Commanded to Love

Commanded to Love When God etched the Ten Commandments into two stone tablets, He left no doubt about the obedience He desired from His people. With each command, the gravity of God’s perfect standard was confirmed—and so was humanity’s sinfulness. As we read through the overwhelming list of dos and don’ts in Deuteronomy, we are forced to face our inability to perfectly keep the law. Thankfully, God doesn’t set an impossible task when He asks us to obey Him. He prefaces the command to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength with the infallible truth that He is the one and only God. He is holy, sovereign, and eternal, and He deserves our worship and obedience. And if that’s not enough, He has reconciled us to Himself through His Son, allowing us to have a personal relationship with Him. When we grasp the truth of God’s unmerited love and kindness, we will inevitably respond with a heart of gratitude and obedience. And although we’ll continually fail to love Him with our entire heart, soul, and strength, our efforts should never cease.

A Prayer for When You Feel Inadequate

A Prayer for When You Feel Inadequate Ever feel like you aren’t good enough? It’s a question that pops into everyone’s minds at some point. Are we enough? For our parents, our spouses, our children, our coworkers, our friends… After all, these people have often seen and experienced the worst of us. Plus, we sometimes fixate on the worst in ourselves. When these moments happen, we tend to think of the expectations falling on our shoulders and think: Please… pick someone else. Especially when it comes to wondering if we’re enough for the Creator of the Universe. If you’ve experienced this, add your name to a list of good company: Moses, Gideon, Esther, Jeremiah, Paul, and tons of others in the Bible. In fact, “God, I’m not sure that I’m cut out for this,” seems to be a much more common theme in the Bible than the, “Here I am, Lord!”s of figures like Samuel and Mary. In a broken world, it’s tempting to become preoccupied with our brokenness while forgetting that God can use every part of our beings for his purposes– our strengths just as well as our weaknesses. If you aren’t sure you’re cut out for… whatever it might be, here’s a scripture and prayer to remind you that with Jesus, what you have to offer right now is more than enough.

No record kept—none

No record kept—none If she wanted to, my wife Laurel could write a book on all the things I’ve done wrong in our marriage. She’s had a front-row seat to every failing I’ve ever had as a husband. She was there when I lost my patience, when my words were wrong, when I got angry for no reason, and when I used her as a target instead of a best friend. I am so grateful that Laurel has the maturity not to have kept a ledger of all the things I’ve done to disappoint her as a husband. When she lays down that book, she’s living out the truth of Scripture: “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:5) Real love doesn’t keep score. It doesn’t build ledgers of offense or store receipts from moments of past pain. Instead, love chooses to forgive. And forgiveness is one of love’s hardest and holiest opportunities to work. When we cling to bitterness, we chain ourselves to the past. But forgiveness opens the door to freedom—not only for the one forgiven, but also for the one doing the forgiving. It doesn’t mean what happened was okay. It simply means we’ve placed the judgment in God’s hands instead of holding it in our own. Jesus demonstrated this perfectly from the cross when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34, NIV) That, my friend, is love stripped of resentment, filled with mercy, and anchored in an eternal love that will last forever. So, in this moment right now, think of a person or a wound that still echoes in the dark chambers of your heart. Ask God for the courage to do the loving thing and forgive—even if it’s just a whispered prayer of, “Father, forgive them.” Father God, You’ve forgiven me beyond measure, so teach me to forgive as You have forgiven. Help me release the wrongs I’ve held onto and walk in the freedom of Your love. May Your love today—not bitterness—shape my memories and my heart. In Jesus’ name, amen. Never forget, my friend—you are a miracle. Your friend, Grant Fishbook

Fight Fear with Hope

Fight Fear with Hope It seems there’s always something to worry about: natural disasters, current (and potential) wars, shaky finances, relational brokenness, unmet expectations, political/cultural/racial divisions, senseless violence, our kids, our jobs, our health, and more—much more. But many of the things we fear are largely out of our control. We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can choose our response. You can constantly be worried, negative, anxious, fearful, critical, and bitter. Or, you can be known for seeing the good in people, choosing joy, offering encouragement, looking for God’s fingerprints, and always finding something to be grateful for. In either case, the cycle feeds itself.  Like hummingbirds are attracted to sweet things while vultures scour the earth for dead things, we will always find what we are looking for. Why? Because darkness and light both exist. Good and evil are everyday realities. And we must decide who we’ll trust, and how we’ll spend our lives.  There are plenty of scary things happening in the world, but—because of Jesus—there is always good. Even on our darkest days, Jesus is the light of the world. He’s already carrying the weight of the world on His shoulders, which means we don’t have to. He has already made a way where there was no way, which means we can follow the path He has blazed. The Holy Spirit is already compelling us and leading us and teaching us and comforting us, which means we’re not alone. The hope we have in Christ isn’t just wishful thinking or positive vibes. It's hope that’s based on truth—on facts and faith. So what can we do? The Bible says: “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:25‬ ‭NIV‬‬ We can fight anxiousness with hope. We can ward off worry with truth-filled encouragement. We can resist fear by offering life-giving words. We can refuse to settle for living scared. We can expose the darkness to light. So the next time you feel anxiety and fear weighing down your heart, ask God for help and encouragement. Remember, He is closer than a prayer away.

“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

i Just Finished day 1 of Martin Luther King, Jr and Prayer on YouVersion.com

i Just Finished day 1 of Martin Luther King, Jr and Prayer on YouVersion.com

i Just Finished day 22 of the Big Picture on YouVersion.com

i Just Finished day 22 of the Big Picture on YouVersion.com