Quiet Moments With God -- Love Never Fails

I love my grandchildren. God has blessed me by planting them close. We get to spend a lot of time together and I'm convinced they're exceptionally lovable. They teach me things about life that I might not see if not for them. I learn from their goodness and their naughtiness.

Recently, I've been thinking on the behavior of two of my grandsons. They're usually buddies who support one another and share good times. However, they sometimes forget that they even like each other. They strike out with unkind words and sometimes with their fists. After one of these episodes they go through a process of rebuilding the relationship. They're just kids and so this doesn't usually take long, but the conflicts happens again and again. There's competition over who is smarter, stronger better at video games or athletics. I don't know why they compete but I do know that it begins with self.

I've seen conflict rise up between friends, business partners and family, including church family. Clashes have the power to destroy relationships and can tear apart organizations, including our churches. They begin for various reasons, but if you go to the core of the matter you will most likely discover that it began with self.

Sad to say, human beings are self-centered. We want what we want when we want it. And on top of that, we think we deserve whatever that is.

There is a way to avoid this kind of destructive behavior. 1st Corinthians, chapter 13 shows us the way, but today I'm going to focus on just four verses, beginning with verse 4. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Straight forward and simple. All we have to do is love one another. If only it were so easy. It should be. God is love and He lives in us. So . . . shouldn't we possess the qualities described in 1st Corinthians 13? We do, but our sinful nature gets in the way.

There's only one man who lived a sinless life--Christ. We're all sinners and incapable of living a sin free life. Nevertheless, most of us can do better. Imagine what our lives would be like if we lived out the above verses. The first word that comes to my mind is peace. If everything was about love instead of self I'd be at complete peace with whatever comes my way. What about you? What do you see when you consider the possibility of loving at all times?

Because we're human we commit sinful acts and thoughts every day, many times a day. We muffed up perfection way back in The Garden. But alls not lost. We can create a world that possesses more justice, more kindness, more love. If each one of us will strive to be more like Christ we will love in a way that will impact our world for good.

Perhaps making a vow (not to be taken lightly) to follow Paul's teachings on love would be what we need to kick start a better way of living out our days. We can begin each day by renewing our vow and doing our best to catch ourselves when we are tempted to do otherwise. We would love more completely and I guarantee that our heartache over the failings in our lives will fade, at least a little . . . for love never fails.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God -- Still In Love?

When I think back to my first weeks as a believer I remember a woman who was so in love with her Savior that she couldn't keep from telling others about Him . . . all the time. In truth, I was so enthusiastic about my Lord that it might have been good to lock me up for a couple of months. :-)

I couldn't stop talking about Him. I had to tell everyone what He'd done for me. Thankfulness and joy were overflowing. I remember spending hours on the phone with a friend every night -- all we did was read scriptures to one another. We were thrilled over every word.

When I consider the kind of Christian I am today, I wonder if I've lost a little something. I still love God, I'm still serving Him, and I want to know Him more and more, but I've become accustomed to His presence and sometimes forget how amazing it is to belong to Him. And the exultant joy is often controlled.

In all relationships, over time, there is a growing steadiness and deepening of understanding between the two. It's like that with my husband and I. I don't get gooseflesh every time he touches me the way I used to. But I love him more today than I did forty years ago when we first fell in love. However, I miss those days when all I thought about was him.

All is not lost. We don't have to settle for the status quo. We can recapture some of that early spark, and in fact, my husband and I have. It takes a desire and the will to do so. There's a lot to be said for joy-filled relationships and ardent hearts. But they don't happen by accident. We decide what kind of relationships we have with others, including that of our Lord.

Although there are seasons of desert living in our Christian walk, which have a purpose, we aren't supposed to live there. If our marriage with the Lord feels flat there's a remedy. He offers us fellowship, love and passion. It is ours to possess, if only we will take the time to unite with Him. Look around and recognize His presence. Open up to Him. Spend time with God, in His Word, in prayer and worship. Listen to Him.

Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame."

Remember who He is and all that He has done to insure that each of us have a place in His kingdom. Fall back in love. God hasn't changed. He still loves us just as He always has. Truly remember Him and once again inexpressible joy will lighten your hearts.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie Leon

Quiet Moments With God--Timing

Have you ever had an experience when something you wanted or hoped for occurred at exactly the perfect time? Something that was just what you needed when you needed it? I love those moments. I suppose some are coincidental, but there are times when I'm certain God's laid a blessing upon me.

I experienced just such a moment this morning. I've been carrying a heavy burden, unnecessarily. Finally I did what I should have done weeks ago. After church I sought out a dear friend I know to be a prayer warrior and shared my heaviness of heart with her. Less than twenty-four hours later God shone His light on the core of the problem--the reason I've remained burdened for so long. He knew exactly what I needed to hear.

While in The Word, God met with me. He loves to spend time with His children. :-)

God doesn't mince words. He was clear and to the point. I now know what I need to do. The Lord isn't going to do it for me, but His love and strength will make me able. Relying on Him opens doors for transformation.

To become who He wants us to be we must take every thought captive. Our imaginations, desires and worries can get the better of us when we allow them to rule our lives. They ensnare us and we lose sight of God--lose confidence in His perfect plan.

We can overcome and unburden ourselves by trusting the Creator, the one who placed the stars in the heavens. He is our strength. Set our minds upon Him. He will transform our lives and we will walk in freedom and confidence.

Praising God for His goodness.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God -- Wait for the Command

Many years ago, a Christian friend told me, "Bonnie, there are a lot of needs, but that doesn't mean you're supposed to fulfill them all." His wise words have always stuck with me. Yet I still struggle. I often say yes when I should say no.

This morning while reading from "My Utmost For His Highest" Oswald Chambers words struck a strong chord in me. He said, "The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus."

I thought about that for several minutes and realized that like so many others when I see a need I step in to help. What if the task isn't mine to do? Doing the work intended for someone else only makes me feel overwhelmed. Been there, done that.

I'm not saying if we walk by a person in need that we're supposed to just keep walking and ignore their plight. The story of the good Samaritan clearly tells us what we need to do. What I'm talking about are the many committees or organizations that call out for helpers or for me it may be the one more marketing idea that will boost sales of my latest book or I may hear from a budding author who needs just a little guidance . . . My list goes on.

There are a lot of needs in this world, but before we decide we're supposed to fill the ones we happen upon we need to stop and think about whether God asked us to step in. Perhaps it is meant for someone else. When we take on a responsibility intended for another we're robbing that person of a blessing.

There are consequences for doing too much. It saps our strength, steals our health and usually means that what we are doing isn't being done very well.

Our solution is to listen to and obey God. If we can learn to walk in His will, rather than our own, life will be more productive and satisfying.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God -- Like a Tree Along a Riverbank

How good it is to belong to the Lord! I can't fathom living without Him. Because of His love I'm never alone.

When we face adversity or sorrow God may not lift us out of our trouble, but He will see us through it. He is our constant and faithful source of sustenance and strength.

Jeremish 17:7 – 8 says, “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

What a beautiful picture and what a magnificent promise. Those of us who belong to the Lord need never worry that He’ll remove Himself from us. He’ll be there through the storms of life as well as times of drought. And when we feel dry and thirsty, our roots reach into waters that never run dry.

He is my strength, my comfort, my Lord. He supplies my every need. I will praise Him all the day long.

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God--Yet I Will Rejoice in the Lord.

Habakkuk chapter three, verses 16 – 19 takes my breath away. Habakkuk lists all the things that will come against him and his people. Disaster will invade his homeland. Fig trees will have no blossoms, nor the vines have grapes. The olive crop will fail and the fields will lie empty and barren, the flocks will die in the field and the cattle barns will be empty. Habakkuk’s response? “YET I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. "

Great calamity is coming against Habakkuk. And in verse sixteen he says, "I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me and I shook in terror. Yet I will wait quietly . . ."

The “yet” in the last verse makes my heart ache for such faith. Habakkuk’s words to us are powerful and living. He speaks the truth, if only we will listen.

He is a man, in many ways, like us. He knows disaster is coming, and he’s afraid. He doesn’t pretend not to fear. But what he does with that fear makes me want to shout, “YES!” He rejoices. He sees the Lord as his strength, not the plans of men nor something he can do to fix the circumstances. He sees so clearly that what matters is who he is, a child of God. And God is his salvation.

The enemy throws darts at us, the world hurls storms, disasters, heartache, but we will not be undone if we remember where our strength lies. God is the one who placed the sun, the moon and the stars in the heavens. He created all the earth. He is our strength. There is no other who can match His power, love, and wisdom. He is our all in all. There is nothing too difficult for Him.

Praise Him.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God--Care For One Another.

In my reading today, in First Thessalonians Three, a verse jumped out at me. Verse 10 says, "Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith."

Stunning words, considering Paul had fled Thessalonica under threat of his life. He’d suffered persecutions of all kinds. And yet, rather than thinking about himself and his own comfort, his heart was with those he'd discipled. He was living in harmony with God. His thoughts were God’s thoughts. At that moment, he was not thinking about himself, but rather what he could do to serve God’s people.

I long to be like Paul, to serve without thought for my own needs, but I am human and all to often I find myself having to go to God to seek forgiveness for my selfish ways. And as you read Paul's writings he often addressed his own weaknesses. He did not see himself as being better than others, but rather as the worst of all sinners. But that did not hold him back. He spent his life serving others and living sacrificially.

That’s my prayer, to be the Lord’s completely. It's not easy to do. But we can help one another, by being encouragers, by holding one another accountable and by lifting each other up in prayer so we will not be lacking in faith. Therefore, when we go to our Heavenly Father may we never forget to pray for our Christian family and take comfort in knowing they are praying for us.

Grace & Peace to you from God.

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God -- Unyielding Love

This week, verses I’ve carried close to my heart for many years were part of my reading. I love God’s Word; it’s enduring and compelling. If my mind is set upon Christ I will hear what God has to say to me. And once again Ephesians 3:17-18 reminded me that Christ’s love is a supernatural choice He makes.

Paul said to the Ephesian church, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

I was a young mother when I first read these verses. While my little ones napped I took my Bible, went to my back porch and dropped into a patio chair. It was my “God time”. These passages were a balm to my soul. Yet, I couldn’t fully grasp their meaning. So, as I often do, I asked God to show me. And He was faithful to answer. I looked out over a broad valley that stretched into the hills and up into the mountains. It was wide and long. God said to me, “See that. Even that valley cannot contain the love I have for you.”

As the reality settled in, I took a deep breath and felt awash in His love. Even now, when I think about that first glimmer of understanding my eyes fill with tears. How could anyone love me that much? Only God.

There is no human measurement for His love. The closest I can come is a parent’s love for their child. I remember the first time I saw my son. An indescribable and unfamiliar love swelled inside me—powerful and unyielding. I’d never felt that way about anyone before that moment. And I knew I’d die for that little boy if need be.

When I visited the Grand Canyon several months ago I gazed at the astounding view, barely able to believe the splendor. Again, I heard the voice of God whisper, “Not even this can contain the love I have for you.”

His love is infinite and without conditions. He loves us . . . period. I rest in that, knowing I can depend upon Him to embrace me as a father does his child even when that child lets Him down.

So dear friends, rest in the one true and enduring refuge--the arms of our Lord.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie