I Want To Get Love Right! When I actually take the time to stop and think about it, one of the most important things in my life is God’s love for me!  I want to love Him and others with the same unconditional love that He loves me with.

In our world, we all to often think of love as just being a feeling that we feel.  And I admit that feeling is a big part of it, but according to God’s Word, there is so much more!  Psalm 103:17-18 says:  “17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—  18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.”

God shows me the more in His commitment.  I love others best when I move beyond what I feel and extend myself for the well-being and blessing of someone else.  I want this to be the consistent decision of my life, the decision that I am courageous to make in any and all situations and circumstances!

Jesus put on display His unconditional love for you and me, when He made the loving commitment to lay down His life to save us from our sins and provide the way for us to enter into everlasting relationship with Him.

This Is My Prayer! God help me to love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength!  Help me to love others with the love that You love me with.  I commit to You and to others to love more and to love better as one year closes and a new one opens!  Thank You for loving me first and showing me the way!

The hard truth that we all know, but hate to admit is that we are sinners!  We do things that we are not supposed to do and we fail to do things that we should!  Our sin separates us from our Holy and perfect Creator!

The issue is not:  Do I have sin?  The issue is:  What am I going to do about my sin? Here are three tips to help get us started as we close out one year and begin a new one!

Tip #1 – Don’t Leave Sin Unresolved! It is not sin that destroys people’s lives.  It is unresolved, un-confessed and un-repented of sin that really does the damage!  God loves you and desires to forgive, cleanse and restore you.  Get honest with yourself, others and God and experience the freedom that He has for you!

Tip #2 – Don’t Excuse Sin! You can justify and ease your mind, but there is still a price and a consequence!  Pretending that it does not exist and does not have consequences, will not cause the consequences to go away.  Don’t excuse it – deal with it, before it deals with you!

Tip #3 – Don’t Punish Yourself! You don’t have to beat yourself up!  You messed up and so does everybody else.  Just admit your sin, ask for forgiveness and activate your faith to accomplish the great things that you were created for!

I hope this helps!!!

Toby Keith sings a country song called “I Ain’t As Good As I Once Was!” which is a reminder to us all that getting older means that we don’t have the skill or energy that we used to have.  As the years march on, it is a very painful thing to realize that I’m not as good as I once was.  I don’t have what I used to have and I can’t do what I used to could do.

I am faced with persistent temptations that the enemy brings my way to try to depress me, weaken my resolve and beat down my spirit.  I don’t want to fail, I want to experience success, now more than I ever have, but where the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.

I want to finish well!  There is a follow-up line in Toby’s song, it says: “But I’m as good once as I ever was!” I want to be strong and stand against the schemes of the evil one.  I want to finish strong in my walk of faith.  If the Lord allows me to become old and gray, then on that day when I meet Him face to face, I would love to hear Him say:  “Well Done Good And Faithful Servant!”

The bottom line is:  “God who began a good work in you, will continue that work within you until it is finally finished here on this earth, at which time Jesus will return to take you to your Heavenly reward!” Philippians 1:6

Hang in there, stay faithful and give it all you’ve got!