Ali Shaw, Author at Do Not Depart

Great Is the Lord – Psalm 145

November 5, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

We hope you’ll join us this month for our new series, Great Is the Lord, where we’ll study Psalm 145, a psalm of praise, together.

I wish I could say that I love fall and winter. But, I really don’t. Truth be told, I kinda like fall, but I know it’s ushering in winter. And winter and I? Well, we have a struggle.

Normally I’m an optimistic thinker. But because I don’ t care for fall and winter, my optimism tends to fall short these days. So, my oldest daughter reminds me often try to look for the good things in these seasons I don’t like… and hold onto them.

There are a few things about fall that I do like. I love donning jeans and boots, kicking the fallen leaves, the nip in the air when the sun is still warm on my face, and snuggling up to read or crochet on a chilly evening. But Thanksgiving is what gives me the most joy!

Yes, I love gathering together with my family, lingering over a good meal, laughing, talking, and playing games well into the evening. It’s a true joy and gift!

But even more poignant than that is the time spent in gratitude, both with family and just quietly, between God and I. Usually, for days before and after the holiday, I’m in a “thankfulness mode”— thanking God deeply for all that He’s given. Intentionally looking back over the year and counting blessings has a way of highlighting how very awesome God is and just how indebted to Him I am.

Gratitude puts everything in proper perspective!

Praise and Gratitude Go Hand in Hand

Why are we focusing on praise as thanksgiving approaches, instead of gratitude?

Many people say that when a Believer wishes to express thanksgiving to God, the result is praise.

But I think it goes the other way, too. When God’s children stop to praise God, like David does in this Psalm, I believe it helps us reflect more on what God has done and why He is so worthy of receiving our praise. The result? Gratitude!

Gratitude results in praise, but so does praise result in greater gratitude.

Great Is the Lord

This month we here at DoNotDepart will be focusing on the great awesomeness of God. We’ll be leading you through a study of Psalm 145, a Psalm of David.

Psalm 145 is considered a psalm of praise. And boy, is it ever! The ESV study Bible says, “The author has exploited all the vocabulary he can muster to describe this great activity, praising God for his greatness and goodness.” (Emphasis, mine.)

Over and again, David talks about praising God, what praise looks like, and why it should be done. The ultimate reason?

Because God is so great!

Does praise make you feel grateful? What are you especially thankful for this year?

Let us know in the comments or in our Facebook group.

Join us this month for a study of Psalm 145: Great Is the Lord

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Blessings,

Ali

Lord of the Sabbath: Series Wrap Up

October 31, 2019 by Ali Shaw 1 Comment

Today’s post is the wrap up for our series, Lord of the Sabbath. All this month as we’ve attempted to learn more about the Sabbath and what it teaches us about God.

Sabbath rest.

Those words sound so sweet, don’t they? And I pray that as we say goodbye to October, those words sound even sweeter than they did before you joined us in this monthlong series of looking intently at what Sabbath says about God!

Through God’s giving of the Sabbath, we see His nature. As I stated in the introduction to this series,

And while “the salvation we have in Christ has made the old law of the Sabbath no longer needed or binding” the Sabbath continually points to Him.

Throughout the Bible, not only in the New Testament, Sabbath rest points hearts to God! Sabbath reveals His character and attributes in myriad ways.

Yes! God shows us that:

He’s a God of provision.
He loves us enough to give us good gifts.
Our health is important to Him.
He desires our obedience.
He’s a promise-keeping God.
And also through the Sabbath, He shares glimpses of things to come.

There is so much to learn about God!

Our Posts:

What the Sabbath Says: The God Who Provides

I looked at the story of the Exodus to show how the Sabbath points to God’s provision. When they grumbled for food, He gave it. God provided enough manna and quail to feed His people and last them through a day of rest on the Sabbath. “What was God doing here? God wasn’t just caving to the desires of His people; He was teaching them a valuable lesson about Himself. He provides! And as His people, we (like they, then) should trust that He is faithful to do that.”

Less Google, More God – Take and Informational Sabbath

God is omnipotent! But it’s our human nature to crave information. In her post, Lisa reminded us that how important it is to understand that knowledge alone can’t save us! “Knowledge by itself does not save us. It leads us to the One who can: Christ the living Truth (John 8:32 ).Thankfully we don’t have to figure everything out. God already has. He knows it all. And we know Him.” Lisa challenged us to take a “Sabbath” from Google. “During your Sabbath break, trust God to let you know what you need to know, when you need to know it.”

The Lord of the Sabbath is Trustworthy

Jaime taught us about the importance of physical rest and how it points to trust in God. “Rest, it seems, is the action of trust. Taking time to rest acknowledges our dependence on God. …He can be trusted because He is

Unchangeable (Malachi 3:6 ; Numbers 23:19 ; Psalm 102:26-27 )
Just (Deuteronomy 32:4 ; Psalm 18:30 )
Good (Psalm 145:9 , Psalm 34:8 )
He keeps his promises (Numbers 23:19 , 2 Corinthians 1:20 )

As we practice the Sabbath rest we learn firsthand that God is worth putting our trust in and on that foundation of experience we can ‘be still and know’ who God is.”

Set Apart by the Lord of the Sabbath

Cheli shared with us ways that we are set apart by God. “Very few of the special days dotting the calendar are true ‘holy days.'” …but “God designed the Sabbath as a holy day to remind us of our identity in Him. No matter your practice of Sabbath, God has given it to us as a reminder of who we are in Him. He has provided the Sabbath to set us apart as created, saved and sanctified.”

Why Can We Rest? Jesus is the Answer!

In our series, we did a lot of looking at what Sabbath rest says about God’s character. Let’s not forget, though, that the whole reason we can rest in the first place is because of Jesus, our beloved Savior. Through His sacrifice, we are made acceptable to God. (Hebrews 10:12) Unlike the Old Testament Jews who had laws to follow and sacrifices to offer in order to please God, we can rest in the fact that Jesus has done everything necessary in order to make us righteous in the Father’s eyes! (2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9)

Glimpses of the Future

Because of the perfect and complete rest we find through belief in Jesus, we will gain life in eternity. Our Sabbath is an eternal promise, and someday we will rest completely in the presence of our mighty, loving God! What a wonderful thing that will be!

Wrap Up

Though sometimes we can’t do anything to change the busy season we’re in, we can always find rest and peace when we trust the Lord of the Sabbath. He has so much to teach us about who He is! And when we are still, we can know Him better.

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10)

What does the Sabbath teach us about the nature of God? Come find out! #LordOfTheSabbath Wrap up at DoNotDepart.com

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What did you learn about God through His provision of rest? Share with us in the comments or over in our Facebook community group.

Blessings in Christ,
Ali

What the Sabbath Says: The God Who Provides

October 10, 2019 by Ali Shaw 3 Comments

What does the Sabbath say about God and how He provides for His children? This is the first post in our new series: The Lord of the Sabbath.

I love to make plans, set goals, and achieve. God wired me that way, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Over the years, though, I’ve seen that it becomes a bad thing if I try to do it all apart from Him. If I operate the way He designed me to, but under His leadership, everything is different. I learn to rely on Him and His provision rather than relying on myself, proving myself, or trying to control things as a reaction to fear.

There’s a story in the Bible that helps me remember these lessons. And even though it’s a sad story in many ways, I love the story of the Exodus and what it teaches me about how God provides.

When God first instituted the Sabbath day, He did so to the wandering nation of Israel. After years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites were led to freedom by God, under the earthly leadership of Moses.

Because they didn’t trust God to help them take the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 1:26-33), God disciplined them by allowing them to wander for 40 years in the desert, until that generation had passed and a new generation would arise to enter. (Deuteronomy 1:34-35)

During the 40 years of discipline and wandering, God also showered love and care upon His rebellious children.

He provided for them.

While wandering, the Israelites often grumbled. (They were slow to learn, like me.) One of the things they complained about was food. They’d left the “luxuries” of Egypt (oh, how we often make sour lemons into sweet ones when we look back!) to wander, hungry, in a dry and dusty wilderness.

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:2-3)

God’s answer was that He would provide manna and quail from heaven for His beloved, though obstinate, people.

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.” (Exodus 16:4)

“In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.'” (Exodus 16:13-15)

God Provides

What was God doing here? God wasn’t just caving to the desires of His people; He was teaching them a valuable lesson about Himself. He provides! And as His people, we (like they, then) should trust that He is faithful to do that.

“On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, ‘This is what the LORD has commanded: “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.”‘ So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, ‘Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.'” (Exodus 16:22-26)

The Lord told His covenant children to gather enough on the sixth day to last for the seventh. On the seventh day they were told not to gather anything! Enough be would be provided for the whole nation of Israel on the sixth day.

Exodus 12:37 tells us that there were over 600,000 “men on foot” (young men of fighting age) in the Exodus from Egypt. There were an estimated 2.4 million Israelites altogether.

And God provided for them all! (That’s a lot of manna and quail!)

Sabbath and God’s Provision

Through the Sabbath, God shows us that He is a God who provides. In this New Testament age, where we are no longer commanded to keep the Sabbath (though we can, Colossians 2:16), we look to God to learn from His Sabbath-giving nature. Like I mentioned in the introduction to this series, “…while ‘the salvation we have in Christ has made the old law of the Sabbath no longer needed or binding’ the Sabbath continually points to Him.”

We look to God to learn from His Sabbath-giving nature. Sabbath continually points to Him. #LordOfTheSabbath

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Though God gave the Israelites just enough each day and even gave them extra on the sixth day to last through the seventh, some of them relied on themselves, instead.

Some gathered extra each day to carry over into the next. It bred worms and got stinky.

“And Moses said to them, ‘Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.’ But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.” (Exodus 16:19-20)

Then there were those who went out to gather on the seventh day when they weren’t supposed to. Guess what? They went and found nothing.

“On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.’ So the people rested on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:27-30)

Why

Why did they do this?

Maybe it was fear: “What if there isn’t enough?”
They may have been self-sufficient. “I’ve got this!”
Perhaps they were proving themselves to someone else. “Hey,sweetie, it’s ok. You can count on me!”
Or did they just became negative and stay there? “I can’t believe this! Life isn’t going the way I want. Obviously I can’t trust God!”

Maybe they had a mix of reasons or other reasons altogether. We’ll never know.

But what we can know is what our response should be to God’s provision: trust.

He is the same God who gives a Sabbath-rest to His children’s hearts today. He is the same God who will provide what we need when we need it, even if we don’t understand— and when it doesn’t look like what we expect.

The Sabbath teaches us that God provides. Even if we don’t understand. Even when His provision doesn’t look like what we expect. #LordOfTheSabbath

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Ultimately, God provides Himself. And that, my friend, is our greatest need!

Are you seeking God’s provision? What is He teaching you through the story of the Sabbath? Share with us in the comments or in our Facebook group.

Resting in His provision,
Ali

Lord of the Sabbath – A New Series

October 8, 2019 by Ali Shaw 4 Comments

Fall can be a busy time of year! Focusing on Lord of the Sabbath is a great reminder to slow down with a still spirit, rest in Him, and seek to draw near our Savior.

After a hectic summer, I was ready to slide back into a comfortable, predictable routine with my family. As you may know, I’m a homeschool mom. My youngest daughter is my only student, now that her sisters have grown and graduated. Creating structured and scheduled days for the two of us sounded so sweet during the unorganized, fun-chaos of summer!

But then reality hit. Yes, our Fall days are now structured and scheduled, but, boy, are our weeks busy! This year my middle schooler has multiple classes and activities outside the home, which means I’m doing more chauffeuring, and I’ve taken on more roles in ministry work and at church, and well… someone still has to clean the house.

Ya feel me?

Sometimes, we ladies need to prayerfully evaluate things to see if God leads us to lighten our schedules.

But sometimes, there isn’t much we can do. Sometimes, we’re in a busy season. And that’s that… because that’s where God has us right now.

How do we stay faithful and sane in the middle of it, though? How does a busy women who feels “go-go-go” on the outside remain rested on the inside?

I think the key is finding rest in the Lord of the Sabbath.

By focusing on Him and trusting in His character, I can find the strength to sustain me if I peacefully walk, step by step, with my Savior. Like Peter, walking on water, if I look at the wind and the waves around me, I start to feel overwhelmed and I know I’ll sink.

But Sabbath rest is about more than finding peace during a busy season. And it’s certainly about more than my response (although my response is important).

Quieting my soul in His presence and drawing near Him sustains me because He sustains me. Sabbath is about Him.

In Mark 2:23-28, Jesus walked through grainfields on the Sabbath day and shocked the religious leaders when He broke the “rules” and allowed His followers to pluck and eat grain. Jesus’ response was that He was greater than the rules. After all, as one person of the triune God, it was He who made and gave the Sabbath to mankind. And now He’d come to give them Himself. And while “the salvation we have in Christ has made the old law of the Sabbath no longer needed or binding” the Sabbath continually points to Him.

Throughout the Bible, not only in the New Testament, Sabbath rest points hearts to God! Sabbath reveals His character and attributes in myriad ways. Through it God shows:

He’s a God of provision.
He loves us enough to give us good gifts.
Our health is important to Him.
He desires our obedience.
He’s a promise-keeping God.
And also through the Sabbath, He shares glimpses of things to come.

We hope you’ll join us all this month as we learn more about the Sabbath and what it teaches us about God. I pray that together, we’ll seek to draw near the Lord of the Sabbath!

Resting in Him,

Ali

Fasten On the Belt of Truth

September 6, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

This post continues our series on the Whole Armor of God and focuses on the encouragement to Fasten On the Belt of Truth, the first defensive weapon.

Everything Is Supported by the Belt

I recently heard a true story about a young woman who went to try on a bridal gown. She was frightened that her heavy, strapless dress would just fall right down because of her slender narrow frame.

The saleslady assured her that all the weight of the fabric rested at the waist. If the waist was strong, the dress would stay perfectly in place!

I love this story because it perfectly describes the importance of the belt of truth. All the rest of the spiritual armor “hangs” on the truth!

Not to jump ahead, but let’s look very briefly at the other pieces of armor. Righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit hang (in various ways) on truth. Whether it’s the truth of who God is, the truth of who we are in Him, or the truth of His Word, the truth is central and binds them together.

Truth First

Why is the belt of truth mentioned first?

This would have been understood practically by the original audience. Today, we often use belts as fashion accessories, but Roman soldiers or anyone needing to fight (or work hard) would have needed a good, functional belt. It certainly would be the first piece of armor put on when dressing for battle.

Long robes could have been tucked up under the belt to free the legs and feet. And a strong belt would have given physical support to the back (much like the back support belts that physical laborers often wear today).

A Roman soldier took the first step to readying himself for battle when the belt was cinched.

Once the belt was on, the body was strengthened to hold the weight of all the other armor!

What About Us? Are We Soldiers?

The Book of 2 Timothy refers to Christians as “soldiers.” Matter of fact, all of 2 Timothy 2 gives the characteristics of a soldier of Christ. Verses three and four say:

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

So yes, we are soldiers. And we will fight spiritual battles as long as we are living on this earth! Like Patti said in our introduction,

When we remember that the battle is against the enemy, it realigns us with God’s view. We can remember to stand in His strength, because obviously you and I can not fight an enemy of that magnitude alone!

It is through His truth, faith in that truth, salvation because of that truth, and so on, that we can fight.

How Can We Know Truth?

If we have a saving relationship with Jesus, we have already chosen truth and know truth. Jesus said,

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Yes! Jesus is the truth that sets us free. He is the truth we can fasten on when we have spiritual battles to fight. He is our source of strength!

We know truth when we know Him. But we can also learn more about Him and His truths by reading and studying His word.

As I said in this post about Reading For Truth, https://donotdepart.com/reading-for-truth-abiding-in-gods-word

“As Christians, we must be grounded in truth or else we’ll be deceived by the lies of the enemy.”

Jesus said in John 17:17,

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

We’ll talk more about using the Word of God as the sword of the Spirit in a future post in this series, but for now, just remember that the Bible is foundational to learning truth! We need to know the truth to live by it!

Aren’t you thankful that we have access to the truth in the person of Jesus Christ and through the written word? Share your thoughts in the comments or in our Facebook community group.

Blessings,
Ali

Fasten On the Belt of Truth! Read today’s post to find out: Why a belt? Why is the belt first? Am I a soldier? How can we know truth? #ArmorOfGod #Ephesians6

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Building a Bible Study Notebook: Series Wrap Up

August 30, 2019 by Ali Shaw 2 Comments

All this month, we’ve been sharing printable resources to help you build a Bible study notebook. Here is our month long wrap up and a printable packet of our resources.

I quoted Lisa in the introduction to this series and really like how she explained why it’s so helpful to keep a Bible study notebook.

We all know that one effective way to retain what you read is to write it down. In a place you can find again.

In that introductory post, I also mentioned that Lisa wrote an excellent post titled How to Make a Bible Notebook and shared tips and told us how to get started.

If you missed the introductory post, make sure you check it out HERE because I gave some links in that post that will help you get started, print some tabs for your notebook, and find our previous notebooking series that has really great content (even if the printables look a little out of date.)

This months post was all about updating our previous printables and adding some new ones! And we’ve even made a printable pack of all the resources we created for you this month! (The individual blog posts have the links to the individual printables. If you’re not looking to print them all, head to the post you’d like to print. See below.)

To see each post in this series, just click HERE.

To download your FREE packet, click on this Bible Notebook Printables Packet!

The packet includes a cover sheet, a Bible reading tracker, a speaker notes printable, a double entry journal, a Book study form, an original word study sheet, and an ACTs prayer model printable.

We truly hope these printables bless you! If they have, let us know if the comments or on social media. Enjoy!

Blessings in Christ,
Ali

Bible Notebook: Cover Sheet and Book of the Bible Study Sheet

August 8, 2019 by Ali Shaw 2 Comments

Today’s post in our series, Building a Bible Study Notebook, has two printables — a cover sheet for your notebook and a study sheet for when you study a book of the Bible. We’re sharing new, updated printables with you!

I love to listen to a podcast called “Help Me Teach the Bible,” from the Gospel Coalition. Nancy Guthrie is an impressive host! I am amazed by how she remembers such specific details within the Bible. Yet, she also sees Scripture as a continuous whole, made of individual pieces.

It’s a great reminder to study the pieces (or books) as a “whole within a whole.”

What does that mean?

When we study a book of the Bible, we need to look at it as a whole book in addition to its importance in the entire Bible.

But why?

Studying a Book of the Bible… as a Book

I love the book, Little House on the Prairie. If you asked me details about the individual books and the author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, I could tell you quite a bit! I can summarize each work in the series and I know a great deal about Laura’s pioneer childhood (discovered through reading her stories). I also know who her audience was, why she wrote the books, the general theme of the stories, and can put many of the details in their greater context.

If you’re a “Little House” fan, you can likely do the same. And like me, you probably learned all of this by reading her books and doing additional research on the author.

Reading and research is a great way to know a book better!

Likewise, when we read and study a book of the Bible, our studies are enhanced when we go deeper. Researching the audience and author, why the book was written, the main themes, context, and so on, tell us much!

It’s a common Bible study focus to zero in on the verses with questions like, “What is God saying to me right here?”

That is an excellent question!

But it’s also important for us to be able to look at an entire book of the Bible and say, “What is God saying to me here? What was God saying to the original recipients of this word? Who was the human author? What circumstances shaped his life? What literary style did God employ in the author’s penning of this book? How does the writing show the greater context, date, or cultural practices?”

As we learn more about the background of a Bible book, we learn more about God, His message, and also about ourselves.

When we study a book of the Bible, our studies are greatly enhanced when we learn more about the audience and author, why the book was written, the main themes, context, and more. #Printables #BuildingABibleStudyNotebook

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Printables for You

To start building your Bible notebook, we’ve made a cover sheet for the front of your book. (Click here to print.)

To help you in your whole book studies, we’ve made a printable for you. It includes spaces to list the Bible book’s name and author, date of writing, facts about the original audience, the main purpose it was written, the general context, the main content and common themes, and key verses. (Click here to print.)

We pray that these printables will help you in your studies! To summarize what Lisa said (years ago) here:

Write it down. Remember.

Do you study a Bible book as a whole? What have you learned?

A printable for doing whole book study? Write it down. Remember. #BuildingABibleNotebook

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In Him,
Ali

Building a Bible Study Notebook: A Monthlong Series With Printables

August 6, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

All month long right here on the blog, we’ll be talking about Building a Bible Study Notebook and sharing new, updated printables for you!

Why Notebook?

Do you keep a Bible notebook? Or do you want to start keeping one?

Keeping a Bible notebook in a three ring binder (or arc system) is a great way to keep track of what you’ve studied, what you’re praying about, how you’re growing spiritually, and more. (Sometimes, I even print and insert helpful articles or commentary I’ve found online but don’t want to lose track of!)

Like Lisa once reminded us,

God often commanded the Israelites to write things down, and their faithfulness to the written Word means we have accurate scriptures today.

We all know that one effective way to retain what you read is to write it down. In a place you can find again.

What Do You Need to Get Started?

Getting started is simple! Just gather:

3-ring binder
Notebook paper
Insertable tab dividers
3-hole punch
Sheet protectors (optional)

New Printables for You!

Quite a few years ago, Lisa wrote an excellent post titled How to Make a Bible Notebook and shared tips and told us how to get started. The DoNotDepart team then created several printable resources to help you keep track of things like Bible study notes, prayers, sermon notes, original word studies, Bible book studies, and more.

While the Bible notebook series is still excellent, we’ve realized that our printables could use some updating. All this month on the blog we’ll be sharing brand new printables with you to help you continue (or begin) keeping track of the spiritual disciplines of study, worship, and prayer.

Each of our posts will contain one updated printable for you and at the end, we’ll consolidate all the printables into one printable pack.

We hope this series blesses you and helps you get or stay organized!

Need some help getting started? Check out this post: How to Make a Bible Notebook

If you’d like to go ahead and print some tabs for your notebook, click here. (While the printable is a bit outdated, the tabs themselves aren’t!)

And follow this link to see all of the posts in our past Bible Notebook series.

In Him,
Ali

Once for All: Bible Study Wrap Up

August 1, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

All month long here on the blog we’ve studied Hebrews 10:1-25 together. Here is a wrap up of our study and links to each post.

All month long, we’ve studied Hebrews 10:1-25. What a powerful section of Scripture! Like I mentioned in the introduction to this study:

It “brightly highlights the ‘once-and-for-allness’ of Christ’s sacrifice” and “ties the Old and New Testaments together in a clear way (like all of Hebrews does, really). In it, we see that Christ completely fulfills the old system of Levitical sacrifices. And in the same vein, it is Jesus’ sacrifice that pays the debt of our sin. It is by the gift of grace through faith in Jesus that we are saved and made right with God.”

Only Jesus’ blood can remove sin, once for all!

Posts in Our Study

In the first post in this study, focusing on Hebrews 10:1-4, I asked if you are content with any “shadows” and if God is calling you to “give up shadows to walk in real freedom?” What a wonderful truth that “true freedom and cleansing from sin comes by grace through faith Jesus. (See Ephesians 2:8-9 ) And that’s no shadow. That’s the real thing: grace and truth! (See John 1:17 )”

Jaime wrote on Hebrews 10:5-7 and reminds us that the Plan All Along was for Jesus to come and give Himself as the ultimate sacrifice. His perfect body was needed to wipe away sin completely! She wrote, “There is nothing we could do to, no way to be good enough on our own. The Law proves this. Only His perfect sacrifice could do the job. That was the plan, all along.”

Lisa reminded us that it’s not always easy to give up what we’re used to. She tells us that “if we don’t take our foot off first base, we’ll never run to second!” In her study of Hebrews 10:8-10, she says, “Here we see that the first things—sacrifices and offerings—weren’t enough to make us holy. It took the second thing—Jesus—to close the deal. ‘He does away with the first in order to establish the second'” (Hebrews 10:9).

Cheli explained to us in her post on Hebrews 10:11-14 that Jesus removed all the barriers to God, making new life with God available to those who believe (Galatians 2:20). He sits next to the Father, interceding for us, ready for us to launch into life with Him (Romans 8:34). She tells us that “Hebrews 10:14 speaks our future with God:

‘For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.’

Whereas, Christ’s work is done; the Holy Spirit’s job has just begun… so, we can be sanctified [and] become like Him (Romans 8:29).”

In Kelli’s post, expounding on Hebrews 10:15-18, she tells us that though we should owe for our sins, God promises “a new covenant in which transformation would take place within His people. He would forget their sin forever and they would have the privilege to draw near to God by faith, not works — faith in Jesus, not works of the law (see Hebrews 10:22 ). God’s divine will is not to punish us. His will is that we draw near.”

Patti concluded our study in Hebrews 10:19-25 with her post, Draw Near, Hold Fast, and Take Care. She says, “As we conclude our study of Hebrews 10 this month, today’s passage provides us a lovely and simple thought to meditate upon: Draw near to God, hold tight, and take care of those around you. It is our drawing near that gives us the strength to care for others. And it is only because of Jesus’ once for all sacrifice that we can even begin. Without His gift to us, we could not draw near to God, and none of the rest would matter. Praise His holy name!”

We pray our study blessed you. What did God show you in your studies on Hebrews 10:1-25? Share in the comments or in the “DoNotDepart Community” Facebook group.

#OnceForAll. Only Christ can pay the debt for our sin! A FREE Bible study of Hebrews 10:1-25

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Blessings!
Ali

A Shadow of Good Things to Come

July 11, 2019 by Ali Shaw 1 Comment

(Today’s post looks at how the Old Testament Law and sacrificial practices were a Shadow of Good Things to Come. All this month on the blog we’re doing a series called Once for All and studying Hebrews 10:1-25 where we’re looking at the finality and completeness of Christ’s sacrifice.)

Each day, I clean my kitchen. And each day, dishes pile up again, counters gather new crumbs, and floors get fresh splashes and mysterious smudges. It’s a daily cycle of the clean getting dirty (again) and the dirty being made clean.

The Old Testament System

It reminds me a bit of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament.

There was a similar cycle of clean and dirty, relating to sin, of course. Each day, year by year, (and also at the yearly Day Of Atonement) God accepted the offered sacrifices and so covered the people’s sin. But each day, year by year, new sins “dirtied up” the hearts of God’s children creating the need for more sacrifices. The sacrifices reminded the people of their sins and their continual need for right standing with God.

The author of Hebrews reminds his audience of this fact in Hebrews 10:1-4.

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Read that very last verse again.

It is impossible for bulls’ and goats’ blood to take away sins! So why did the Jews offer them?

In short, because God said to. But a longer explanation would tell how these sacrifices were a substitutionary covering of sin.

The Jamieson Faucett and Brown commentary puts it this way:

“The Greek, Hebrews 10:11, is stronger, explaining the weaker word here, “take away utterly.” The blood of beasts could not take away the sin of man. A MAN must do that (see… Heb 9:12-14).” (Bold emphasis, mine.)

Shadows of Things to Come

My toddler grandson noticed a shadow today, and for the first time, he verbally expressed his observation. We’d gone to an event and he was given a helium balloon. As we trudged to the car, the hot sun behind us cast the balloon’s shadow ahead on the asphalt. “Ball, ball!” He squealed and jumped in my arms.

It seems funny to be excited or content with a shadow, doesn’t it. But if it’s all you have? Well then, that makes the story different.

Hebrews 10:1 shows us that the Old Testament Law was a shadow of the good things to come. It was a guardian that taught people how to live in the presence of a holy God until Christ came and gave His life once for all. (See Hebrews 10:12 and Galatians 3:19-26)

The people only had the shadow and knew nothing else.

Until Christ came.

This Side of the Cross

The Bible tells us that Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) His sacrificial act of laying down of His life was so mighty and so complete! Offered to everyone, it is enough to wash clean the hearts of as many as receive Him (John 3:16, John 1:12 and Romans 5:17-19).

Why be content with shadows to make us righteous? You and I likely don’t (okay, never) turn to the shadows of a Levitical sacrificial system, but maybe we turn to other things.

Are you content with shadows? (See Hebrews 10:1-4) Remember, righteousness comes by grace through faith! #OnceForAll

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Sometimes we seek righteousness through obedience. There is definitely a connection between the two, but it’s this: righteousness comes by faith. Faith is shown through obedience.

Good questions to ask ourselves are: What is my motivation for obedience? Is it faith? Does it originate from an inward change of faith in Jesus? Or is it works? Does it originate from the desire for an outward appearance of righteousness and holiness?

If works are the motivation behind things like reading the Bible, having a daily quiet time, praising God, praying, or fill-in-the-blank, that’s just a shadow. (For more on legalism read Colossians 2:20-23 and see this article.)

If faith in God prompts our obedience and devotion, then that’s the real thing! It’s only through faith in Jesus that our sins are removed and we are made right with God.

Like I said in the introduction,

“There is no work good enough and no deed powerful enough for us to remove our sins and thereby making ourselves righteous in God’s eyes. Only Jesus’ blood can remove sin, once for all. His sacrifice is final and complete! How beautiful and how freeing!”

True freedom and cleansing from sin comes by grace through faith Jesus. (See Ephesians 2:8-9) And that’s no shadow. That’s the real thing: grace and truth! (See John 1:17)

Is God calling you to give up any shadows to walk in real freedom?

Ali

Once for All: A New Series on Hebrews 10:1-25

July 9, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

(This month on the blog we’ll be starting a brand new series called “Once for All” where we’ll look intently at Hebrews 10:1-25 and the finality and completeness of Christ’s sacrifice.)

What Does it Mean?

All this month on the blog, we’ll be looking closely at Hebrews 10:1-25. This is a beautiful section of Scripture that brightly highlights the “once-and-for-allness” of Christ’s sacrifice. It is rich for study! This passage ties the Old and New Testaments together in a clear way (like all of Hebrews does, really). In it, we see that Christ completely fulfills the old system of Levitical sacrifices. And in the same vein, it is Jesus’ sacrifice that pays the debt of our sin. It is by the gift of grace through faith in Jesus that we are saved and made right with God.

Christ’s sacrifice is “Once for All.” And as a result, it should affect our daily walk in Him. But how?

Here’s a thought to start with: there is no work good enough and no deed powerful enough for us to remove our own sins! We cannot make ourselves righteous in God’s eyes.

Only Jesus’ blood can remove sin, once for all.

Yes, His sacrifice is final and complete! How beautiful and how freeing!

In Him,

Ali

Only Jesus’ blood can remove sin, once for all. Month long study of Hebrews 10:1-25

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Marriage Metaphor Series Wrap-Up

June 27, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

All this month here on the blog we’ve been looking at the Marriage Metaphor. Here is our series wrap-up. You can also click HERE for a link to each individual post.

Posts in Our Series

In the series introduction, I listed three things we’d learn about through this series.

“How does Christ, as the Bridegroom love us, His bride? And what can we learn from that?” I explored those questions in my post, How Christ Loves His Bride.

What is the role of Jealousy and the Marriage Metaphor? Jaime writes that, “God’s jealousy is an expression of His passionate and righteous longing to be in relationship with us.”

Do You Live Up to Your Name? Lisa reminded us that like an earthly couple, the Church has taken Christ’s name. We are “Christians” which means we “belong to Christ.” “Even though Christians don’t live up to the reputation of our bridegroom, we can still wear the name proudly and point others to Christ.”

In her post, God’s Invitation to Spiritual Intimacy, Cheli says, “While earthbound, God invites us to experience spiritual intimacy with Him, knowing it is only an inkling of our relationship with Him in Heaven.”

What is the role of Unity in Marriage and how does that point to Jesus? Kelli tells us, “The unity a man and wife share in one flesh is a reflection — albeit a dim reflection — of the unity we have with Jesus.”

In her post, The Adulterous Bride, Pattie reminds us that, “As the Bride of Christ, we are called to have eyes only for the Lord.” God knows our hearts’ tendency to wander, but “Despite our sin and our constantly wavering gaze, God adores His people. When God sent His son Jesus Christ for us, He redeemed us. He loves us so deeply, that despite our wandering ways He has made a straight path back to His arms!”

I pray you enjoyed our look at the Marriage Metaphor found in Scripture. Did any of our posts challenge or inspire you? If so, share with us in the comments or in our Facebook community! Also, please feel free to share this series with anyone you think it would bless. Our goal is to reach women with truth!

In Him,
Ali

How Christ Loves His Bride

June 6, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

How does Christ, as the Bridegroom love us, His bride? And what can we learn from that? In today’s post in our Marriage Metaphor series, we’ll be looking to Scripture for answers.

A Waiting Bride

The New Testament refers to Believers as the Bride of Christ. There is much to learn about Christ from this metaphor, and much to learn about ourselves!

It’s interesting to note that the current church age is in a stage of waiting. Like an engaged couple prior to their ceremony, the official “marriage supper of the Lamb (See Revelation 19:6-9 and this article) has not taken place yet. So, we “betrothed” (those who have a saving faith in Jesus) wait eagerly, as a bride waits for her groom!

I love this description from GotQuestions.org regarding the waiting period:

Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding, so is the bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age. Her responsibility during the betrothal period is to be faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24).
GotQuestions.org

What the Bible Says

Here are a few passages that give us a better picture of the metaphor of the Church* being Christ’s bride.

*Note: in this post, the “Church” refers to the universal body of Christians.

John the Baptist is the first person in the New Testament that refers to this “marriage” when he says of Jesus,

“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.”
(John 3:29)

Paul expounds on the relationship of Jesus to the Church while instructing the early Believers in Ephesians 5:22-32, explaining that earthly marriage is the copy of Christ’s relationship with His people.

22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because we are members of his body. 31“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
(Ephesians 5:22-32)

Jesus refers to Himself as the Bridegroom in this metaphor in Matthew 9:15:

15And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:15)

John, while exiled to the island of Patmos saw the marriage supper of the Lamb and described it as follows:

6Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our Godthe Almighty reigns. 7Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
(Revelation 19:6-9a)

What can we learn from all of these passages?

How the Bridegroom Sees His Bride

When Christ looks at us, He sees a spotless virgin, made blameless and holy, though we are sinners. How can this be? Only because His very own blood purifies us.

Our Savior is fully devoted to us! He is both our servant (serving us with what is best for our souls, see Mark 10:45) and our faithful leader. Jesus loves us passionately, sacrificially, selflessly, purely, permanently, eternally, protectively, intimately (He knows our hearts better than we do!), completely, honorably, perfectly, and in a way that strengthens and empowers us.

Wow!

So What Does That Really Mean?

Because of how He loves us, we can trust and serve Him. We learn that submission to Him is not only good for us, but it is best.

We can trust in His comfort and guidance, knowing He will never leave us, hurt us, nor lead us astray. Our hearts can be open completely (because He knows them anyway!) and He will gently and powerfully care for every need and every concern we have!

In this beautiful bride-bridegroom relationship, we get to be His partner and helpmeet, being useful to Him as we do His will. We get the honor and privilege of being His hands and feet (His body) and sharing the Gospel in a dark and hurting world.

How We Can Model the Picture of Perfect Love?

Earthly marriage is only a copy of the original picture in which Christ unites Himself eternally to the church. Jesus gave His life to ransom us and is wholly dedicated and purely devoted to His people.

How can we model that?

Read back through that list of descriptors of how Jesus loves us. It’s pretty amazing, but a pretty lofty goal for us mere creatures.

The good news is that we have the Holy Spirit who will help us to do better than we ever thought possible!

And if we don’t make the conscious effort to follow Jesus’ command to “love one another as I have loved you,” then we’ll never even come close!

Remember, Christian mean “little Christ.” As we go about our days, let’s aim to be like Him and love others as He loves us, His beautiful bride!

Blessings!
Ali

To read more about being the Bride of Christ, click here.
To read more about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, click here.

How does Christ, as the Bridegroom love us, His bride? And what can we learn from that? Read more at DoNotDepart.com #TheMarriageMetaphor

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Earthly marriage is only a copy of the original picture in which Christ unites Himself eternally to the church. Christ Loves His Bride! How can we model that? #TheMarriageMetaphor

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The Marriage Metaphor of Scripture

June 4, 2019 by Ali Shaw 1 Comment

All this month on the blog, we’ll be exploring the marriage metaphor found in Scripture.

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the wedding ceremony of two young Believers. It was a joy to celebrate such a happy occasion! And one of the best parts? The sweet ceremony, beautiful decor, and wonderful music couldn’t even come close in comparison to the looks of love, hope, and joy on the bride and groom’s faces.

Thinking about how they declared their love and promises to one another, reminds me that we are the Bride of Christ. A faithful bridegroom, Jesus cares for this world with a sacrificial, undying love.

We find marriage metaphors throughout Scripture. Yes, we Christians are called the “Bride of Christ,” but that isn’t the first time this general type of metaphor is used in the Bible. Wording in the Old Testament describes Israel’s relationship with God through a marriage metaphor. When they disobeyed Him and committed idolatry, God said that they had in fact committed “adultery.”

Looking at these marriage metaphors in God’s Word will help us in a few ways:

We will gain a better understanding of how God sees us.
We’ll better understand our relationship with Him and what a proper response to that relationship is.
We will inadvertently learn more about what earthly marriage is, since it is a picture of the divine “marriage” of Christ to the church.

As John Piper says here :

“The divine reality hidden in the metaphor of marriage is that God ordained a permanent union between His Son and the church. Human marriage is the earthly image of this divine plan.”
John Piper

We hope you’ll join us for the month of June as we look intently at the Marriage Metaphor of Scripture.

Blessings!
Ali

Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

May 29, 2019 by Ali Shaw 2 Comments

In today’s post, we’re looking at this characteristic of the Spirit’s fruit: gentleness. Do you know what gentleness really is?

Gentleness – A Word Study

Recently, God has shown me bold strength in the quality of gentleness. At first glance, the two almost seem inconsistent, don’t they?

Once upon a time, I thought that gentleness was simply defined as a soft touch or ation. God has shown me that spiritual gentleness isn’t this, but is something unique.

Looking back through my life, I’ve realized that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing several people that I’d classify as powerfully gentle. I’ve admired them greatly and the Lord has used them in my life to show me a better picture of what gentleness, as a fruit of the Spirit, truly is.

The Greek word for “gentleness” used in Galatians 5:23 is prautés (Srong’s #4240) which comes from praus, which means “mildness” and implies humility and meekness. Interestingly, the word emphasizes the divine origin of that meekness.

The definition uses the word meekness. Do you have a good understanding of meekness? I looked it up to make sure I did. Meekness isn’t a cowed, weak, passive, nor timid quality. Instead, Biblical meekness is a “gentle strength” or “power with reserve and gentleness.”

“It begins with the Lord’s inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment. It’s a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith.”
(HELPS Word studies)

Do you see how the the words “meekness” and “gentleness” are used in defining one another? Gentleness implies meekness and meekness is power with gentleness. The word “humility” is important in these definitions. They certainly all go together, don’t they? So, how can we get a good understanding of Biblical gentleness? Maybe a definition like this:

Gentleness: mildness with strength. A powerful humility that has a divine origin and can only operate through faith. It starts and finishes by God’s direction and empowerment.

The Spiritual Fruit of Gentleness. What it is, what it isn’t, and how to foster its growth. A word study and more. #FruitOfTheSpirit

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The Quality Demonstrated

With a better understanding of what Biblical gentleness is, I could see this quality demonstrated in godly friends whom the Lord put in my path. They have been meek and humble, yet rooted powerfully in truth, and willing to boldly share that truth with others in a loving (rather than proud or self-righteous) way.

Their gentle, but powerful “touch” has been used to create beauty in my life and in a messy world.

What Gentleness Is Not

Spiritual gentleness isn’t timid, fearful, soft without strength, a tendency to “cave in,” nor an unwillingness to stand up for what’s right. It isn’t shying away from declaring or sharing truth. It’s also not selfish nor self-serving!

Where Does it Come From?

True to what’s denoted in its original meaning, spiritual gentleness is of divine origin. We can’t make it nor force it. The Holy Spirit (given to Believers at the time of salvation) grows it in Believers.

How Can I Foster its Growth?

Yes, God gives the fruit of the spirit, but we can agree with Him and work in partnership with Him. Fruit grows in soft soil and matures as we mature spiritually. When we stay close to God and obey Him, keeping the soil of our hearts fertile, fruit has an opportunity to grow.

Like Patti wrote in the introduction to this series:

The remarkable blessing of belonging to [Jesus] is that the closer we stick to Him, the more deeply we abide in Him, the more He makes these things true of us.
Patti Brown

And as I wrote here about the fruit of love,

As a Vine-abider (see John 15:1-17), I want to allow Him to work sanctification in me. I want to stay firmly attached to Him and bear fruit for His glory!

When we stay close to God and obey Him, keeping the soil of our hearts fertile, fruit has an opportunity to grow. #FruitOfTheSpirit

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How Can I Practice Gentleness?

Our relationship with God and time spent with Him in prayer and obedience equips us to practice gentleness. We practice this quality best in our relationships with others.

Whether we’re guiding children into truth, standing up for our beliefs in a lost world, or catching ourselves before hurtful words fly out, we fare well when we season our words and actions with gentleness. Opportunities abound! We just need to pray for spiritual readiness and to be obedient to the Spirit’s direction and empowered by Him when situations for practice arise.

When we miss an opportunity, we should repent and pray for softened hearts that will do better next time.

A good understanding of the meaning of the word really enlightened me! Does it differ with what you thought gentleness was? How?

Share your thoughts with us right here in the comments or in our Facebook community.

Blessings!

Ali

Love: A Characteristic of the Spirit’s Fruit

May 3, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

This month on DoNotDepart, we’re looking at the characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit. Today’s post is about love.

What is Love?

We’ve written about love a lot here on DoNotDepart. Just type in “love” in the searchbar on our homepage and scroll through.

I like this definition from Patti on love from this post:

“…from a Christian worldview, love is not a feeling, it is a choice lived out in action.

In order to love in Jesus’ way, we have to understand His true definition of love. When we look at the truth given to us in Scripture, and modeled by Him in His earthly ministry, it is clear that love means serving.”

The Greek word used in the New Testament in agape. It has a different meaning than what our culture equates love with nowadays. Patti wrote about it right here. I really recommend reading that post if you have time! If not, here’s the bones:

“Agapé love is not based on merit or emotion. Agapé is a choice; a choice that God made when we least deserved it, and a choice that He asks you and I to make every day.”

Do you see that word, choice? It really stands out to me! God commands me to show love, but I have to make the choice to obey. When I do, I enjoy the benefit of a better relationship with those I’m loving, and the Father I’m obeying.

God commands me to show love, but I have to make the choice to obey. Who should I love? Where do I get that love? And How can I love better? #FruitoftheSpirit

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Who Should We Love

So, who should we love? Kelli answered this question while looking at 1 John 3:11-18 and 1 John 4:7-11. She tells us that there is no denying the fact that we are supposed to love our brothers.

And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (1 John 4:21)

And Jesus himself gave both this command and this answer to the lawyer who tested Him:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:35)

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

In that second verse, Jesus was quoting Levitical law. If you read Leviticus 19:18 you’ll see the original, and if you follow down to Leviticus 19:33-34, you’ll see this:

When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:33-34)

In other words, the command to love others meant to love all others. This is also what Jesus taught in the Parable of the Good Samaritan when he was asked, “But who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) The answer is: Everyone.

Clarke’s Commentary says,

our Lord shows here, that the acts of kindness which a man is bound to perform to his neighbor when in distress, he should perform to any person, of whatever nation, religion, or kindred, whom he finds in necessity.

Where Do We Get Godly Love?

I think each one of us could say that we don’t always feel like loving others.

Sometimes I give love easily, but not always. Sometimes I put my wants or feelings first, or I feel too tired to do yet another thing for someone else. Or I feel grouchy and like the other person doesn’t even deserve my efforts.

How wrong of me! If I follow only my feelings, those same feelings that lead me to loving well can lead me into not loving at all. Instead of following only feelings, I need to choose to follow God.

Despite unpredictable feelings, I can tell you this: the Spirit gives us nudges to be loving. Yes, even when I don’t feel like loving, I know I should because of His reminders. I just have to listen and obey. Like Patti said, it’s a choice!

Whether we don’t feel like giving love or we are loving someone difficult, we can pray and ask God to guide and empower us. He is faithful! I firmly believe He will answer that prayer and give us opportunities to love better and offer His wise counsel to help us.

How to Love Better

My grandson is an active toddler. He runs with excitement, but if he’s tired or distracted, he trips over his sweet, busy feet and falls.

Sometimes we fall or fail, too, but we must pick ourselves up and go again.

In the introduction to this series, Patti wrote:

The remarkable blessing of belonging to [Jesus] is that the closer we stick to Him, the more deeply we abide in Him, the more He makes these things true of us.

As a Vine-abider (see John 15:1-17), I want to allow Him to work sanctification in me. I want to stay firmly attached to Him and bear fruit for His glory!

The characteristic of love is a fruit of the Spirit that I want to bear well. I desire to love others better, so here are some questions that I’m asking myself. I hope they help you, too.

Am I being an example of God’s love to those around me? (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Am I sharing Jesus with others? (Matthew 28:19)
Am I counting others as more significant than myself? (Phil 2:3-7)
Am I seeing others the way God does? (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)
Am I “washing feet?” (John 13:1-17)
Am I seeking opportunities to love actively? (Not just emotionally?) (Luke 11:28, Matthew 25:35-40)
Am I apologizing sincerely when I mess up? (Matthew 5:23-24)

I’m praying that Jesus can say of both you and I that,

…everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:35)

Who can you love today? What makes loving others easy for you? What makes it hard? Pray for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Make the choice today to obey His nudges.

Who should I love? Where do I get that love? And How can I love better? Read more at DoNotDepart.com #FruitoftheSpirit

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We wrote an entire series about loving others. Check it out here!

Wondering what agape love really is? Find out here.

Want to teach your kids to love? Read how to Teach Kids to Be Missionally Minded.