If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

Have you ever met someone, then later one of their siblings, and wondered if they grew up in the same home? That happens to my youngest brother and me all the time. He and I have a lot in common - similar interests, values and world outlook - and we share the same faith.

Our brother, on the other hand, marches to a very different drummer. Over the years, we’ve had our difficulties and our relationship hasn’t always been an easy one. At times, neither of us liked the other very much. And to be honest, sometimes loving each other has been a struggle.

But love him, I must. I am a Christian and God makes it clear that I am called to love him - whether I feel like it or not and no matter what he does or doesn’t do. And if I can’t love him, then just how much do I love God? (1 John 4:20)

Is this always easy? Of course not, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can do this. How?

Be Thankful.

It’s easy to thank God for the people in our lives who are easy to love. However, we are called to love everyone, including our enemies. (Luke 6:27) Thank God in all circumstances. He uses difficult people to change us and to draw us closer to Him. Be thankful for the opportunity to know God better.

Be Prayerful.

Patiently and persistently pray for the difficult people in your life, knowing that God hears your prayers. Place them and the situations they may have caused in God’s hands. By praying for the difficult people in your life, you acknowledge that you are not in control, but God is. Ultimately, it’s not about you; it’s all about Him. Your part is to be an intercessor. Matthew 5:44 says that you should pray for those who persecute you. Pray for the strength to be obedient. (Philippians 4:13)

Be Patient.

God teaches us lessons and He often uses difficult people and circumstances as learning tools. When we learn the lesson, He can heal the difficult person and move them out of our lives. When we change, our circumstances often change as well. Use this time as an opportunity to show Christlike love. It may not happen today or tomorrow, but your patience will pay off. The testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:3)

Most difficult people don’t try to be difficult and usually don’t enjoy being difficult. Remember that old adage that says, “Hurting people, hurt people.” Many difficult people have unhealed hurts that causes them to lash out at others. The people around them then want to avoid them. As a child of God, you have the key to breaking this cycle - show them the love of Christ, pray for them and be patient.

The next time you find yourself dealing with a difficult person, take your focus off the person and the problems he or she is causing you and identify ways that you can be more Christlike when dealing with them. It’s not always easy, but, Jesus lives in you and you can do all things with His help.

Blessings,

Joyce

Blessings,

Joyce

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all. (Psalm 34:17-19)

Blessings,

Joyce

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

Blessings,

Joyce

Dear Lord; move in my heart, Spirit, and help me to pray in heartfelt honesty.

Have we taken the time to write a love letter to the Lord? Journaling with the Lord can be quite refreshing and bring an awakening to one’s spiritual growth. Spending time on our knees in prayer is of the utmost, but all too often not enough time is spent as the cares of the day are before us. Thus journaling helps one to focus and refocus if needed.

This week find a quiet space and begin to journal that love letter to the Lord. It will bring a cleansing and help one to be refreshed as thoughts and the meditation of a heart is pondered. Truly it is rewarding to look back and see where the Lord has brought us from and where the Lord is taking us too. He loves us so much and has written a love letter for the one who is willing to love Him back.

Praying that we are moved by the Spirit of the Lord in times of need and want, in times of thirst and hunger, in times of fullness and plenty…

 1John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Romans 8:26 -27 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

Every once in a while, when there doesn’t seem like there’s any light at the end of the tunnel, I remind myself that circumstances do change. We all hope that’s true for us right now, and many times it is. But isn’t it a wonderful thing to remember that this place is not our home and one day we will have a new home, an eternal home.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)

I am so thankful that I know where I will spend eternity. And although I’m in no hurry to go anywhere just yet, whenever the Lord sees fit to bring me home to live with Him, I will be ready.

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)

MaryMary says in their song Heaven everyone wants to go there. Take a couple of minutes and listen to it here.

Blessings,

Joyce

Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Habakkuk 2:2-4)

When you take a look at what’s going on in the world today, there’s a lot to see that’s going wrong. Many people are concerned about the economy, finances, jobs and how it’s going to affect them and their families. There’s another problem if all they can see is what’s going wrong, fear and scarcity.

You may be experiencing genuine heartbreaking problems and I’m not trying to diminish them. However, if you look at your circumstances through your physical eyes, it’s easy to join the crowd in negative thinking. Instead, try seeing your circumstances through your spiritual eyes.

This is a great time to look beyond now. God spoke a word over your life before you were even born. That’s where vision comes in.

The best example of someone who endured terrible circumstances but never lost sight of His vision is Jesus. God in the flesh left heaven to endure an excruciating death after being talked about, challenged, abandoned, denied, betrayed and every other possible thing that you can think of. Yet He was still able to say that He finished the work which God gave Him to do. (John 17:4) He never lost sight of the vision - His whole reason for being here on earth.

What can you learn from Jesus’ life? Accept the fact that although things may be hard for you right now, you can get through it. Refuse to focus on what you see. As a child of God, you walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Habakkuk 2:2-4, is a reminder to not give up on the vision God gave you for your life. Take your focus off what’s happening around you and place it on what’s yet to come. If God spoke it, it will come to pass. His Word always accomplishes what He said it would. (Isaiah 55:11)

Blessings,

Joyce

1 Peter 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Followers of Christ do just that; follow step by step. We walk daily one step at a time asking the Lord to lead and guide us every step of the way. It’s imperative that we take some time daily to seek the Lord in prayer; this is essential for Christian living. All too often we lead such busy lives and forget the very important task of taking it one step at a time, moment by moment, prayer by prayer. Being a follower of Christ is being a lover of Christ. Will you take time today to fall in love with Him all over again and share His love with others? People need the Lord more than ever today, and until we have Him in our life completely and unreservedly we cannot begin share His love with others. Spend time with the Lord daily, seek Him in much prayer, and spread His love abroad. Jesus Lives and others need to see this, hear this and know this. If we are followers of Christ, then we are His living letters.

Dear Lord, today I pray that we would stop for a moment and seek You taking it one step at time. Help us to not be too busy to pray, but let us come to the altar of prayer and lift up the needs of another, yet desiring to enrich our walk with You as we seek you throughout our day. Give us a burning passion to follow in Your footsteps, and help us to diligently follow after You. May Your will would be done in our lives, not our will.

In Jesus Name I pray! Amen!