Mark 12:30  NASB “ AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’

My two year old loves the alphabet. Some mornings I wake up to hear him singing the ABCs from his crib. Part of his nightly routine is singing the song over and over again. When he sees writing on your shirt, or a sign, he wants to tell you what all the letters are. He doesn’t want us to read him his favorite books anymore; instead he goes through the pages and points at the letters. When he is allowed to watch videos on the TV, he always asks for the ABCs! Now that he has discovered the alphabet, it has eclipsed all else!

Our love for God is supposed to be that way, eclipsing everything else that came before it. Everything we have: our heart, soul, mind and strength, should be focused on God. It is easier said than done (that’s why Mark 12:30 is a commandment, not a promise) but the more we come to know our God, the deeper our love will grow!

-Kevi

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Philippians 2:14-15  NASB “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,”

My toddler may not be very articulate, but he doesn’t need to be to “grumble and dispute” the things I ask him to do. The other day he has upset with me for telling him “No.” I started singing to his little sister, and he quickly said “No!” and motioned for me to stop!

It comes naturally to all of us to complain, especially about things that were not our idea. When God gives us a job to do that we don’t enjoy, or when we think God is not answering our prayers, it would be easy to start grumbling, or to say “No!” But when we resist the urge to argue and complain, we can truly stand out in a dark world.

-Kevi

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Philippians 1:3-5  NIV “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,”

It seems a bit of hyperbole for Paul to say he was thankful every time he thought about the church at Philippi. When he first preached in Philippi he was beaten and thrown in jail (Acts 16) so surely he wasn’t thankful when he remembered that! But it was also in Philippi that an earthquake miraculously freed Paul and Silas from that jail, and their jailer and his family were saved as a result. The church at Philippi continued to support Paul and his ministry, and it appears in his letter to them, that he had a lot to be thankful for.

In hind sight I, like Paul, can be thankful for even the difficult times in my life, because I can see how God has used them to shape me and to further His kingdom. The difficult thing is to be thankful and full of joy when we are going through the difficult times (like Paul in Acts 16:25).

Lord, help to be thankful, every time!

-Kevi

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Luke 18:9-14  NASB “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’  I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Have you ever reminded a child to say thank you? The “thank you” that you get from a reminder doesn’t sound sincere, it is half-hearted at best.

That reminded me of the Pharisee in this parable. He is offering a “thank you” to God, but he isn’t truly thankful to God. He is paying lip service to God, but he is really thanking himself for being so great! In contrast, the tax collector in the parable doesn’t know all the right words to say, but he does understand where he stands in relation to God.

Humility and gratitude go hand in hand. Once we realize where we stand in relation to a merciful God, no one will have to remind us to say “Thank you!”

-Kevi

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1 John 1:8-10 NASB “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

My husband is anxious to get our son out of diapers, but I keep saying he’s not ready yet. If you ask our two year old if he needs his diaper changed, he will always say “No!” If he can’t even admit when he needs a change, he’s definitely not ready for potty training.

If we want forgiveness for our sins, and freedom from our sins, we have to start with confession. Denial (it’s not a big deal) or making excuses (well I was just impatient because I was tired) doesn’t allow God to work in my heart!

-Kevi

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Ephesians 3:20-21 NASB “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

My two year old is learning words, colors, numbers and so many other fun things right now. Often he will say or do something new and my husband and I will look at each other and say “Did you know he could do that!?”

Our faith may be limited by our knowledge of God, but God is not limited by our faith!

Lord, help me to have faith in Your abilities, not my own, and help me to always give You the glory, great things You have done!

-Kevi

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Colossians 3:12 NASB “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;”

Today I heard about the sudden death of a man I went to church with when we were both children. One of the first memories that popped into my mind was this: My family went to a high school football game, but it wasn’t my school so my friends weren’t really there. Most of the kids were playing down by the concession stands instead of watching the game, and I saw some boys I knew and said hi. One of the boys said I couldn’t play with them (presumably because I was a girl). But Jamie stopped playing with them and said he would play with me instead. I was shy and somewhat insecure and he offered me kindness. That was more than 20 years ago but I still remember it. People will never forget your kindness.

Paul admonished the Colossians to put aside their old ways of sin and put on a heart that was kind. I wrote yesterday about being identified with Christ because of our brotherly love (John 13:35), and all of these attributes: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience will help us to fulfill our obligations of brotherly love.

-Kevi

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John 13:35 NASB “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

A few weeks ago we were driving down the turnpike to Tulsa and my husband pointed out a billboard that said something like “The first marking meter was installed in Oklahoma in 1935.” He wondered why Oklahoma would put up such a billboard; nobody likes paying parking meters, so why would Oklahoma want to be known for that?

Christians have unfortunately become known for being “judgmental” and “hypocritical” and “self-righteous.” And who would want to be known for those things? Jesus said we should be known for our brotherly love. Our churches should be seen as communities where we love each other and care for each other and meet one another’s needs. That kind of love can make the world want to join us!

-Kevi

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Ephesians 1:19b-21 NASB These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

You may be, like me, feeling anxious and uncertain today about the state of affairs in our country. If so, I hope the Holy Spirit brings you comfort through these verses, like He did for me. No matter who we decide to put in power, Christ is still “far above all” earthly authorities. His power is not given or taken away by a vote!

-Kevi

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Lamentations 3:22-24 NASB Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,“Therefore I hope in Him!”

My baby and I had a rough night; she refused to go back to sleep at 4 am, and when she finally did, my two year old woke up soon after at 6:30 am. So I started the day with little sleep and even less patience. Now I’m going to be vulnerable and let you know I didn’t handle it well (that’s a euphemism for sinning). As the day wore on and she continued to ensure I didn’t get any more sleep, I yelled at my baby (and yelling at a baby does not make the baby happier, fyi). This only made me feel worse, and as I was crying out to God that I couldn’t handle it any more today, the phrase “His mercies are new every morning” came to mind. (I believe one of my cousins posted it recently on social media.)

Maybe you are like me and you need a do-over for today. Well good news! His forgiveness can cover our sin, and His mercy will ensure “we are not consumed” by whatever difficult circumstances we find ourselves in. If we put our hope in Him, we may find that tomorrow brings a good morning.

-Kevi

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