Love is the Greatest Gift of All

Good day, Good People! Happy Thursday! Today, let's focus on loving ourselves and showing love to others. 

Scripture of the day- Psalm 143:8-Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,  for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

Psalm 63:4- I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Philippians 4:7- And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard  your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Positive word of the day- love- an intense feeling of deep affection; passion. endearment 

Quote of the day- Good things come to those who believe, better things come to those who are patient and the best things come to those who don't give up. - Unknown

 According to https://www.gotquestions.org/the-greatest-of-these-is-love.html, Jesus taught that the greatest two commandments both include love, the greatest gift: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40).

Love is kind, love heals, love covers a multitude of sins, love is humble, love is patient; love is faithful and sincere to yourself, your loved ones and people all over the world. Be compassionate and empathetic, we all have been through things and overcame trials in life, so let's heal together by expressing and showing love to one another. 

You Are Not Damaged Goods

Adapted from the resource Healing the Soul of a Woman - by Joyce Meyer

Women who have been abused in any way often feel they are damaged beyond repair. I grew up thinking no one would ever want me as a wife because of what my father had done to me, so I made the mistake of marrying the first boy who showed interest in me, at the age of eighteen, and he had even more problems than I did.

After five more years of abuse from him, I got a divorce. Those five years were filled with pain I could have avoided had I not been so desperate to be loved and afraid I never would be.

No matter what has happened to you in the past, you are not damaged goods, because when we are in Christ, we become new creatures entirely and old things pass away (See 2 Cor. 5:17). As the scripture says, we are “made complete” in Him. Whatever we did not get from people, we can get from God. He pays us back for all the mistreatment we have experienced in life, and then, in His goodness, He uses those painful things to help us help others. God makes us strong at our broken places!

How you see yourself is very important. It’s more important than what anyone else thinks of you. God sees the end from the beginning, and believe me, no matter how bad your beginning was, you can have a great finish in your life. You cannot change the way things were, but you can go forward and never look back. People often think, If only that hadn’t happened to me, I would have a better life. But you can still have a great life no matter what has happened to you, because God is an expert at fresh starts and new beginnings.

You may still be dealing with some of the effects of a painful past, but the time will come when there will be no evidence that they ever happened. I had my hip replaced a few years ago and it hurt for several weeks while it was healing. It gradually got better, and better and now I can’t even tell I ever went through that surgery. I have a new hip, and it is much stronger than the old one. God works in our souls the same way. When we open our wounds to Him and ask for healing, it hurts and the pain may get worse for a while, but gradually we get better and better and will eventually be stronger than ever.

If you believe you are damaged goods and that you will always have an inferior life, then that is what you will experience. God has promised us many wonderful things, but we access each of them by believing they are for us and receiving them by faith. Jesus died for you to have a wonderful, joyful, and peaceful life and I urge you not to settle for anything less.

Prayer Starter: Father God, You know what is in my past and I give You control of my future. Help to understand that I am complete in You, and I am a new person in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.