Love

What Is Going on with the Price of Things?

DrJayCook salvation , , , , ,

Whether you are purchasing eggs, gas, a home, or just about anything else, it is hard to ignore how expensive things are getting.  You may want to lay the blame at someone’s feet or at some group’s feet, but the fact is that things cost more (no matter how we got here).

Many of us are not earning more money to keep up with rising prices, and that makes life harder than we would like it to be.  At least it has caused us to value things that we once took for granted.

But consider you for a moment.  Do you realize how valuable you are?

If you listen to some people in your life, you may not think that they see value in you.  If you are weighted down by your past or the future you think you might have, you may not see value in you either.  And in both cases, you would be wrong to believe that lie.

You are very valuable.  In fact, you are of extreme value to God.  He loves you – period.  He wants you to know that.  He wants you to experience that.  He wants you to learn to live out of that.

You are so valuable to Him that He was willing to pay the ultimate price for you.  Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Let that sink into your heart.

Heaven is perfect, and we are not.  Because none of us are perfect enough to get into Heaven on our own, God provided a way.  God paid the price that we owe.  Jesus even said that He “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

That means that you can be His.  That means that if you are willing to accept what He has done, you can be free.  Romans 10:13 tells us: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

You really are valuable.  You matter.  You need to know that, and I hope you will experience that.  The price that is too expensive for us to pay has been paid for us.

If you have never accepted that gift by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please reach out to your local church or me.  Christians are not perfect, but we have accepted that amazing gift.  We would love to help you do the same.

You can read more about how valuable you are by checking out the following resource…

V

I Love…

DrJayCook Love , , , , ,

I realize that this is coming out several days before Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to talk about love.  No, not necessarily the love on display on February 14, but real love.

Most people get a little mixed up on what love is because we use that word for many reasons.

We think of love as an emotion or having butterflies or infatuation.  Love can include that emotion, but it is bigger.

We say that we love something that is not alive – like loving pizza.  We definitely can like inanimate things, but love is bigger.

We say that we love friends.  Again, love is bigger.

Love is caring about another person and doing whatever you can to express it.  That includes loving God, your spouse, family, friends, and the world.  Love is huge.

Jesus made it clear that true love is what He expects and demands from us.  He said in John 13:34-35: “‘I give you a new command: Love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’”

That is not easy to do, and it is not natural for us.  I guess that is why Jesus said it is a new command because they had not understood it before.  Jesus spent His life and ministry showing us

Real love isn’t easy or natural for us – I guess that is why Jesus said it was a new command

And He spent His life and ministry showing us what love means.

We must love because love comes from God.  If you love others, you are proving that you are His.  1 John 4:7 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

We must love because God is love.  So, if you know Him, you will know His love.  1 John 4:8 says, “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

We must love because God loves you more than you can imagine.  Knowing what we would do and who we have been, Jesus still took on the punishment that we deserve.  1 John 4:9-10 says, “God’s love was revealed among us in this way.  God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Sono to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

There is only one option here.  We must love – really love – truly love.  And enjoy Valentine’s Day, too.

Francis Chan wrote a convicting book on this kind of love that you may want to check out. Just click the picture to find out more…

Bless Her Heart

DrJayCook Christian Life, Gossip, Kindness , , , , , ,

“Bless her heart!”

Have you heard that said?  Have you ever said it?

We Southerners have tried to turn gossip into an art form.  We say what we want and then pretend like we really care about the person or situation.

BUT – how do you like it when others gossip about you?  What does it say about the gossiper?  How do you think others feel when you gossip about them?  What does it say about you when you gossip?

I had a lady once tell me that she doesn’t gossip; she talks about things that matter to her.  She did not realize that she was considered a major gossiper, though.

It used to be that when someone talked about other people, it was face-to-face.  Today, we do it through texts and social media as much if not more than we used to do it.  It has become far more common, which means it hurts far more than it did.  It is not ok.

Proverbs 11:13 states, “A gossip goes around revealing a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.”  Proverbs 20:19 states, “The one who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid someone with a big mouth.”  Proverbs 26:20 states, “Without wood, fire goes out; without a gossip, conflict dies down.”

A good rule of thumb is to consider that if we talk about something to a person who is not part of the problem or part of the solution, we are probably gossiping.  And if you are a Christian, gossip is not ok.  If you are not a Christian, gossip also is not ok.

So what should we do?

Well, do not do it.  That is simple enough to understand (though we may find it hard to control the tongue).

Also, do not listen.  Either leave the conversation or the room.  Make it clear that you want nothing to do with it.

Also, stop the conversation right there.  As someone begins to “share,” stop them and ask them to go with you to the target of the gossip to let them know what is being said by “others.”

Gossip destroys – plain and simple.  It destroys relationships.  It destroys businesses.  It destroys churches.  It can even destroy someone’s life.

I want to encourage you to help me break the pattern.  Instead of camouflaging our gossip with a “bless her heart,” let us be the ones who actually do bless others’ hearts.

If you want to get more ideas, click the picture below for a suggested resource…