Love trusts to the degree it trusts in God. There is an assurance that the Almighty is in control and He will carry out His plan in His timing. Loves sees the Lord as the instigator of all good things and thus, 100% trustworthy. Yes, humans fail, but love lifts up those who let them down and gives them a second chance. There is a perpetual prayer from a heart of love that trusts God to do a work of grace in a graceless heart. Love believes Christ can change anyone or anything.
Do you believe the best about your husband or wife? Do you give them the benefit of the doubt? Your marriage grows more attractive as you make it a priority to totally trust one another. Fear from past disappointments feed disapproval and disrespect in the present. Let go of unlovely lies that he or she cannot change and begin to treat them like the Lord wants them to become. Be respectful and trust they’ll act respectable. Be kind and trust they will grow in kindness.
Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31
Love treats others like it would like to be treated. Furthermore, there will be those who are gullible or naive in their approach to trusting love, but God is still at work. A shady soul may take advantage of someone’s good nature, but in the process they will more than likely meet Jesus in the giver's trusting heart. So, be wise and discerning, but err on the side of extending grace. Love like you trust, with abandonment and without conditions. When in doubt, love.
Above all, trust in the unfailing love of your Heavenly Father. He is always reliable for real time love. Be still before Him and hear His voice, listen to His whispers of encouragement, warning and wisdom. Daily tap into God’s great love for you and the measure of your faith will magnify beyond where you have been. The end game in God’s plan for you is to love you, so you can love others and yourself. Trust Him by receiving His grace and love. Belief brings out His love!
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5
Prayer: Heavenly Father I trust You to love me well, so I in turn can love well.
Related Readings: Psalm 21:7, 119:66, 143:8; John 16:27; Philippians 1:9-10
Post/Tweet today: Love lifts up those who let us down and gives them a second chance. #love
Besides a complete and total belief, which I held in the sixth grade, that I was going to become a world famous whistler who would bring people into a weepy wave of wonder with my haunting melodies- my parents have supported every dream I have ever had.
Even when they have made no logical sense.
I graduated with a bachelors degree from a private university. My career plans weren’t set in stone, but I always assumed I would go straight into graduate work, like both of my parents did. Social work, speech pathology, political science and seminary topped my list. Serving people, seeking justice, fighting for beauty and redemption in another person’s life was my ultimate goal. Making music was not.
But I fell in love. With a man and with music. And the day after my college graduation we packed our bags and moved into a 900 square foot duplex in the heart of ghetto, thug-riddled Dallas, Texas. For the next two years my husband and I lived in that duplex across the street from Joe the Pimp (yes, a real live pimp), with the entire band. It was just how every woman hopes to spend the first two years of marriage! No health insurance, life insurance, 401K plan, personal privacy or financial security blanket. Four college graduates still driving our cars from high school while our peers bought houses, invested in stocks and experimented in keeping small puppies and babies alive.
By the looks of it, my life did not measure up to the kind of success that our culture aspires to.
And yet I can’t remember a single conversation with my dad where he didn’t say, “I’m proud of you Jenny- don’t give up- it won’t always be this hard- it’s worth it- you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Keep doing what you feel like God has made you to do.”
And to the 32 year-old-girl, 10 years later, now turned mother who has lived through a fire that destroyed most of what I owned, a few break-ins, car-wrecks, near bankruptcy, still living in a small apartment, with no 401 K and, yes, still driving my car from high school- all in my pursuit of listening to and following God’s voice in my life...
my dad still says the same thing.
Don’t lose heart.Keep believing in the things that God has called you to.
You see my parents are both deeply spiritual people and have served on church staffs my entire life. Many times my sisters and I have watched as members of different congregations have lied about my parents, hurt them and given them good cause to never ever walk back through the doors of a church again. And yet, my parents have always walked back in the doors.
Dad often quoted Psalm 27:13 as he walked around the house listening to my sisters and I gripe about the injustice of it all. He simply said, “I am still confident of this: we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” And he and mom believed it enough that they didn’t quit, even when quitting was the most obvious answer.
I can’t count how many times I have tried to throw away the gifts and calling that the Lord has given me. I have tried to convince myself that I heard God’s voice wrong. That serving in ministry was too hard on my spirit. That the sacrifice was not worth it. That I was being financially irresponsible to live off of little- when I could make much else-where. That my family deserves better. Or perhaps, someone else is more qualified.
I am the queen of excuses and rationalizing. I’ve written the book on fear, anxiety and distrust in the face of the unknown. I have tried to quit God, quit His call on my life, quit that still, small voice who whispers over and over again to me, “Feed my sheep,” more times than I can count.
And yet I am still here. Still writing music and telling God’s story of redemption. Still driving that same old car. Still allowing God to use me in people’s journeys. Still listening to my daddy tell me that following the call is absolutely worth it- even when it makes no logical sense. Even when it hurts. Even if it leaves you broken sometimes.
The song, Don’t Lose Heart, is the most personal song for me on my new album, The Becoming. It’s not just a pithy sentiment spoken over someone in a tiny battle. It is a monumental cry to those serving in ministry- fighting the most important battle ever: whether to give up or not.
Following the great unknown has cost you everything
But listen to the voice inside who first called out your name...
To those following the Great Unknown, to those chasing a dream that only makes sense in light of the Holy Spirit that has given birth to that dream, to those barely hanging on as they try and survive ministry in a tough church, for those making art, parenting orphans, feeding homeless, teaching immigrants, sheltering battered women, loving pregnant teenagers, heck, loving any teenager through puberty, going to the uttermost corners of the earth to deliver water- and living water- this song is for you.
For anyone in the middle of a “What the heck am I doing here?” moment- the one where you fear you have gone the wrong way or the call was meant for someone else-
this is for you.
Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose faith. Keep believing in the things that He’s called to you. When you’re tired. When you’re faint. Look deep into the eyes of your Savior’s face. And you will find your resting place.
And to mom and dad- who never gave up on Jesus and his calling- you are the most beautiful people I know. Thank you for teaching me that sometimes following Jesus is more important than safety, security or comfort. Thank you for caring more about how Jesus wants to use me, than any thing else. I am here because of you.
For more on Jenny's albums, click here, or her former band, Addison Road.
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8
Trust is the soil in which our faith grows. Like a robust olive tree full of branches bearing luscious fruit, trust causes growth across the limbs of our life. It is trust that tears down our walls of fear. It is trust that allows us to outlast our critics. It is trust that brings to fruition a harvest of hope and patience. It is trust that keeps us from reacting wrongly. It is trust that moves a man to forgive his wife, or a wife to forgive her husband. It is trust that stands the test of time. Trust causes good things to grow. Our faith grows. Our humility grows. Our love grows. Our holiness grows. Our grace grows. Our fear of God grows. Our character grows. It is trust in our Savior that grows us up for His glory.
God’s unfailing love can be trusted, for there is no doubt about its trustworthiness. His love never fails (1 Corinthians 13: 8). No one has ever overdrawn the Almighty’s account of love. The Lord’s loans of love are not called in the middle of your crisis. On the contrary, He offers more love the more needy you find yourself. You can depend on the love of God. It will not fail when you need Him the most. Others may walk away when you lose your way, but not your loving God; His love stays with you. You may feel deserted in your despair, but God’s love is still there for your comfort and care. His 100% track record of no failures can always be trusted. His love fails not. Our Savior's love is fail-safe.
Sometimes it is hard to see the forest of our heavenly Father's love, for the trees of terror that stare us in the face. This is where we need to take a timeout and trust. Trust that God still loves you even when you represent Him poorly. Trust that He still loves you even though those around you don’t seem to care. Trust He still loves you in the loss of your job. Trust He still loves you though you let Him down. Trust His love does not keep accounts (nor should ours). Furthermore, He loves you so you can be loved and love others on His behalf. Being loved by God is just the beginning. Christians are a conduit for Christ in His cycle of love. We are His love agents; always investigating ways we can extend our Father’s love. Love that isn’t shared loses traction. Love given away gains more momentum. So pass along God’s unfailing love.
Your trust in Jesus causes your love to grow to greater heights. His goal is for the fruit of His love to weigh down branches of your belief. Your fruitful loving life becomes attractive and inviting to others. They want to draw near the light of the Lord’s love that shines through your soul. They want to be close to your character so they can pluck some of your lovely fruit and partake. It is the love of God spread abroad in your life that becomes a beacon of hope. When you unleash love in your life, your faith, leadership, and ministry will flourish. The fruit of love calms angry hearts. It leads others to forgive and be forgiven. Love allows us to say things we otherwise would not say for fear of hurting another or of being rejected. Love is a remedy for rebellion. When the prodigal came home, his father first loved him (Luke 15:20). Love is our first and last response. It is our glimpse into the heart of God. Love never fails because God guarantees it. Trusting in God’s unfailing love matures us.
Taken from Reading #38 in the 90-day devotional book, “Seeking God in the Psalms”... http:// bit.ly/InvUdR
Post/Tweet this today: Trust tears down our walls of fear and allows us to outlast our critics. #trust
Please wait, loading... 
