God is Love

Prayer – Lord, on this day…and on all days…I love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. And as You taught, Jesus, will love my neighbor as myself. 

Mezuzah with scripture inside...
posted at the door of our home.
Hear, O Israel:
The Lord is our God;
the Lord is one.
Deuteronomy 6:4

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 NKJV

Meditate. Consider God’s love.

 

God is love—do you believe that?

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  1 John 4:7-11 (Underlined for emphasis.)

We are told, admonished, instructed and persuaded throughout the Bible that God loves us. If you went to church as a child, the first song you probably learned was Jesus Love Me/this I know/for the Bible tells me so. God’s love is for everyone. Love is essential for life—we cannot really live without love.

Today is the beginning of Lent--the 40 days before Easter. Some people "give up" something for Lent...like desserts, sodas, or sweets. One friend is purging her home--giving up 40 items from each room, like clothes and unused kitchen gadgets. I also read about a person who is intentionally taking up a better habit, as in cultivating joy, openness, and gratitude. I tried that one year--changing my attitude to a more positive outlook. I think the key in any change is to dedicate it specifically to God, since I can do all things through Christ strengths me. Philippians 4:13.

 

Who was Saint Valentine for whom Valentine’s Day is named? He could have been several men throughout history but was most considered to be a clergyman or priest in the Roman Empire who ministered to the persecuted Christians and was martyred on February 14th. We could certainly use a man like that now! Five thousand persecuted Christians were killed last year and there were almost 300,000 around the world who were displaced from their homes. There are 50 countries in which it is just dangerous for Christians to live. Pray for your fellow brothers and sisters around the world. God loves them…but they will still be persecuted. One day their trials and tribulations will bring God glory. Remember the compassion that Jesus felt for His friend Lazarus when he died and was buried for four days before Jesus raised him from the tomb? Although that was not persecution, the resurrection of Lazarus was to give God glory. (See John 11.) Will we one day have to face persecution, too? Will our oppression and torment, like that of Job, bring God glory? Can we worship God by showing Him how much we love Him in spite of the treatment we received?

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 NKJV

Decide before you experience persecution. Remember…God is love.

 

Verses of Salvation ~ For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. Ephesians 2:8-9 AMP

 

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Birthday, Kendall

 

Blessing on Amelia for her procedure at Charleston Children’s

 

© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted. 

New King James Version ©1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Harper Collins Publisher. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),

Copyright ©2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

 

 Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

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