Photos & Prayers

A picture is worth 1000 words. And, it’s also a great prayer reminder. 

When we moved to Budapest in 2004, I took a small photo album with pictures of my family, friends and certain missionaries. It was a great prayer tool … much better than a written list. 

I’m always looking for ways to be more faithful in prayer, and this photo album helped. I could toss it in my purse and pray on the bus or while waiting for an appointment. When someone needed special prayer, I could pull their picture from the album and put it somewhere in my house where I’d see it often. 

I also laminated a family photo to use as a bookmark in my Bible or prayer journal. 

Every time I get out my Bible or journal, I see my loved ones' smiling faces—a great way to start prayer with thanksgiving.

Prayer is so important!

Philippians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 

Have you used photos as prayer reminders?  

You might enjoy the 1-minute devotion A Picture is Worth 1000 Words. It speaks about God's use of  "pictures."

--------------------------

Why not add some more of God's Word to your schedule by having a 1-minute devotion delivered to your email each weekday. Sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

Bible Love Notes

Mirror, Mirror

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

In 1937 when Disney debuted Snow White, people understood the stepmother was wicked because of her narcissistic obsession with her self-image. 

However, in the last eighty years, our culture has promoted the "stepmother's mirror" by telling us we deserve and need a continual diet of praise to improve our self-image even though studies show it doesn't work.

God talks about mirrors and self-image too: 

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." James 1:23-25

God’s Word is a mirror that conforms us to His image and brings Him praise and glory. Let's look into it intently.

------------------

1-minute devotions that inspire us to "look intently into God's perfect law":

5 Ideas for Studying the Bible

A Fun Word Study

5 Practical Ways to Hide God's Word in Your Heart

 

Bible Love Notes

Are You Listening?

Sometimes God whispers. But in the skies, He proclaims. 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” ~ Psalm 19:1-2  

These verses came to mind several years ago when I stood on a balcony in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The blue sky caressed the horizon with such strength, beauty, and purpose. I could not help but praise our Creator.

Whether the sky is filled with wispy white clouds, a glowing sun, or a blanket of twinkling stars, the divine nature of God is speaking to us.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen...." ~ Romans 1:20

God could have created boring beige skies. But He didn't.

He uses His creation to give us clues about His character, clues that cross all language barriers: 

“They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” ~ Psalm 19:3-4

Are you listening?

---------------------------------------

I encourage you to read the full text of Psalm 19.

Why not add some more of God's Word to your schedule by having a 1-minute devotion delivered to your email each weekday. Sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

 

Bible Love Notes

3 Ways We Prove We Love Jesus

She loved her husband deeply but refused to do any of the things that mattered to him, especially when they required effort. 

He greatly respected his professor but never took notes in class, never studied for an exam, and never did assignments. 

She honored her parents but rarely called them and seldom followed their advice. 

Obviously these three descriptions do not define love, respect, or honor. True heart attitudes are revealed in actions and words. 

The same is true with our relationship with God. 

1. We can't love Him but refuse to do the things that please Him. 

John 14:21: "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me." 

2. We can't respect Him but never study His Word.  

Matthew 4:4: Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

3. We can't honor Him unless we genuinely take on His purposes for our lives.

Matthew 11:29: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." 

Ephesians 2:10: "We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

We don't love, respect, and honor God perfectly—I know I don't—but let's ponder these three areas today and ask where we need improvement. 

-----------------

To find inspiration and encouragement in these areas:

1. See Claiming that Sin is No Big Deal. 

2. See the Bible Love Notes collection of 1-minute devotions offering Quiet Time Tips to make your quiet time more meaningful. If you're a subscriber, you can hit reply when you get your devotion in your email and request the free e-booklet, "10 Days to a More Meaningful Quiet Time." If you're not a subscriber, please sign up for a free subscription because Bible Love Notes can help keep you in the Word! Subscription info HERE.

3. See: 

Are You a Signed or Unsigned Masterpiece?

Which Yoke? 

Keeping in Step with Christ

Come and Learn

 Bible Love Notes

Enjoying God's Creation

God created each element of our world intentionally according to His will (Revelation 4:11). He could have made our world completely functional and boring, but He chose to make it awe-inspiring, complex, and interesting because He is awe-inspiring, complex, and interesting.

Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” 

Creation is a proof of God's existence. That's why men who deny God are without excuse because they have ignored His testimony in nature. 

And we are without excuse if we take God's creation for granted. He's given it to us to enjoy, so let's enjoy it. Even if you live in the city, there are aspects you can delight in.

Here are a few ideas for appreciating God's creation more regularly:

💙 Learn something new about creation each week. 

The internet makes that easier than ever. Did you know that a squirrel's front teeth never stop growing...that snails can sleep for three years at a time...that cows can sleep standing up? You also might enjoy reading a 1-minute devotion about Fireflies.

💙 During your quiet time, thank God for some aspect of His creation that you recently enjoyed: a beautiful sky, a cool breeze, delicious fruit, etc.

💙 Take a walk, a hike, or a bike ride and enjoy your surroundings.

Don't let a day go by without enjoying God's creation and God Himself!

Check out the Bible Love Notes Collection of 1-minute devotions about God's Creation. 

 Bible Love Notes

Our "Divine Translator" - John 16:13

When I gave Bible seminars in Budapest, Hungary, I had some excellent translators. 

Because they were Hungarian, they knew the Hungarian language and culture. But they also were fluent in English and had a good knowledge of American culture. Most importantly, they were Christians, so they understood the Christian concepts I shared. 

Good translation is a complex mixture of culture, grammar, and subject matter. It’s far more than simply knowing vocabulary. 

That's why God has given us a Divine Translator. 

The Holy Spirit knows our language and God's “language” (1 Corinthians 2:10-16), so He makes Christ's ways known to us in ways we can understand (John 16:13). He counsels us, teaches us, and reminds us of truth (John 14:26). 

You see, we’re born “foreigners” to God’s ways because we have a fallen human nature. We need the Spirit to help us become more “fluent” in God's Word.

Enjoy the passage below and thank God for your Divine Translator.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16: "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, 'Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ."

If you'd like to study the Holy Spirit a bit more, check out this week's Bite Size Bible Study HERE. 

Bible Love Notes

Did Paul Write Part of the Bible?

Todd was a seeker, but one day he challenged a scriptural principle I shared with his wife. 

When I gave him the reference, he said, "Well, that was just Paul's point of view. Those are Paul's words, not God's." 

I explained that he was both right and wrong. Paul wrote part of the Bible, so we often reference Paul as the author. For example, we might say, "In 1 Corinthians Paul wrote about the meaning of love."  

But the truth is that Paul recorded what God's Spirit told him to write. He didn't think it up. God used Paul's writing style, but the message didn't come from his mind. It came from the mind of God and Paul simply recorded it.

If we disagree with what Paul wrote in the Epistles, we are disagreeing with God because Paul spoke from God as he was "carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).

Todd was genuinely confused, but some people use Todd's argument to ignore passages they don't like. I've actually heard Christians say Paul was immature or biased or without full knowledge of God when he wrote these Epistles!

Ex-vangelicals try to discredit Paul because he recorded many truths in conflict with modern culture. Sadly, people who discount Paul's letters have been around since the early church, and that's why God prompted Peter to write: "[Paul's] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures..." (2 Peter 3:16).

God's Spirit breathed out each verse of Scripture, and His Spirit says that those who discredit Paul's letters are ignorant and unstable (2 Timothy 3:16). Let's not be among them!

------------

Be encouraged by these 1-minute devotions about God's Word:

When the Bible is Tested for Accuracy

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Bible Love Notes

Jesus Rescues Junk Like Me

God repurposes our lives for His glory...

The Hungarians schedule periodic pick-up of larger trash items when people can clean out attics and storerooms and put large piles of junk on the curbside. 

When we lived in Budapest, I enjoyed these "junking days." 

I found some wonderful "treasures" to repurpose and enjoy in my home. You might think it's pathetic to save junk, but I enjoy it. My husband says I have a knack for seeing the beauty in an item that he'd never have seen.

Our Lord also likes to go "junking." He retrieved me from a junk pile of unbelief and nominal Christianity and He repurposed my life in ways I'd never have imagined.(1)

In our age of self-esteem, it's not popular to recite Romans 3:12 which says that without God we are "worthless." But it gives me great joy to know that my Lord gave up His divine privileges and took the humble position of a slave, dying a criminal’s death on a cross in order to save me from my worthless "junk pile" life (Philippians 2:6-8).

I'm not ashamed to remember what I was before He changed my heart and my purposes (Ephesians 2:10).

2 Timothy 2:20-21: "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."

Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me!

--------------------
(1) Nominal Christianity is the state of many church-goers in America. They are Christian "in name" but have never genuinely given their lives to the Lord, and they base their faith on various misunderstandings. I was raised going to church, and even though I didn't reject that background, I didn't make Christ my Lord until I was twenty-three years old.

Bible Love Notes

God's "Rule" for Overcoming Worry

"Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength - carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ― Corrie ten Boom 

Matthew 6:34: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." 

This is a brilliant, God-anointed principle that we often forget when struggling with a problem.

It's a verse we should all have memorized. Then, when our situations seem overwhelming with no end in sight, we can recite it to calm our fears. 

We aren't meant to handle a lifetime worth of problems each day. We aren't even meant to handle a week's worth of problems each day. But God promises to give us His strength to handle our problems one day at a time. 

These verses show us how we renew our strength daily.

✔ By putting our hope and trust in the Lord:

Isaiah 40:31: "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." 

✔ By praying about everything, no matter how small:

Philippians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 

✔ By remembering God's loving care.

1 Peter 5:7: "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."

✔ I encourage you to check out the Bible Love Notes Collection of 1-minute devotions about Worry.

Bible Love Notes

Plead & Praise - The Psalmist's Way to Deal With Injustice

When we face injustice, we can do like the psalmists and "plead and praise."

Many years ago, my husband and I volunteered full-time with a ministry only to have one of the leaders spread lies about us. It was heart-breaking.

Mistreatment happens to most of us, but King David's life was full of it. His arch-enemy, the ungodly King Saul, reigned in Israel forty-two years and made it his personal mission to discredit and kill David. 

Despite the years of unjust suffering, David never quit believing in the justice and love of the Lord. 

His psalms are full of pleas and praises. 

In Psalm 31, he explains he's like "broken pottery," the utter contempt of his neighbors, and he pleads with God to silence his enemies. 

But always accompanying his misery are statements of faith:

"I trust in you, O Lord ... My times are in your hands ... How great is your goodness."

Faith gave David an assurance about God's justice even when he couldn't see it. 

"Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]." Hebrews 11:1 Amplified Bible

Are you being mistreated? Plead and praise.

Bible Love Notes

When You Sink Into Despair

I've lived with a difficult family situation for many years. Despite my fervent prayers and attempts to understand and resolve the problem, it has continued to grow worse.

It's one of those things in life that doesn't make sense and can easily lead me to despair if I'm not careful to do these things: 

1. Tell myself the truth. I remind myself that God's love and strength are enough to get me through any and all sickness, sadness, frustration, anger, bitterness, and hopelessness. I know from years of experience that when I start sinking into despair, I need to hold all the more tightly to Jesus.

2. Remind myself of the Great Cloud of Witnesses - (Hebrews 12:1). Saints from the past and present can be Our Cheerleaders when we're struggling because they've suffered great difficulties and faithfully persevered.  

If you are unfamiliar with the stories of Christians who've found peace and joy in life's challenges, I recommend you do some research. You can start by reading 1-minute glimpses of their lives in the Bible Love Notes Collection of Christians Who Inspire Us. 

You'll be encouraged by modern-day saints like Joni who faithfully perseveres despite daily physical pain and enormous limitations and Steve who was baptized by the man who killed his father. You'll find strength in saints of old like George Washington Carver who was born a slave but returned good for evil and Mary Slessor whose difficult childhood prepared her for ministry.

Even when our circumstances don't change, we can find comfort in the midst of them when we seek God's help and remember that others have persevered in His strength (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).

Like Habakkuk, we can choose to sing no matter how bad our circumstances: "I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength!" 

Note: It's also important to make sure you are getting enough rest and nutrition because physical weakness adds to stress. Read about Elijah's problem in this area in Eat, Rest, Cry. 

Find courage in these passages:

Hebrews 12:1-6: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, 'My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.'"

2 Corinthians 1:3-5: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."

Habakkuk 3:17-19: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights."

If you'd like to do the Bite Size Bible Study that accompanies this devotion, click HERE.

Bible Love Notes

Whiners and Shiners

I can sometimes be a whiner. 

I can see the glass half-empty and focus on the negatives in an otherwise positive situation. 

But I'm getting better. My husband thinks so anyway. 

Whining is like staying in a dark room with all the curtains pulled instead of letting the sun shine into our circumstances. 

Even when our circumstances are truly dark, there are always stars in the dark sky if we look for them. 

And when we look for light, we reflect it and become shiners instead of whiners. 

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ... Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky" (Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:14-15). 

Wanna be a shiner? I do!

For another 1-minute devotion on this subject see Whining is a Sign of Unbelief. 

Bible Love Notes

Self-Centered or God-Centered?

When we're selfish we're self-centered instead of God-centered and self-confident instead of God-confident. That's why Jesus says losing is winning and winning is losing:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24 

We have a wonderful motive for being God-centered:

“He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

As we grow in the Lord, we also become more considerate of others:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:3-4

Let's ask God if there are areas of our lives where we've been selfish. Are we neglecting family members and/or responsibilities? Are we easily offended, overly sensitive, and/or easily angered? Do we excuse our sins and keep a record of other people's sins?

--------------

Why not add some more of God's Word to your schedule by having a 1-minute devotion delivered to your email each weekday. Sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

Bible Love Notes

3 Ways to Avoid "Friendly Fire" in the Church

Don't let anyone talk you out of God's plans and purposes for your life...

Perhaps the saddest fatalities in any war are those caused by friendly fire. 

And perhaps the saddest hindrance to Christian growth is also "friendly fire."

There was a time when that friendly fire came in the form of rigid, self-righteous, hypocritical judgment, but that's rare today. 

I think the most common friendly fire in the Church today comes in the form of downplaying Kingdom work or holiness. 

In war, friendly fire comes from the gun of a frightened, confused, or uninformed soldier. The dead or wounded soldier never sees it coming because he trusts his comrade. 

When Christian friends talk us out of something God is guiding us to do, they are also frightened, confused, or uninformed about godly priorities and sacrifices. 

That's why we must be careful to: 

1. Test our thoughts/ideas/plans against the truths of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

2. Ask for prayer from those who are more dedicated than we are (Ephesians 6:18). 

3. And then, just do it! (James 1:22)

Bible Love Notes

Awesome, Really?

"Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite." ~ C.S. Lewis 

Lewis understood a common writing and speaking mistake: using big words when simple ones will do and using God-descriptive superlatives too liberally.

Awesome is perhaps the most misused. We use it for a delicious hamburger, for a loved one, for a vacation—and for God. 

Are we crazy using the same superlative for God and hamburgers?

The definition of awesome: extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear. Synonyms: breathtaking, awe-inspiring, staggering... 

I don't think anyone or anything is truly awesome except God. 

Wonderful, yes. Awesome, no. 

Maybe it's not important, but I see our Christian culture growing more in awe of ourselves and less in awe of God. And I wonder if we've grown to believe that "awesome" applies to things it doesn't. 

Sometimes wording matters. What do you think?

Check out these Scriptures and the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words used to describe God. Afterward, if you want to be blessed, check out:

💙6 Minutes of Joy in Jesus.

The Hebrew word used in these Old Testament verses is 'Yare.'  

It means to inspire reverence, godly fear, astonishment, and awe in God's people and fright in God's enemies. 

Deuteronomy 10:17: "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes."

Nehemiah 1:5: "LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments."  

Psalm 68:35: "You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!"  

Psalm 66:1-5: "Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name. Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!'" 

Deuteronomy 7:21: "Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God." 

The specific word "awesome" is not used in the New Testament, but similar words are used. For example, the word "majesty" is the Greek word megaloprepés which means "magnificent, superb, transcendent, majestic." We might say, "God is so wonderful that He is beyond description. No superlative is adequate to describe Him." This word is used two times in the verses below:

2 Peter 1:16-17: "For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"

Bible Love Notes

Who Are You Going to Believe?

Facts never conflict with the Bible. The problem is the way people interpret the facts. When God says the world's wisdom is foolishness, it's not the facts that are in conflict (1 Corinthians 1:20). 

We see the misapplication of facts in the popular theory of evolution, and we see it in worldly philosophies that encourage selfish and sinful desires.

When Proverbs 15:22 tells us to seek a multitude of counselors, it doesn't mean we should keep looking until we find one that gives the advice we want to hear. 

Author and speaker Elisabeth Elliot put it this way, "Be cautious when the advice given makes you feel comfortable when you know you're really wrong." 

When we sincerely seek God's will, we'll recognize things built on worldly principles. It may sound good to our fallen human nature, but God's Spirit within us will recognize that it's foolishness.

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8 

E. Elliot Quote: Keep a Quiet Heart, (Ann Arbor, Michigan, Servant Publications, 1995, pp 160.) 

Would you like to do a very short Bite Size Bible Study on this devotion? It's HERE.
--------------------------------

Why not add some more of God's Word to your schedule by having a 1-minute devotion delivered to your email each weekday. Sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

Bible Love Notes

I Fell In Love With Another Man

A couple of days ago, my husband and I celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary, and in those 51 years of marriage, we've moved over 20 times. 

It's helped us understand that Christians are aliens and strangers here on earth (Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11). 😊 And it's made us keenly aware of the unique way God united our purposes as a couple.

Who but God could have worked with two people from such different backgrounds giving us joy in our nomadic lifestyle together? Who but God could have kept us on track in our relationship?

Even if you've never been married, you can embrace the relationships God has placed in your life, especially family relationships. Just like marriage, every good relationship requires forgiveness, consideration, and love in order to grow and improve.

Sometimes we forfeit God's purpose for our lives by giving up on our marriage, our parents, or our siblings. We fail to realize that the most difficult relationships often yield the greatest Christian maturity in our lives if we stick with them instead of taking the easy way out.

On September 5, 1970, a selfish unsaved 19-year-old woman married a selfish unsaved 20-year-old man. There really was no hope that our marriage would survive. But 4 years later I met and fell in love with another Man named Jesus, and a few years later my husband did the same. Jesus revolutionized our thinking and our marriage, and He can do the same with your difficult marriage or family relationships.

Jesus has taught us (and is still teaching us) how to genuinely love each other. We not only owe Him our lives and eternity, we owe Him our marriage. 

💕💕💕💕💕💕

If you want to read some of my marriage posts, check out the collection of Marriage Devotions. If you are struggling with a difficult relationship with your parents, check out the collection of 1-minute devotions about Honoring Parents. If you'd like to improve your relationship with your siblings or your friends, check out the collection of 1-minute devotions about Relationships. If you'd like to be aware of a teaching which has encouraged many people to take the easy way out and selfishly forfeit God's purposes, check out the collection of reviews of the Boundaries book and articles, especially Speak Your Mind even if You Lose Your Marriage.

When this was first published (9-2013), I noted that my husband and I were jet-lagged, having just flown to Budapest where we previously lived and did Christian ministry. Many of the comments below the devotion address this.

Bible Love Notes