Advocate for Christ

The best life is a God First life

Category: Love (Page 6 of 10)

If you love me, you will keep my commandments ~ Jesus

Whats Deppression look like?

What’s depression look like?

July 31, 2021 / / 1 Comment

It’s not always the person that looks depressed that needs a listening ear; it could very well be the one with the biggest smile.

Scripture tells us to carry each other’s burdens. To encourage one another and build each other up. If you’re dealing with a difficult struggle, you don’t need to carry it alone. In fact, let me encourage you to share it with a trusted brother or sister in Christ. They love you! So, let them share your burdens, listen to you, pray with you, let them be there for you. Jesus Command’s us to love one another as Christ loved us. In this and many other scriptures, Jesus wants us to be there for one another; on the other hand, Satan works to make us feel alone and bring us down. Christ wants us to be prepared with the whole armor of God, That we may fight the internal spiritual fight against the unseen enemy and win.

Scripture tells us,

“humble ourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you,”

“… If God is with us, who can be against us!“

” And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him — a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

James 4:10, Romans 8:31, Ecclesiastes 4:12
  • Galatians 6:2 (Share burdens)
  • 1st Thessalonians 5:11 (encourage/build-up)
  • John 15:12 (Command to love)
  • 1st Peter 5:8 (satan)
  • Ephesians 6:10-20 (armor of God)

God First!

Advocate for Christ!

July 30, 2021 / / 0 Comments

To be clear to my new friends who are reading my post. Some have made assumptions. I am not a pulpit, preacher; I am not affiliated with any denomination. I am simply a Christian, an Advocate for Christ. I worship and study weekly with my brothers and sisters in Christ at the Buford Church of Christ congregation in Buford, Ga. The use of ”God First!” as my profile or to end many writings is because I believe God should be first in our lives. I believe that with God at the helm those ”In Christ” have God’s promise for eternity in heaven. Comfort and joy are ours to have from the “God of all Comfort,” even during the horrendously sad and difficult stuff.

Many people wear spirit wear to depict their favorite teams, school, sport, etc. My idea of ”spirit wear”- is the term God First! (seen on many of my clothes) Sometimes its presence sparks a conversation and probably curtails language I’d prefer not to hear. While it’s true that I do sell items with “God First!” It’s not for personal gain but rather to help those who love God share that love with the world. I started using the term “God First” because I believe putting God First adds significant Joy to our lives. I care about myself, my family, and others, so why would I not want to share such a message? A message that makes life better for all who choose to live by it, a message that offers the promise of everlasting life with our loving creator.

God has given us every reason to love Him as He first loved us; I am extremely grateful for all of God’s creation and sacrifices that we might have an eternal home with Him. Eternity is a serious matter, and loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is a natural response to those with an understanding of God’s love for us.

I once heard this from Brother Don Blackwell – ”The Lords Church is not a country club for saints; it’s a hospital for sinners.”

  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-9
  • Mark 12:28-34
  • 2 Timothy 2:15
  • 1 John 4:19

God First!

Learning how to please God

July 20, 2021 / / 0 Comments

To become proficient in our professions, we study and practice to be Doctors, Nurses, Accountants, Engineers, Firefighters, Carpenters, bricklayers, etc. Learning and skill are not developed by osmosis. To do our profession to the best of our ability, one must be studious and committed to learning every aspect possible about our endeavor. Shouldn’t we put even more effort into getting to know God and keeping his commandments? The less we know of God’s Word and the message of Christ, the less we know of God; Yet, our soul’s eternity depends on our submitting to God’s will in accordance with God’s will, not ours. How can we do what we do not know? we should be making ongoing efforts to grow in our understanding.

Still today, many in our world are deprived of access to Bibles and would love to have scripture to study, yet in our country (America), most homes have more than one. So for us, there is really no excuse for choosing ignorance when God’s Word is so readily available. Understanding comes through study, and there is no better time to begin study than right now. Why not grab your closest bible or download a bible app and read it daily starting now?

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)

God First!

The most valuable time of the day is the time we take to pray!

Include God; He offers so much!

July 19, 2021 / / 0 Comments

We know from Scripture we are made in the image of God; we also know from God’s Word that God has feelings. For example, that God hates sin, God loves, God is righteously jealous, etc. so; I have a few questions for us to ponder:

How do we feel when the only time someone thinks of us is when they need or want something?

How do you think God feels when we treat him that way?

Why treat him this way?

It’s obvious from Scripture; God wants to be included in our lives; He wants us to love Him as He loves us. This said, Why would we not want to include God in all that we do?. After all, Jesus told us to: ask, seek, and knock.

Our very breath is dependent on our creator! By embracing God’s love and keeping his commandments, we secure God’s promise of eternal life. Thus, we can obtain the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. If we are truly In Christ, our hearts are filled with joy and the comfort of God. Therefore, it seems kind of stupid to me to exclude God when he offers so much life both in this world and for eternity.

  • Ephesians 6:18 – pray often
  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 – God of all comfort
  • James 5 – prayers of the righteous
  • Matthew 7:7-11 – Ask, Seek, Knock
  • Philippians 4:7 – Peace beyond understanding
  • John 15:1-16 – Joy

Divisiveness is a tool of Satan; God plans that we love one another; if we do that, Satan cannot divide us. God’s way leads to peace that goes beyond understanding. So let’s encourage each other today and Strengthen our bonds of love.

Encouragement Challenge

July 13, 2021 / / 0 Comments

I want to challenge everyone to say something honestly encouraging to as many people as you can today. In-person, on the phone, on social media, at work, at school Etc. Go out of your way today and build each other up!

Divisiveness is a tool of Satan; God plans that we love one another; if we do that, Satan cannot divide us. God’s way leads to peace that goes beyond understanding. So let’s encourage each other today and Strengthen our bonds of love.

Matthew 22:37-40, Philippians 4

God First!

Conforming to God’s will is the ultimate act of Love.

July 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments
  • Our tastes change,
  • Societies change,
  • People change,
  • Governments change,

GOD, DOES NOT CHANGE

  • GOD, does not change,
  • God’s Love does not change,
  • God’s Truth does not change,
  • God’s Word does not change,
  • God’s Promises do not change.

We must NOT conform to worldly changes but rather stay true to God’s unchanging hands of love which offer eternal life in heaven.

“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham,[b] having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:13-20

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.“

John 14:21-24

God First!

Money is not evil

July 7, 2021 / / 0 Comments

According to Scripture, “the love of money” is the root of all evils (1 Timothy 6:10), however; Acquiring or having money is not evil; evil depends on how we pursue and use money. We can use it for good things that glorify God or selfish things that glorify sin; what’s really important is where our hearts reside.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Jesus’s words: Luke 12:34 ESV

“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:20

“AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH “

MARK 12:30 (NASB1995)

God First!

Broken hearts and pain, for what?

July 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Our hearts and the hearts of family and friends can be broken, torn apart with sadness and pain by the actions of one alcoholic drinker. One drinker behind the wheel can take a life. One drinker with loose lips can destroy relationships; one drinker, not exercising self-control, can start a fight that ends or lames a life.

To many, drinking is harmless and often associated with socializing, fun times, relaxation, romance, and parties (I used to think this way).

Sip by sip; one loses their ability to react swiftly in emergencies. Many who drink will Never admit they’ve been affected negatively. Instead, they tout, “It’s only one beer or one glass of wine.” They may exclaim, “I don’t get drunk,” or “I function fine on just one or two drinks,” etc. Maybe, just maybe, that’s because they’ve never faced a real emergency when drinking before. A situation where their best was required, and they didn’t have it. Where their reaction was slightly slower, their words not wise, and it led to devastating results. Heartache, pain, lives turned upside down results—unnecessary, avoidable turmoils.

It’s been a while back now since the van of a niece was hit by a drunk driver and flipped: her husband and one of her children with her. At the time, my niece went through much pain, the rest of her family seemingly OK. It’s scary to realize; We could’ve lost them all; they could’ve been horribly injured, maimed for life in some manner, all because of a social drinker. One person who thought they were in control, who drank just enough to impair their ability and cause an accident, An accident that now labels them “a drunk driver.”

I quit drinking alcohol several years ago because I came to this conclusion…

“If there are more reasons not to do something than to do it, then Why do it?”

Wayne R Johnson

There are many logical, biblical, and commonsense reasons not to drink. For me, I started asking myself, why do I need to drink alcohol? I found no good reason! I still have a good time; I still enjoy my friends; I can still be silly and do all of this without alcohol, plus, as a great big bonus, I get to remember more about the fun I had.

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,”

Philippians 1:27 ESV

God First!

How would you feel?

June 29, 2021 / / 0 Comments

How would you feel? Your daughter’s been a bit of a tomboy most of her life, you love her with all your heart, and she gets engaged to marry. Now, you are a master at sewing and spend months sparing no expense, gathering the perfect materials, designing, preparing, sewing, and tweaking to perfection the most beautiful wedding dress the world has ever seen. With each adjustment, love flows exuberantly from your heart. Your imagination is unstoppable as you visualize your daughter walking down that aisle. You are creating ”A Work of Art,” just for her! And you know in your heart, she’s going to recognize and appreciate all the love you’ve put into creating this gorgeous wedding dress. In this dress, she will be the bride of brides and forever grateful. (talk about precious memories!) When your daughter sees the dress, she exclaims how beautiful it is; she tries it on and is simply stunning. She hugs you, and thank’s you profusely. (You smile!)A few days later, you come home and see your daughter in jeans and a t-shirt doing what she loves working on her pickup truck with tools, parts, dirt, and grease all over the place, which is kind of normal for her, what you don’t expect to see is the wedding dress under feet being used as a drop cloth to protect the driveway.

How would you feel?

Are you disappointed, hurt? I know. This is absurd and would never happen, right? Yet, in a sense, it has happened and does happen. Not, to the creator of a wedding dress, No; It’s much worse. This is how ”Our” creator gets treated by His creation.

God created this beautiful, fascinating universe for us, and after creating each piece, God said: “This is good” BUT, after creating, mankind God called it all “VERY GOOD.” God was pleased with His creation. God also sacrificed tremendously for us. His plan included the life, death, and resurrection of His son through which God extended an offer of grace to everyone that we might all have eternal life in heaven. At some point, many learn of Christ and put on Christ in baptism; we thank God profusely and recognize His love. We put God First in our lives, then often get caught up in skewed self-absorbed priorities and quickly lose sight of what’s really important. We let honoring God trickle down our priority list. This is when we really hurt our Creator. God watches when we treat ”His artwork” as if it was worthless fabric, as we step-on, trample, smudge, dirty, and abuse His perfection, His labor, and Gifts of pure love; God knows our hearts! The Church is the bride of Christ; those who are “In Christ” should always be mindful of God’s precious gifts. God told us how we could demonstrate our thankfulness. Jesus said; if you love me, you will keep My Commandments, and “the greatest command is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. God gave us freedom of choice; the one thing we can offer God that is ours to give is our choice. Our choice to love God by following Christ and keeping His commandments to the best of our ability. It’s all God really asks of us!

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

Isaiah‬ ‭61:10‬
May we always keep God First in our lives, every second of every day!
  • Genesis 1:31
  • Exodus 20:3
  • Exodus 34:14
  • Psalm 18:31
  • John 5:44
  • 1 Timothy 1:17
  • John 3:16
  • Galatians 2:20
  • Matthew 6:33
  • Romans 12:1-2

God First!

You brighten my day, don’t cheat me, please!

June 25, 2021 / / 0 Comments

As I looked around the auditorium in our Wednesday night bible study, I saw many familiar faces. People I see at Sunday evening worship, Sunday Morning Bible study and, Sunday morning worship. This is a great encouragement to me. I look forward to each gathering and learning more from God’s Word. I look forward to seeing these amazing people several times a week.

I also miss those who did not make it. I realize some watch from home for various reasons, but when we do so, we miss out on the enjoyment of each other’s company. We miss out on seeing each other’s smile, hearing each other’s laugh, or learning from the thoughts we share.

The attention of Christians often brightens my spirit. If I’m struggling, their love and kindness help lift me up, and I’m reminded I’m not alone, and maybe, my love for God and them can do the same. When Christians gather together, Christ is with us and, we bind in spiritual love through songs of praises, prayer, and study.

When Christians are together, we have the opportunity to share in the strength of Jesus. The strength that helps us fight the good fight and overcome temptations. Together, we help fit and secure the armor of Christ. The armor and shield of faith that helps protect us from the schemes and flaming darts of Satan.

What would happen if everyone decided it was more convenient to stay home when we could be present with the saints? In doing so, we cheat ourselves, and we cheat our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our examples, our actions make a difference!

How long would it be before we decided it’s more convenient to watch at a later time rather than live? How long before our armor becomes loose or laid aside? How long before we made no time. It’s how Satan Works, Little by little helping us to build an invisible wall between us and God, one pebble, stone, or brick at a time.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

James 4::8
  • John 3:13
  • Matthew 18:20
  • Hebrews 6 10-20
  • Hebrews 7:25
  • Romans 12:5
  • Hebrews 10.25
  • 1 Corinthians 12:13-27
  • Ephesians 3:16

God First!

« Older posts Newer posts »

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

ADVOCATE FOR CHRIST

Sign up now

We attempt to post daily, but it’s not always possible to post that often.

We don’t spam!

Contact us:

Contact us: wa***@***************st.com

© 2025 Advocate for Christ

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑