1 Corinthians 16:13,  Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous, be strong.  Do everything in love.

This verse just seems like such an appropriate verse for the days we are living in.  The craziness going on in the world just can’t be made up.  Things are clearly out of control, humanly speaking.  Praise God, He is still on His throne and not one little thing escapes His notice.  This would be a great verse to write down and keep with you or better yet, memorize it!

I will admit that this verse sounds like a tall order, but God doesn’t expect you to do it alone.  You must constantly remind yourself that the same Spirit that rose Jesus from the grave, lives in you if you have accepted Him as your Savior!  The abilities already lie within you.  Ask God to help you to walk in them!  It is His desire to guide you and help you to be all He created you to be.  He wants to give you confidence, faith, and strength to stand and be all He created you to be.  You don’t have to do this alone.  You don’t have to face anything alone. He wants to be right by your side.  He wants to shine through you so others will see Him and be drawn to Him.

The world is so full of hate and anger these days that a little love can go a long way.  Showing love and “doing everything in love” does not mean that you allow yourself to be a doormat.  It means that you allow God’s love to fill you and overflow to others.  It means that you don’t force your way in traffic or in line at the grocery store because it’s your right.  Reaching out to those who are in need or hurting and setting aside your own agenda for a few minutes to show you care are things that just don’t seem to happen as often as they should these days.  We need to be intentional to show the love of God to others.  Showing God’s love to others may mean that you show a little extra grace to those around you because you get the fact that everyone is having a difficult time.  Ask God to help you see opportunities to show His love.

Whatever you may be going through or what you may face in the future I would like to encourage you to “be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous, be strong.  Do everything in love” knowing that you can trust that truly His best is yet to come!