Dear friend,
I am writing so much these days by the grace of God as I plow forward with writing my latest book that I’m exhausted not to mention having trouble keeping up with all the writing, the notes I write and leave all over the place even as I am walking, and publishing and posting the messages online even as I try to keep up with it all! I am spending much time with the Lord as always, and He is giving me the love, grace, mercy, power, and strength to press on! Imagine my surprise when the Lord gave me a new message this morning and a few hours later made clear I am to publish it TODAY even though I already sent out today’s Good News Daily messages!
I could have argued with the Lord, resisted, or rebelled, but I know better. He is Lord, He is sovereign, His ways, plans, purpose, and timing are always best and perfect, and I am merely His blessed daughter and servant and messenger. Furthermore, I believe with all my heart that He has a very specific reason this message needs to go out around the world TODAY. I believe one if not many of you who will read this will be moved by God through this message, will be reached and touched, convicted, chastened, changed, and/or transformed, something big and beautiful by the hand of God for the glory of God.
Please read it carefully, please open your heart and eyes and ears to the Lord, please obey Him in anything He speaks to your heart to do, and please I implore you pass this message along to others so they, too, may hear!
love & blessings,
lara
…
Remember to Love
“Help me to love, oh Lord!” I cried out to God early one morning.
“Help me to love everyone I am supposed to love,” I continued. “Most especially you.” Then more. “And including my dogs,” I finished.
A little prayer in terms of the number of words. An enormous and powerful prayer in significance. For us all.
The Lord’s greatest commands are to love Him with all our hearts and to love others as ourselves. But truth is we all fall short in this to one degree or another day by day, do we not?
But the Lord gives us everything we need to do everything He calls us to do, love included, and He will enable us most certainly to follow His commands to love!
Friend, remember to love today! Remember to love always! Remember to love
God almighty first and foremost! Remember to love others whether you feel like it or not! Whether you like them or not! Whether they treat you the way you want to be treated or not! Whether they return your love or not! Whether they are your family or friends or strangers or your enemies or not! And remember to love your dogs, cats, bunny rabbits, goldfish, etc., with which the Lord has entrusted you!
Don’t love your animals more than you love the Lord! Don’t love your animals more than you love people! Don’t love people more than you love the Lord! Love the Lord more than anything or anyone! Love people next! Then love your animals! This order in obedience to Christ!
Father, remind us to love! Help us to love! Enable us to love! Empower us to love! Help us to die to self and love because certainly Lord sometimes it’s just plain hard and seemingly impossible to love! So help us to love that we love, love, love as you command us to do!
And Lord, when we fall short in loving, or we get love out of order and love people and animals more than you, or love animals more than people, or are out of order or negligent when it comes to love in any way, shape, or form, lead us to repentance. Give us the love to love by your Holy Spirit, oh Lord.
Father, finally and so importantly, please God help us to not just love with our mouths. Help us to love with our thoughts and most assuredly in our actions.
Oh, help us dear Lord, help us to love! AMEN!
“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Mt. 32:37-40
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:1
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” 1 Cor. 16:13-14
“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” John 3:18
“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”” John 13:35
“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8
“”You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,…” Matthew 5:43-44