Happy New Year, Girlfriend!
What a treat to wake up to ~~ a fresh new year in the Lord! He gave us another day ~~ indeed a Blessing to behold.
Lamentations 3:22-23 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
Being a Christ-follower I have come to understand that it doesn’t have to be New Year’s to have a fresh start ~~ in fact, you can choose a fresh start every day! God has made that choice available to all who will choose to come to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
I cannot tell you how many times I have relaxed and exhaled into this verse ~~ because I need to lean into my Savior on a moment~by~moment basis. His Strength is made manifest through my weakness ~~ so I don’t ever have to fret about appearing to be perfect or “to the nines” in anything; GOD’S got me covered.
One of my “life commitments” is to love out loud. Within my choice to live intentionally and more fully, I am choosing to love GOD, others, and life out loud.
2 Corinthians 5:18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
If by my lifestyle others are desiring to go and grow closer to Christ, then I have fulfilled my purpose and glorified GOD. Everything else will be taken care of. The strength and courage and wisdom to love out loud will be given to me as I ask.
James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Will it be easy? Is anything done for Christ in this world ever easy? You know the answer to that, Girlfriend. And that’s why we must also choose to stick close to the One Who loves the most! The scriptures even tell us that we become like those whom we hang around ~~ so I’m making sure that I spend more of my time with Him ~~ so that I become more like Him.
Loving out loud will require that I have the tenderness of heart that Jesus has. Loving out loud will require that I believe His Promises over the lies of the enemy when I risk being hurt by those who don’t reciprocate with genuine love. Loving out loud will require me to be transparent for the sake of those coming up behind me ~~ because this is His Ministry. Loving out loud will require me to make adjustments for those whom He puts in my daily path ~~ to bend down and love deeply. Loving out loud will require me to ignore the harshness of the world’s judgements for my actions and to press on knowing that GOD has purposed His Love for all who will receive it.
Will you consider loving out loud in 2016?
Join me and others who are willing to let go of the pride that fills our hands and to grasp the Hand of the One Who loves us out loud.
I love YOU to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~~
LindaRJohnson
T2T Visionary
Titus Two 