Five Minute Friday: Refrain

Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and free write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "refrain."

I looked up the word refrain because the image accompanying the prompt for Five Minute Friday was a set of piano keys. The first definition I found was a musical definition and had to do with repetition of a verse instead of a ceasing. I had always thought of refrain as to stop doing something. I like the musical definition better.

When I read the musical definition, I tried to think where you could see that in the Bible. And then I remembered a repetition in the Psalms, “his love endures forever.” So, I looked that up too. But what I found was interesting.

That phrase is not just in the Psalms.

When I looked it up, I found this, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his love endures forever.” It is not only found in the Psalms, but it is found throughout the Old Testament.

That phrase is also found in 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Jeremiah, and throughout many of the Psalms, and those are just the places I managed to locate it. It is repeated throughout the Old Testament.

When we think of the Old Testament, we often think of a harsh and angry God. But maybe that’s just because it is what we have been told, so maybe that is the way we are reading it.

But in 1 John 4, we are told that “God is love.” It is not something he does, but who he is. So, it is part of, and wholly encompasses his material makeup.

If he is love, then love naturally flows from him. And it endures forever.

It is a different picture than a lot of us have been taught or heard, and sometimes takes us a while for us to wrap our brains around. Maybe that is why the refrain of “his love endures forever” is there, to remind us.

Because we forget, and we need to have a constant reminder of who he is, what he is made of, and what he does.

We are loved.

And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: "For He is good; for His loving devotion upon Israel endures forever." -Ezra 3:11

The One Year Experiencing God's Love Devotional by Sandra Byrd

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.-Matthew 13:45-46

I love devotionals.  When I began following the Lord again in my early twenties, I spent lots of time reading devotionals.  That was one of the ways I learned about God.  

I recently had the opportunity to read Sandra Byrd’s new devotional, The One Year Experiencing God’s Love Devotional. Sandra has so much wisdom to share  that it is a joy to read her words and her stories.  Each devotional is very warm and inviting, and speaks of the Father inviting you into relationship with Him.

In her new book, you will find wisdom, encouragement, and learn about a lot of different stuff!  In a devotional entitled “Fire Power”, Sandra connected some dots for me between events in the Old Testament, and the New.  In another devotional, I was reminded that when Jesus walks into a situation, it always changes for the better. There are book lists, recipes, and an idea for an Advent activity with your family at Christmas as well.  

As I read, I often highlight or underline passages that are meaningful to me.  In "Understanding Down Under", a devotional on friendship, I highlighted these words.  It reminded me of a very close friend of mine who was my roommate at Bible school.  Though we are now far apart in distance, she is still very close in heart.

My summer circumstances often coincide with a stark time in a friend's life.  I'll share my sun to give her the warmth she needs, and she'll do it for me later, when my winter blows in-for a season-before spring arrives again.  That way, we're always dividing the grief and sharing the joy together.  He loves us both, and both through each other.  That's God's design for friendship.

The love of God is the most important subject we can learn about.  1 John 4:8 says, “God is Love.”  It is not merely what He does, but who He is.  Love is also why God sent Jesus.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life.”  Love is the heartbeat and foundation for everything God does.

I recommend this devotional to anyone who wants to get to know God better. Whether you are a seasoned Believer, just starting out, or haven’t really come to know God yet, you will be encouraged, strengthened, and loved by the words in this book.  

Many blessings to you as you learn to walk in His love for you,

Beth

To read my review of The One Year Home & Garden Devotions by Sandra Byrd, please go here.

To learn more about the author, you can visit her at her website www.sandrabyrd.com.

Disclosure Statement:  I received a copy of this devotional from the publisher in exchange for my review.  The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

His Love is Always For Us

I know what’s it like to struggle, to go in and out of your walk with God. To not feel good about yourself. To feel like you don’t measure up.

The first three years of my life after I rededicated my life to the Lord were rough. I didn’t have hardly any friends who were walking with Jesus. The ones I did have that I knew well, were doing things that in my heart I didn’t want to do anymore. But somehow I kept getting sucked back in.

I would go to church for a while, but end up feeling like I was too bad to belong there, so I would quit going again. This went on until I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I literally felt myself grieving the Spirit of God. It was not in a way that made me feel condemned or guilty, but in a way that a parent feels for a child when they are doing something that could hurt them. The parent’s heart might be breaking, but the child continues to do something because they don’t understand that what they are doing is hurting them or their parent.

So, I finally came to that point that I wasn’t going to live the way I was living, no matter what. I still didn’t have the tools I needed to overcome in my thoughts and my heart, even if my outward behavior was not the same as it had been before.

About eight months or so past this point, someone gave me a teaching tape of a message called “The Conquering Power of God’s Love.” I hadn’t really ever heard a message like it before. It was about how much God loves us and the extent and depth of that love. I listened to that tape until it finally broke. I listened to it so much, that I still listen to it in my head now, twenty years later.

I am convinced that this is what keeps people connected to Jesus, knowing who He is, because He is love, and how much He loves us. We cannot ever stop steeping ourselves in this knowledge of the love of God.

He loves us and is always for us. You will always find Jesus in the Gospels loving people.

Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?-Romans 2:4

The word kindness in reference to God in this verse means “useful, gentle, pleasant, kind.” That is always how He is dealing with you. Always. He is a gentle, pleasant, and kind God leading you back to Him.

Whenever I am having a bad day, whenever I feel bad about myself, I always spend time hearing and thinking about the love God has for me. It is what keeps me anchored to Him.

I pray today that you would know that love and continue to grow in the knowledge of His love for you.

Beth

To hear a message about The Love of God, go here.

Sisterchicks on the Loose by Robin Jones Gunn

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."

-Psalm 126:2

 

I remember the first time I heard about these books, the Sisterchicks novels.  I overheard a conversation a librarian friend of mine was having with another person.  They were discussing whether or not either one had read the latest Sisterchicks book.  I hadn’t read much Christian fiction at that point, so I was very interested in knowing what they were talking about.  The first one I read was Sisterchicks Do the Hula.  The second was Sisterchicks on the Loose.  That was about 6 years ago.  When Waterbrook Multnomah had this book as one of my selections to review, something pulled at me to read it again.  I am so glad I did.

Sisterchicks on the Loose, by Robin Jones Gunn, is the first in a series of wonderful novels about two fun things, friendship among women and travel!  Central in these adventures is Christ, and the beautiful things God communicates to these women, while they travel, thus changing their lives.  In Sisterchicks on the Loose, lifelong friends Sharon and Penny travel to Helsinki in search of Penny’s aunt she has never met.  Throughout their journey, they are challenged, encouraged, and drawn into a deeper walk of love with God.

Each one of these novels speak to me in a different away, but I always walk away feeling refreshed by the love and goodness of God.  In this particular Sisterchicks novel, one of the characters, Penny, has what is described as a “bionic nose.”  In other words, she has an extraordinary sense of smell.  I deal with this too, so that fact alone was encouraging, to encounter, albeit in fiction, another person who struggles with something so odd like I do.  In Sisterchicks on the Loose, you will find chocolate, Finnish saunas, lovely, glorious snow, but most importantly a stirring in the heart of God’s love for you as demonstrated to Penny and Sharon.

I would recommend this novel to any adult woman, and I often do!  I share my books and pass along copies whenever I have the opportunity!  If you are a woman who enjoys Christian fiction, and likes to travel, then this is a book for you!  I have talked to some women who have difficulty in friendships other women.  I believe this book will refresh your heart with hope for good friendships as well!

Many blessings to you on your journey in Christ.  May you discover all the goodness and love He has for you in His heart.

Blessings,

Beth

 

To learn more about the author, please visit www.robingunn.com.

Disclaimer-I received this book as part of a free books for bloggers program from Waterbrook Multnomah.  I was not required to give a positive review.  The thoughts an opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

 

 

“There are many who struggle to survive in life, many who have been used and abused in the name of love, many who have been sacrificed on altars of pleasure and “freedom.”  But the freedom the world offers is, in reality, false.  Too many have awakened one day to discover they are in bondage, and they have no idea how to escape.  It is for people such as these that I wrote Redeeming Love-people who fight, as I did, to be their own gods, only to find in the end that they are lost, desperate, and terribly alone.  I want to bring the truth to those trapped in lies and darkness, to tell that that God is there, He is real, and He loves them-no matter what.”

-A Note From Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love

 

This may very well be one of the shortest reviews I have ever written (or maybe not) for one of the longest books I have read in some time.  I had been aware of this book for a while, but had never picked it up to read it.  When it became a book review choice, I was intrigued, but then was very excited to read it once I read the description.

Redeeming Love is a work of fiction by Francine Rivers based on the Biblical account of Hosea and his marriage to a prostitute.   In this story, Rivers tells the story of Angel, a prostitute, sold into it as a child.  Throughout the course of her story, just like the story of Hosea and Gomer, which is an Old Testament picture of Christ and the Church, we get to see God drawing her back to Himself.

I liked this book.  It was very emotional, and a wonderful picture of how much God loves us and how He draws us to Him through the love found in His son, JESUS.   I did not want to put it down because I wanted to see how it ended, although I already had an idea. 

That being said, this book is somewhat graphic due to the nature of its content.  The subject material of prostitution is dealt with discreetly, but you are not left to wonder about what happened.  I had a difficult time with those passages.  This book is also a love story between Angel and Michael, a man whom God uses to draw her to Himself.  *Spoiler *There are several love scenes between them as well, which are discreet, but heated.

While I was reading, I asked several of my friends if they had read the book, and everyone that responded that they had said they liked it.  One friend said she would not let her unmarried daughter read it and I agree.  If I were to give a book a rating, this one would be “R” because of the content even though it is Christian fiction. Sorry Francine!  I think the subject matter could be understood by 18+, but it will awaken feelings that are better left undisturbed unless you are married.  I would recommend this book to anybody who wants a better understanding of how much God loves us.

One final thought that I might share is that this book has stirred my heart even more toward women who have experienced sexual abuse in whatever its form.  God longs to redeem and restore all the enemy has stolen, even the pain in our hearts.

With much love, I hope you know the One who wants to redeem you.

Beth

For more about Francine Rivers, and her book Redeeming Love, go here.

 

Disclaimer-I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of free books for bloggers program.  I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.