Couldn't sleep...

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not die, but have everlasting life.

1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.

(((((SeptemberMorn)))))
So glad you started this thread. i enjoy reading the things you have written, as well as, the hymns and poetry. Keep up the good work.

me too.... I am blessed by the scripture and equally blessed by how you express its blessing in your life.

I really appreciate you SeptemberMorn. For who you are and how you care for people with many blessings.

((((((septemberMorn))))) i want to post this scripture for you personally. Because you were called upon by the Holy Spirit and acted on it. and by doing so, so many of us have been truly blessed. thank you for allowing others here to see what a true christian walk and true fellowship is with this thread. i think we have all enjoyed sharing in this love and acceptance filled environment. makes such a difference.

Romans 8:28 (NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{OxbowGirl}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Thank you so much for your acknowledgement. Validation is often necessary.

You know by now that I appreciate your thread also. Whether I respond or not, I do read it daily. It gives me the strength to do what I need to do.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ChocolateLover}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I appreciate your acknowledgement as well! Those with mental illnesses need love and caring as much, if not more, than others. Just sharing the source of my strength with those that need it. It's amazing how the love multiplies when you give it away! I've been feeling it more in my personal life, too.

Thanks again!

Thank you, Recluse! I love that verse and have often leaned on it's promise to get me through things that have looked so dark and hopeless.

Your verse seems to echo this one:

Phillipians 1:6 (NIV)
And I am sure that God, who began a good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

Matthew 5:1
Now when He (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 saying:

3 “Blessed are the *poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (*"God blesses those who realize their need for him)

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 sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted *because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (*Other translations say "for my name's sake")

i cannot say enough how much this thread means to me. and to the others that have visited here as well, i'm sure. for me personally it is a beautiful place where i can come and not fear judgement or witness people being persecuted for their belief or unbelief. just somewhere to be.......a place of love, acceptance, tolerance.

spiritually i can't explain all that i get from this environment. words don't quite seem adequate enough to express the joy this has brought me. i am so thankful and filled with love. a love i want to share with everyone because i want all to experience what i have here. to witness what is happening here.

if others of you feel the same, i would like to ask that you share this thread with someone else. so that they too can feel the peace and love that is gleeming throughout this thread.

love to you all
recluse1

I couldn't agree more! Thanks again Sept!

And thank you to everyone else for allowing this thread of love, understanding and tolerance for all to continue and thrive. Congratulations everyone and thank you...

i want to post this passage from the bible because i feel it expresses well what christian love and the christian family is to me personally.

Romans 12:9-16 (KJV)
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor what which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. Not slothful in business; fervant in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continueing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. bless them which persecute you; bless, curse not. rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. be of the same mind one toward another.

You're most certainly right, Recluse!

Rom 16:24 — The <font color="red">*grace</font> of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

2Cr 12:9 And he said unto me, "My <font color="red"> *grace</font> is sufficient for thee."

*Unmerited favor i.e., finding favor with God although we don't deserve it.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
recluse1 said:
i want to post this passage from the bible because i feel it expresses well what christian love and the christian family is to me personally.

Romans 12:9-16 (KJV)
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor what which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. Not slothful in business; fervant in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continueing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. bless them which persecute you; bless, curse not. rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. be of the same mind one toward another.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

thank you recluse... i can read your heart-felt devotion... very inspiring to me... (((recluse1)))

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

a personalmesage to all who find this thread:

i know that here at PC and often in this spiritual forum that alot of members have felt unwelcomed and even been hurt by people here. that really bothers me. I feel ashamed and embarrassed by the behaviors that i have seen. and i want to say to anyone reading, no matter your denomination, no matter your religious ties, whether they are the same or different from my own, that i care for each and everyone of you. i want us all to be able to come together and communicate with one another here.

SeptemberMorn has started this wonderful, encouraging, loving, and supportive environment for just that reason. so we can all feel loved and accepted. we don't have to be afraid. "Love" is the universal language we all can understand. and that is exactly what i have felt from every reply posted on this thread. i hope others find there way here so they too can share their spiritual experience and see that we aren't all preaching hell's fire and damnation. the message being sent out here is purely of LOVE.

for that, i am so very thankful.

Recluse, you're a Godsend! I love you not only because you're my sister in the faith, but because of your fevor and your devotion!

Blessed Be The Tie That Binds

Blessed be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like that to that above.

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other's woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity


The song may speak of "Christian" love, but as Christians, we should extend that love to all others. That is what God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit do. The Triune God loves ALL of his creation.

Christ gave us the Greatest Commandment to love one another. There are no limitations and no prerequisits. We are to love even the unlovable! What challenge is there in loving those that are lovable? The true gift of love and the reward is in loving those that are difficult and almost impossible to love readily. Therein lies the secret, to love those who aren't lovable and to accept them exactly where they are. That's what Jesus did and through the Holy Spirit, continues to do so today and forever.

Amen to that! you are truly a person i feel blessed to know and love. there is such love and kindness in your heart that it shines thru your spirit and all who come in contact with you are warmed by it's light.

{{{{{Recluse}}}}}

That Light shines through you, too!

Love for self. A tough one for most of us, is it not? Self-care is NOT selfish.

1Cr 6:19 Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,

20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

The first fact to keep in mind is that you don’t own your body. You don’t even own yourself. You are owned by God (1 Corinthians 6:20). You have a certain obligation to God to take good care of the body that God has entrusted to you. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Your body is ultimately a creation of God. As a work of art created by God it deserves very sensitive and intelligent care.

The second fact to keep in mind is that God calls you to use your body as an instrument of righteousness. That is, you are to use your body for God’s purposes. If you diminish your strength by poor health habits, you are less available to do God’s work.

Health is not the most important consideration for a Christian, but it is connected with the very most important considerations: our respect for God as the Creator and our responsibility to serve others with all our strength.

So eat right, exercise, get some sleep, drink a lot of water, and stay away from food, drugs and chemicals that damage the delicate mechanisms in God’s creative masterpiece: your body.

We are to do the best we can towards moderation and self-control.

"I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly". (John 10:10) Some things that we can do to have an abundant life are:

A goal or purpose for living,
An optimistic outlook on life,
Good diet and health care,
Forgive those who have wronged you,
Don't dwell on the negatives you encounter in your life,
Don't let the sun go down on your anger.

thank you Tomi.. its important to have good health in my view, though i'm not perfect and can se some improvement in this area... clean body is clean mind however...

i know i've 'settled' on a lifestyle that could be considered unhealthy by some, and maybe in the future it'll change some...

ive studied the fasting and cleansing processes of some faiths.. i believe in it...

thanks for uplifting words about God and Spirit this morning... Praises to the Holy Spirit!

i have posted this before. but thought it fitting to follow up on the previous posts. it is a quote by John Wesley.

Do all the good you can. By all the means you can.
In all the ways you can. In all the places you can.
At all the times you can. To all the people you can.
As long as you ever can.

In order to do, we must be able. So i see what you mean about keeping ourselves strong so that we can do and love as He would have us to.

(Though i must admitt, i myself, have some pretty unhealthy habits that will probably catch up to me later in life.) Thank you for the reminder.

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God....will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.

Romans 5:5 God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Luke 10:27 He answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind"; and, "Love your neighbor as [you love] yourself.”

Deuteronomy 7:9

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant (promise) of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.