by Teresa Martin | May 6, 2024 | Dig Deeper
In a world that often feels chaotic and divided, the call to stand up for what is right and to love with Christ-like love has never been more crucial. As Christians, we are not merely called to exist within the confines of our faith, but to actively engage with the world around us, guided by the principles of compassion, justice, and integrity.
Jesus Christ himself exemplified this perfect blend of righteousness and love during his time on earth. He fearlessly confronted injustice, challenged societal norms, and stood up for the marginalized and oppressed. His actions were rooted in love, driven by a deep-seated compassion for all humanity.
Standing up for what is right requires courage. It means being willing to speak out against injustice, even when it’s unpopular or uncomfortable. It means advocating for the voiceless, and defending the vulnerable. As followers of Christ, we are called to be bold in our convictions, unyielding in our commitment to truth and righteousness.
But standing up for what is right must always be accompanied by love. Christ-like love transcends boundaries and embraces all, regardless of race, religion, or social status. It is a love that seeks to understand, to empathize, and to forgive. It is a love that extends grace to the undeserving and compassion to the hurting.
When we stand up for what is right with Christ-like love, we become agents of transformation in the world. Our actions become a reflection of the love and grace that God has bestowed upon us, inviting others to experience the transformative power of His love.
However, embodying Christ-like love in our pursuit of righteousness does not mean we will always be met with acceptance or understanding. There will be times when our convictions will be challenged, when our efforts will be met with resistance, and when our love will be met with hate.
But even in the face of opposition, we are called to persevere. We are called to stand firm in our faith, unwavering in our commitment to love and righteousness. For it is through our steadfastness and unwavering faith that we bear witness to the transformative power of Christ’s love.
In conclusion, standing up for what is right and loving with Christ-like love are not mutually exclusive endeavors; rather, they are intrinsically linked. As followers of Christ, we are called to be bold in our convictions, courageous in our actions, and unwavering in our commitment to love. May we be inspired by the example of Jesus Christ, who embodied perfect love and righteousness, and may we strive to emulate His example in all that we do.
by Amanda O'Reilly | May 24, 2017 | Connection, Devotional, Dig Deeper, Wednesday Word for Women, Worship
Written By: Amanda O’Reilly who attends Oasis Church of the New River Valley and sings with Reverb Worship. Find more of here writing here: www.musingmojo.wordpress.com or follow her here: www.facebook.com/aoreilly2
He is jealous? For ME?
Think about that for a minute. Really think about how THE Creator of the universe, the Father of our salvation, the very same God who spent time with Adam and Eve, the same God who sent HIS son to die for us… He’s jealous for you!
Wow.
So often, we sing songs about how big His love is for us, how much He cares, how much He wants us to go into deeper waters to trust Him. Question… Do we ever really THINK about those words? Bigger question… Do we BELIEVE those words?
Give some honest thought to that.
Our day to day lives are filled with SO MUCH stress, so much tugging and pulling to do everything and be everything to everyone. We get weighed down with anxiety and stress and all that junk really starts to cloud our minds. Maybe it’s just me?
Anyway…
I recently was BLESSED to take my Emmaus journey. What a blessing! To be able to take three days to be with like-minded folks focused on our amazing, great big God was absolutely everything my heart needed. It was all I had hoped it would be… a beautiful time where I was able to refocus on Him and his amazing and unconditional love for us.
I’ll begin with this…
So, God has blessed me with really letting me hear Him through music. Those lyrics that we sing really allow me to hear Him and to be in His throne room with him as if He is speaking directly to ME.
We sang several songs throughout our journey to Emmaus of course. It was amazing being able to worship with my sisters (and a few brothers!) together. Several songs stood out, one being – as you may have guessed it… Crowder’s “How He Loves”.
I’ve sung that song I don’t know how many times. This was different. I was really trying to hear Him speak to me. I was yearning for it. “God, PLEASE. I’m here. I want to feel Your presence. I want to SEE Your face. Speak to ME.”
That first night, I spent quite a bit in silent meditation and prayer. At several points, I just spoke those words above over and over – again, meditating on words from this song and others. You see, prior to Emmaus – life was stressful. (Well, hello there understatement!) It’d been a crazy year of transition after transition. So, Emmaus was SO needed. It’s so true how things happen in HIS timing, right? I was “supposed” to go a year or so prior – but “somehow”… it didn’t work out. This time, I was able to build a relationship with a different sponsor and met some Jesus-lovin’ folks that I wouldn’t have gotten to meet otherwise (shoutout to my “Mama” here!).
I started thinking about all the junk that had transpired, not just the past year – but much longer than that… how He was always there. He was there when I felt like no one was. He was there, fighting for me, crying with me during hard times, yearning for me to lean on Him. Sometimes I did, other times, in my own pride… I tried to do it myself. He was still oh so faithful and never left me. He never forgot about me. He was there, with open arms. He may have been thinking “I told you so.”, but He never made me feel less than.
Agape.
He loves us SO big. SO unconditionally. He loves us in such a way that NOTHING we do, NOTHING can change how He feels about us. It’s a sacrificial, unconditional form of love that truly beats all odds. Wow. The same God who created the Heavens and Earth loves me like that? Really?
Can I be honest here? So many times, I feel unworthy. Those stinkin’ happenings in life REALLY get to me. I mean, they may or may not be getting to me as we speak. But ya’ know… God has MY back! Life can really make us feel like we are nothing. Stress with kids? Job? Family? Feeling friendless? Finances? Marriage? Maybe it’s all of the above. For many people, it is. I’m currently feeling a few of the above.
We can’t let the enemy win our hearts by allowing him to invade our thoughts.
Man, it sounds simple – but it can be easier said than done! So, what do you do? For me, I go to those songs. Those lyrics that are scripturally sound (something that is very important to me) and that align with my beliefs really help me get through those thoughts of unworthiness. Here lately, it’s been “He is jealous for me…”
No matter how low, how down, how alone, how useless, how whatever I feel… I remember that He loves me as I am and He loves me FIERCE! He has my back! That same God who’s done such great and mighty things goes before me in battle and he will never leave me. I can rest assured that I am not alone, because He lives in my heart!
Friends, I beg of you… know that YOU ARE LOVED. I mean it. No matter your mistakes… You’re loved. God thinks you are PRECIOUS. You were made in His image… you’re beautiful and valued and cherished beyond belief. When you feel any amount of “less than”… know that you’re worth more than all the treasures of this earth.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plngh8SkkA4[/embedyt]
by Teresa Martin | May 16, 2017 | Dig Deeper
Guest Post by Ray Kingrea of Tree of Life Ministries
Pastor Kingrea writes “The Journey” posts daily via his Facebook page. Follow him on Facebook here.
The JOURNEY – The REWARD – James 1:12 MSG – Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.
Are you facing a challenge in your life right now? I’m not talking about trying to decide what blouse or shirt you’re going to wear. I’m talking about a real challenge. The type of challenge that potentially change the course of your life if you don’t follow through with it. The type of challenge that involves, not only your life, but the lives of many others. The challenge that you realize you have to ride out in order to make it through, but the ride is going to be rough and you don’t know how you’re going to hang on.
There is no reward in giving up. You must ride out the challenge in order to get the reward. There are certain challenges that go much deeper and are way more spiritual than we think.
Job could have easily given up and sat there in defeated state at the mercy of three friends who thought his calamity was due to a life of sin. Job refused to give in to their attacking attitudes.
David faced the challenge of giant size proportion in the face off of a giant and the unrelenting attack of jealous crazed king. Rewards are never experienced by people who give up when faced with a “testing challenge”. Meet it “head-on” and “stick it out”. The reward is not just in what you see but it’s also in what receive from God. James says “the reward is life and more life”.
I want my reward from God for sticking it out! The real secret to overcoming? Only the “loyally in love with God” overcome. You have to love God in order to overcome. If you’re in love with anything or anyone else it will fall short of the reward. Only an absolute loyal love for Him will give you the drive and strength to meet the challenge and forge through to stick it out. The reward is only for the loyally in love with Him. Never forget that if you want to overcome.
by Teresa Martin | May 9, 2017 | Dig Deeper
Guest Post by Ray Kingrea of Tree of Life Ministries
Pastor Kingrea writes “The Journey” posts daily via his Facebook page. Follow him on Facebook here.
The JOURNEY- Something Powerful
James 5:16 MSG …The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.
I suppose I talk much about prayer because how bad I need it and how bad I see other people need it.
Prayer brought every person in the Word out of what they were going through to complete victory. There is no substitute for the weapon of prayers power. That’s why James said what he did about prayer when a person is living right, it’s “something powerful to be reckoned with.” YES, your prayers are just that powerful! Don’t underestimate what your prayers will do for you and for others.
When I’m in need, I’d rather have someone pray for me than anything else. Nothing can replace prayer! Prayers bring a reckoning on the devil and hell! You will never pray that heaven won’t be opened and hell won’t be shut!
Do you want to get out what you’re in or through where you’re at? PRAY! Prayer reckons the enemy to give up and let you and those around you free from the attack and grip of the devil. Your prayers make a difference and save a life. Never give up in prayer and you’ll never give in to the enemy or give up in life. You can overcome anything with a “reckoned” prayer.
by Teresa Martin | May 2, 2017 | Dig Deeper
Guest Post by Ray Kingrea of Tree of Life Ministries
Pastor Kingrea writes “The Journey” posts daily via his Facebook page. Follow him on Facebook here.
The JOURNEY: I’m Hurting
James 5:13 MSG: Are you hurting? Pray…
Pain medicine comes in many forms. There’s pain medicine for your back and for your head; there’s even pain medicine for your emotions.
You’ve seen the pain medicine commercial with the guy that has pain at different points throughout his whole body and the medicine that can remove the pain wherever it is. There are people that stick pins and needles in you to help with pain. There are doctors that specialize in pain. Some people try these and other methods but still have pain. It’s because they’re all temporary pain relievers.
Only through the power of prayer can you be healed of the pain you’re suffering. Only God can heal the pain you suffer from. His power can heal the body, soul, and spirit. Sin can be painful. There’s no medicine for sin except the Blood of Jesus that’s applied through prayer.
Are you in pain? Go to Him in prayer. Does your heart hurt? Your emotions or spiritual heart in pain? Pray and He will take the pain away. No pain medicine can do what prayer can do. Are you in pain? Pray, and keep praying to keep the pain away.
I don’t know what has caused your pain but God does and He won’t try to cover it up. Pray to God and watch God release His power to the very source of your pain. He’s the pain taker! All you have to do is pray.
by Teresa Martin | Apr 27, 2017 | Connection, Dig Deeper
Guest Post by Richard Rogers. Richard writes daily posts via his Facebook page. Follow him on Facebook here.
Life is all about relationships, the ways in which we connect with each other or how we behave toward or deal with other people. We, as human beings, are social creatures. We need each other! We all require love, encouragement, support, fellowship, and the myriad of other benefits that are possible because of relationships. In fact, our relationships with others help to mold and shape how we view ourselves in relation to the world around us. Attesting to the importance of relationships is an abundance of evidence that when people are isolated from social interaction for extended periods—such as enduring the punishment of solitary confinement—they can suffer detrimental emotional and psychological effects. Our relationships help to define who we are as individuals who are social by nature. The conglomeration of these relationships or human associations and the conventions, institutions, and patterns of thinking and behaving resulting from them is what we call society! Human relationships date back to the Garden of Eden when God said: “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Genesis 2:18) Life is all about relationships with other people, and everlasting life is all about a relationship with one man—the only One who has ever walked on earth as both God and man—the Lord Jesus Christ!!!.
Just as positive associations with other people are essential to our physical and emotional health, we all desperately need to enter into a relationship with Jesus, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, through whom we have the exclusive opportunity for communion and fellowship with the heavenly Father. Of all the bonds that we will ever develop, emphatically, the most important one by far is a relationship with the Savior of mankind, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ! It is absolutely essential that each of us has, not just a knowledge of, but a personal relationship with Christ. Not our good works, not our service to others, nothing else can do it—the development of this one relationship or the failure to do so alone will determine whether we spend eternity in God’s presence in an unimaginably glorious paradise called heaven or eternally separated from Him in an equally real place of everlasting punishment called hell. In this earthly life it is essential that we choose and develop our relationships carefully. Likewise, our eternal security hinges on wisely choosing to open our hearts to receive Christ who longs to come inside and fellowship forever with you and me. Jesus, who died that we might have life, extends to all this invitation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20) Faith opens the door to an outpouring of God’s grace and an everlasting relationship with Christ Jesus!
