True Love

Give yourself fully to the adventure of today. Walk boldly along the path of life, relying on your ever present Companion. You have every reason to be confident, because My Presence accompanies you all the days of your life and onward into eternity. DO NOT GIVE IN TO FEAR OR WORRY, THOSE ROBBERS OF ABUNDANT LIVING. Trust Me enough to face the problems as they come, rather than trying to anticipate them. Fix your eyes on Me, the Author and Perfector of your faith, and many difficulties on the road ahead will vanish before you reach them. Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I am holding you by your right hand. Nothing can separate you from My Presence. 

Jesus Calling

"So no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always me first,

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of these three is love."

"Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it, because it does."

1 Corinthians 13: 3-7, 13 and 1Corinthians 14:1

"So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush." 

Philippians 1:9-10

These are just a few scripture verses and one devotion that I found to encourage you on this day of "love". First off, know that you are loved each and every day, not just on Valentines Day, by a wonderful, caring God who is the creator of pure, true love. Second, I challenge you to think about this well known verse from 1 Corinthians and apply it to your daily life. What would this world look like if we each embraced and practiced a life of love, not just for our families and friends, but for those strangers we encounter at work, the grocery store, the bank, etc. on a daily basis?? I can attest from personal experience that this is no easy feat, but I pray that we can be mindful and diligent of the impact we could have on others just by displaying a random act of kindness and love.

On a day that is equally loathed as it is "loved", know that you're worth and value doesn't come enclosed in a box of chocolates or a strand of jewels (though those things are quite nice), but rather in the form of a never ending, un-conditional, merciful love of Jesus. 

Sending much love from me to you, and hope that you share it with someone else!

Happy Valentines y'all!