Skip to main content

ODB Message

“God’s Doing Something New”

By

Anne Cetas

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 1 Thessalonians 3:12

“Is God doing something new in your life?” was the question the leader asked in a group I was in recently. My friend Mindy, who is dealing with some difficult situations, responded. She told of needing patience with aging parents, stamina for her husband’s health issues, and understanding of her children and grandchildren who have not yet chosen to follow Jesus. Then she made an insightful comment that runs contrary to what we might normally think: “I believe the new thing God is doing is He’s expanding my capacity and opportunities to love.”

That fits nicely with the apostle Paul’s prayer for new believers in Thessalonica: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else” (1 Thess. 3:12). He had taught them about Jesus but had to leave abruptly because of rioting (Acts 17:1–9). Now in his letter he encouraged them to continue to stand firm in their faith (1 Thess. 3:7–8). And he prayed that the Lord would increase their love for all.

During difficulties we often choose to complain and ask, why? Or wonder, Why me? Another way to handle those times could be to ask the Lord to expand His love in our hearts and to help us take the new opportunities that come to love others.

I’ve got my own list of things I could worry about, Lord. Change my thinking. Open my eyes to love.

Our troubles can fill our prayers with love and empathy for others.

#Copied

#January

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#NextGeneration Stories

Cherokee Legend Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.  He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help from anyone.  Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some humans might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.    He had been at watch the entire night, p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Theme Days For May

    13 February World Radio Day   3 May World Press Freedom Day  16 May International Day of Light  17 May World Telecommunication and Information Society Day   23 September International Day of Sign Languages  28 September International Day for Universal Access to Information  30 September International Translation Day  5 October World Teachers’ Day   24 October World Development Information Day   21 November World Television Day  Why are these days important to us even in May? This is because these days play a role in adding to the sum total of our Aim and Objectives in TLF.  But note that 17th of May is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day the "D" day, we are going to focus on issues of the communication in modern times.  In the course of the year, join us in carrying out the various activities lined up in accordance with our themes. Remember that our cardinal projects are to dist...
Post a Comment
Read more

August Theme

Our thematic issues for this month is #NextGeneration We urge us in love to pick one of the issues under our theme for the month and help share messages, videos, pictures and matters for discussion and action plans under any of the issues. Let's dig deep into the concept of preparing the next generation of leaders, professionals, members of the society among others, which comes from God Himself right from creation and see how it improves acts of charity and social development. Humanity has survived since creation because intentional efforts have been made to prepare for generations to generations. Families birth those who'd constitute the next generation. If we don't prepare the next generation, we'd have a retrogressive situation which is highly preventable. #NextGeneration #August TLF 💚 
Post a Comment
Read more