Friday, January 13, 2012

Living Loved


His Love is the only thing that changes any of us and living loved — wouldn’t this change everything?  
 Ann Voskamp

Loving someone changes people, not nagging, complaining, or manipulating them ~

When your husband confesses another sin to you, loving him anyways makes him want to change.

When you aren't invited to a party and feel left out, loving them anyways makes them drawn to you.

When your teenager is grumpy and depressed, loving them instead of scolding them helps them change.

Yes, we all want to be loved but I have found the way to be loved is to love deeply, from the heart.  Accept others failures and weaknesses.  Pray for them.  Encourage them with God's Word.  

Many husbands are trapped in the vicious cycle of pornography.  It hurts.  It is a sin against the wives.  I hear the pain in your emails to me.  Yes, it is alright to cry about it, but then let it go.  Give it to God.  Love your husbands anyways, because this is what you are commanded to do.  Make sure your heart is right with God.

Read I John every day this week if you can and meditate upon it.  It is all about love.  If we don't love others, we don't love God.  The "others" in that verse includes your husbands, your teenagers, your cranky in-laws, your loud neighbors, and your boss.

Beloved, let us love one another:  for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.  If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar;  for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?  
I John 4;7,20

Remember, you are loved by an almighty God!