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In my mind, faith used to be so easy.
Hope was filled with all my wants and desires.
Love was about what I could get from other people.
But lately I have learned that faith is bold, hope is humble, and love is selfless.
I look to people who have been put down their entire lives and who have been emotionally wounded by people’s words, yet they step out with boldness to be who God created them to be. Their boldness encourages my heart.
You need to focus on building boldness in your faith journey!
I look to people who have lost everything that ever meant anything to them, and my heart is overjoyed when I know they are still hopeful in the midst of their tragedy. This gives me the strength to endure.
I look to people who wake up every day with the desire to give more than they receive, and I am inspired by their selfless love for other people.
My hope used to be so unsteady. I would turn my back on God every chance I could get, wondering how or why He would allow some tragic things to happen. Life hasn’t gotten any easier, but I will say that I have gotten stronger.
As Christians, we lose out on the fruit of endurance because we give up too soon. We lose hope, and I feel our hope is so unsteady because we have forgotten the purpose of hope, which is to strengthen us.
Faith was easy for me because, in my mind, all I needed to do was gain knowledge and live a life guarded by truth, and that was it. For me, faith was based on my life of obedience and performance as a Christian.
But I have learned that faith is about those moments where you are willing to go into those dark places.
Faith combats fear.
Hope strengthens us.
Perfect love brings healing.
They all work together, but the greatest of these three is love.
How can perfect love cast out fear if we are AFRAID of the dark? How can we truly love the sinner if we have no hope in our heart for their healing, or even ours?
My focus has been off, but I am so thankful for grace—God’s amazing grace. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to find my purpose and live it out. I’m so thankful that the burden of fixing people and their lives has been released from me. I’m so thankful that I can love you and respect you in spite of your flaws.
I’m thankful that I can love myself despite my struggles. I’m grateful that God loves me despite my struggles because he loved me when I was still a sinner.
Some of the most humble people I know are at a point in their lives where they know they need Jesus. They KNOW that outside of the cross, all their righteous acts are like filthy rags.
Faith isn’t about finding security in your work.
Hope isn’t just about this temporary life.
Love isn’t about using people.
Faith is about living a life that reflects your beliefs. Hope is about all things eternal; it’s about the unseen. Love is about giving more than you could ever receive.
My life has been turned upside down because now I know it’s not about me anymore. I am so OK with that because when it’s about me, it’s never really all that satisfying anyway.
Everything is temporary.
More is never enough.
My desires never satisfy my heart.
Often, I am left feeling used up and empty.
The Bible says that David was a man after God’s own heart. As we look at David’s life, we can see that it wasn’t David’s purity that made him a man after God’s heart.
Before David was anointed King, he was a shepherd. In his role as shepherd, he took care of his sheep by often putting his life on the line. He protected and cared for sheep who would never be able to give back all that David gave to them. These sheep would never be able to protect David, strengthen him, or even encourage him.
God has always been in the business of giving more than we could ever give back to Him. He created us and gave us eternal life through His son, Jesus. David gave more than anyone could ever pay him back. This is why I believe David was a man after God’s own heart.
So often, we talk more than we listen and take more than we are willing to give. I believe that if we are in the business of giving, God will be more than willing to provide for us. But this happens in so many ways other than giving with our money.
It can be difficult not to feel used in the world when we give, and people have no idea that they are taking more than they are giving back. But to be someone who is after God’s own heart and to live a life of faith, hope, and Love, we need to be willing to let go of this sense of entitlement and embrace the beauty of giving more than we will ever receive back.
So, today, my heart is focused on what truly matters. In this world, it can be difficult to do that when we feel that all we give is never returned. But God has His ways of providing for us, and when we release our expectations of what that looks like, then we will SEE all that He has for us, and we will find the encouragement and fulfillment we are all looking for.
Today, I pray you will SEE His provision through FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE.