I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Moore Moments
  • Moore Moments-Trials and Transformation
  • About Terri
  • Contact/Subscribe

Loving Others Part 2

4/24/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
So Christians, how are we displaying love? Is there evidence that we are disciples of Jesus Christ based on how we are loving others?
 Let’s start by looking at who these “others” are.
I think most of us would be delighted if others meant those outside our families, outside our circle of friends and coworkers and outside our marriages and close relationships!But we are to love everyone....
Let’s start with our physical neighbors –Well, haven’t we all had that annoying neighbor who is too noisy, borrows things and never returns them  or is just a negative Nancy on any given day. Maybe you had a neighbor who was a good friend at some point, but after time a neighborhood situation ended your friendship. Good or bad, our geographical neighbors need to see the love of Christ in you and me. We need to be patient, kind, compassionate and peaceful. And above all, forgiving, pointing them to Jesus.
But even beyond our street, our neighbor is the server in the restaurant who seems frazzled and incompetent. The clerk at the grocery who gave you incorrect change, the mom in Walmart with the 3 screaming children, and even the guy flipping you off from his car in the other lane. What do all of us have in common? LIFE!
 
The waitress, and I have been here, may be going through a divorce and had to leave her kids for the first time in her life. She is hurting. The clerk may be working a second job and is only going on 2 hours of sleep, just to make ends meet. She is hurting. That frustrated mom pushing her little ones aisle to aisle, trying to keep them from tantrums is struggling with loads of laundry, no sleep and cranky kids every day and she just needs a break. She is hurting. Even the mean guy who is flipping you off. Ya, he’s got issues, but he needs love, too.  He is hurting. We are responsible to show the love of Christ in every situation, not just when we feel like it.

Ok, so what about our brothers and sisters in Christ, our church family? Are they our neighbors? Are you my neighbor?  In Leviticus 19:18, God says “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
This is a tough one for a lot of us. As believers, we sometimes think we know better how a fellow church member should behave, right? Well, we may have a knack at analyzing others in such a way as to bring their sins to the forefront, but this is not necessarily loving them

Love flows from a genuinely repentant heart. We are all broken in one way or another. Sometimes as new believers we make the mistake of putting folks on a pedestal and then we are disappointed to find out that they too are sinners and fall short of our expectations. And sometimes as regular church attenders, we can become impatient when it takes someone too long to accept Jesus and fall in. Our preconceived notions about others dangerously get in the way of loving them.

Psalm 51:10 is my go to verse when I am feeling cynical or the temptation to be critical of others rises. “Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me. “

​For those of us who are married or are about to be, yes others includes our spouses and spouses to be. Sometimes the expectations we have for them are just over the top. We are tempted to make them our gods…We expect them to meet our every need, to lift our spirits when we’re down, to understand our emotions read our minds and to be tuned in 24/7. But God and God alone can fulfill our deep needs.
Love looks a lot less like give and take and a lot more like give and give some more. Trust God to sustain you. .
I expected so much from my husband. I thought he would make me happy and heal my past hurts. I knew he had issues, but was sure that my presence in his life would cure him of all his ails and we should ride off together into the sunset!
 But instead of expecting performance, I need to extend love. I no longer wait with bated breath for the perfect response in a conversation. He is not going to read my mind, he is not going to meet my every need, and he is not going to save me! But Jesus already has! He empowers me to love my husband through our disagreements, through our language barrier and through the selfish tendencies that we both have.
My husband is not my God, my kids are not my God and my career or lack thereof is not my god…God is God. The great I Am. My all in all. When I feel his love and am secure in it, I will love others better. Not perfectly, but better!

Dear God, please help me to love always, not just when I feel like it.Amen
0 Comments

Loving Others Part 1

4/17/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
So, this happened…Weeks into reading, studying and preparing for a teaching at my church’s women’s retreat, I was feeling kind of stuck. I absolutely rely on God’s leading in everything I write, but I was feeling disconnected and restless about halfway through this process.I asked God for guidance and direction regarding what message He wanted me to speak. I was battling insomnia, a sinus infection and sick kids, so I was freaking out just a little. My week was insane…even my adult kids needed help with stuff; real stuff, like taxes and broken bones. My mom and my mother in law  had needs as well. I felt like stretch Armstrong…pulled in every which way and unable to function.
 
Enter a trip to Walmart! Not my favorite place on a good day, but a necessary stop on an errand run for my Mother in law that afternoon. We ran into one of my sisters, and began chatting in front of the paper towels about everyone’s trips to the doctor and about a mutual friend who had died earlier that week. It was serious conversation for Walmart, but it happened.
 
Well, it turns out another Walmart shopper was having a bad day too. She made a very rude and impatient reference to her friend about our being in her way, because apparently she needed said paper towels. So, instead of me saying,  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” and just moving, I said, in my most sarcastic Terri voice,  “You could’ve said excuse me. My mom taught me that a long time ago, it’s called manners!” as I rolled my eyes and moved my cart…
Now, before you judge me, I was sick, I was tired, I was overwhelmed, Oh, but yes, I am a Christian…A Christian currently studying how loving others looks! BIG FAIL! Then came the remorse, the wish for a do over, and huge disappointment in myself and my reaction.
 
Well, don’t you know, God was paying attention, as He does, as he placed said woman in the checkout line right beside me.   As I am loading bags into the cart, facing the people coming through the checkout beside me, there she is! So, here’s where the rubber met the road. I knew what I had to do. I also knew it could be disastrous. She could’ve hit me, or at least yelled at me and made a scene. But I didn’t really hesitate. I knew what I needed to do. I approached her and said,” I owe you an apology. I had no right to be such a smart mouth and I am sorry” She replied, “No, all I had to do was say excuse me, and I should have. But, thank you so much for coming over here. And we both said “It’s Walmart!” and exchanged smiles and” have a good days”…We went our separate ways.
 
And I said,” OK God, I blew it. I’m sorry and I pray to do better walking this walk.”
Because my words, those I speak and all these words I write, are empty without action. He certainly gave me something to write about! Not my proudest moment, but one that created humility, a huge life lesson and definitely something to teach about!
 
Matthew 22:35-40 goes like this….      
35 
and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him,

 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

When Jesus referred to the whole Law of the Prophets depending on these two commandments He meant that all other commandments are contained in these two. The purpose of the Law is to guide us and to remind us to love God and to love people. Our love for God is motivated by His Holy Spirit. We love Him out of gratitude for how he first loved us.
 Our love for others flows from that love and is how the world sees the love of God in us.
John 13:34-35 also speaks of the two great commandments but adds the importance of loving others as proof that we are disciples…

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So, how are we displaying love? Is there evidence that we are disciples of Jesus Christ based on how we are loving others?
It’s not easy loving those who we deem undeserving, but it is a command that we cannot ignore. We know that we, too are unlovable at times, yet Romans 5:8 tells us that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What better demonstration of love could we experience?   Who am I to count someone unworthy of love, even in a moment?
None of us deserves the love of Christ that is grace, but we receive it as a free gift. I am so grateful that His mercies are new every morning. We won't always get it right, but as we grow in our love for God,  we will begin to love others better.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, search my heart and remove what grieves you. Enable me to love others better. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

In my next few posts, I will continue to talk about loving others as we look at who these others are and what this love should look like…..

 


0 Comments

Light it up Blue for World Autism Awareness Day

4/2/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Just a few words on autism from my own experience…
 None of my own children are on the spectrum, but I have a beautiful nephew who is, and lost another amazing nephew who was.
All I know is that I have a greater understanding and empathy for the family who appears to have an unruly brat taking a tantrum at the restaurant or who has a child who makes a repetitive distracting noise or who screams a lot. These behaviors can look like bad behavior, but before you sigh and throw an annoyed glance, consider that child is most likely on the autism spectrum. Offer a smile instead. It goes a long way. Lift them in prayer. The struggle is real and 24/7. Get educated.
The creativity and intelligence of these kids surpasses any trait that you may deem as abnormal. Consider yourself blessed to know a kid with autism. I do! Love you, Liam and miss you, Aiden.
0 Comments
    Picture

    Terri Moore

    Welcome to my blog page where I share tidbits of my life experiences. I hope you find my posts entertaining and inspiring! My testimony is a result of my trials. God is faithful, and I hope to glorify Him with my words and witness. May you be blessed!

    Not on Facebook much and afraid of missing new posts? If you would like new posts to go directly to your inbox,
    ​ go to my contact page and complete the form, or subscribe to the RSS Feed below.

    My loves!

    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Christmas
    Faith
    Family
    Forgiveness
    God's Love
    Grace
    Prayer

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2020
    August 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from mtphrames, grassrootsgroundswell, nociveglia