Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
It is an age-old question…what is love? What does love mean? What does it mean to love someone? What does is meant o be in love? There have been songs and sonnets, poems and prose written on the subject of finding the true meaning of love. People search their whole entire lives trying to know love, show love, and be loved by someone. Many times, love is viewed as some ever-elusive fantasy that is simply unattainable. Often times, love is equated with a person with whom one shares an intimate relationship. But, the true meaning of love is not found in the dictionary or by some life quest for it; the meaning is found in the instruction manual for life: the Bible. Perhaps, we ask the wrong questions. Maybe we should not ask, “What is love?” but rather, “Who is Love?” You see, the Bible explains that God is love. It is that simple, yet we make it so complex. Because we know that God is love, we need to love no further than His character to know all about love. Love is a verb, not a noun; it requires action. Love is sacrifice. Love is putting others’ needs before yours. Love is forgiveness. Love is kindness. Love is patience and endurance. And, how do I know that this is love? Because God is love and He does all of these things towards me and all of His children. In many of the secular songs about love, love is either equated to sex or being hurt. That is not God’s love. That is the world’s love. The adage “You always hurt the ones you love” should not ring true for the Christian. This should not be the standard because the Bible clearly says that if you do not love you do not know God. Willingly hurting someone is not showing love. It is one thing to make a mistake, realize the mistake, repent and seek forgiveness; however, to repeatedly disregard someone’s feelings or well-being is the behavior modeled by the prince of darkness, not the Prince of Peace. On the contrary, the famous line, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry…” is also a misnomer. We are human and we will make mistakes. In order to be forgiven, we must recognize when we have treated someone badly. Sometimes, the person we need to apologize to the most to, after God, is ourselves. How can you know love and be loved if you cannot love yourself? This is not about being conceited, narcissistic, selfish or self-involved; it is about loving yourself enough to treat your whole self well. It is about embracing the awesome gifts that God has given you for the uplifting of His Kingdom. At times, we focus so much on being figuring out what love is and how to attain it that we forget the simple truth that God is love. If we live following His example, loving others, and loving ourselves, we will have a level of contentment that will allow us to accept whatever God has for our lives. Does that mean you will never get lonely? Absolutely not; nonetheless, when those times come, the Supplier of ALL of your needs is still there for you, loving you and embracing you, if you let Him. He is love, and, in His appointed time, if it is His will, you will love and be loved by someone who is worthy of who God has made you to be. Prayer Thank You, God for being the very existence of Love and for giving us so many examples of what true love is. Please forgive me for not loving myself or others the way that you have taught us to love. Lord, please help me to show and to be love so that others may see You in me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated.
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I will be leaving for a much-needed, long overdue, family vacation/taking my oldest nephew to college, so there will be no new PWYP Devotion this week, but the final three weeks of this year long devotion series will be posted by mid-July. In the meantime, check out any devotions that you may have missed or that you would love to read again. Thanks for your loyalty and God bless you!
Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
I know a lot of people who say that the Bible is outdated. They think that the Bible was written so long ago that it should be changed to apply to the way we live today. For me, I have come to realize that the Bible is God’s perfect, living Word. I know this because I can read the Bible, the words of which have not changed, and at different points in my life, God gives me something completely new in that passage of Scripture. It is not that the Bible that is some antiquated instrument of oppression that needs to be rewritten, it is that our hearts need to be transformed. We need to cling to God and not to this world. I will admit that it is easier said than done. Following God’s Word is not simple, but it is right. Does accepting God’s salvation and following His Word mean that life becomes sunshine and rainbows everyday? No, but it tells us this in God’s Word. Following God’s way leads to the loss of those things in our lives that are detrimental and unnecessary, but that does not make it hurt less when we lose relationships or go through suffering. However, when I start to think about whining about squeezing through the narrow gate, I think about how much more suffering Christ went through just to save my life; a worthless life that He did not need to save. Yet, His compassion was so great that He lived in a perfect way, suffered torture and died, so that I could live forever. So, what do we need to do? We need to trust God. We need to believe His Word and His promises. We need to hold on! There is a hymn that says, “Time is filled with swift transition, Naught of earth unmoved can stand, Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God's unchanging hand .” Yes, if you look around at the world and the people in it, it will seem like God is holding out on you. The devil has been using that lie since Adam and Eve. It seems like it is more beneficial to live the world’s way. It seems that you will have more success in life, career, and relationships if you just follow the world. It seems this way, but that is deceptive. God’s way is perfect. If we just move close to Him, and take refuge in Him, He will shield us. There will be rough times. We are human beings and we have emotions. There will be times when you feel lonely or like a failure. There will be times when it doesn’t seem like living God’s Way is worth it, but those are the times when you have to press in to Him. Continue to follow His perfect Way, continue to read His flawless Word, and continue to seek His will for your life. If you are saved, this is just the beginning of your life. There is a whole, new world after this one. You have eternity to think about and not just what this temporal life has to offer. I believe that holding on will be worth it. Prayer Thank You, God for being perfect in ALL of Your Ways. Please forgive me for trying to accomplish things in my own way. Lord, please help me to take refuge in Your loving arms, so You can shield me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated.
Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
About three months ago, I received a call from the car dealership where I leased my vehicle. They said that they wanted my car back early. They said that they needed used cars like mine that were well taken care of and would make sure that I drove off in a newer car at an affordable price. I’m not sure how many of you have been to a car lot, but there is a process that they take you through. I have not really had to deal with that process because I have leased or purchased cars from a family friend since I got me very first vehicle. That family friend moved on to the a more expensive car dealership and I am not ready to upgrade with him quite yet, so I decided to go into the dealership to hear what they had to offer. At the time, my lease was not up for another seven months, so I had time to decide what I wanted to do at the end of my lease. For anyone who is not familiar with leasing a car, at the end of the lease, you can keep the car and continue to pay for it, turn it in to the dealership, or trade it in for another vehicle. My car had a little more damage than my previously leased cars, so I was merely interested to know if I would have to keep it or if the dealership would take it back. I went into the dealership, I met a salesman who seemed nice enough. I explained why I was there, that I did not have much time, that I just wanted to explore my options and that it was okay if I did not get a new car because I still have seven months to decide what to do. Well, they took my keys to “check out my car,” took me on a test drive, and then started this very long process of trying to harass me into settling for a new car with a huge increase in payment. I stood up, demanded to have my car keys, and left. This week, I got a call from the same dealership, with the same speech. I told the person on the phone that it was my intention to NEVER visit that dealership again because they treated me as if I was an idiot and held me hostage. The salesman begged me to give them another chance. So I did. I went in, I confidently told the salesman what price range would make me leave with a new car; not one penny over it. I let him know that I was not in the mood for any games or to be held hostage. Though the paperwork process seemed to take a really long time, my old car was taken back by the dealership and I drove off in a new car with the payment that I asked for and a care package at no extra cost. If I had compromised a few months ago, I would have regretted it. There was a part of me that wanted to settle just so that I did not have to deal with the decision of what to do with my car. Nevertheless, I stuck to my guns, and this time around, I demanded respect and integrity. I got what I desired and then some. For the sake of not feeling alone or not feeling like a failure, how many times do we settle? How many times do we forget that our God is greater than our circumstances and if we will wait on Him, He will fulfill our every need? How many times do we ask Him to bless us, but then ignore His commands or live a life that is not pleasing to Him? This is not a story about God blessing me with a car because I am some perfect Christian. Yes, He gets all honor and praise for my new car. Still, I know that nothing I did or ever will do merits His favor and saving grace. Yet, God is willing to allow us to not have to compromise for less than we deserve when we are confident in Him and live according to His Word. So, trust God only and do not settle. Prayer Thank You, God for being a God that hears my prayers and answers them with the best answer at the right time. Please forgive me for not believing that You will keep Your promises and settling for things of this world. Lord, please help me to hold out until my change comes. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated.
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