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Tag Archive: love

  1. Times of Refreshing

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    Times of Refreshing — a word from Pastor Steel Croshwhite from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "Times of refreshing would come from the Lord. That hard truth wasn’t just for the people in that crowd. He meant it for all of us."

    “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” — Acts 3:19-20 (NIV)

    In Acts 3, Peter performed a miracle—he healed a man who couldn’t walk. The crowd was amazed. However, Peter didn’t bask in the attention. Instead, he used that moment to speak hard truth with bold love.

    He told the people to repent and turn to God. Their sins would be wiped away. Times of refreshing would come from the Lord. That hard truth wasn’t just for the people in that crowd. He meant it for all of us. It doesn’t matter if you’re 16 or 60. Maybe you’ve followed Jesus for decades. Perhaps you just recently surrendered to Him. Peter’s message still applies to you today.

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  2. Life-Changing Prayer

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    Life-Changing Prayer — a word by Pastor Bill Young from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "let’s be a people who pray big prayers. Those people who root themselves in love. Who trust in His provision as well as lean into His power."

    Ephesians 3:14a (NIV84) “For this reason I kneel before the Father…”

    Last Thursday, my wife (Mary) and I put our 20+ year-old furniture on the driveway with “FREE” signs attached. We then held hands and prayed, “Lord, have someone take these before the day is over.” Four hours later, a neighbor a few doors down claimed the well-worn couches for her daughter. Soon after, Mary and I held hands (again) and thanked the God who answers prayers!

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  3. Saved to Be Loved Forever

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    Saved to Be Loved Forever — a word by Pastor Caleb Yetton from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "It isn’t just to avoid God’s wrath. At the same time, salvation is for a reason. It is something for us to experience, FOREVER."

    “[God] raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” — Ephesians 2:6-7 

    This verse is undeniably fantastic! I’d encourage you to meditate on it specifically this week. Just think about this glorious future you have in Christ in Heaven. 

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  4. Mighty Ways

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    Mighty Ways — a word by Billy Johnson from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "God hasn’t used me in any of the “mighty ways” this broken world would recognize. I’m actually thankful for that."

    Ever since I became a follower of Christ, I’ve prayed that God would use me and others in mighty ways. There’s nothing wrong with this prayer. It’s a prayer that applies faith to a “Here am I, send me!” boldness. That is certainly not bad at all. However, I’ve prayed this prayer for over two decades. And a quick Google search of my name proves that God hasn’t used me in any of the “mighty ways” this broken world would recognize. I’m actually thankful for that.

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  5. Times of Refreshing

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    Times of Refreshing — a word by Pastor Steele Croswhite from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "Here’s the truth. When you bring your sin into the light, times of refreshing always come. Not rejection. Not condemnation. Refreshment."

    “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” — Acts 3:19-20 (NIV)

    Peter had just performed a miracle—healing a man who couldn’t walk. The crowd was obviously amazed. But Peter didn’t take the credit. Instead, he pointed people to Jesus. Additionally, he told them to repent and turn to God.

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  6. Pray Them Deeper

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    Pray Them Deeper — a word by Pastor Bryan D. Edwards from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "it’s a beautiful thing to watch people fall more in love with Jesus. And it’s even more beautiful when your heart burns to pray them deeper"

    “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him…” — Ephesians 1:15-17

    These verses recently gripped me as I read Ephesians. The Apostle Paul hears that the faith of the people in this church is strong. Their love for one another is obviously the real deal. Everything is definitely GREAT! But then, instead of moving on with a quick, spiritual high-five, Paul presses in. He tells them precisely what he’s praying for them.

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  7. Lost and Found

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    This is much like many of our own lost and found stories. The lost portions of our stories dissipate while the finding part overcomes.

    Most everyone has a lost and found story. I have far too many. And at this stage of my life, even my car tends to get lost. Thank God for the key fob. Also, here’s to the lost phone feature (to assist in finding misplaced phones). Once, I even traced my lost phone back to a rest stop in southern Utah (in a futile attempt to retrieve it). 

    Most of the time, there are two parts to our lost and found stories. For a start, there’s the hopelessness of not knowing where to look. Next comes the relief of finally finding what we’re looking for.

    My favorite lost and found story is the “Parable of the Lost Son,” found in Luke (Chapter 15). It’s probably because I can personally relate to it on several levels. The young man receives an early inheritance and squanders it on reckless and loose living. 

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  8. Gentleness

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    Gentleness — a word by Pastor Bryan D. Edwards from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "The reality is that life always has a way of testing our gentleness. We snap at loved ones. We let frustration control our tone..."

    The world we live in today is certainly not known for being very gentle. This week, I watched a guy lose his mind on another dude when he took his parking spot. I also heard a guy blow up on his kids in the grocery store. And then this morning (as I write this), I have already scrolled through dozens of brutal comments of ruthless outrage about the political division in our country. (Many coming from my own brothers and sisters in Christ!)

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  9. Real Love

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    Real Love — a word by Pastor Steele Croswhite from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "Jesus calls me to love people. He’s reminded me of what real love is over the past few weeks (in a powerful way)."

    Jesus calls me to love people. He’s reminded me of what real love is over the past few weeks (in a powerful way).

    After spending some time studying the definition of love (according to 1 Corinthians 13), it became clear to me. Love is far more than our experience of emotions or pleasant feelings. It is, in fact, ACTION.

    The Apostle Paul used a compelling Greek word when he described love in Corinthians. That word was “agape.” Agape love is sacrificial, active, and far beyond words. Equally important, agape love is a determined act of will.

    What is more, knowing what that kind of love is, the Bible teaches us that we are to “love with action” our fellow Christians. Not only them but also those who do not know Jesus as their Savior.

    How Are You Doing?

    We are to actively love other Believers in several ways. It’s important to enjoy them (Acts 2) and be committed to them in community and mission (Hebrews 10). Additionally, we should bear each other’s burdens (Romans 12:15).

    As we actively love the Lost, we also need to show compassion (Matthew 9:36). It’s crucial to always share the Gospel with them (John 3:16) and love them authentically (Matthew 23:37).

    Jesus said in John 13:35: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This week, ask yourself, “How is my ‘love’ life?”

    All in all, do you sacrificially love your fellow Christians? How about actively loving the Lost around you with compassion and authenticity?

    Loving for the long haul,

    Steele

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  10. Post-Tensioned Slabs

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    Post-Tensioned Slabs — a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. But, like post-tensioned slabs, God has given us our unique gifts to specifically strengthen each other where we are weak.

    “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” — Ephesians 4:15-16

    I had lunch with a friend the other day. As we talked, he said something about “P.T. slabs.” With my engineering background, I knew he was obviously talking about post-tensioned slabs. But, I told him, most people would not understand that. We then shared a laugh.

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