The Trumpet Call of God

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. — 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

In the last days, the Lord Jesus will come down from heaven.

He will come with a loud command.

With the voice of the archangel.

And with the trumpet call of God.

The dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, those of us who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds.

We will meet the Lord Jesus in the air.

And we will live with the Lord God forever and ever. 

What a glorious day!

Anyone Who Loves God Must Also Love Their Brother

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. —1 John 4:20-21 

If we don't love our families, who we've seend, how can we love God, who is unseen?

God commands us to love others.

And he calls us liars if we claim to love God but hate our brothers.

He calls us liars if we claim to lvoe God but hate our sisters.

God has a better plan.

Whoever loves God must also love their brother and sister.

The Lord Will Come Down from Heaven

The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. — 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 

On the day of Christ's return, God himself will come down from heaven.

We will hear the trumpet call of God.

The dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive will be caught up with them.

Together we will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

We will hear the voice of the archangel.

And we will be with the Lord forever.

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

Love One Another As I Have Loved You

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” — John 13:34-35 

God gives us a new command.

To love one another.

And to do it in the same way that He shows love to me.

Impossible, right?

It would be, if not for the amazing God we serve.

My coworker decorated this Valentine's tree for our office.

A perfect depiction of this verse.

Love one another.

This is how we show that we are disciples of Jesus.

In the ways we show His love to others.

Love Your Brother and Sister

For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. — 1 John 4:20-21 

It's not always easy to love our family. members.

I think that's why God puts us in families - so we can learn to do hard things.

Including loving our brothers and sisters, even when they upset us.

Even when we're not kind to them.

Especially when we let frustrations get in the way.

God commands us to love them anyway.

If we love God, we must also love our brothers and sisters.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us of this Scripture.

With God's help, we can do it well!

Our Lord Sends His Command to the Earth

[God] sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. — Psalm 147:15

The Lord is great. His power is mighty.

We took a few days off and hit the beaches around Dana Point.

This is where we hiked down to the beach on Tuesday.

The water was warm and the weather was perfect.

A fun getaway.

God sends His command to the earth.

And His Word runs swiftly.

Helping to guide us through life.

Anyone Who Loves God Must Love Their Brother

And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. — 1 John 4:21 

God has commanded us to love others.

Sometimes it's hardest to love those who are members of our earthly families.

But God reminds us that anyone who loves God must also love their brother.

Not just their brothers in Christ.

And anyone who loves God must also love their sister.

Even if we don't get along.

Even when we don't agree.

We show our love for God by. how we show our love to others.

Even when it's not convenient.

Even when it's not part of my plan or I have other things to do.

Or other places to be.

Help me, Lord, to love you with all of my heart and mind.

God Will Come Down from Heaven

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. — 1 Thessalonians 4:16 

Yesterday was rainy and cold in the morning.

Today is the same.

Abby and I went over to the YMCA to swim and ran to the outdoor check-in desk, getting quite wet.

When we got to the pool, the sun came out!

The water was warmer than usual, and felt really good after the cool air.

While we swam, it drizzled a bit and then the sun came out again.

Very refreshing swim.

God himself will come down from heaven in the last day.

We don't know when that will be.

So we live our lives each day for Him.

With His guidance and help, we can overcome setbacks and obstacles.

He leads us through the dark times and into the sun.

The Hope of Eternal Life

In the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior. — Titus 2-3

God promised us before the beginning of creation that we have the hope of eternal life.

People may not always be able to keep their promises.

But God always keeps His promises. He does not lie.

He has brought to light the hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

We worshiped online today, sheltering at home with our family.

It was hot and sunny, but I got out for a walk with a friend at 7:30, before it got too warm.

We saw a small bunny running our way up the sidewalk.

He had no fear.

We can have no fear knowing that God is with us.

The Universe Was Formed at God's Command

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. — Hebrews 11:3

Hiking Mt. Fortuna

Even though we can see God's marvelous universe, it was made out of nothing by God's mighty hand.

It is only by faith that we can begin to understand.

God created us and formed us in His image.

He even numbered the hairs on our heads.

It's really hard to comprehend.

Everything we see was formed at God's command.

We had nothing to do with it's creation.

How marvelous is that!

A New Commandment — Love

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. — John 13:34

God loved me so much that He sent his only Son.

Now he asks me to love others.

It would be much easier if I could choose the ones I want to love.

But that's not what God asks of me.

The sun came out today even though it was a bit chilly.

But the sky was blue, and God granted us a beautiful day.

One more chance to love our enemies, just as He commands us.

Loving Our Brothers and Sisters

He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. —
1 John 4:21

It is not always easy to love our brothers and sisters.

But God commands us to do just that, if we love Him.

Because God first loved us, we are called to love others.

Even when it's hard; even when we aren't sure how to be pleasant and nice.

But with God's help, we can love others, even when they are not very lovable.

God has commanded us: if we love God, we must also love our brothers and sisters.

The Goal Is Love

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. — 1 Timothy 1:5

God tells us that love comes from a pure heart,

A good conscience,

And a sincere faith.

At times it's hard to show love to others.

Especially when they are unkind or unloving.

But God's love is not conditional.

He does not ask us to wait until people are considerate of us.

He commands us to love them first, just as He loved us.

We love, because He first loved us.