And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:16 NIV

Every day is a blessing. When we consider our blessings, we may list some of these:

Spouse, family, church or employment, passion or talent for something that drives our days, good weather, a working car, clothes, food or shelter, pets that adore us, friends that are golden, neighbors that are faithful friends, safe travel, good doctors, etc. The list is endless. Know what else is endless?

God’s love is endless! Though He allows trials, let us not lose sight that He is the loving One putting our life together in the way and order that He deems best for us. He already knows what it looks like when completed, though we do not.

As I see it, He lovingly places each event or piece in its proper place at the proper time. We can accept the pieces, whether blessing or trial or lesson, as a perfect fit and made especially for us. He knows what He is doing.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17 NIV

His blessings are like love letters with the return address of Heaven. We can send letters back to Him in the form of prayers and thank Him that He does all things for our good. He loves us, even though He allows trials. After all, He loved His precious Son Jesus, and He was given the trial above all trials! Trials are a part of life and an opportunity to praise God for more than just our blessings. Easier said than done, but a worthy challenge!

Look up to God today and see where your blessings and trials come from, and if you are able, thank Him for both, because they were made just for you, with love and a good reason that only He knows for sure.

I pray especially for those in severe trials today. It is easy to say God has a reason for everything and even believe it, but a whole other step of faith to praise Him and love Him for His plan. May you feel loved and cherished for the precious child of God that you are:)

Christina

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Love to others is like artwork. It creates joy and bright color in someone else’s life:) The beginning letters of each line below spell the word, Encouragement. It is a little abstract, comparing a painting to the bright colors that get painted in someone’s heart when you encourage them, but it makes sense that kindness brightens the day of others. I hope you like it:)

An Encouraging Word Expressive like a master’s art Nice words paint a person’s heart Cause is love combined with action Optimism, love’s reaction Ultimately hearts are changed Rewards are bright with smiles exchanged Another’s brightened soul will cry Grateful for love’s care supply Emotion born of palette blues Meanwhile tints to cheerful hues Encouraging wash of color bright Needy souls infused with light Transformation art by love done right.

© Copyright 2021 Christina Crute

With love from the Father to you, let’s create “artwork” (beautiful heart-work!) by encouraging someone else:)

Christina

I just trashed the devotion I had written for today, after I became convinced that it is not what I want to put out there today. Now, more than ever, I long for the right words to say how beautiful and wonderful Jesus is, but sometimes the words sound too much like my own and not His. It is just because I am that desperate to shine Jesus bright, to counteract the negative in the world.

So what does God’s Word say about being in this world? In my devotions just now, I ended up in John 17, where Jesus is praying for His disciples. It is a tender passage. How He loves the disciples and how longingly He talks to God about them being okay in the world once He is gone.

 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Matthew 17:14-16 NIV

1. We can hold God’s Word in our human hands! We have been given God’s Word. I hope I/we never lose that reverence for such a valuable gift. Through Jesus’ words that come from the Father, we know who we belong to and it is not this world, if we so choose! The Word saves lives and we can hold it in our hands.

2.We can also hold God’s Word in our hearts. We can take to heart all that God’s Word directs us to see and do. God’s Word, which comes from heaven can navigate our lives to His glory. God’s Word is a light! It directs and commands we follow in His way, the best way!

3.We can give God’s Word away. We can cheer the hopeless, help the hurting and tell the desperate that God loves them and we can show it to them in the Bible. We can give them our Bible or another Bible. There is such good news in there!

Though our world seems crazy, God has a plan and it is not for me to get all negative and caught up in bad news, like I do sometimes! We are here to spread good news! We have today. We may not have tomorrow, so let’s plant seeds today for the Lord. Let’s pray for opportunities today before we make our to-do list.

Dear God,

Just as vigorously as bad news is told, let us counteract with love and Your good news. We still have a voice and Your words. Help us to use them please. Let us hold Your Word in our hands and cherish it and feed on it. Let us hold Your Word in our heart and let us give away Your Word to those who are going through hard times. when we lose focus, or focus on the bad in the world too much, please lift our chins up to look at You and be filled anew with Your fresh vision. We love You so much and want to spend our days as You see fit. Amen

With love from the Father to you, have a wonderful day today!

Christina

Several years ago my phone taught me a lesson, after it drove me crazy, that is! No matter how many times I unplugged the charger cord and reinserted it, my phone would not charge! Even different cords wouldn’t produce a charge. There was just no power getting to it.

Finally, and this is very embarrassing, I checked the electrical outlet. Aha! It wasn’t charging because it wasn’t plugged into the wall, to its source of power. It must have gotten knocked out when I moved the shelf.

There was a time in the past, like a phone, that I had used all of my energy and needed a recharge by God. I tried everything to produce a charge and nothing would work for very long. I kept running out of power, positivity, energy, even zeal for God. I would go to church, read my devotions, do things for others, listen to praise music, but something was still missing. I felt emotionally high at times because I loved the Lord, but felt weak when I needed a spiritual connection to get me through my tough days. The connection just wasn’t there. I wondered what I was doing wrong or not doing, because my “charge” didn’t last long enough.

Finally, in desperation, I sat down at my desk with no distractions in the room, meaning no tv, no music, no food, no phone. I read my Bible and I prayed. I asked God to get me re-connected to Him. It worked! I felt connected to Him again! It was not His fault that I lacked a connection. It was my fault for running my life on my own power and energy. I had not been plugged in to His power and energy. It took me asking for the connection and reading my Bible and praying, to find my true power source.

So simple isn’t it? Yet, there I was, trying so hard to make the charge happen on my own! My phone taught me something very important that day…

Prayer is like a charger cord and His Word is the power. Together, they fill us with what God, knows we need.

Unlike a phone, we need not wait until we feel low in energy, to get charged up. Daily Bible reading and studying God’s truths, plus prayer with an emphasis on sitting with the Lord, being in His presence, communing with Him…all these will allow God to be in control of our energy and strength. He is faithful to give us what we need when we need it! It is all about staying connected all the time.

We need to remember…It’s not about what WE do to get the joy but what we allow God to do when we plug in. He speaks to us in prayer and through His Word. God wants that connection with us. He is up for the job of charging us up , but we have to do the job of getting plugged in to Him through prayer to get any power.

Hope this both makes sense and encourages you to put yourself in position to receive all you need from our Father. Don’t be like me and try to charge yourself up,lol!

Love and prayers to you today and always:)

Christina

 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 NIV

News Flash! I was not the most popular girl in school. Over many shy years as a child, I learned to fade into the background for the better part of each school day. By the time I reached high school, I had it down. I would be quiet and keep to myself in class, so no one would talk to me. It was easier that way because I didn’t fit in with them, so why try to force something that wasn’t meant to be? You may wonder why I didn’t even try…

Because they laughed at me. One of them called me a “fool” one day and the whole class laughed. That sealed the deal. I didn’t need friends like that.

Because they rejected me. I didn’t party. I didn’t cuss or drink or wear designer clothes or even do a popular school sport, except I did marching band and that was for nerds. (But what fun nerds!)

Because they called me “stuck up.” They labeled me because I was too quiet. I labeled them back, but in my head. If they were going to judge me and label me, then I would do the same back. (Now where in the Bible is that okay? Nowhere! I was acting our of hurt.)

This is NOT a pity party. I am over those years and am thankful for them, actually! I choose to remember the good times. I had some great friends in high school. Although I only saw them once a day, at lunch, those were happy times at the lunch table. I fit in. We all fit together! (It was just the REST of the day that I kind of kept my head down and muddled through.) Thinking back on those years makes me appreciate our Savior so much more and what He went through. He was fully God, fully man. He must have hurt like a human does, when they are rejected by others, especially because He loved the people who were doing it. That thought humbles me. No comparison to my childhood years , right? It’s just that it makes me wonder how He felt, the Son of God being picked on!

Jesus was rejected, laughed at, called names, spit on, hurt, abused, crucified, but never changed His course of love! As always, He is our example. He loved those who were mean to Him, who mocked Him! He not only said He loved them. He forgave them and took action on that love; He made a way to give us eternal life! I sure didn’t love people who picked on me. I definitely judged them and hated them…until I realized Jesus was not happy with me doing that and they probably had their own hurts. Hating them solved nothing.

Another thing that helped me see the light… God’s Word showed me that love is not conditional. If I love God, I will love others. Period. It is not If I love God and others love me, THEN I will love them back. We are meant to love DESPITE others’ actions. I think it’s okay to not like what they do, but love that the Lord can get us through and He can take care of their actions, not us. I definitely judged them and that was wrong. God loves them very much. Love is a pure thing from God. It cannot be impure.

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. 1 Cor. 13:4-5 NIV

With love from our Father to you, have a great day! God truly loves you! So do I!

Christina

How about a day of hope! We have trials, for sure, but we are not alone in them. We have God on our side. He is our hope, cheerleader, coach, friend, support, guide…anything we need Him to be. His love knows no bounds when it comes to us. He gave us the most valuable thing He had, His ONLY son.

Here are some verses on trials and what they teach us. God does have a reason for allowing challenges in our lives. Some situations we create ourselves with bad judgement…I know I have done that!…but no matter the reason for our trial, He is there for us, still loving us, every step of every moment of every day.

I hope these encourage your heart:)

People all over the world depend on God.… You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. Psalm 65:5 NLT

We can find hope in God’s Word, always…. You are my refuge and shield. Your Word is my source of hope. Psalm 119:114 NLT

Scripture comes from God’s breath!… All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 NIV

We will face persecution and trials…. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3:12 NIV

Our life here is not meant to be our reward but a journey to our reward…. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Revelation 2:10 NIV

Enduring patiently has its rewards…. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 3:10 NIV

I learned a lot from looking up these scriptures, especially about how many guarantees and promises God has made to us! Hope is never gone, when we realize what our almighty God can do and has already done. I hope He holds you closer than ever and reminds you that you are so loved!

Christina

This picture of beautiful flowers surrounded by brokenness caught my attention. Do you sometimes feel “broken?” I do. I wonder that God still loves me even though I seem so weak in trials. That is the point though! It is a good thing to know we are broken, weak, misguided, without Him. Then we know we HAVE to depend on Him.

This is meant to be a positive devotion, because, you know what? God sees what we can become, very clearly, even with all of our brokenness. He knows His own wisdom and strength so He KNOWS He can make something beautiful of our lives if we just allow Him. He can do anything! He tells us to bring it all to Him and He will make us like Him. Apparently, he can turn trash into treasure. Bad joke, but I hope you get that we are all broken in a way, imperfect. That just serves to give Him glory He so rightly deserves, when He gives us a new start, a new growth, or “bloom.”

Broken

Bring to me your broken self, sick and ill of heart. Bring to me your troubles, But don’t come to me in part. Give me all of you, everything you hold. Bring me all you’re tired of. Come into the fold. Chorus: And I will make you new, take away your burdens and your sin, make in you my likeness deep within. And I will restore you. Broken’s not your name anymore. You are my bloom. © Copyright 2021 Christina Crute

Have a great day in the Lord and bloom like the new creation you are in Him. Love and prayers to all,

Christina

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.¹⁷ You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. Psalm 59:16-17 NIV

You know how singing usually makes you feel better? Sometimes it doesn’t. How I know I am really down is when I can’t even sing. We all have dry seasons like that, where we are struggling with something that just isn’t going to change anytime soon. The road ahead looks about the same as the road we are standing on. Life has disappointed us and it is hard to sing when you wanted life to go another way.

We have lost our hope. We have been let down. We want to feel sorry for ourselves. After all, don’t we deserve to be upset with such a long-lasting trial? Yes, we do. We are human and these emotions will come. However, just because we do not feel like being hopeful or positive, does not mean that Hope is not there. He is!

How many times God waited patiently for me to get over myself and accept His plan for His reasons. Never in a million years did I see certain things occurring in my life, namely a divorce! I was a good girl, after all and tried hard in my marriage. But… I was let down, hurt, in danger and manipulated. How could God allow that person put me through all that? Why didn’t He stop him somehow? Why didn’t He change my husband’s heart so he would love me again?

I had no choice but to lean heavily on God during those times. Such a sweet closeness and communication between Him and I developed, unlike any I had ever had before. Rather, I returned to the fervor and love I felt for Him as a brand new Christian. Why am I telling you this? I am telling you this because I have learned the hard way what leaning on God really means. I also know, for sure, that you have experienced severe hurt in one way or another. It makes one angry and wanting to give up on hoping for good things again. But…hope really is there. Our God is a God of hope. We are well-loved. God has reasons and plans that make no sense to us, but we have to trust Him. We can learn and lean while we go through a trial, and trust our Creator. Why would our creator NOT love His creations?

They say “Time heals all wounds?” No, not necessarily. Time, alone, is sometimes not enough. Heart wounds need care and attention, often a change of heart, things that only God can make happen. I say, “Time with God heals all wounds.”

I hope today, that you are able to sing of how strong and wise and loving God is, even if you do not feel that way all the time. Let Him carry You, teach you and teach you how to love Him better. When we go to God in desperation, He comes to us desperate to be our priority and lifesaver.

P.S. Though God hates divorce, He did allow me a second chance at love. I am happily married now. He also taught me that true love comes first from Him. It is a pure and lasting love in a relationship when God is kept at the top, center and middle and everywhere in-between.

I hope this all makes sense and I hope you look up and see Hope is always there. Because our Savior lives, we can know He held the past but also the future!

Love to all,

Christina

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