"18-20 My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
21-24 And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us."-1 John 3:18-24 (MSG)
"My life is not my own, it's intertwined with Christ."-A quote, about verse 24, by a friend in their own words.
These verses at the quote by a friend are my life verses and theme right now. I really need to get in a study about 1 John. Just to let everyone know the title of this entry is the title of the chapter in the Bible if you use "The Message" version. Every time I go back to that book, it is to see if I'm loving enough and I feel like I could always do more. What I got from these verses and especially the ones that I highlighted is how to love myself and let God love me for me. I've been down on myself a lot lately so these verses were a really encouragement to me. I saw that God does care about us and that if we love other people then the worry and anxiety we have will go away. We just have to believe it will.
Now don't get me wrong. I still believe there is such a thing as anxiety disorder and I still believe I have it in a lot of ways but we need to found out a way to where I have less of it and these verses might help me. It did when I was going to bed last night. I was repeating the last part of my friend's quote, "my life is intertwined with Christ" and next thing I know I woke up in the morning ready to go. I want to love Christ and myself and see how Christ loves me so I can pass that love on to other people. When our lives are intertwined with the Love of Christ then we can love people. People can see Christ in us.
We are not living for ourselves or by ourselves so why do we worry all the time? When we worry we miss what God has planned for us. We don't do what He wants us to do because we are so focus on ourselves and not other people. We have to get this certain thing done before we can go onto the next thing God has planned for us. Wrong! We worry instead of taking the time to talk to and love on other people.
I really love the verse that I highlighted that says, "For God, knows our worried hearts better then we do and He knows us better then we know ourselves." How encouraging is that! In time of disappointment, we still have someone and can trust someone that knows us better and has a better plan for us then we could have ever thought of. We don't have to worry about anything. We just have to love!
Once we understand that God as everything under His control then we are bold and free to live for Him. We are free to love other people! We know that He loves us no matter what we are like or look like so we don't have to be worried what other people think. We have God on our side and if they don't like that then at least we can say we tried and did our part. Because we are bold and free in Him, that means we are living in and with Him. We are intertwined with Him. We are not worrying about what this world as for us but what we have for the world, which is way more important then anything this world can offer.
God is Love! If we don't have God in our hearts, then we don't have anything. We don't have a life. It might sound harsh but it is true. How can you truly live but not love on people. I'm going to make a statement that I usually don't make because I hate conflict but I feel like I need to make. Love is what is missing in this world and not just any love but God's Love.
Challenge for You: "Go be bold and free. Don't worry about a thing. Show people who God made you to be through your weaknesses and all. Go be Love and you will be loved back."
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