“The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Take a moment on this Moving Forward Monday to look at this photo by Ray White. He used a long exposure to get motion blur of the Skywheel and people walking on the street. In our key verse, Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they are on the edge of the Promised Land. They had stayed long enough and it was time to move forward off that mountain. I imagine the Israelites felt like their path had been blurred after wandering for forty years.

How often do we get paralyzed with fear or confusion? We tend to battle our minds sometimes wondering if we heard God correctly or if we are equipped for the task. Or maybe the season or trial has been too tough for us to see the good that is ahead. In my running journey, a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech at Spelman College in 1960 often gets me moving, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

In the song “Promised Land” by Toby Mac and Sheryl Crow, some of the lyrics sing, “I won’t give up on this race. Broken but I still have faith” and “Through all these seasons. I’m still believin’.” What mountain do you need to move from? What valley are you stuck in? Just remember that God has plans for all of us; “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭63‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This Psalm of David was written while in the desert of Judah. Even in our desert places, we are satisfied when we earnestly seek God and choose to glorify Him. When praise is on our lips we can feel satisfied. A synonym to satisfy is quench which is exactly what our first response should be in those desert places, to quench our souls with praise on our lips.

In the worship song “Satisfied” by Chris Tomlin he talks about how the mountains that we ascend often leave us empty. Our focus tends to be on achievement but it is in the process where we should seek to find God’s goodness. We can count our blessings one by one within the day-to-day and be satisfied.

Will you join me in choosing to earnestly seek God first this week? Will you quench your soul through praise and worship? Will you count your blessings one by one? Let’s make prayer and worship our first response rather than our last resort.

“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭11‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Click the link and join me for See You Saturday. We are all loved and redeemable!

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Check our Ray White on IG, @D.Ray.White

Apple Podcast: “Old Roots New Fruits” by Holly Furtick

Song “I Got You” by Zach Williams

Julie Wicker’s 2023 Word and Mantra

Deborah Ard’s 2023 Word and Mantra

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I have enjoyed talking about the different types of love this past week. Today I will highlight Phila Love which is considered friendship love. The words in the above photo that describe this love are fondness, organic, and affection. There is a quote that I love by Jess C. Scott, “Friends are the family you choose”. I truly believe that God organically puts all the right people in our lives just when we need them.

Paul writes in the verses above that as God’s chosen people we are to clothe ourselves in certain virtues. When I think of friendship, these same virtues come to mind: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love. I am so that thankful to have a circle of Godly friends that love me and are patient with me.

Have you ever thought of Jesus as being your best friend? In the song “What a Friend” by Matt Maher, he sings about that friendship. Just like our earthly friends fill our cup, Jesus fills it so that it runs over.

Monday – Word and Mantra for 2023

Tuesday – Eros Love

Wednesday –Storge Love

Thursday – Agape Love

So far this week we have talked about Eros love and Storge love. Today I want to highlight Agape love. It is the highest form of love. Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character.

Agape love is beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

When I think of my word “love” for 2023, agape comes to mind. Paul illustrates this faithful, committed love well in our key verse. The word “always” really speaks to me. There is never a time when God doesn’t love us, even when we are lost.

We also read about this faithful, committed love in the parable of the lost sheep found in Luke. In the song, “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury the lyrics mimic that parable. He sings, “Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights till I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine”. On this Thankful Thursday I encourage us to meditate on the parable below. Take a moment to reflect on all the times God has rescued us and persevered for us. Let’s rejoice with God through song and prayer.

“Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬

Monday – Word and Mantra for 2023

Tuesday – Eros Love

Wednesday –Storge Love

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This week we are talking about the different types of love because my word for 2023 is “love”. Today I am highlighting Storge love. If you look at some of the background words in this photo you will see, family, selfless, and affection. According to Wikipedia, storge love is a natural and instinctual affection. Whether you are a child, parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or godparent you know of this love. When it comes to our children, we would give up our lives for them.

As a Water Walker mom, I strive to be that constant, trusting love at home. This includes my actions and reactions. I feel this area of my life is where I need to give myself a lot of grace. There is no perfect parent, we are all learning as we go. The most important form of discipleship starts with our children. You may be a teacher, mentor, or youth leader offering that same trusting love. If you are a son or daughter reading this, I encourage you to thank your parents or a mentor in your life. On this Walk With You Wednesday, I encourage us to ask God to lead us and guide us through this instinctual love.

I also encourage us to listen to the lyrics of the song, “Walk With You” by SEU Worship, featuring Dan Rivera. God is always listening, leading, and walking right next to us. What a wonderful gift we have in the Holy Spirit.

Monday – Word and Mantra for 2023

Tuesday – Eros Love

“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”” Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬

I shared yesterday that my word for 2023 is “love”. There are four different types of love. Today I want to highlight Eros which is a passionate love. I decided to go back to the beginning where a woman was formed from the rib of a man. I encourage you to read the message version of Genesis 2:18-25. This version uses the word “companion” in addition to a helper. Just as Jesus made us for companionship, He didn’t want man to be alone.

According to the dictionary, a companion is a person who frequently spends time with you, associates with you, or accompanies you when you go places. I know we have readers in all stages of life, whether single, dating, engaged, married, divorced, or widowed. Whatever stage of life, most of us desire companionship, even if it’s with our four-legged, furry friends. Our love should always be genuine and never taken for granted. We should not forget to take delight and look for joy. In Romans 12:10 NLT we read “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

Have you ever read The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman? I think we have shared it before but it has been a while. Just like we start the year off trying to be better spiritually, physically, and mentally, I encourage us all to share that same passion with our companions.

You can take a quiz and ask your companion to do the same; 5 Love Languages Quiz

If you missed yesterdays post, you can click the link; 2023 Word and Mantra