We use the word, “love” on just about everything, don’t we? Why? Maybe it is because we feel a stirring in our hearts so we just automatically call it love? We love God, our friends and our family. But…we tend to love things ,too. Hmmm…Should we be doing that so much…saying we love THINGS? We say we love our houses, cars, clothes , books, cookies, movies and food, to name a few. Don’t laugh, but I sort of feel like I should reserve the word “love” for God and people. It’s just that I feel God deserves a more special word than chocolate earns. And I do like chocolate a whole, whole bunch! As usual, let’s go to the Bible, the authority on love, for answers. What does the Bible say love is?

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11 (NIV)

According to these verses and the rest of this chapter, love is a feeling that causes selfless action. God loved us, so He did something about it. He acted out of love. We are to love each other the same way, by acting it out. Time to step on my own toes…when I say I love someone, does it cause me to act it out? If I do not act on my love, is it really love at all?

Anyone can say. “I love you,” but do we or do they act on it? Where is the evidence of that love? Jesus is the evidence of God’s love!

So, to do more acting out of love…Do I look for opportunities to help those who are down? I Am I easily available to others whenever they need help? Do I love strangers, too? Do I sacrifice anything, like the verses say? Or do I only give out of my abundance, things I do not need?

God gave His Son, which He only had ONE of! Jesus was the most valuable thing He had. We are not that selfless, but it might be good to give something that means a lot to us, when we want to show someone the love of God. Just thinking what I may need to do…

*Note to self…keeping it real…I have extra jewelry that I don’t wear…could I sell it and donate the money to Salvation Army so they have more money to feed the poor and hungry? What will it feel like to give away something of value to me?

My momma had a favorite song…one of many…that said…”I can never, never out-love the Lord.” She always told me though…it is fun to try! That was her way of telling us kids that we should always aim to love as much as we can, even though we cannot do better than God did in loving us.

Not acting out our love is kind of like being so happy that we have a light but never using it to help someone in the dark. What good is it if you have the ability to help others but don’t do it? Ouch!

I hope you have been well-loved by others. Let us do the same , well-love on people. Loving actions are a way of leaving a little piece of Jesus everywhere you go. Yeah, let’s do that:)

With much love from the Father to you all. Can I just tell you how much I love you? I pray for your hearts along with my own, that we will do a good job of loving others with our actions.

Christina

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 (NIV)

We are God’s children. He loves us even if we disobey Him, ignore Him or try to go our own way. You know, the way all children do at some point. Just as a mother and father look after their kids and try to raise them right, God wants to do that for us. His plans often include some unwanted trials. He knows that trials and experiences shape us into what He wants us to be, but they can still be unwanted, uncomfortable and unbearable.

Unwanted- I am thinking about Mary, Jesus’ mother. How humbly she accepted God’s plan for her when the angel Gabriel visited her and informed her she would bear God’s Son. I doubt that she wanted or expected that type of experience. She was surprised at what Gabriel said, yet, she chose to see it as an act of honor and service to her Lord. An unwanted trial can be seen as an opportunity to serve God the best that we can.

Uncomfortable- Mary was very uncomfortable in that this was not how young people in love and about to get married, see their life going. Did you ever stop to think how different Mary’s life was from what she thought would happen? It had to be uncomfortable to be pregnant and not by Joseph. How did others see her, I wonder? I bet they were not all understanding and supportive like Joseph. God’s plan for Mary was not based on her comfort but God’s control. Mary allowed God to have His way in her life because she trusted Him. Uncomfortable trials in our lives can be seen as an opportunity to give God control and go humbly and obediently with His plan. We can trust Him.

Unbearable- In so many ways, God’s plan for Mary was unbearable. She lost her son, God’s Son. He was mocked, abused and tortured. How could a mother possibly bear that? I know women in my church that have lost children and I marvel that they praise God still. How can they do that? They trust Him. Even the unbearable, maybe especially the unbearable, is an opportunity to praise God when no one would expect it. We can bear the unbearable, only because Jesus bore the unbearable for us. It is an opportunity to forego our right to complain, to give glory to God.

Trials are a necessary part of life. Though unwanted, uncomfortable and unbearable, they can still bring glory to God. It is all about humbly submitting to God’s plan, with faith. As for me, when I see someone praising God , despite their tough circumstances, it encourages me. Maybe we all can praise God a little more so that others are encouraged that we are able to bear what we bear, only by His strength and goodness.

Just to be clear, we are not meant to be joyful that we have trials like cancer and death and economic hardships, but joyful that we have a Savior who will take us through the trial or test. We can count on Him!

With love from our Father to you, have a great day. You are loved and prayed for:)

Christina

I don’t always post on Saturday, but a thought came to me during morning devotions. Awhile ago, and many times in the past, I have been offended by someone. It happens, even nice people do things that can offend. However, I used that feeling of being wronged to treat them differently. Woah…just now the Lord told me, “Who do you think you are to hold things against someone?”

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6 :35-36

I started to think how we hold “yucky” stuff in our hearts. I tried letting go of this grudge, but I couldn’t do it on my own. Duh…I needed Jesus to take it from me. He did! He took all manner of offense in His life on earth, but He did not let it deter Him from His job of loving others. What a lesson for us. SO WHAT if people offend? Let’s get over it and on with it. Instead of being and staying offended, we need to go on the offense and have a first priority of loving others. Loving is way more important than anything else. The verse for today says even God is kind to the wicked. Let’s carry mercy to others, instead of carrying a grudge. So that’s it…just a thought for today. Life is too short to grudge or judge.

Love you all! Have a nice weekend. I am praying for you:)

If Father’s Day is tough for you, I am praying especially hard for you. May Jesus hold your hand and give you peace.

Christina Crute

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Mark 16:4-6 (NIV)

As I think of the empty tomb, a wonder fills my heart and soul. Aren’t you glad the tomb is empty, that it has been long vacated? Empty never looked so good! We were not there to see our Jesus die horribly but valiantly for us. We were not there to see people mourning His death. How alone the disciples must have felt, after being with Him in closeness for so long. We were not there to see how utterly heartbroken His mother was. I cannot imagine her pain. Can you? We did not see Him in His battle for our souls, but we know He won the victory! He did what He said He would do so we could be where He wants us to be, with Him, ALWAYS.

We cannot all go to Israel and see the cave or tomb where Jesus used to be, but we can know He is not there! There is NOTHING there. He left the tomb, alive! There is nothing there. It is empty. That NOTHING is our everything! That NOTHING is a sign of His victory over death and it was all done for us. We did not see Him fighting the battle for our souls, but we see the victory’s evidence!

Let’s keep that empty tomb in our thoughts today? Empty is not always a good thing, but in the case of our salvation, empty is everything. As Jesus emptied the tomb, we can empty our hearts to Him. We can let Him decide what goes there…Himself, Jesus. Do we give Him enough room?…

Jesus left Heaven to go to earth. He went to earth to go to the cross. He left the cross to go to the tomb. He left the tomb to come to our hearts. His old habitation is changed to a new one…us! What a plan God had and still has! He is still fighting for us, as is the Holy Spirit and God. They champion us!

Jesus could not have done any more. We were not there to see all that He did, but we are here to be rewarded with the result. How amazing of a love we are given! All that Jesus did was according to plan. Now it is our turn to do all we can in God’s plan for us!

May you have a blessed day, full of wonder and appreciation for all that our Lord has done for us. Remember…empty can be a great thing, a holy thing.

With love from our Father to you,

Christina

Our King hung on a cross for us. He gave all. The picture above is a sad but wonderful representation of what ALL means. Jesus tells us in Matthew that we are to deny ourselves and come after Him, be willing to lose our life for Him, but most of us find that even saying that is very scary. As I was thinking about what ALL really means to Jesus, I wrote this. Though it is indeed scary, and I can be very selfish, I want to die out to self. It is hard to ignore the words of Jesus’ command:

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25 ESV

This is a really simple poem I wrote about something we may find hard to do, giving Jesus our whole, entire, looking at Him for everything, no agenda, surrendered heart. As for me, what I will give up is the habit of asking for self too much, and do less planning and more praying. Jesus needs to be treated as the King He is:)

Dear Jesus,

I am…

Unconditionally

letting go of all for Thee.

Here I stand

with no demands

letting You have all of me.

Intentionally

laying down my heart for Thee.

It’s open wide

nothing to hide

letting You use all of me.

Triumphantly

picking up my cross for Thee

all that You say

I will obey

letting You be King of me.

copyright ©️ 2021 Christina Crute

The servant mentality is crucial to our relationship with Jesus. In our day-to-day activities, we must remember that in this world, we are not King and it is not our universe. Our King, Jesus, has gone and is preparing homes for us! While He is doing that, we can prepare our hearts daily for more of Him and less of us. Giving all is the correct amount to give our King.

With love from our Father to you,

Christina

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 ESV

As I look at the artwork of others, I am totally amazed. People are so creative and super talented! I always wanted to be super talented at something. Why? So people would think I was amazing! My oldest best friend is an artist beyond compare. She can draw ANYTHING and do it well! She has drawn all her life, but I never ever remember her drawing attention to her work and I always wondered why. If I was that talented, I think I would have an ego the size of Mount Kilamanjaro!

Some artists do not need to speak about their work because it speaks for themselves and draws people to admire the talent. Recently, as I was admiring my friend’s talent, I realized what I mentioned earlier…she does not brag about her work. I think her work speaks for itself as it says, “look at me and marvel that God gives wonderful gifts to people.” She uses her gift to bless others. She has drawn things for me and many of her friends and family and she acts like it’s no big deal.

But, you know what? God gave you a gift too! It may not be admired by the world, social media or tons of people, but God sees it and how you use it. It is Him we are to please. It is just as important as anyone else’s gift. How do I know this? It says so, in His Word that we are given things to be used for Him. They are given BY Him, too.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Do you feel you have no gift? That, right there, is a lie straight from the devil, that I, myself, believed for a long time. Do not be like me! Pray and ask God to make you aware of your gift. Ask Him to show you how to use it for His glory. I believe some most special gifts are overlooked, like encouragement and friendship. Some people are just great at that! They are happy and loving and present with others. Showing God’s love is the best gift we can give anyone!

You know how you give a gift to someone and you are happy to do it? And then you are happier still that the person loves it and uses it? I see God as feeling that way. He created you with a purpose in mind and though He is happy to give you a gift, He will be even happier when you use it! Your personality was meant to be used for His good purposes. You are special!

Have a great day, finding and using your gift. We are all different, but we are all blessed by God!

Christina

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 5:12-13

Last night was rough! The neighbor’s dogs would not stop barking. We listened to the incessant yelps… All. Night. Long. As I am writing, at 4 a.m., they are still, loudly, trying to get their point across. When will it end? The dogs’ owners have been yelling at the dogs to stop barking and they did stop for a bit, but started back up. Most nights, they are not quite so vocal, so I wonder what’s gotten into them.

Sometimes, I wonder what has gotten into me, into us. It almost seems as we look for something to complain about, well at least I do. It is almost as if I expect everything to be perfect, so the times that things are not perfect, I complain loudly. How quickly I forget all the times and things I have to be thankful for! Am I as thankful as I should be, even on imperfect days? Ummm…no.

I wonder… Why do we expect perfection in the first place? The Bible tells us that we will have trouble, also that we have a perfect father who can take us through anything. So, why do we fear or complain?

One reason is that we like comfort. We like what we like and want what we want. However, we need to be content with whatever the Good Lord allows. My momma told me, as a child, to do something for someone else when I was the most disappointed. That way, someone else would have a good day, even if I didn’t. Seriously? I did not believe for one second that helping someone else would improve my day…until I tried it. She was right! We do need to see things from a different point-of-view than our own and think of others first. If we ask for the Lord’s help, we can see situations from the other person’s point of view.

Trying out my Momma’s little “trick” to think of others and not my own situation…I now imagine how frustrated the owners of the barking dogs feel. They must be frustrated that they cannot get the dogs to behave. They may have needed a good night sleep for a trying day today, but now they will probably have lots of trouble staying awake. I need to pray for them. They must be as tired as I am.

It’s not always about me. In fact, it’s really not about us at all but how we react to situations and turn them around to praise the Lord. How easy it is to forget that, that our purpose on earth is to reflect the love of the Father, not our love for ourselves. Ouch, that stuck!

Dear Lord, give us love for others. Help us see their side of things, even and especially when, we feel tired. Give us your grace that makes us love others, even on our hard days. When we think of all You unselfishly gave, and still give, to us, it is amazing and worth thinking about…much more so than some barking dogs. We are silly humans. We love You, Lord! Amen

With love from our awesome Father to you,

Christina

First and second Timothy are letters of love. Paul’s letters to Timothy are so sweet! They are filled with urgings, commands and instructions, but it is all done in a loving, fatherly way. Paul sees Timothy as his son.

To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 Timothy 1:2 (NIV)

In these letters, or books, Paul is urging and preparing Timothy to do something. He wants him to spread the truth of the gospel because a lot of false doctrines are being preached. He tells Timothy to tell the people to stop spreading lies. Wow, that would be uncomfortable, to call out liars, spreaders of false doctrine!

However, it needed to be done! Timothy had a mission. The precious true gospel commands and deserves our ultimate respect and defense.

The gospel commands our hearts. The truth of what He did on the cross transforms and commands our hearts through the forgiveness of our sins. When we make a decision to follow Him with His truth and light, not our own, we have The Gospel in command of our hearts.

The gospel commands hope. How can we not be hopeful when we are entrusted with something so precious as the gospel? It commands our full attention. We are “trustees” in a way of His goodness and hope and light. We get to use it as our greatest resource to live right by Him, but also to tell others. The Gospel gives hope.

The gospel commands an audience. We are the mouthpiece for God. We are the promoter of what He is saying. We have been entrusted with something so pure and holy that it is able to totally transform hearts and lives. We cannot keep that and just live for ourselves! The Gospel deserves an audience!

Although, it is so easy to do, live for self, isn’t it? Lately, God has been moving me to remember and say out loud often…”It is not about me. It is not about me. It is not about me…”

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:25

The gospel commands us to share what we have so generously been given. Just a thought for today.

With love from our Father for you,

Christina

This morning, I am thinking what a gem our Lord is. Jesus is called many things by all of us and His names always point to what He does for us. He is our Savior. He saved us. He is our comforter. He is there for us. He is our rock, our foundation. He is our friend. He talks to us. Can you think of a few names of your own for Him? Don’t you love that all of His names are based on His love for us? He is more precious than Rubies!

More precious than rubies that dress up some ears, more shiny than diamonds that bring some to tears, more valued than emeralds whose color is rare, is Jesus my Savior to whom none compare. Most precious my Father’s shed blood on the cross, most perfect His love that paid for my loss. Mercy and hope, love, peace and grace, a bounty to all when He died in our place. Most prized the wisdom that flows from His word, my cornerstone gem is Jesus my Lord. His presence I treasure down deep in my soul, as I praise Him forever, ’til eternity rolls.

© Copyright 2021 Christina Crute

Though we have not had much actual rain lately, we can count on the fact that it will come eventually. God will provide:) In the same way, we have storms of life and God will provide what we need to get through them. What we need is Him! I love storms because they show God’s power in a way that we can physically see and touch and taste and hear and even smell. Storms affect all the senses. You may find me at the front door staring out at a storm, as it makes me marvel. I do not like the damage they cause, but I trust that God has a reason for everything.

I hope you like this poem. I wrote it after a storm a couple of years ago and thought it appropriate for our dry season. God will send rain. He knows we need it. He cares.When our figurative storms or trials come, and they will, we can glory in the storm, knowing who is right there with us! He is able to get us through!We can learn a lot from the raindrops:)

Love to all,

Christina

Wisdom Comes in the Rain Rain’s torrential showers pour down on me. Great currents gust and threaten to destroy. Weather troubles here, I’m promised in His word He has plans for me, This gives me joy. He is with me in these storms I can’t avoid. So let the rains pour and let the winds blow. Joy from the Lord will come to cover me. Making me happy, soaking in the “Son-shine.” So let the rains pour! And let the winds blow! God will speak in storms if I just listen. I will hear thoughts higher than my own. As I am on Earth ; He is in heaven, His thoughts will come to guide me from the throne. I can weather anything. I am not alone. Oh, golden thoughts riding on rain drops, whispered in the wind to help me know, from his heart to mine, messages divine. Wisdom comes. Love rains down to tell me, time to grow.

© Copyright 2021 Christina Crute