February 5‚ 2024 One Simple Thing Jesus Is Calling You To Do TodayASHERITAH CIUCIU Lee en español "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you‚ so you must love one another." John 13:34 (NIV) Have you ever wondered what being one of Jesus' 12 disciples was like? I have. As Creator of the universe‚ Jesus could have chosen any number of ways to establish His Kingdom‚ but personal relationships with messy people is the way of love. Jesus invited these 12 to come close‚ to join Him behind closed doors‚ and to witness the miracles recorded in Scripture plus many more (John 21:25). He explained hard teachings to them. He answered their questions. He bestowed on them honor‚ even calling them His friends. Jesus chose these disciples not just to learn His doctrine but to be with Him‚ to be loved by Him - because He delighted in them. And then He gave them their great assignment: "Love one another. As I have loved you‚ so you must love one another" (John 13:34). Notice that what Jesus required of His disciples was not Bible knowledge‚ zeal for evangelism or passion for social justice. Those are all good things. But the thing that defines a friend of Jesus? It's love: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples‚ if you love one another" (John 13:35‚ NIV). Love. That sounds so simple‚ but it can feel oh so hard - especially when we're trying to muster up more love on our own. But that's not what Jesus is calling us to do. Instead‚ Jesus invites us to be with Him and to be loved by Him. Inevitably‚ His love will pour out of our hearts onto others. You see‚ time with Jesus changes us. Even opponents of His disciples Peter and John recognized that they had spent time with Jesus and had become courageous (Acts 4:13) - because a person cannot spend time with love Himself and remain unchanged. And while none of us got to be one of the 12 disciples‚ each of us can still experience Jesus' tender love. Through His death‚ resurrection and ascension to our Father‚ Jesus invites us - His followers today - to receive His love and presence through the gift of His Spirit within us (Romans 5:5). We were the messy ones when Jesus gave Himself for us. And let's be honest: We're still pretty messy most days‚ aren't we? But He still loves us. And because we've been loved by Jesus‚ we get to go and love others with His love. As we enter the upcoming season of Lent‚ consider this: How is Jesus inviting you to experience His love more deeply in the coming months? May we be women who love in such a way that others know we have been with Jesus. Beloved Jesus‚ thank You for choosing me to be Your friend. Open the eyes of my heart to grasp the enormity of Your love toward me‚ and open my heart to become a channel of Your love toward those You've placed in my life. I love You‚ Jesus‚ because You first loved me. In Jesus' Name‚ Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Do you feel like Easter sneaks up on you each year? In Uncovering the Love of Jesus‚ Asheritah Ciuciu invites you to reclaim the Lenten season with 40 daily devotionals that reveal the deep love of Jesus 2‚000 years ago and poured out on you today. Don't let Easter pass you by this year. Get your copy here today! ENGAGE Download a free "Lenten Family Activities Guide" to help you and your family prepare for Easter this year! Filled with activities that range from hands-on‚ Scripture-based crafts to new spins on ancient disciplines‚ this guide will serve children and adults too. Get more Jesus-fueled encouragement when you join Asheritah's "Delighting in Jesus" weekly email here. FOR DEEPER STUDY John 15:15‚ "I no longer call you servants‚ because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead‚ I have called you friends‚ for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (NIV). What do you think Jesus might be inviting you to learn from Him in this next season as His friend? And who in your life is He calling you to love with His love? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Asheritah Ciuciu. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews‚ NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post One Simple Thing Jesus Is Calling You To Do Today –  Encouragement for Today – February 5‚ 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

1576 - Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV of France) abjures Catholicism at Tours 1943 - Jake LaMotta defeats future multi-weight world boxing champion Sugar Ray Robinson by unanimous points decision in Detroit in the 2nd of their 6 meetings; his only win of their rivalry; Robinson’s first loss in his first 40 pro bouts 1945 - Big Racket becomes fastest race horse at 69t.6 kph (440 yd/20.8 s) 1972 - Two IRA members are killed when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely 1978 - Fred Newman makes 88 consecutive basketball free throws blindfolded 1986 - Corazon Aquino and Ferdinand Marcos appear on "Nightline" 1991 - All American Bowl ends after 14 years 2006 - Super Bowl XL‚ Ford Field‚ Detroit‚ MI: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Seattle Seahawks‚ 21-10; MVP: Hines Ward‚ Pittsburgh‚ WR 2016 - Computer hackers try to steal 1 billion from Federal Reserve Bank of New York using Bangladesh banking codes‚ steal 81 million before a typo alerts authorities 2018 - A share market sell off starts on Wall Street with Dow Jones sinking 4.6%‚ spreads around the globe More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1597 - A group of early Japanese Christians‚ known as the 26 Martyrs‚ are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society 1927 - "The General"‚ American silent film starring Buster Keaton and Marion Mack‚ co-directed by Keaton and Clyde Bruckman‚ premieres in New York City 1938 - Hans Engnestangen skates world record 500m (41.8 sec) 1948 - Gretchen Fraser becomes 1st US woman Olympic ski slalom champion 1962 - Black and White parents stage an overnight sit-in after school board denies transfer requests of nine Black families for their children to be transferred to newer school facility in Englewood‚ New Jersey 1988 - 1st prime-time wrestling match in 30 yrs‚ André the Giant defeats Hulk Hogan More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1519 - René of Châlon‚ (d. 1544) 1921 - Ken Adam‚ British film production designer (James Bond sets)‚ born in Berlin‚ Germany (d. 2016) 1939 - Patric Standford‚ British composer (Taikayoku; Christus Requiem)‚ born in Barnsley‚ Yorkshire‚ England (d. 2014) 1966 - Rok Petrovič‚ Slovenian skier‚ born in Ljubljana‚ Slovenia (d. 1993) 1975 - Jan l'Ami‚ Dutch soccer player (Willem II)‚ born in Breda‚ Netherlands 1986 - Reed Sorenson‚ American stock car racing driver‚ born in Peachtree City‚ Georgia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1812 - Franz Schneider‚ Austrian composer‚ dies at 74 1926 - André Gedalge‚ French composer (le Petit Savoyard‚ Phoebé) and Mayor of Chessy‚ Seine-et-Marne‚ dies at 69 1961 - Anthony Gustav de Rothschild‚ British philanthropist‚ dies at 73 1975 - Ã…ke Persson‚ Swedish bebop jazz trombonist (Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band‚ 1963–71)‚ dies at 42 1977 - Izaak Boleslavski‚ Russian chess player‚ dies at 67 2005 - Gnassingbé Eyadéma‚ General and President of Togo (1967-2005)‚ dies of a heart attack at 69 More Famous Deaths »

If you scour the internet‚ you will not these days be in short supply of stories of church scandals. Here are six biblical responses to church scandals – each drawn from William Carey’s famous “Deathless Sermon.”

Remember‚ God made our emotions. He isn’t afraid of any of them nor can we hide from Him.

But as wonderful as being freed from sin’s grip‚ God doesn’t want us to stop there because Jesus is the door‚ the gate to knowing Him as Father.

Fans were quick to point out that Oprah Winfrey was in the crowd