I was pulling the last of the dinner rolls out of the oven when the whole lot of them came running. It was 4pm on a Monday, and in between homework and suppertime the smells and their impatient bellies had gotten the best of them.

“Can I have a warm one, please?” 

Almost tripping over each other, they all seemed to simultaneously ask and offer up their empty hands as they crowded into my personal space. I was taking a meal to a sick friend, but today there was extra made intentionally for them. My heart almost felt like it could burst. Oh Jesus, you’ve brought me so far. Laughter and hugs and so much love filled the kitchen as the warm rolls made their way into the hands of the ones I love the most.

Who do you love?

It seems like a ridiculously simple gesture and a way too emotional response, but I can remember a day when my love was more limited and my unnecessary “no’s” were much more frequent in my home. More often than I’d like to admit, the asking and the crowding of those closest to me has gotten the best of me. Too many times I have given my best away to those outside of my home, offering my family only my impatience and leftovers like they were an obstacle or an afterthought.

Oh God, forgive me.

In 1 Timothy 5, Paul admonishes Timothy with instructions for how to show honor and respect to specific individuals within the church, but interestingly, it’s not long before the family is brought into the equation:

“But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.” – 1 Timothy 5:4

Paul’s words should cause us to not only reflect how we show love, honor, and respect to those in the church, but also how we show godliness to the ones who know us in the most intimate spaces – those in our own families. These are the hard questions I’m challenging us to ask ourselves this week:

Do I regularly look for opportunities to encourage, honor, and provide tangible help for those in my church and family as I’m able, or am I frustrated by the needs of others as I look to serve my own interests?

Do I seek to show value, grace, and love to all people, or am I investing only in those who are like me or those who can advance my status or personal agenda?

Am I reflecting my love for God in the way I treat those in my family and church, or am I consistently detached and unavailable?

Am I providing a godly model for the next generation in how I love and care for others?

Oh Father, transform the way we love others so that we look more like You.

For our families.

For Your Church.

For the light of the gospel and the glory of Christ…

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

Who can you love well today?

At His feet,

 

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GET EXCITED… Natalie Grant & Love God Greatly are teaming up for one VERY special night of praise and worship on September 22 at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas!! Trust us when we say that you won’t want to miss this power-packed ministry night! And get this: for each ticket purchased, concert goers will receive a FREE Love God Greatly Bible study journal! How amazing is that?!

*A special invitation to GIVE BACK: For those in our LGG community who are not within traveling distance or simply can’t make it to the concert, would you consider GIFTING a concert ticket to a very worthy cause? We’re giving YOU the opportunity to purchase concert tickets for our amazing friends at a local women’s and children’s services ministry here in Rockwall. Your donated ticket(s) will give one (or more!) of these precious women a unique worship experience, plus their very own LGG study journal to take home with them! What a sweet way to still be able to participate in this exciting night AND get more women around the world in God’s Word. THANK YOU for helping us reach and dream BIG in order to make Him known!

Learn More: http://lovegodgreatly.com/natalie-grant-concert/

This Fall, be the one to reach out, the one to extend the invitation…the one to initiate unity and community among your neighbors, co-workers, moms, sisters, and friends. Gather together and join us as we study 1st & 2nd Timothy for the next six weeks!

You can find our women’s and corresponding kids’ journals here:

Women’s journal: http://amzn.to/2uPvmOS (aff)
Children’s journal: http://amzn.to/2ub0VAA (aff)

WhitneyD

WhitneyD

Grab a journal, build a community,
change women's lives.

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