Devotionals for the Heart: Love

Love is…
A devotional by Allison M. Wilson

You are invited to read the key text for this devotional which is

 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:3 (NASB).

How many times have you heard or read the “love” chapter in the Bible? It’s often read for weddings, and there is nothing wrong with that, except most couples think they are supposed to go do all those things in their own strength, rather than recognizing that this chapter is speaking of Who GOD is. That’s where the end of Chapter 12 is crucial for us to remember.

We can all agree that only God gives the gifts of the Spirit, and only God can make the fruits of the Spirit alive in us. What we all seem to forget is that the first fruit is LOVE. Chapter 12 ends saying, “And I will show you a still more excellent way.” That should lead us to ask, “What is this more excellent way, Lord?” Once that question is asked, and we are truly seeking the answer, we can go to Chapter 13.

We speak, so often, from our “heart”, yet is it really? Are we speaking the truth in love, as we are called to do as believers? If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am even more than just a resounding gong. I can be a destroyer of hope, faith, joy, and someone who tears down another child of God in order to feel better about “getting it off my chest”. That’s not a more excellent way. In fact, it’s very much the way of the world which we are called to stand out from as different.

We can’t expect those in the world to treat us with the love of Christ. It’s just not who they are or anything they can produce. However, as believers, we are commanded to treat everyone with the love of Christ whether they are a blood relation through Him, or still wandering in darkness. This is a more excellent way which cannot be achieved through anything we do in our own strength. It is only manifested in us when we allow Christ to live through us. That love from Him, through us, shines a beacon of hope, joy, faith, and calls to their hearts. Whether they answer or not is not our responsibility. We are only called to love and let the Lord do the rest.

What would your relationships look like if you lived this more excellent way? If your speech was filled with love rather than cutting words, anger, malice, slander, or many of the other works of darkness Christ warns us against? What would our world look like? How would the world look at believers if His love was truly felt flowing through them? This doesn’t require that we accept things which we know are not of Christ. His love will show others right and wrong by His Spirit. We need not be the hammer beating them over their heads. We have simply been called to love.

Jesus came first to save the world…through His love. He will come again to judge the world, but He left behind His Holy Spirit to teach us this more excellent way. May we allow Him to love through us so a dying world may know what we already know…God is love.

My Prayer to God: Daddy, we fail, yet You love us still. We forget that we can only love others if we allow Your love to flow through us. Give us the eyes to see when we are attempting to love in our own strength rather than with Your perfect love which changes lives. We love You, and want to show the world Who You are. In Christ, Amen.

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Author Bio:

A very early reader and lover of the written word, Allison M. Wilson has been writing since the age of 8 with the heart to impart stories and God's truth. 

She has judged countless contests for the last 25 years, reviewed for several online publications, professionally edited, and written articles and devotionals.

Wife, mother, writer, editor, teacher, mentor, and mompreneur, God keeps her busy while living in east central Florida with her family.

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Connect with Allison:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allisonmwilson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amwilson

A Song about God's Love for you!

Devotionals for the Heart: Gail's thoughts about forgiveness

Forgiveness
A devotional written by Gail Kittleson

I have yet to read a verse in the Bible that instructs believers to be nice. And the older I get, the more certain characteristics of our role model, Jesus, stand out. Luke chapter seven even reveals how he ignored certain people at times.

But that’s not nice, we may remark. Maybe not, but Jesus did it, and pointedly. Luke tells the story of the town harlot who washed Jesus feet with her tears and anointed them with expensive perfume. Jesus certainly focused on the woman but ignored someone else.

The Pharisee who invited Jesus to his home had a real problem with this woman. First off, we note that Simon recognized her ... now, why should a religious zealot know who she was?

Immediately, he conjectured: Jesus must not be a prophet like I thought—otherwise “...he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.” (Luke 7:39)

But with far more awareness than Simon could have imagined, Jesus addressed his host right in front of everyone. The story he told Simon compares two forgiven men—one forgiven a little, the other with much in his life requiring mercy. We imagine him setting up the parable and then, in a very meaningful moment, asking Simon, “Which of the two would be more grateful?” (Luke 7:42)

Perhaps Simon shrugged as he replied, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.” (Luke 7:43)

Bingo! Jesus launched into teaching about forgiveness and gratitude. He then told the woman he forgave her sins, which shocked the dinner guests. “Who does he think he is ...?” (Luke 7:49)

Now comes the clincher. Jesus ignored them. Instead, he focused on the fallen woman, showering her with promise and peace. We might try to imagine how the others in the room felt, witnessing his extraordinary behavior.

Our Lord was such an intuitive fellow. His spiritual and emotional astuteness saw far beyond the surface, and led him to meet the deepest needs of the human heart. We all need His mercy, his love, and his forgiveness. Some of the dinner guests might not have agreed, but Jesus taught them a lesson by being what might not fit our conceptions of a nice Christian.

Help us, Lord to move beyond our childhood teachings into an obedience that delves deeper into the mystery of your unending love and forgiveness. Teach us to concentrate on your priorities and see people through Your eyes of unconditional love.

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Author Bio: 

When Gail Kittleson's not steeped in World War II research, drafting scenes, or deep in an edit of her 1940’s novels, she does a limited amount of editing for other authors. 

She also facilitates writing and creativity workshops, both in Iowa and Arizona, where she and her husband spend part of the winter in the amazing Ponderosa pine forest under the Mogollon Rim.

Favorites: spending time with grandchildren, walking, reading, meeting new people, and hearing from readers who fall in love with her characters.

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Celebrate Lit blog tour featuring Kathy Ide's book "21 Days of Grace"

Book: 21 Days of Grace: Stories that Celebrate God’s Unconditional Love
Stories compiled by Kathy Ide
Review by Alexis A. Goring

This is a sweet devotional book with a twist: short stories with a focus on Jesus Christ with a “Life Application” page following each story.

At first, I was unsure about how the author would be able to combine fictional stories with life applications and then put it all together in a neat little devotional book but Kathy Ide surpassed my expectations. She’s compiled these stories with skill and finished them with finesse. The stories only last a few pages but that’s enough to draw the reader in and prepare their appetite for the short paragraphs in the life application section that follow each story.

Seasoned authors who have a wealth of experience in writing Christian fiction wrote each story. The stories feature characters that are in need of God’s grace. Each tale teaches a lesson about life and God’s love for humankind. The authors in this book prove through their stories and life applications that God’s love is unconditional.

I found this book to be very inspirational and encouraging to my heart. The stories are relatable, true to real-life and uplifting. It is easy for the reader to absorb and enjoy each story.

This book features stories by Robin Bayne, Angela Hunt, Deborah Raney and many more notable authors! The authors achieve their goal of telling fictional stories packed with lessons that the reader can apply to their everyday life.

21 Days of Grace is well deserving of a five-star rating and should be on the shelves not only in bookstores but in the homes of readers who need God’s Grace.

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Details from Celebrate Lit:

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book:

Book: 21 Days of Grace
Author: Compiled by Kathy Ide
Genre: Devotional
Release Date: March 24, 2015

Blurb: Love fiction? Looking for a devotional? Check out 21 DAYS OF GRACE, book one in the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series (published by BroadStreet Publishing Group). Fictional stories followed by brief life applications written by best-selling Christian novelists and debut authors, including Angela Hunt, Cindy Woodsmall, and Deborah Raney. Great for individual or group study.

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About the Author:

Kathy Ide is the author of Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors and the editor/compiler of the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series. She’s a full-time freelance editor and writing mentor, working with Christian authors of all genres at all levels. 

She teaches at writers’ conferences across the country and is the director of the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference and the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. 

She’s a co-owner of the Christian Editor Network LLC and founder of the four divisions that comprise the CEN: Christian Editor Connection, The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, PENCON, and The PEN Institute. To find out more about Kathy, visit www.KathyIde.com

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Guest Post from Kathy Ide: I’ve always loved Christian fiction, and I’ve seen the power of fiction to touch hearts and change lives, both firsthand and hearing about the experiences of others. But you know, in my quiet times with the Lord, reading a chapter from a novel just doesn’t seem quite appropriate. So a devotional with short fiction stories seemed like a great solution. And you can take these purse-sized devotionals wherever you go, to read when you have a few minutes of down time. It’s a great way to get “inspiration on the go.” And they make fantastic gifts for friends and loved ones.

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Blog Stops for this Celebrate Lit tour:

March 23: Reading Is My SuperPower

March 23: A Reader’s Brain

March 24: ASC Book Reviews

March 24: autism mom

March 24: It’s Storytime with Van Daniker

March 25: Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner

March 25: Inklings and notions

March 26: Blossoms and Blessings

March 26: The Power of Words

March 27: Lighthouse Academy

March 27: Because I said so – and other adventures in parenting

March 28: Moments Dipped in Ink

March 28: A Greater Yes

March 28: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

March 29: Captive Dreams Window

March 29: Donna’s BookShelf

March 29: Southern Chelle

March 30: Pause for Tales

March 30: The Scribbler

March 31: Carpe Diem

March 31: Faithful Acres Body Soul Spirit

April 1: A Baker’s Perspective

April 1: Splashesofjoy

April 2: Christian Bookaholic

April 2: Karen Sue Hadley

April 3: Ashley’s Bookshelf

April 3: Lane Hill House

April 4: Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet

April 4: History, Mystery and Faith

April 5: God is Love

April 5: Reader’s Cozy Corner

April 5: Simple Harvest Reads

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Giveaway details:

To celebrate her tour, Kathy is giving away:

1st – 4th place winners: A set of all four devotionals in the series.

5th and 6th place winners: An autographed copy of 21 Days of Grace with a novel written by one of the contributing authors!

Click below to enter:
https://promosimple.com/ps/b2cd 

Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! 

Words of Faith: Laurie's story about God's unconditional love

All We Need
A Words of Faith story written by Laurie Tomlinson 

“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 

~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)~

For most of my upbringing, my people-pleasing, perfectionist nature permeated every aspect of life—including my faith. The strategy was to do all I could to please the Lord, and the only messages I believed said I could never do enough to be in right standing with God.

Just like I obsessed over studying to make good grades, I obsessed over doing all the things to be a good Christian. Reading my Bible, praying, going to church every time the doors were open, and practically running to answer every altar call so I could ask for forgiveness.

Now I know that God doesn’t work like that.

That false picture of God I had painted told a story of distance instead of intimacy. Of a love that was granted with disclaimers instead of no questions asked. And when I fell asleep praying, zoned out during a sermon, and couldn’t make sense of my Bible reading, I wondered: If I couldn’t be perfect, why try at all? I went through the motions—still concerned with appeasing the people in my life who would notice—but I didn’t value a connection with God.

In this Instagram-filtered culture that glorifies busy, I think it’s easy to miss the point. It’s easy to think that faith is a series of pics-or-it-didn’t-happen hoops to jump through. That God is a wish-granting genie in the sky who holds us to an unattainable standard of perfection.

But just like the adolescent version of me, we’re all giving ourselves too much credit.

I’m grateful for a high school teacher who helped me realize that righteousness, holiness—the ability to go to heaven, for that matter—don’t have anything to do with anything we do. The blood of Christ, the ultimate sacrifice made because of His great love, is the only thing that makes it possible.

Kind of takes the pressure off, doesn’t it?

Once I understood the depth of that love, it was a game-changer. It was inspiring. It was transforming. It turned faith from a series of rules to a relationship that never changed no matter how much I failed. And the amazing thing is, our human understanding can’t even begin to scratch the surface of that love.

Now my goal is not perfection but to live in a way that focuses less on what I do and more on the bridge between Christ and me, the perfect power that redeemed me. We don’t have to wait until everything’s lined up or certain parameters have been met to commune with God, because when do we ever have it all together? He sees our hearts and only cares that we show up. Even when life is crazy and all we have to pray is a single word, He meets us where we are.

As the verse mentions above, His grace is all we need.

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Author bio: 

Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a two-time Genesis Award winner, and the runner-up in the 2015 Lone Star Contest's Inspirational category. Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.
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Connect with Laurie:
Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson
Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson
Website - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Thankful Thursday: My birthday and other reasons to celebrate

Today is my birthday!

I am SO thankful to God for allowing me to make it through another year!

As you know, everything you have can be gone in a split second through the loss of your own life or a natural disaster such as the tornado that stormed through Oklahoma City on Monday, leaving desolation to property and devastation to hearts of the residents who live there.

The Bible tells us not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will “worry about itself” and each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). So each and every day that I wake up in the morning and make it through the day and sleep peacefully through the night I am thankful because you just never know what can happen.

Another reason to celebrate is inspired by this song, “Indescribable” which was first written and composed by Laura Story, originally performed by Chris Tomlin but my absolute favorite version of the song is performed by Kierra Sheard! The reason to celebrate is found within the the song's lyrics which praise God for being so wonderful. The lesson point is that no matter how often we mess up, God is still there to pick us up and will forgive us if we ask for forgiveness, repent and turn away from our sin(s). I love the line in the song that says God sees the DEPTHS of our HEARTS and LOVES US THE SAME! Now that’s beautiful. God sees the UGLY in us and YET He still loves us. Despite of us, God still shows us that there is HOPE.  The love, grace and mercy of God can transform us from the worst condition, restoring us from our broken sinful position and remaking us into who He has called us to be in this life.

Now if that’s not something to celebrate EVERY DAY, not just on my birthday LOL, then I don’t know what else is worthy of such gratitude!

So here’s to ME on my birthday and here’s to YOU who God sees and loves unconditionally EVERY DAY!