HE'S STILL WORKING ON ME... MEDITATION MONDAY....

Love  J esus
Love  O thers

Love  Y ourself

This month, I am focusing on the Y in the acronym JOY.  I am convinced that I cannot truly love myself without the J - the love of Jesus.  To love myself, with all the flaws and imperfections that are me, is to allow myself to be loved by J esus and to allow Him to work on me, in me, and through me. 

There are several scriptures that sustain me... that renew me... that make me "feel" loved...  They connect so beautifully with the two greatest commandments that are currently our theme verses.  Here are two of my favorites:

MATTHEW 5:
¹ Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:
³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

 

 

 

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.


QUESTION:  What makes me salt and light to the world?

ANSWER:  When the kingdom of heaven permeates every fiber of my being as in the BE-ATTITUDES of Jesus Christ - that He describes above. 

 When that begins to happen, then I can understand these verses more clearly:

1 CORINTHIANS 4:

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us... 

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart... 

~OH, THE JOY!~