Loving like Jesus

Summer is almost here! That time when family and friends spend quality time together. I can't wait!
Today, I was reading The Message version of 1 Peter 1. I came across a verse that said:

"You must love others as if your life depends on it."


I thought about that a lot. What does that statement mean? The actual meaning is obvious, but how can we apply it to our hearts? Why must we love others as if our life depends on it? Because that is what Christ did. Christ loved us because our lives depended on it, and our lives still depend on it. So if we are to be like Christ, we need to love others unconditionally. We need to love them because it's Christ-like. Even if they are hard to love. Even if they despise us. And it's not humanly possible, and that's why we can call on Jesus for help. He longs for us to ask for His help. Can you imagine what this world would be like if we all loved like that? If we thought about others before ourselves? The change would be outstanding. Jesus, help us all to love like You!

Children of Light

It's been a while since I last wrote! It has definitely been a crazy couple of months... with mom's pregnancy, school and just life in general! But I know that through all of the chaos, God is the calm.

I have been reading through the book of Ephesians and I am constantly awed at all of the little gems hidden inside each verse. As I read chapter five, verse 8 struck me. It says:

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light..."

It really strikes me when it says that we were darkness. Without Jesus' saving grace, we are darkness. Not just like darkness. Nope, we are darkness without Him. I think of the things that remind me of darkness... the evil creatures in Lord of the Rings that portray darkness so vividly, the White Witch in Narnia... all the things that are a picture of utter darkness, and without Him that's what we are! That's what we look like! ((Not a pleasant thought at all.))

But if we have accepted the salvation of the Messiah we are the complete opposite! We get to portray an all glorious and powerful light, which is the exact opposite of the evil things I described above! We get to portray beauty and grace, love and generosity. How great is that?

I don't know if any of this strikes you, but it definitely hit me... and I am so thankful for Jesus in my life!

Hope you all have a wonderful, Light filled weekend! ;)

Hello to whoever is reading this... :)

It's been a crazy couple of weeks! Lots has happened, but I am happy to report that I have made it out semi-whole.

The first, and probably the craziest of things that has happened is that I turned 16! It's wonderful and scary at the same time. It feels like this year will be huge, although in what ways I know not. I just know that God has some amazing plans for me!

Yet another crazy thing is that I am going to be a big sister again. I am still a little shocked about the whole thing, but really excited. We were privileged to see an ultrasound the other day, and it was really exciting to see a completely active little one.

Today my Bible study 'Believing God' by Beth Moore took me to Hebrews, where I read about Abraham. She talked about how Abraham left everything for something God had promised later. How often do we do the things God asks us to, knowing that the fulfillment of the promise will come later? This was something that made my mind spin. Often, I find myself feeling restless and impatient for God to come through with the plan. Maybe in those times, God just wants us to be still and wait. Sometimes that's hard, but maybe God is trying to teach us a lesson in patience, trust and a number of other things. Just some food for thought. :)

There isn't much else to report, but I know I cam constantly in need of the grace of God. May He be glorified through my words. :)

Good morning!

Today I read my Beth Moore devotional. The scripture was Matthew 3:1-16, which is the story of the baptism of Jesus. My favorite verses from the passage are this:

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." -Matthew 3:13-16

Can you imagine being John at that moment? I imagine when he first catches a glimpse of the
Messiah, His heart beat wildly. Beth Moore wrote "How those waters kept from parting that day, I'll never know." Wow, how true that is! Another thing Beth mentioned was that Jesus was completely sinless. He had nothing to confess, yet there was a confession to be made over Him, which was simply, the confession of His holiness enthroned in heaven.

These are just some thoughts for the day. :) Perhaps I will post more later.

Jade

P.S. Blogspot is acting weird on me, so if this post looks weird, my apologies.

Hey... it's me!

Hey... this is Jade, signing in for my first blog post. So, to start off, I am head over heals for Jesus, and am so thankful for His mercy that is new every day. I am a blooming photographer, and I marvel in the wonder of God's creation.

My hopes for this blog are to post Bible verses, pictures, and stories from my life. I really hope that I can be an encouragement and maybe even bring a smile to your faces.

I want to post the scripture that I found today that completely humbled me... it is the passage that I hope to live by. It is 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22.

"Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."

So, with that, I sign off... thanks for reading!