For God�s grace to be unleashed in Michelle Obama�s life that she may be a strong and supportive helpmeet to her husband
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
--Proverbs 31:11 (NIV)
Great God, we are appreciative of Your plan for human relationships; that You purposed that one man and one woman would come together and literally become one in marriage, Lord, to be mutually respectful and dependent upon each other for all their responsibilities in life as spouses, as parents, and in their careers.
We ask now, O God, that You would work in First Lady Michelle Obama�s life, Lord, to continue to make her a wife whom her husband Barack can have full confidence, and from whom he can receive full value and benefit. God, allow Michelle to be a strength and comfort to Barack as he carries the weight and responsibilities of the presidency, and may he appreciate and honor her. Thank you, Lord, in Your name we pray, amen.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
"David...here expressly declares, that if any adversity should befall him, he would lean upon the providence of God. Thus he does not promise himself continuous pleasures; but he fortifies himself by the help of God courageously to endure the various calamities with which he might be visited."
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
1 John 4:7,11-13,16-18
7 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God.
11 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other.
17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear.
I counted the word "love" or a variation thereof 16 times in this passage. Love is very important in the writings of John. If I recall, it was a pretty important topic in his gospel, as well.
Initially, we are commanded, in verse 7, to love each other (or to continue to love each other). He makes a connection there..."since love comes from God." He's almost making an assumption there that it should be pretty much automatic. Love comes from God, therefore, we should love each other. And if we love, we experience a relationship with God. The way I'm reading this, the relationship with God is not a result of us loving. Loving is proof of our relationship with God. If we love, we have this relationship.
God loved us, so we should be loving each other. Actually, there is a whole list of things that should be empowering us to love others.
Which are the easiest ideas for me to grasp? One is that, since God has loved me, I should be turning that love around to others. Another is that God gives me his life and his Spirit.
One that is more difficult for me to grasp is this one: There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. I struggle with fear a lot. There are a lot of things that I don't fear. I really don't fear death. That has never been an issue with me. But I fear more intangible things, like people making fun of me or rejecting me when I'm trying to give God to them. But this means that I simply have not yet fully grasped the intensity of God's love.
I'm supposed to draw a stick figure of me as the recipient of God's love, life and Spirit. Kind of hard on the 'puter. Here I am. o/ Hehehe...Anyhway. What does it feel like to receive these things? It is very humbling to know that I'm the recipient of God's love. Of his life, and his Spirit. It is awe-inspiring to know that I have received the life of God. I just need to let it flow within me and through me.
Carpe vita eternus, friends!