Good Things Come in Threes..

Hello loves,

So I woke up this morning, and started on my usual agenda of getting out of bed and getting my day started by showering and getting myself ready for a days work. After I get myself ready in the mornings, I have been reading my daily Bible reading on my Youversion app. I have also been reading two other plans. The Rick Warren Yearly Devotional Plan and the From this Day Forward 30 day plan, since that is the current series we are in. I like to read my Bible in the morning times, before my day starts and gets hectic or busy with the ways of this world. I used to try to listen to the Bible on my way to my first office, or read it at the end of my day, but I was not consistent with it, and after much prayer and failed attempts, I had an epiphany that made me realize... Why shouldn't my God come BEFORE everything else of this world? What makes everyone and anything better than my God, that I cannot chose to spend time with Him, before them? Which led me to the conclusion of morning reading times. I am a big social network addict, like much of everyone else, and I made a rule with myself that I have to read my Bible before logging onto any social network. It helps check myself, before pushing that Facebook icon.
Anyways, one of the verses I read was 1 Corinthians 13:

1 If I speak in the tonguest of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.2 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.3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,t but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

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

Such a good verse. Many people use this in their wedding to define love and what it means. So, I had been praying for God to show me the path he wants me to be on and I told Him that I want to be on the narrow path and I kept praying for Him to guide me allong that path and help to understand what that means.

This evening I attended the Sister's Event at the Lifechurch OKC campus. This is an event they have every year, where Amy GroeschelLysa TerKeurst speak. It was a fun evening filled with good words of wisdom. To my surprise, Amy brought up the exact same verse I had read this morning and focused her message on ..... LOVE.... So I started seeing a pattern here... Ok God, so Love is like Really important, when it comes to this narrow path thing eh? Yes, indeed!

Story is not over yet! So THEN.. I came home. I have this book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan, that I had not finished yet. The past week, I have been trying to decide what my next book would be to start diving into it, but I felt this urge to pick this book up tonight, after it setting on my shelf for about 4 months or so and opened it up to start reading where I had left off. And what to my surprise...... THE SAME VERSE!!!! Oh my goodness... Seriously God... THREE times, in ONE day! Talk about slap in the face. Believe me, I have told God that when it comes to giving me signs or hints that, because of my lack of some common knowledge I really need like a huge just give it to me straight sign spelled out, and I'm glad He understands that..haha. But seriously, what are the chances of that. I just sat in awe thinking about how much God really loves me. It is amazing and I am underserving. I get emotional when I think about everything He has given and blessed me with, and how little I feel like I have given Him.

Moral of the story: Love, LOve, LOVe, LOVE. Period. This life is too short not to Love. If someone has hurt you or there have been things said that shouldn't have been said or things done that shouldn't have been done and cannot be undone. Just Love. God's love is incredible. We cannot even fathom it. I think that I love my family, boyfriend, and friends, but that does not even come close to the love God has for us. I think that is what He was trying to get through my little head. He loves me and I need to love others and do eveything With Love. And if we love Him, then we need to put Him first in our lives. Put down the social networks, the television, the movies, the radio, the game stations. Turn it off and give Him your time. He can show you so much, if you just listen and read His word. Ernestly seek Him and He will open your eyes.

It was funny how I had read and heard this same verse 3 times today, and then at the end of the chapter of Crazy Love, Chan wrote:

     True faith means holding nothing back; it bets everything on the hope of eternity. I know that this whole swimming-upstream, pursuing-Christ, taking-up-your-cross, counting-the-cost thing isn't easy. It's so hard, in fact, that Jesus said the road is narrow and few will actually find it... and fewer still among those who are rich. Like the parable of the sower, don't assume you are the good soil; don't assume you are one of the few on the narrow way.

How perfect. What a blessed way to end my day. God spoke right to me. He answered my prayer and I know He lives in me.

Have a beautiful weekend!

-KJ