One of my favorite questions to ask people is "What has
God been teaching you lately?"
Savories for the Soul is a page dedicated to sharing what God has been
revealing to me and others who desire to know God and make Him and His loving,
faithfulness known.
I am accepting entries for guests to share their own
experiences and truths that God is showing to them. If you would like to submit an entry of a
devotional, revelation, or a scripture God has laid on your heart please send
to seasontheday@gmail.com. With your
entry be sure to include a short bio, photo and link to your website (if you
have one).
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This is a post a dear friend sent to me to share with my
readers. I know you will enjoy it as
much as I did.
Haley's desire is to believe God for all He is and can do in
her life and the lives of those around her and really see the life-changing
love and power of Jesus . She is wife to
Shad, who is a phenomenal worship leader with a true heart for God and to see unity in
the body of Christ. Haley is also a High
School teacher. Shad and Haley led our first bible study as a married couple,
making it 7 years we have had the privilege of having them in our lives, they
will always have a special place in our heart.
Thank you Haley for sharing how God is changing you!
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About 3 years ago, Shad and I embarked on a new life
journey. A journey that moved us across the country to become church launchers.
We had no idea what to expect as we left our home in the Midwest to launch a
church in the San Francisco Bay Area. We were just excited by God's leading and
confident in the path that He had chosen for us! As we settled in, our team met
to determine what was essential for true life transformation to occur. This
determination would be the foundational core upon which our church was built.
After times of discussion, prayer, and seeking God's wisdom through His spirit
and that of other believers, we resolved that true life transformation occurs
in love.
As a church, we committed to become revolutionary in the way
that we showed love. We would love beyond the limits, we would go beyond what
was comfortable, we would go to the 'least of these' and love. We would love,
not with the motive or expectation to 'save' people, but simply love because
Jesus loved and loves us still today. I was excited; perhaps to many, this is
nothing new, but for me it was like the light had finally turned on. I was
slowly starting to understand the purpose that God has called believers to.
I began to feel challenged. I knew that the Lord had called
us here for greater service, to share His love, and to be a light to those
hurting and broken. What I didn't know is the work that God planned to do in my
own life that would allow me to begin to scratch the surface of becoming a
Revolutionary Lover. In the months that followed, God began convicting me of my
lofty attitude, the critical spirit that resided within me for all the years
I've known Jesus, my insincere attempts to love those around me and my tendency
to close myself off to others to keep myself safe. I knew in my heart all of
these would be detrimental to me truly loving people. I would need to begin
purging myself of these sinful attitudes and behaviors and allow the Lord to
refine me, to change me to become more like Him.
For me, becoming more like Jesus and loving others as He has
commanded is a process that has not been not easy. It is a daily challenge that
requires me to check my motives, to ask the Lord to search my heart, to reveal
the offensive ways within me. It requires me to diligently seek opportunities
to encourage those around me and to actively pursue ways to be Jesus. It
requires that I be engaged and completely present in my relationships. It
requires sacrifice and the sometimes painful reminder that this life is really
not about me. Most importantly, it requires that I choose daily to draw close
to and draw from the source of true Revolutionary Love; Jesus.
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I would be delighted to have you share your thoughts so that
we might be challenged and encouraged by one another. As iron sharpens iron, so
one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
What are some tangible ways that we can love those that God
has given to us?
What are some of the challenges that you face in loving
people like Jesus?
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Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is
good. Romans 12:9
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did
for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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. Love never fails...And now these three remain: faith, hope
and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I Corinthians 13:4-8,13
...and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one
another above yourselves. Romans 12:10
Keep on loving each other as brothers. Hebrews 13:1
Search me, O God, and know my heart;test me and know my
anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the
way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24
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