#lovingwell

[havekiddoswilltravel]

To whom much is given, much is expected of… I was moved to tears today as we were preparing donations of backpacks and school supplies to bring to a school in Hartford. The generosity, kindness and love expressed by my friends, family and readers literally left me speechless. In the midst of so much ugliness in our world, it fills me with joy to be surrounded by so much kindness. Gracias… thank you! #joy #service #jackandjill #givingback #communityservice #lovingothers #lovingwell #give (at Hartford, Connecticut)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1hWKAHhC7J/?igshid=li2j6k8bz6k6

[gabyglifestyle]

#memories of and with #friends #framily #aroundtheworld #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflife https://www.instagram.com/p/CgqIUadLkx4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[cornerstoneeldridge]

Pastor Drew’s Webb of Worship

At the end of the book of Ecclesiastes King Solomon sums up our earthly life. His final take away, after his jaded time on earth, is this: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” He has seemingly taken all that was previously known of the Law and distilled it down to fearing God and keeping His commandments.

Then in Matthew 22 a Lawyer from the Pharisees asked Jesus a question, hoping to tangle Him up in the Law. His question was “Which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus responded in verses 37-39: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Paraphrased: love God and love people.

How do we reconcile the apparent differences between these passages? First of all, let’s look at the 10 commandments. They can be split up into 2 groups or tablets. The first tablet consists of the first 4 commandments and address how we relate to and love God. The second tablet is made up of commandments 5-10 and relates to how we treat others.

Loving God well means that we have no other gods in our lives, remove idols, treat His name properly, and keep a day of Sabbath rest each week. Loving others well means honoring father and mother, not committing murder or adultery; no stealing, lying or coveting. These are basic ways to show our respect to others, or you might even say to show our love for others.

The problem lies in how we actually love people? Where does this love come from? Love for others does not simply flow from our own selves. To love others we need to have a source inspiring us to love. I think if we step back and look at the 10 commandments themselves we find the source of that love. The decalogue does not start with us loving people, it starts with us loving God. It is telling to consider the fact we are first called to love God.

Our love for God is spelled out in the Shema, a passage from Deuteronomy 6 that was used daily in the prayer lives of the Jewish people. Deuteronomy 6.5 reads: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” The Israelites were well-familiar with the Shema and what God had called them to. To be quasi-successful at loving God in this manner meant their lives would have been profoundly impacted.

Loving God with all my heart, soul, and might would serve as the basis for the rest of my life. If I am able to love God with the entirety of my being then I can only imagine that my capacity to treat and love others well would be greatly increased. By loving God with all that I am, then I am equipped to love the poor, the broken, the sinner, the immigrant, sexually outcast, and the unborn. God’s love, when I love Him well, flows through me, transforms me, and then enables me to demonstrate that same love to others. Left to my own devices I am incapable of loving others well, but through God’s empowering my life is transformed.

Solomon understood humanity’s duty: Fear God and keep His commandments. By fearing God, having reverence, awe, respect, and worship for the Almighty God our lives will be impacted. Our love for God and others will be demonstrated when we keep the commandments God has given us, not in a spirit of self-righteous piety, but rather, in a spirit of humble worship to God.

Jesus obviously knew what He was saying when He summed everything up in loving God and loving people. The Pharisees had lost their way, hoping they could be found pure because they had been diligent to keep the commandments. The problem was they were not in love with God, they were in love with their own self-righteousness, this gave them a platform to judge all others and their actions. When we are truly in love with God then humility comes to us and His compassion flows through us.

[kristavorse]

#growth #lovingwell #transformationalcoaching #TheSecondLook #Contemplativemind #HighPerformanceLiving #sustainable #scalable #healthyculture

[escapetopoison]

Whispering bones... A great writer #whisperingbones #lovingwell #care

[darbycards]

There is something so special about collaborating with the talents of others to make something so beautiful.❤️ Here is a peek at our mini style shoot yesterday with @libertypartyrental and @kelly_and_logan_photography ! ... #lovingwell #darbycards #styleshoot #inspiration #1corinthians13 #nashville

[havekiddoswilltravel]

Repost: Congratulations to the Greater Hartford Chapter of Jack and Jill on several awards and recognition at the 31st Regional Jack & Jill Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica 🇯🇲 - Congratulations to Ruth Mendes and the Mendes Family (Ezra, Isabel, Matias, Sarai) on being recognized for their exceptional community service hours. I don’t even tell our kids about the recognition because our goal as parents is to raise kids who love God and love others well. That’s why we serve. I share this to encourage you to give your children (regardless of how young) ample opportunities to see past their own selfish desires and needs. Even my youngest son can count socks and make sandwiches for the homeless. As I look back on this past year, every single time that I felt discouraged by the news, I packed my kids in the car and served others. It changed our hearts and allowed us to focus on that which has eternal reward. #beinspired #intentionalliving #raisingkids #doinggood #lovingwell @jackandjillinc (at Connecticut) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ePWiChLGK/?igshid=1ttvvfdnupj9r

[havekiddoswilltravel]

We recognize how blessed we are to be able to travel, homeschool and provide our children with amazing hands on learning opportunities. In order to keep our children grounded, humble and selfless, we incorporate service and loving others well into our daily lives. Our kids worked with our community to collect over 6,000 pairs of new socks for #socktober to bless our homeless neighbors. Today, we made sandwiches and provided food, socks and underwear to those in need. #communityservice #givingback #teachingkids #lovingwell #jackandjillinc #communityservice #greatfull #liveoutloud #hishandsandfeet (at Hartford, Connecticut) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqTPpKvlU7n/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5zqm11ftflt9

[gabyglifestyle]

#memories of and with #friends #framily #aroundtheworld #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflife https://www.instagram.com/p/CgmdQhdrhmX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gabyglifestyle]

#memories of and with #friends #framily #aroundtheworld #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflife https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgmcyz7Lrqz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gabyglifestyle]

#memories of and with #friends #framily #aroundtheworld #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflifelived https://www.instagram.com/p/CgjP1r4uGnG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gabyglifestyle]

#memories of and with #friends #framily #aroundtheworld #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflife https://www.instagram.com/p/CgjN2rSO2e9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gabyglifestyle]

#memories of and with #friends #framily #aroundtheworld #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflife https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgh3kgzPsp6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gabyglifestyle]

#memories of and with #friends #framily #aroundtheworld #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflife https://www.instagram.com/p/CgfoiWZPO2I/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gabyglifestyle]

#aroundtheworld #memories #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will #popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte #scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflife https://www.instagram.com/p/CgdBV-xPrQn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gabyglifestyle]

#aroundtheworld #memories #whatalife #phoneshuffle #photodump #mostpreciousmoments #randompictures #lifeshuffle #whoknowswhatwherewho will #popup #randompicks #memoriesofalifewelllived #fortelife #forteliving #forteloving #vidaforte #scroll e vê o que sai. :-) #randomlifecaptures #memóriasdeumavidabemvivida #livingandlovingaroundtheworld #globetrotting #lifeescapades #ahappylife #lifewelllived #havingfunaroundtheglobe #livingwell #lovingwell #quevidaboa #momentswecherish #snapshotsoflife https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgc_bi6Pb18/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=