Sending God's Truth to others is love!

In encouraging others today, instead of merely replying emails with "I will pray for you", I also sent people Scripture verses, because I believe that God's Word is the Truth; it can not only bring hope, but has the power to heal. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

In fact, "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." So could it be, that when I send others the Word of God, I'm actually sending a bit of God Himself? Woah! That blows my mind...

Encouraging my leaders is love

Being a leader is a high calling. God holds leaders to a higher level of accountability, and will hold them responsible for how they lead and shepherd His people. So, I thought I would send my leaders @ Alpha an encouraging email to root them on in their leadership:

"Hi leaders!

Thanks for your time and dedication in directing people to Jesus! I was doing my devos last night, and came upon this passage that I hope will be an encouragement to you (and us), as we continue to point people to Christ:

"The ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ involves a spiritual battle in which the evangelist is nothing more than an ambassador. Whether a person responds negatively to the "glorious gospel of Christ," or whether he believes and is given new life, the battle is fought on a spiritual plane outside the control of the messenger.

Why do some people reject the gospel? Satan has blinded their minds so they cannot see. Why do other people accept the gospel? "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in their hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor 4:6) For this reason, "we faint not." (2 Cor 4:1,16) Paul faced persistent opposition and rejection throughout his ministry. He stayed in the battle, refusing to quit, because he knew that in the final analysis the struggle did not involve him personally.

You can easily misunderstand your task as a witness for Christ and take it personally when people reject His message. Conversely, you think too highly of yourself if you take pride in your ability to win others to Christ. In either case, you fail to grasp that you are limited to merely sharing the good news. Beyond that point, it becomes a spiritual struggle over which you have no control. Once you assimilate the significance of this, you will not be timid in sharing the gospel nor lose heart when people reject the message.

You do not preach for temporal gain. In sales, you only get credit for what you sell. With the gospel, you only get credit for proclaiming the gospel, irrespective of the response. For these reasons, "we faint not.""

- quoted from "Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man" by Walter A. Henrichsen

Let us not lose heart, but continue to gently show love to those who have yet to experience God's grace and love! And may God fill you with wisdom, as you pray and lead Team 10 in discovering the glories of Calvary!"

Reminding myself to love...is love!

Earlier, I wrote about a struggle with a sister. To make sure that I remind myself to keep loving her, I sent her a gift, and included an encouraging note! Loving someone doesn't mean just showing them love once, but loving them on a consistent basis. "Love never ends."

Sending love via words of encouragement

Dayspring makes great cards. They are always so encouraging, and so pretty. I knew 2 people who really needed a pick-me-up today, so I got each of them a Dayspring card, and wrote words of encouragement that I pray will shed light into their darkness. And I trust that this will be done, because these words that I wrote are not my own words, but God's Words of Truth that will bring hope and life.

Love challenge: "therefore encourage one another and build each other up."