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Friday, May 22, 2020

But the Greatest of These is Love

                    As the sun shines through the clouds 
                             and reveals the beauty 
                            that only God can create, 
         His love is shining through the COVID clouds of life 
                            and revealing His love.  
             You can see His love in the eyes of those 
             who are sacrificing to take care of others.  
             So many people have stepped up to help.  
                          There are so many heroes.  
                     "Greater love has no one than this: 
            to lay down one's life for one's friends."  John 15:13



There is no greater calling than to love.
We love because God first loved us.
We are living in a time of great change.
So much is unknown.
The rug was pulled out from under us.

This COVID has totally changed our lives.
It may never be the same in my lifetime.

Everything is in God’s hands.
It always was.
We just had the illusion 

that we were in control.
There is no longer that illusion.

However, we do have control 

of how we conduct ourselves.
We can choose how we behave.
 

We can choose positive.
We can choose negative.
God wins or Satan wins.
It is really that simple.

We can choose to be courteous and loving.
Or not.

We need to think about our choices because they will have eternal consequences for us.

Our choices also have immediate consequences for those around us.
Our choices matter so much to others and to God.

Think about each choice and each action as though it were your last and what legacy you 
would wish to leave. 

Choose love.


“If I speak in the tongues of men 

or of angels, but do not have love, 
I am only a resounding gong 
or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy 

and can fathom all mysteries 
and all knowledge, 
and if I have a faith 
that can move mountains, 
but do not have love, 
I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor 

and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, 
but do not have love, 
I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, 
it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, 

it is not self-seeking, 
it is not easily angered, 
it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil 

but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 

1Corrinthians 13: 1-8, 13


I know this is a very long quotation, 

but I really love it 
and it completes this piece. 
I loved it 
long before I started my walk with God. 
It has always touched my heart. 
I pray it touches your heart too. 
Nothing is more important than love. Especially in this COVID time.


                           Spring is here 
       along with the beautiful sunsets that I love.
                 The Canada geese are back.  
               It is a time of renewal and hope.
                   I hear the peepers at night.  
                I hear the birds singing all day.  
             They don't know it is COVID time.  
              They only know it is springtime 
             and time to rejoice in being alive.  
                     And they do rejoice, 
                 giving glory to the Maker 
             who loves them and loves us.  
       "This is the day the Lord has made, 
           let us rejoice and be glad in it."  
                     Psalm 118:24


        There was a very red moon in the wee hours 
              of the morning about 3 weeks ago.  
             I had never seen one so deep a red.  
                   It appeared even redder 
            than the camera's eye captured. 
                          Is this an omen?
              Or just a beautiful phenomenon?
     Is God saying that His heart is bleeding for us 
        and for what is happening in the world?


            New grass and tiny leaves on the trees 
           greet us as we stop by the bend in the river 
       on the Potsdam Norwood Road near Norwood, NY.  
            I love the "veils" of new leaves on the trees 
                that almost hide the sky in spring.  
      God is speaking His language of love and of hope.  
                We only have to look and listen 
   and wait expectantly for what He has in store for us. 
                  God is love and God loves us!!! 



Blessings on you dear friend.
I pray you have enough to eat, 

a roof over your head 
and whatever you need to live.

I pray you can feel the love of our Father who is always close to you, 

watching over you 
and caring about everything about you.

I pray you and yours are healthy and safe and stay that way.

If you have suffered tragedy, 

if you lost your job 
and are struggling,
I grieve with you 
and know our Father is sitting beside you and grieving too. 
Our Father weeps when we weep. 
Only He can help us through this time.

Regardless of what the world says, 

God brings JOY in the morning!!

And there will be JOY again in your life!!


                These are my grandsons: 
             Mark, Luke and Kodda
               God is my first JOY.
     My grand babies are a close second.

6 comments:

  1. Great post, Debbie! Thanks for sharing it with us. God bless those precious grandsons of yours! May they learn from you how to do life, my friend.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words. I pray for my grandsons every day. Be blessed, my friend.

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  2. Excellent Post, may your words flow thru to the shoppers in the stores and the hearts of those who feel the need to be angry at their fellow shoppers. ☺ Anxiety is high, Anger seems higher.

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    Replies
    1. That's why I wrote about love. We need love and unity. We need caring for each other and ourselves at this time. I try to be kind to everyone I meet, I try to let the clerks know that I appreciate them and pray that God bless them and keep them safe.

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  3. Thanks so much, Debbie. Nice to see the pictures of your grands. I was feeling the same things as I was writing my prayers.
    Your pictures are beautiful.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. There is so much negativity and hate going around, God says we have to love and that I need to write about love not the negativity, note hate, not the terrible stuff going on in the politics. If we all do our little bit to make the world a better place, it will be better. It will be wonderful. Blessings dear friend. Stay safe and be well. Debbie

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