Love is Everywhere

[crazycathie]

It would be impossible to make note of every time I come across the word “Love”, for my One Word for this year, so I’ve been trying to decide what to do with it. Even if I listed a Bible verse about love for every day of the year, they would never all be covered!

What I’ve decided, for now anyway, is to note the first reference I come to, each day; mostly coming back to edit this post. (Or at least, the first one when I remember to watch for it!)

Now, one final thing about love-about how it’s important to love yourself, in order to love others better. I’ve finally decided on my exercise goals for this season (and for my new fitbit): 6,000 steps to begin with, since I’ve been close to that a few times (the recommended 10,000 steps seems unattainable-though my Dad does it!) I’ll watch how that affects my “active minutes”, and adjust that goal accordingly. Right now it’s set at 15 minutes, which I don’t often reach, but when I do, it’s usually near 20 minutes. So we’ll see. My weight goal is just not to gain too much, and I’m NOT going to weigh myself very often! For example, I’m loathe to get on the scales so close to Christmas…

The trick is to care about these things without being obsessed about them.

EDITS for daily One Word (Love):

• January 23 - in my prayer app under Interserve’s article about how God is using women in Iran: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” (1 John 3:1) And I can’t help adding to that Compassion’s quote, “Christian love is more than a feeling. It includes a hatred for sin and a love for what is godly.”
• January 24 - “This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.” (1 John 3:16-17, from Compassion devotional)
• January 25 - “Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold.” (Psalm 119:127, from my prayer app.)
• January 26 - “Are these part of your prayer life? Worship, praise, gratitude, love, thankfulness, adoration.” (from Life of Christ gospel devotional, beginning study on The Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father… hallowed be thy name...”)
• January 27 - “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40, from Compassion devotional).
• January 29 - “…Their kings chained and hauled off to jail, their leaders behind bars for good, The judgment on them carried out to the letter-and all who love God in the seat of honor!” (from Psalm 149:8-9)
• January 30 - LOVE OTTAWA: “the city-reaching effort in Canada’s capital that over the last 18 yrs has churches working and praying together to bless the city.” This organization is scheduled to come up regularly in my prayer app, as it did this morning.
• January 31 - “I’m homesick, God, for your salvation; I love it when you show yourself!“ (from Psalm 119:174, prayer app)
• February 2 - “What is desirable for a person is to show loyal love.” (Proverbs 19:22, prayer app “Get Wise”)
• February 4 - “May we love others so much that we are delighted to share with others not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well.” (from prayer app & 1 Thess. 2:8)
• February 6 - (keep forgetting to think about this starting in the morning) “God’s Love for When You Feel Lonely, Try this tip the next time you need to feel God’s love.”  A Guideposts article that suggests when you’re lonely, writing notes to others who might feel lonely.
• February 8 - On this day when Roseanne is to go in to have her baby, I’ve first found the word in Nancy Lahn’s post of her baby, sitting “naked as a jay bird” (as a baby), of Daniel, who turns 24 today! “Happy birthday to our super creative, hard-working, caring, wacky 24-year-old!!! Love you so much!”
• February 9 - “May _____ love others more and more”, from prayer app, Biblical Prayers, 1 Thessalonians 4:10. Which goes right along with what I’ve just read in 1 John 4:20-21!
• February 11 - (missed days means I forgot to think about it; today there may have been instances sooner, but I have to start looking when I remember…): “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” (Proverbs 3:3, from Compassion’s prayer-for-each-day for your compassion child.)
• February 13 - “Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.” (Proverbs 21:21, prayer app)
• February 14th! “May he be overwhelmed with Your love,” - a good thing to pray for anyone!
• February 25th - (Ach! So much love everywhere, all the time! How long can this continue? Bothering to make note of the first instance, I mean. Of course, I skipped a whole bunch… see the next posts!) - “Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” (Ephesians 5:2)
• February 26 - “…even in the midst of deep sorrow, loss, or consequences from sin, God’s love for us is great…” (from prayer app Prayscripture.org), “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are  new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
• February 27 - “Cause us to be united in and through the Trinity so that we might be united together, as a church, in love.” from prayer app
• February 28 - “…Though you bring grief, You will show compassion, so great is Your unfailing love.“ (Lamentations 3:32, prayer app, prayscripture.org)

SUM for winter (Jan/Feb):

• 12 out of 20 are from my prayer app;
• 14 out of 20 are scripture;
• 3 out of 20 are from Compassion;
• 3 out of 20 are from devotionals;
• a couple from articles, and one from Facebook!