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“Love God and love people”
Lynn
Cowell
“Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If
anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this
world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not
in him.’” John 11:9-10 (ESV)
What is the
truth, Lord?
All day long,
my thoughts and feelings ping-ponged back and forth. I’d always felt that I
knew the truth about this particular problem, but now confusion wormed its way
in.
It terrified
me.
Scouring the
internet, I read article after article.
This digging
only left me more discouraged and upset. It was here that I begged the Lord to
help me know the truth.
Tears streaming
down my face, I headed to the kitchen to begin dinner. Hungry stomachs don’t
wait for wobbly hearts.
Upon entering,
I discovered my husband was already at work. Letting him take it from there, I
pulled up a stool and unloaded my heart.
Hearing the
root of my pain, he simply reminded me of the words of Jesus: Love God. Love
people.
Once again, the simple truth of Jesus’ words began to settle my
soul: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is
this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater
than these” (Mark 12:30-31, NIV).
While these verses didn’t answer all the
details of my dilemma, they did answer the question of my next step: Simply
love. Loving God and loving people is always our next right move.
In John 11, the
disciples are questioning Jesus’ next move. He told them they were going to
Judea.
The disciples
reminded Jesus that His enemies were there, ready to stone Him.
In fact, “Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in
the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the
light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the
light is not in him’” (John 11:9-10).
Jesus Himself
said He is the light of the world. (John 8:12)
So, if I choose
to walk with Him in the light, He provides through the truth of His Word, and
He’ll keep me from walking in darkness.
In His Word and
through His Holy Spirit living in us, He provides the light we need.
I can’t say I
completely understand the complex situation I continue to ponder.
I don’t believe
we can understand everything all the time.
His wisdom is “a mystery that has been hidden and that
God destined for our glory before time began” (1 Corinthians
2:7b, NIV).
That’s one of
the many things that makes Him God and you and me human.
What I do have
is the light already given to me in the Bible: Love God and love people.
Those two are
enough to keep me busy for the rest of my life.
Dear Jesus, figuring out the answers to our dilemmas can be hard
sometimes. They are not as clear as we’d like them to be. Thank You for Your
Word to point us to You and show us just how we can make our next right move.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
1 John 2:10, “Whoever loves his brother remains in the light,
and there is no cause of stumbling in him.” (BSB)
RELATED RESOURCES
We’re all
waiting on something in life and can wonder if God sees us or if He even cares.
It's our prayer
that Encouragement for Right Now, a collection of topical devotions,
will serve as your reminder that God will not abandon you, no matter how long
you’ve been waiting.
There’s only
one week left to donate to Proverbs 31 Ministries and get your copy, as our way
of saying thanks! Donate today!
Are you
struggling to find your next right move? Lynn Cowell’s Bible study, Make Your Move:
Finding Unshakable Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures,
will help you find your way past your fears and failures to grasp God’s truth.
CONNECT
Whatever
problem you’re struggling to solve, God’s Word supplies us with the
encouragement we need to make our next move. Click here to receive
a free download when fear of the wrong move is causing you to not move.
REFLECT AND RESPOND
If a problem in
your life is pushing you toward turmoil, what Scripture can you carry today to
push your heart back to truth? We’d love to hear yours in our comments section!
Here are a few
to get you started:
· Joshua 21:45, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises
to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” (NIV)
· Luke 1:37, “For the word of God will never fail.” (NLT)
· Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away.” (NIV)
Lynn
Cowell is
a national conference speaker who is passionate about helping women of all ages
understand the importance of Christ-confidence. She is the author of several
books including her newest for women Make Your Move: Finding Unshakable
Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures, and Brave Beauty: Finding the
Fearless You just for girls ages 8 - 12.
Lynn’s
messages equip women to:
Find
their confidence and identity in God’s unfailing love, rather than in their own
abilities.
Recover
from defeating decisions to move forward toward a strong self-worth.
Identify
and address the fears that keep them stuck, with practical steps to walk in
their calling with confidence.
Lynn and
her husband, Greg, have been married for over 30 years and live near Charlotte,
North Carolina. They are adjusting to this new season of being "just
us". When they gather with their three young adult children, they enjoy
hiking in the mountains, well-worn sweatshirts, and anything combining
chocolate and peanut butter. Connect with Lynn today at www.LynnCowell.com and
on Facebook and Instagram at Lynn Cowell.
Lynn looks
forward to hearing your heartbeat for your event and coming alongside to
minister with you.
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