so you can continue to walk with Me.
Just never give up.
I am your Redeemer, your Lover, your friend.
It is not about striving. It is about loving Me and receiving My love for you.
It is not about trying. It is about doing and learning through success and failure.
It is about being still and knowing Me.
It is about loving Me by loving others.
Take My hand and let's walk.