​God's Message Today
John 3:18

"Let us not love in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth."

Is your window of love viewed through emotion?

Some people think of love as a wonderful feeling - a sensation of excitement or overwhelming emotion that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  While love certainly has its wonderful feelings and powerful emotions, it's so much more.  Real love has little to do with emotions and goose bumps; it has everything to do with the choices we make about the we we treat people.  Real love is not all about us.  It is not a theory or talk; it is an action.  It is a decision concerning the way we behave in our relationships with other people.  Real love meets needs even when sacrifice is required.

It baffles me that we know the right thing to do, but never get around to doing it until we feel its "right".  The apostle James said if we hear the Word of God and don't do it, we deceive ourselves with reasoning that does not agree with the truth (James 1:21-22). In other words, we know what is right, but we make excuses for ourselves.  We find reasons to exempt ourselves from doing what's right, from doing what we ought to do.

Can you make a commitment to God and sincerely in your heart and promise to do one simple thing for someone else each day?  It may sound simple, but sadly we often choose which situation we will aid.  You may have to move beyond your rationalizations and just do it on purpose allowing God to guide you even if it doesn't feel comfy.  

There are so many people in the world who have never had anyone do anything nice for them, and they are desperate for some words or actions of love even if they act abominably.  Let love be the main theme of your life, and you will have a life worth living.  The Bible says we know that we have passed over from death to life if we love one another ( 1 John 3:14).  

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "put love into action each day."

Pray:

Help me to meditate each day: "Lord, let love even the most difficult."
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Teach me to be patient and know you will mentor me. Remind me that prayer motivates me.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.

God's Message Today
John 13:34

"I give  you a new commandment; that you should love one another.  Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another."

This is a difficult undertaking.

The Roman philosopher Seneca made a statement we all need to remember: "Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness."  I would add to that, Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity to express love." Everyone on earth needs love and kindness.  Even when we have nothing to offer others in terms of money or possessions, we can give them love and show them kindness.

God tells me everyday, "Get your mind off yourself and your problems and spend today doing something to love someone else." From start to finish, in all kinds of ways, God's Word encourages and challenges us to love other people.  To love others is the "new Commandment" Jesus gave us in John 13:34, and it is the example He set for us throughout His life and ministry on earth.  If we want to be like Jesus, we need to love others with the same kind of gracious, forgiving, generous, unconditional love he extends to us.

Nothing has changed my life more dramatically than learning how to love people and treat them well.  Incorporate this thought into your life: I love and enjoy helping people.

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "love and enjoy helping people."

Pray:

Help me to meditate each day: "Lord, let love for others flow through me."
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Teach me to be patient and know you will mentor me. Remind me that prayer motivates me.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.

​Easter is the celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. It is celebrated on Sunday, and marks the end of Holy Week, the end of Lent, the last day of the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday), and is the beginning of the Easter season of the liturgical year.

As we know from the Gospels, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day following his crucifixion, which would be Sunday. His resurrection marks the triumph of good over evil, sin and death. It is the singular event which proves that those who trust in God and accept Christ will be raised from the dead.

Since Easter represents the fulfillment of God's promises to mankind, it is the most important holiday on the Christian calendar.

In the Gospels, the precise details of the Easter narrative vary slightly, but none of these variances are critical to the main story. In fact, it is argued that the variances are simply matters of style and not substance. Despite the variances, the key aspects of the Easter story all match. Above all, they agree that the tomb of Christ was indeed empty, which is the most essential fact.

​Based on direct evidence from the mid-second century, it is believed that Easter was regularly celebrated from the earliest days of the Church.

The Easter date is movable and always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Easter in the Roman Catholic Church is always on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Most Catholics attend Easter Vigil at midnight, although the services can be lengthy because many sacraments are performed, such as baptisms and Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, during the Mass. Services during the daytime on Easter are shorter and well attended.

Sunrise services are common, but are distinctly Protestant. Sunrise services are gathered before dawn and reflect the arrival of the women at Jesus' tomb early in the morning. The services take place outdoors, often in church yards, cemeteries, or in parks, and are timed so the sun will rise during the course of worship.

Traditional family activities vary by region. In the United States, children often hunt for Easter eggs, which are often brightly-dyed hard boiled eggs, though they can be plastic eggs filled with candy or small denominations of money. Candy is a traditional gift for Easter as children often break their Lenten fasts with sweets. Adults tend to share bouquets of flowers, greeting cards, and may gather for a family meal. Such celebrations are often secularized and focused on children and family rather than the religious aspect of the holy day.

Following Easter Sunday, the season of Easter begins and lasts for seven weeks, ending with Pentecost.
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On this greatest day of the year, all fasting and somber thoughts
are banished. As St. John Chrysostom announces in this famous
Easter sermon, all are invited to the feast: "Let all then enter
the joy of Our Lord!
Both the first and the last, and those who come after, enjoy your reward!
Rich and poor, dance with one another, sober and slothful,
celebrate the day.
Those who have kept the fast and those who have not, rejoice today, for the table is richly spread.
Fare royally upon it-the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry.
All of you, enjoy the banquet of faith!
All enjoy the riches of His goodness.
Let no one cry over his poverty, for the universal Kingdom has
appeared!
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again, for
forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let none fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He spoiled the power of hell when he descended thereto.
Isaiah foretold this when he cried, 'Death has been frustrated in meeting him below!'
It is frustrated, for it is destroyed.
It is frustrated, for it is annihilated.
It is frustrated, for now it is made captive.
For it grabbed a body and discovered God.
It took earth and behold! It encountered Heaven.
It took what was visible, and was overcome by what was invisible.
O Death, where is your sting?
O Death, where is your victory?
Christ is risen, and the demons are cast down.
Christ is risen, and life is set free.
Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of the dead.
For Christ, having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits for those who sleep.
to Him be glory and power forever and ever!
Amen. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"