February Prayer Topic: Love Like That

God and I have been on this journey through life.  There is a covenant between He and I.  I am following where He leads.  YES, it is turning my normal upside down, but my faith in Him is right side up. I am ALL IN.  

In my devotions on November 1, 2018, I had asked a question to God. What does my mission look like?  I wrote those words down in my journal, knowing that my heart was open to hearing the words He wanted to tell me. 

That morning, I wasn’t sure what ALL IN would look like, but God knew.  “Seek and you will find…” part of Matthew 7:7. I was knocking on that door.  God opened the door for me to come in and join Him in His work.

I want to share with you what God sent to me.  Just a few hours after writing that question down, sitting in an office morning’s worship, my answer appeared on the screen in front of me.  God showed up and showed me what my ALL IN would look like.

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.  Mostly what God does is love you.  Keep company with Him and learn a life of love.  Observe how Christ loved us.  His love was not cautious but extravagant.  He didn’t love in order to get something from us, but to give everything of Himself to us.  Love like that.”  Ephesians 5:1-2 (MSG)

God showed me what His type of love is, and to follow the example. IT IS an incredible love that He has for us.  This love that is ALWAYS there, and NEVER runs out. He loves and wants us to love each other in return.

This world is crazy, and every day something happens. I am thankful that in the crazy of this world, that a fire in my heart has been lit, and God is showing me the path of love.  Love has the potential to change people if we are open to that change.

The speaker at that worship didn’t know my journey, but God did.  God knew that I would get my answer in a way that would be a “HELLO” moment. This verse was on a screen right in front of me, and I could not ignore it.  Especially with the opening four words, and the last three words of the verse.

“Watch what God does….Love like that”

I am keeping company with God to learn a life of love. That is where I will learn to have the extravagant love, and not just to those people that are the closest in my life.  Observe how Christ loved us, a love that is extravagant. 

My heart is growing, and every day God shows up to help.  That is the amazing thing.  He doesn’t say that we have to do this on our own.   He says, “keep company with Me and learn from Me.” I am learning from the Master, the Creator of Love. I am learning from the originator of love.

 “Above all, love each other deeply,” 1 Peter 4:8

This is my “Do Something” moment, or my mission-love people, and show them God’s love. 

It is a love that allows me to lift you up in prayer in both the good times and the bad.  It is a love that wants to shine the light of God’s love to your darkness. It is a love that celebrates and rejoices when you see that Perfect Love of God.

At first loving people seems like a simple task. However, when I look at the example that God gave us, it is not simple.  In fact, LOVE is the greatest thing that we can do.  It’s more than just the Hallmark type of love. 

So, I want to share the Perfect Love of God with each and every one of you.  I want you to realize that there is an AMAZING love that God is just waiting to show us.  I know that He loves me so much.  I want to share that with you.  I want you to know the Love of God.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

 Love of God has POWER.  It is more than a feeling. Love breaks down barriers, it breaks chains.  Love is overgenerous.  When we don’t deserve it, it lifts us up. When I love people without expecting anything in return, people know it.

I am thankful that God is my example.  His love is my path to love others.  God loves me, and I can love people and help lift you up to show them God’s love for yourselves.

There is power in the name of Jesus.  There is power in Love.  There is power to break the chains that have held each one of us.

I am on my mission to show God’s love.  We, need to shine that Amazing Love, Perfect Love, EXTRAVAGANT Love.

Dear Lord,

I am thankful that You love us with Perfect Love.  I am thankful that I get to love people with You as the lead.  I want to watch what You do and do that.  I want the love I share to all people to be the extravagant type that you show us as the example.  Thank you for loving me with that extravagant love.

In Jesus Name Amen

Written by Laura Maxson

January Prayer Topic: Word for the Year with God

One Word?

Easy.

Merriam-Webster definition of easy?

Easy

 adjective

\ˈē-zē  \

easier; easiest

Definition of easy 

1a: causing or involving little difficulty or discomfort

b: requiring or indicating little effort, thought, or reflection

This is what I wanted. Lying in bed, tear-soaked cheeks. I wanted it to be just a little easier. For the first in time in my relationship with God, I was having it out with Him. Yes, I’ve been overwhelmed, sad, feeling like my relationship may not have been as close as I have wanted it to be. But this emotion was new for us. I was so angry and frustrated, not just at the situation, but actually at God.

I’ve told other’s “He can handle your anger and frustration” and in my heart, I believed what I was telling them. But we-God and I had never been there. Not like this.

Last year I had been praying and intentionally trying to practice our word “abide.” Learning to practice His presence in the every day, connected to the vine in every situation. Trying to allow Him to be part of every thought, every decision. I found how easily distracted I am, but how gracious, steadfast, and reminding God is. He led me to read books, have conversations, hear podcasts, learn in Bible study about it’s not about perfection, but the process of Him working it out in me. And I had moments where I not only believe it, but I felt it.

But, in that moment, I didn’t want him to be working out the process in me, it was too hard. Our family seemed to be being attacked on all sides, my health, my family’s health, the Paradise fire, work, the ministry plans that we had been working on for 2 years, everything seemed to be falling apart at the same time. I felt pulled in all directions trying to say “yes” to everything HE was asking for me.

As I laid there in bed next to my husband, I told him. No-I told God, I did not doubt His love for me, I did not doubt that He was kind to me, I did not doubt that He has good things for me. But I was afraid of what He might ask next of me. I was afraid He was asking too much of me, I could not do it. I was afraid because I did not want to say “no” to Him, and I felt if He asked one more thing of me, I would say “no.”

It was then that I realized my anger came from fear. Through this fear and anger, I challenged Him. I feel like I know His voice, and in the moment, He was choosing to remain silent. I told Him I was trying my best, I was trying to allow Him to work in me. I pleaded that He would just tell me what He wanted of me. I told Him how unfair I felt that He would say so little in the Bible about Enoch, the man who walked with God and was taken and would not tell us anything else about how he did it. I told him I wasn’t sure I could be caregiver, handle the emotion for the loss in our family, stress from work, the disappointment for a ministry seemingly failing after years for dreaming and planning. And knowing he was choosing to be silent, I called Him on it. “Now, when I’m pleading for answers when I need You to say something to me. You choose to be silent!”

“I JUST WANT IT A LITTLE EASIER!!”

Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash

Silence. Nothing. In bed, sobbing as floodgates opened and tears came. In the stillness, God chose silence. Instead of speaking-He chose to hold me.  In His infinite kindness and goodness, like the parent I wish to be, He allowed me to beat on His chest and He took it. He let me have it out, then wrapped His arms of love around me. He did not reprimand me for using that tone of voice with Him, He did not tell me how good I actually have it, He did not give me the answers I wanted. He just held me in His love.

As the sobbing calmed and remaining tears trickled down my cheeks. I felt a peace. It was the peace that He had promised and spoken to me just a few weeks before.

In the stillness, my husband wrapped his arms around me. “I don’t know what God wants from you. But I know he doesn’t want a robot. He wants to know what you want, what you can handle. He wants you to be honest with Him. He wants a real relationship with you.”

In the stillness, in the silence, I fell asleep, still unsure of what was next. But asleep wrapped in His love and peace.

The next morning, His still small voice came. “I sent you an example. I sent you My Son.”

Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

~kartini r. maxson

November: Giving Thanks for…God's Perfect Love

"The Faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh EACH morning." Lamentations 3:22-23

The Lord's faithful love for me and you never ends.  His mercies towards us, never cease.  Great is His faithfulness towards us; His mercies begin afresh each morning for us.
Yes, this was meant as a repeat.  I want all of us, and that includes myself to get the picture of God's Perfect Love for each one of us.  The love that never dries up or gets old.  It is afresh every morning.

Afresh definition -  in a new or different way.

His faithfulness and love are new every day for us.  Wow, this is so cool.  It is always there.  It will never go away.  I can rely on that be a TRUTH.
In the NIV, it states "because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed.  Do we get what that means?

Consume – completely destroyed, absorb all of the attention and energy.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Because of God's love, we are not completely destroyed when things in life are not going as planned, or if we get dealt a blow.  We will not be completely destroyed when the word cancer is uttered by the doctor, or our marriage falls apart, or a death, or a loss of job, or any loss.

Nothing can destroy us. I am not saying that life is going to be easy, because it isn't.  We all go through hard times, and sometimes, okay, a lot of times, those hard times seem insurmountable to us. 

I am saying that God's love and our relationship with God will sustain us and lift us up during these times.  We are not alone in our struggle.  When we accept the love of God, He will do so much more than we can imagine. 

When bad things happen, we can still stand and say, "My God is greater than whatever I am going through."  When we are knocked down, we are not out.  God lifts us up and back on our feet.

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love (God's love) drives out fear…" 1 John 4:18 (NIV)

Life is not perfect, nobodies life is.  I know that I have struggles, and I definitely have stuff that happens in my life.  Yet, I know that God's love will sustain me, and I will not be destroyed by whatever the devil throws my way.

There are Bible verses galore that tell of God's love for us.  His perfect love that drives out fear.  His love cannot be measured by our standards, human standards.  It is SO much bigger than that.

God's love sets fires in the heart of those who listen and hear Him.  God's love never ceases.  There is nothing that you or I can do to lose the love of God. We can always come to God, even if we have walked away from Him.

No one can imagine the depths of God's love for us.  There is a childhood song that most of us sang, but I wonder if we really listened to the words.

"Jesus loves me, THIS I know, for the Bible tells me so…. Yes, Jesus loves me…"

That is what I am thankful for this month, and what I want to always focus on.  God's perfect Love.

Dear Lord,
I thank you for your perfect love.  Every day it is new, and never-ending.  You love each one of us. Yes, sometimes we don't seem to see past our humanness.  Yet, you are still working in and around us, loving us. I thank you for that love.  I pray that each person reading this will know your love that drives out fear.
There are a lot of bad things happening in this world, and we don't understand it.  However, with your love, we will not be consumed by the hate in this world.
I pray that you open our eyes, so that we may see Your Perfect Love in and around us. Show us in a tangible way your love.

IN Jesus Name, Amen

Written by Laura Maxson

February Prayer Topic: To Love

This month the topic of how "to love" seemed like somewhat an obvious topic. But for some reason, every time I'd sit down to think about what to write... Nothing.

How hard can it be, to think of how we can love others? 

Tonight, I was on the phone with a my dear sister-in-love and we were talking about this dilemma. What should this month's topic be, what should we write about, being somewhat uninspired.

That conversation didn't seem to go much further. So, we continued on to other things. I was sharing with her about how the day went.

I smiled, thinking over the events of the day as I chit-chatted with her about it. I thought about all the texts from family and friends that popped up on my phone,  funny voicemail messages, my co-worker who have become like family, getting off work early and just spending some unexpected family time together. 

Thinking back, I really felt loved. It was a perfect day. 

But, is this really love?

Tonight. In the town of Loveland, Colorado; there is a group of teenage girls and their prayer leader who are spending their Friday night volunteering at "Night to Shine."

Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs ages 14 and older. On one night, February 9, 2018, more than 500 churches from around the world will come together to host Night to Shine for approximately 90,000 honored guests through the support of 175,000 volunteers!

Can you just picture it, 6 junior and seniors girls with their prayer leader, taking their own time, their Friday night after a long week of school, sports, and work; volunteering for an event that isn't for them?

Is this love?

To both questions, I say "Yes." 

In these instances, others had the opportunity to express their love. Love to a friend, daughter, sister, wife,  and for these girls-90,000 random strangers.

So my problem isn't really not having anything to write about when it comes to love. It's slowing down and reflecting on my life and seeing how I am loved!

God has so blessed my life full of these things. I just needed to slow down and look at my life through His eyes. 

In His word, He promises to give us life, life more abundant (John 10:10), because He is good. But more then that-it's because God is Love.

This month I pray that you take the time to slow down. Look around. Regardless of what is going on in your life, what blessing or challenges you may be facing, He wants you to have that life more abundant, a life filled with Love. 

So...
Stop 
Look 
And know you will find Love.

Photo by Evan Kirby on Unsplash

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-13

~kartini r. maxson

You Will have Trouble...

Difficult people in our lives can come in all forms. Sometimes in the form of friends, family, church members, co-workers, strangers, even ourselves. People in our lives that cause us frustration, anxiety, heart-ache. People that cause us trouble.

When Jesus was here on the earth, He knew that we would have struggles. Especially, when we choose to follow Him. 

In the Bible, found in the Book of John, is a conversation He has with his close friends. This conversation is placed after the last supper, but before the Garden of Gethsemane.

"In this world you will have trouble" John 16:33. In this instance He does not say "if" of "maybe," He says you will have trouble. In the previous verses in Chapter 15 He talks to them about the world hating Him and Hating those who follow Him. Even to the point where his followers will be thrown out of their synagogue. 

I couldn't image how discourage I would be. As His disciple, the feeling I would have, thinking that He's the one I chose to follow and what the cost of following Him would be. But, I believe that this conversation, these words, were meant for more then just the disciples. I believe there were also meant for us. 

How much more discouraging, unsettling are these words now when I think about them in my life. If by choosing Him, the world might hate me, my church might throw me out, I will have trouble in my life. Is it worth it? Is He worth it?

Why? Why if Jesus wanted us to choose to follow Him would He tell us this things, these hard to swallow, discouraging things?

Because of Love. 

Because of God's character of Love, Truth, & Life exhibited through His Son. 

Jesus shares these words. Words-that as we think about the hard things in our life, the hard people me may have to deal with, can bring us peace. Peace not in ourselves, but peace in our God. 

But, how can these words bring peace? How will they get us through the difficult times and deal with difficult people? 

It's by knowing what Jesus says before this.

"I am the vine; you are the branches." John 15:5 That in Him, He will remain in us. That in Him, we can ask God for anything. That in Him, He loves us and the Father loves us. That in Him, our lives will produce fruit. That in Him, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit. That in Him, we have access to everything He has learned from the Father. That in Him, we are not servant, we are His friends. That in Him, we can have peace.

He is the answer. When we remain in Him; He will get us through the troubles of the world. Because we are worth the cost to Him. 

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." John 15:9
"You did not choose me, but I chose you." John 15:16.
"Greater love has not one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends." John 15:12 

Knowing these were the moments before He was about to struggle with the plan the Godhead had for Him. He was about to be arrest, beaten, rejected not only by the religious leaders of the time, but by his closest friends, that the plan of our salvation would cause His life. That for Him in all this trouble-there was Peace.

He loves us enough to not only tell us about His Love-but show us His Love. He wants us to know that when we go through trouble, because we will-that can we have peace. Because God is Love, and when we remain in Him, we have peace to know that HE has overcome. 

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" - Jesus

~kartini r. maxson

A Single Woman’s Valentine

Yes, I am single, and so Valentine’s day, or as I call it, Single Awareness Day, was another day of life.  I spent the day working, but also I made sure that I spent the day telling the people in my life that I loved them.  I didn’t want to miss a moment to say those three powerful words.

It wasn’t the type of day that I ever imagined at my age.  I thought that by now, I would be married and have a family.  However, I am celebrating where God has me, and I do have people in my life that I love, and love me too.  I am not without love, and that is something to celebrate, every day.

I love you, are powerful words.  They are words that bring a lot of emotions. Do I wish that I had heard an “I love you” from a husband, or significant? Yes I did, I do.  However, there is something about Valentines this year that was different than other years.

I did not look at it as missing out on something.  I looked at it a little differently now.  It was a reminder that, if I stop to think about all the people in my life, I have so much love.  Also, I have a life that is full of love.  Not only do I have people in my life that love me, and that I love, but Jesus loves me too.

“Jesus loves me” is not just the words to a child’s song.  It is the truth, and He has given us a book of love letters, the Bible. Everyone gets a love letter. It doesn’t differentiate between single, married, divorced, widowed, engaged, separated, or whatever else.  It is for all of us.

Jesus loves me, this I know. It is a love that never gives up, and it doesn’t show up just one day a year. His love is forever, and is always constant. Isn’t that so amazing? Amazing love.

This month we have been praying for the people in our lives that we love.  All of us have people in our lives that we love.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be a spouse, or significant other.  It can be friends that are family, and family that are friends, or anyone that God has brought into your life.

There are so many variances of love.  There is the love between a parent and child, love between spouses and significant others, love of family, and friends.  All of it is love, and all need to be prayed for. I am thankful for the loved ones in my life.

Every morning, I pray for my loved ones.  I also thank the Lord for His unending love.  I love Him, and I tell Him that too.  You know, I think that Jesus likes to hear us say that we love Him.

This journey through life is sometimes crazy, and sometimes we may feel alone, but we are not.  He is always there, and He loves us.  He loves us so much that Jesus came down to earth and lived and died so that we may live eternally with Him. That is true Agape Love.  God is love.

Because God is love, I can love those people in my life.  Because God is love, I am worthy of love.  Because of God is love, I am complete and whole. Because God is love, you are too.

I am so blessed to have family and friends around me that I love so much.  Yes, I am single, but I have so much love around me.    I am loved by God, and that is amazing.

Dear Lord, I thank you for loving me.  You love me, and You will never leave me.  Thank you for the people in my life that I love and that love me. I love you Lord. In Jesus’ Name Amen.

Laura Maxson