Each week we post a scripture to challenge you to hide God’s Word in your heart. Commit it to memory, meditate on it and apply it to your life.

This week’s memory verse:

1 John 4:7-8

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 

Meditate and apply:

1. Because God is love and love is of God, as His children we should have love for each other. If God were to rate you on your love for others on a scale of 1-10, how would He score you? If God were to rate you on your love for yourself on a scale of 1-10 how would He score you. Which has the higher score? What would be different if your score for loving others was higher than your score for loving yourself.
2. Peter says that the one who loves is born of God and knows God but if do not love, we are not of God. You’ve heard the saying “apples don’t fall far from the tree” meaning that children have similar behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes as their parents. Children learn more through their observations than words of instruction. We, as God’s children, observe our Heavenly Father and our actions, behaviors, and words should mirror Him. Since God is love, this is a behavior that we should mirror as we observe how He loves. How does God love? Read these other verses about God’s love:
   • Love starts with God – “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
   • God’s love is sacrificial – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16.)  and “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
   • God’s love is great and lavished upon us – “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1)
   • God’s love is life – “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16)
   • God’s love drives out fear, anxiety, and worry – “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18) and “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).
   • God’s love is everlasting – “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
   • God’s love is compassionate, gracious, and faithful – “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15)
   • God’s love delights in you and He rejoices over you with singing: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
   • God’s love is rich in mercy– “ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
   • God’s love is unconditional – “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39) and “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
   • God’s love is forgiving – “The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty.” (Numbers 4:18)
3.  We should love others out of a love that originates with God. Because it begins in Him, the way we love others should be the same way that God loves us: sacrificially; great and lavish; gives life by telling others about Him and leading them to Christ; drives out fear, anxiety, and worry by leading people to the promises of God; everlasting because we choose to love, even if they don’t love us; compassionate, gracious, and faithful; delights in other and rejoices over them; merciful;  unconditional; and forgiving. Which of these are evident in how you love others? Which are not? Ask God to show you His love in the ways you are not loving others and to teach you to love as He loves you.

#memoryverse #hideitinyourheart #blessing #compassion #tenderhearted #courteous #nogrudges #WCM

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T-shirt Fundraiser Event: The Christmas designs have been made and they are being uploaded in both shops. Today is the last day of Spreadshop’s  sale for everything 15% off Teespring’s sales ends on December 2 so get a few for Christmas gifts and one for yourself.

Thank you for helping us grow!

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#fundraiser #tshirt #WCM #teespring #spreadshop #Christmas

BOOKING NOW! Be a host site for the NEW God, Love & Marshmallow Wars Book Tour & Couples Conference:

This event helps couples understand why the daily activities found in the book will equip them to build a stronger marriage and the book provides them with 365 intentional activities to take what they learn at the event and apply it on a daily basis. Through the event, couples will discover the Biblical “why” behind the categories of activities found in the book and the “how” these activities are important to building a stronger marriage. Focus points of the event includes :

• How memorizing scripture together and studying God’s Word together as they study, meditate and apply scriptures related to marriage and life issues will help them develop marriages that honor God.
• Why utilizing fun conversation starters that spark meaningful conversations will keep interest alive as they continually learn new things about each other.
• Why keeping romance alive is essential to intimacy and connectivity.
• How making memories and working together builds relationship investment bonds and how these investment bonds can become the knots that keeps them together through the tough times.
• How they can understand what they are or are not contributing to the marriage as well as how they might be contributing to problems or potential problems within the relationship through the use of targeted, intentional personal reflections
• Why it is important that couples never stop dating and how group dates with Christian friends can be both an encouragement and accountability to their own relationship.

During the event, couples will be given an activity from each focus point to do together, making this event an interactive, fun, and engaging event with practical, hands-on learning. Unlike other couple events that are over when the event ends, couples who attend the GLMW event will be able to apply what they learn when utilizing the book on a daily basis for a year. Since the book is not dated, couples are able to reuse the activities year after year to continue being intentional in strengthening their relationship with each other and with God as they strive to live out God’s design for marriage every day.

Learn more about hosting this event at your church or conference site by clicking here.

About the book: The GLMW book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

#GLMW #couplesevent #GLMWbook #intentionalmarriage #Godlymarriage

Looking for a keynote speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 Christian events for women’s and couples’ ministries for both small and large events.
Book with us now.

Julia is CEO of Wellspring Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and couples develop a passionate relationship with God. A public speaker, conference trainer, event planner, and blog writer, Julia is a two-time graduate from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor in Psychology and a masters in Professional Counseling. Saved as a child and raised in church and in a Christian home and private Christian School as a Pastor’s kid, Julia has taught Sunday school, led music, played the piano, served as Children’s Director, and engaged her gifts in many other areas of church life. Previously employed with the Florida Baptist Convention, Julia organized events and led conferences for church ministry assistants. Today, Julia enjoys sharing her journey as a growing Christian with others looking for a deeper connection with God. Through Bible study and her own life experiences, God has given Julia a passion to help couples understand God’s design for marriage while they learn to place God first in their marriage, cultivate meaningful relationships, build intimacy, and address the tougher issues that come in every marriage so that they can experience a marriage that honors and glorifies God. Julia also loves mentoring, teaching, and working with women to help them learn to live as Godly women.

With her history and experience growing up in both small and large churches, Julia enjoys bringing top level quality events to churches of all sizes. Her father largely pastored small churches and therefore she understands that these vital parts of the believing community need to be good stewards of the resources God provides them with. This knowledge inspires her passion for being available with a fresh perspective for those who want to provide their congregations with meaningful spiritual growth opportunities, regardless of size.

To request more information or a booking, 
fill out the online form here.

Or call us at 904.524.8073

#JuliaBruce #speaker #keynote #author

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