February is almost over, and then it is the first month that spring is in! We do still have a few weeks of winter left to enjoy though. :D With it being almost the end of February though, it's time to do a monthly round-up and look back to some favorites from the month. I'd love to hear about some of yours down in the comments! Favorite Events
A Favorite SongA Favorite Verse"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." ~Jeremiah 10:23 A Favorite Story
What were some of your favorites from February?
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Valentine's Day is only two days away. What does that mean to you? It seems for some people it means cute decorations and sharing a piece of candy with a friend. For others it's sharing a special day with their spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend. Maybe for some who have lost their spouse, it means reminiscing about Valentine's Days spent with them in years past. But then there is those who have never been married and don't have a boyfriend. Somehow it can start to feel hard for them to just enjoy the cute decorations and be happy for the things their friends with significant others in their lives are doing. It gets tempting to just focus on themselves and the pain inside. I was thinking through these things myself a few days ago. I wanted to focus on other things this Valentine's Day, focus on being happy for those with husbands or boyfriends and focus on enjoying a cute holiday loving family and friends and my God. But it was tempting to just focus on my own thoughts. Almost like I was afraid that if I moved past them, they would be completely overlooked. As I got to thinking through what to write for this blog post, I really realized how many things about God's love supersede a romantic relationship. Yes, I knew that already. But really thinking about how provides amazing comfort.
"We love him, because he first loved us." ~1 John 4:19
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." ~Romans 5:6-8
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 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." ~Romans 8:38-39
"There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." ~1 John 4:18
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." ~1 John 4:8 "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." ~Malachi 3:6
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." ~Romans 6:23
"My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." ~Psalm 89:34
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:6-7
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:19 Man's love is wonderful and a gift from God. But God doesn't withhold good things from those that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11), which means that having a romantic relationship isn't always what we actually need, even if we think we do. No matter what though, He always gives us the perfect gift of His love. He'll sustain us and give us joy and peace if we let Him. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." ~John 15:13 Are there any other characteristics of God's love that you thought about?
There seem to be three camps of people in the world: the avid early risers, those who enjoy late nights, and then the ones who really could go either way and just conform to whatever everyone else they live or hang out with is doing. And really, there's no magically "best" time to get up. In this post though, let's look at eight benefits to getting up early. Again, it may not be for everyone, but there are some compelling reasons to do so. 1) Time to slow down and enjoy the morningEspecially for those who have to leave in the mornings, getting up later often means having to rush through getting ready and the rest of our morning routine. It's not typically ideal to wake up to only having half an hour to throw ourselves and things together. Waking up early can be a way to be more relaxed as we casually get ready without the stress of our time narrowing down. 2) More time to read the Bible/prayMornings can be the best times to schedule time out to read our Bibles and talk with God. It's often time that we don't feel the pressure we might during the rest of the day and can really focus more on learning and growing closer to Him. 3) SunriseThe sunrise is a beautiful thing! All the colors that get painted across the sky are worth waking up early to see, even if it's just out the window while you get started with the day. 4) Quiet timeSome people are extroverts and are energized by being around other people, but I think even extroverts need time alone. There aren't usually alot of people awake too early in the mornings, meaning that it can be an excellent time to recharge by having quiet time alone to think and wake up. 5) Feel more prepared for the dayHaving been awake for three hours before you ever have to start on your work or leave the house has a way of making you feel prepared to start working and not like you have to drag yourself to do something you don't feel like doing. It doesn't mean that you'll always feel thrilled with what you're doing in the day, but it can mean that you'll feel more awake and mentally ready to do it. 6) BreakfastIt seems like alot of people skip breakfast just because they don't really have the time for it. If waking up just twenty minutes earlier means eating breakfast, being healthier, and feeling better for the day, it's likely worth it. 7) Time to fit in exercise or hobbiesOnce the sun is high in the sky, it can be hard to feel like you really have time to do things that you think would be good or fun to do. Getting them done early in the morning can not only help you to actually get them done, but it can also give you something to look forward to getting up to do. 8) It can be more motivating.Maybe it isn't more motivating for everybody, but knowing that you'll probably have all your work done by the early evening and be able to relax after that can help you to be more motivated to accomplish the things you need to during the day. 9) More relaxing eveningThis kinda goes with the last point. When you get started early, you often have more time to do relaxing things like read and hang out with family in the evenings. Do you like to wake up early? If so, why? If not, what are the benefits of the schedule that you follow?
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