If you have a craving for something sweet that won’t blow your healthy-eating plan — and you want it NOW — then look no further than this easy, quick Cake-In-A-Mug. And if you track Weight Watcher points, this treat comes in at only 3 points and won’t blow your daily allowance, either! Watch Laura make it and then visit us on YouTube for the link to download your own copy of the recipe!
Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:9-10
Paul talks about brotherly love in this passage. That’s good. We can embrace that. (Might adapt it for ourselves to say, “sisterly love,” as well.) Almost all of us have released that kind of friendship-love. It feels good. It blesses others and also blesses us: It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
But this passage also includes a sticky caveat: be devoted.
As I wrote this verse out during my Bible study, this sentence was in proverbial neon lights:
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Suddenly Paul’s imperative—be devoted—is sounding less like a random act of kindness and more like an ongoing commitment.
Does God really expect me to be “my sister’s keeper” on a perpetual basis?
Maybe.
Possibly.
Clearly.
Laura: This may take a lot of time. And then I imagine Jesus responding with a great line often used by my friend Kathy’s husband, Kerry: “And your point?”
I’m shamed and humbled as I realize I don’t mind serving when it’s a one-and-done with no ongoing commitment. I don’t mind releasing love when it’s convenient to my schedule and doesn’t interrupt my life. I might even have unconsciously (or consciously) thought, If I spend all this time loving on this “one another” in my life, when will I have time to take care of me?
Ahhh…now we get to the crux of it, Laura. God has an answer for that, too. In fact, it’s almost like He is listening in on my thought life, because He prompted Paul’s very next words:
Honor one another above yourselves.
Completing my be devoted assignment might mean missing my favorite TV show to support a hurting friend. It might mean carving out some time for serious prayer for the “one another” who needs help. It might mean my closet doesn’t get organized, my boxes don’t get unpacked, my laundry doesn’t get folded, or my bathroom doesn’t get painted because I’m running out to pick up her grocery order, take her to lunch, or drive her to the doctor.
Be devoted can be messy, complicated, inconvenient, and uncomfortable. There will not always be a warm, fuzzy “thank you” at the end. There will not always be appreciation and acknowledgment of the sacrifice. I may not get to see fruit from my labor.
But is it not enough that I hear and obey my Lord?
How about a little self-assessment? On a scale of 1 to 10, where do you place yourself on the ‘Be devoted’ continuum: 
Where would you place these love-one-another actions on the Be devoted line?
The words of Scripture are often beautiful—even downright poetic—in our ears. Many are familiar because we memorized them as children. Some are woven into the lyrics of tunes we love to sing along with; we raise our hands in church and sing them loudly, sometimes even with tears in our eyes.
And yet, it’s as if we don’t really know them, because we don’t own the truth we say we believe.
Are you ready to really own the truth you read? Are you ready to say it, sing it, write it, memorize, it, and then LIVE IT?
It’s time for us woman up and get down to business … to allow God to get into our business.
Two millennia (and lot of culture, history, and geography) may separate us from the time Paul penned the words of Romans 12, but the Holy-Spirit-inspired truth is timeless and unchanging:
A passage with not one but two, “one anothers.” Might mean we need to pay extra attention.
Sure hope God is calling you out with this one, as He is me! What does be devoted look like in your life?
In this week’s devotional video, Laura is joined by her friend, Cammi Hevener. We invite you to watch and listen as they discuss Hebrews 3:13 and how daily encouragement is vital to maintaining faith. They talk about the importance of supporting each other/community thru prayer, kind words, and sometimes, loving correction. If you’re a woman longing to grow closer to God and understand His Word more deeply, this message is for you.
After listening, we hope you’ll visit our Downloads page to print your copy of this month’s Write the WORD bookmark (if you haven’t already) as well as S.O.A.P. Bible study pages and other free resources.
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet
you also should wash one another’s feet.”
John 13:14
First-century foot washing was anything but glamorous. Feet in Bible times became crusty, cracked, and calloused, both from wearing strapped-on footwear (or none at all) and from walking on dusty, dirty paths. No sidewalks, automated transportation, or closed-toed shoes? That equals filthy feet.
Foot washing in Bible times was a stinky, thankless job, often performed by a servant. It was intended to welcome, bless, and refresh a guest upon entering a home. In ancient cultures, this was a daily ritual, as well as an expression of hospitality, honor, and respect.
When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He was demonstrating genuine love—and leaving them with a high standard for loving one another.
I Peter 1:22 challenges us to “love one another deeply.” In washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus modeled a love so deep it required a posture of humility. Releasing this kind of love not only blesses the one whose feet are washed, but flushes away the pride of the one doing the washing.
Jesus was clear: “no servant is greater than his master.“
Is there a job that we might view as beneath us? Do we tell ourselves that we’ve “matured“ beyond helping with nursery duty, scrubbing the bathroom, or stacking chairs after Bible study?
In the body of Christ, we should never ask or expect someone else to perform a task we would never stoop (literally or figuratively) to do ourselves.
We think of foot washing as an act of blessing for the recipient—and, of course, it was—but perhaps another Biblical truth aptly applies here, as well: It is more blessed to give than to receive.
As we release this blessing, as we wash the proverbial feet of the “one anothers” in our world, we are Christ’s love, with skin on. We are choosing to follow the example of our Lord Jesus.
When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, he washed 24 feet—including those of Judas. Even as He was kneeling in humility, performing this lowliest of acts, He knew the heart of the one before Him. He knew Judas would betray Him. Do we withhold the blessing because we consider the recipient unworthy?
Knowing the truth makes us accountable to live the truth. Jesus said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17)
Obedience brings blessing … every single stinkin’ time!
Whose “feet” need some loving care in your world today? Is God is calling you to be the one to do the washing? Don’t miss the blessing He has for you. It comes with obedience.
How is He calling you to love with actions?
Sometimes love is better served up with a bucket and a towel, than with kind words and good thoughts. Today, I invite you to consider how God might be calling you to modern-day “foot washing”—sacrificial actions that could bless you or someone in your life.
For this week’s teaching video, Laura is joined by her friend, Kristin Isaac, to discuss I Thessalonians 5:11 and how to encourage one another to stand strong in our faith. After listening, we invite you to print your copy of this month’s bookmark from our Downloads page!
More than a few of us may be too young to remember these popular 1967 lyrics from the Youngbloods:
Come on people now,
Smile on your brother,
Everybody get together,
Try to love one another
Right now.
I have no idea if the Youngbloods were followers of Christ, but the sentiment expressed in these famous words seems to capture much of the focus of the one anothers in Scripture: love and unity.
Clearly, this encouragement (or commandment) in the Bible is directed to those in the body of Christ. God uses these passages to provide guidance for how we are to treat each other and live in community.
The one anothers in Scripture are specific and practical. Implementing them requires deliberate thought, action, and time.
As parents, we feel blessed when our own children love each other and behave as friends. How much more must it please our heavenly Father when we do likewise?
Though we direct our acts towards those in the body of Christ, when the one anothers are lived out, they’re evangelical. As Jesus told His disciples (and, by extension, us):
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another.
John 13:35
People are watching us: our children, our co-workers, our unsaved family members, our neighbors, and even strangers we encounter in our day-to-day lives. There is perhaps no greater opportunity for our walk to match our talk than in the way we choose to love our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As you and I write the Word each day this month, let’s also commit to making every verse a prayer back to God. Let’s ask Him for a specific assignment — someone in particular to love on, be devoted to, stop passing judgment on, accept, instruct, agree with, encourage, serve, bear with, be kind to, be compassionate to, submit to, teach, admonish, spur on, offer hospitality to, or have fellowship with (and that’s just a partial list).
Tertullian, the well-known leader in the 1st-century church, recorded that pagans looked on the lives of early Christians and commented in wonder, “See how they love one another!” Let’s pray for the same observation about a few of us 21st-century believers!
In this week’s devotional video, Laura is joined by her friend, Maddy Schultz, to discuss Ephesians 4:2 and how important it is to show a Christlike spirit, and what that looks like. They discuss how this can help to create unity in the Body of Christ.
After listening, we invite you to download and print your copy of this month’s bookmark from our Downloads page.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint
.Isaiah 40:30-31
Does today find you tired? Weary? Exhausted?
Working, volunteering, parenting our children, caring for grandkids or elderly parents, paying the bills, mowing the lawn, keeping the laundry caught up, and serving three squares a day – our duties seem endless and our responsibilities relentless.
Self-help books cheer us on. Song lyrics encourage, “I am woman, hear me roar!” We try to stay up late, get up earlier, roll up our sleeves and declare with all the Rosie we can muster, “I can do it!”
How long can we press on in our own strength? What will be the sock that causes the laundry pile to tip over (that’s my version of “the straw that breaks the camel’s back”)?
Another year goes by – they seem to do that faster and faster as we get older – and we realize that the same struggles to get it together and keep it together are still there that were there 3, 5, 7, even 10 years ago. Will I ever conquer this challenge? Will I ever figure out how to keep going and not get tired and get it all done?
And then we read Isaiah 40:30-31 and we feel…normal. Relieved. Grateful even.
Even young folks get tired. It’s not just this old body!
And I’m reminded – again – to find renewal and strength where I’ve always known it can only be found: by hoping in the LORD.
More than a vacation, a new how-to book, a therapist, or even a bubble bath, what I really need is to put my hope in the Lord. If I’m looking for renewal in anything – or anyone else – I’m setting myself up for disappointment and failure.
As I lift my eyes heavenward and place my hope on Him, I’m reminded (yet again) that while a clean bathroom, an organized desk, and all the grading caught up are worthy goals and good things, the absolute best and highest goal of my life is to live to please my Lord and to bring Him glory. When He is the source of my strength, I can fly like an eagle because He is the wind that keeps me afloat. I can run and not grow weary, and I can keep walking without fainting, because I am filled with Him. My eyes are on Jesus and not on my earthly challenge. He transforms not only what I do, but my why for doing it!
I pray you are ready to declare today (whether for the first time or the 1000th): LORD, MY HOPE IS IN YOU!
Our upcoming May Write the WORD bookmark features verses that all include the phrase, “one another.” Each verse or passage teaches, equips, and challenges us on how to interact with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As she introduces the bookmark, Laura also offers some teaching from John 13:34-35 – the passage from Day 2 of the May bookmark. We invite you to listen to this week’s Friday teaching video as she reflects on the high bar Jesus set by lowering himself to wash the disciples’ feet.
You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114
What does God’s Word mean to you? Is it an old book with truth for another era? Is it filled with wisdom that doesn’t seem to apply to the modern age? Do you read and even memorize it, but see no real way to live it?
What does it look like to put our hope in His Word?
We can probably safely say it’s impossible to hope in something you don’t know or understand. While there will always be a mystery about God’s Word, the more we immerse ourselves in it, the more we will understand it and walk in it.
It’s interesting that we use the word Word to describe not only the Bible, but even Jesus Himself. John 1:1 describes Him this way:
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Words are the basis of communication. We even use word to describe communication: “May I have a word with you?” Or, “They had words.”
When God chose to communicate His great love to us, He sent His only Son Jesus to Earth. Jesus came as the Living Word to convey God’s love.
God sent His written Word to us through messages now captured in scripture. These words from God serve to inspire and teach, convict and rebuke, encourage and comfort. To hope in the Word is to hope in Him. If our desire is to know God better, it is essential we become students of the Word.
There’s nothing like difficult circumstances to drive us to the Word. Read Psalm 119:114 again. The Psalmist declares, “You are my refuge and my shield…” Words like refuge and shield suggest the writer has endured challenging circumstances. Hard things tend to drive a believer to his or her knees … and also to the Word.
The older I get, the more I realize that life comes with hard things; in our journey we are either coming out of a challenge, enduring a challenge, or heading into a challenge. The means to not just endure, but grow – to not just survive, but thrive – is to immerse ourselves in His Word. God Himself will speak to our circumstance.
And, if it’s the hard thing that drives us to His Word, then we can learn to even thank God for the challenge … because it brought us closer to Him.
Grabbing hold of the Word is like grabbing a life preserver in the storm. Grabbing hold, living through, and carrying on will find us declaring with the Psalmist:
You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114
I pray His Word is your refuge, your shield, and your source of hope this day and every day.
Our local ladies are on break from our Bible study until September, but until the fall, we will continue publishing shorter weekly teaching videos from Laura, inspired by verses from our monthly bookmark. Our April bookmark includes 30 verses which include the word, HOPE. Romans 12:12 is short, but there’s a lot there! We invite you to listen as Laura shares some thoughts on this passage, and then visit our Downloads page to find your copy of our Write the WORD bookmark for April, as well as additional free resources.
The recipe for this delicious breakfast treat offers two shortcuts: purchased croissants and frozen berries. The lemon and cream cheese elevate the flavor combo to a bed-and-breakfast level that you will be pleased to serve up to your guests!
In this week’s Martha Monday video, we watch Laura make her scrumptious Lemon Bumbleberry Croissant Breakfast Bake. We invite you to download your copy here … and we hope you’ll make (and enjoy) it soon!
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2
Our Write the WORD verses this month all focus on the word HOPE. (If you haven’t done so yet, please visit this page to download your free bookmark with April’s verses, as well as the optional S.O.A.P. study pages, and start writing the WORD with us each day.)
Hope seemed the perfect theme for the days that follow Easter. The intrinsic nature of hope has us looking into the future, expecting something different, something preferred, something better than the place where we stand today.
For the follower of Christ, our hope is for eternity and it is all wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. Our identity in Him makes our hope not just wishful thinking, but a confident reality.
When Paul sanctions boasting—a verb normally considered “off limits” for a Christ-follower—we are understandably intrigued. Mr. Webster defines boasting as expressing excessive pride … clearly unacceptable if the focus is on self (e.g., boasting about our wealth, status, or personal accomplishments, or boasting in the hope of getting noticed and awarded a big bonus at work).
When our hope extends beyond the temporal and into eternity, we not only hope in the glory of God, but we can boast in it! This kind of boasting is simply bragging on God. And when we brag on God, we shine the spotlight on Him. We make much of Him.
How would you define the glory of God? I recall asking God during my quiet time, What is your glory? I was reminded of Exodus 33:18-23 where Moses asked to see God’s glory. He was only permitted to see God as He passed by:
When my glory passes by,
I will put you in a cleft in the rock and
cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back;
but my face must not be seen.
Our earthly eyes would perhaps be overloaded by the manifestation of His glory. Perhaps that’s part of the reason the fullness of God’s glory is reserved for heaven.
But we also know that God proclaimed in Isaiah 43:7 that He created us for His glory. Our purpose in life is to allow God to be seen through us … to put Him on display.
What words come to mind when you try to describe God? I’ll start a list, and you feel free to add your own adjectives, too:
Many of those seem almost contradictory, yet they are all true of God. He is the absolute magnificent complete epitome of all those words and many more. The essence of who He is, is who He is. He said about Himself, “I am who I am.” And His glory is seen when all of who He is is on display.
To see His glory is to see Him.
We see little pieces of Him now. When fellow believers walk in the Spirit, we celebrate the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that is exhibited—and what we really celebrate is the reflection of God’s glory.
When we ourselves are in alignment with Him and have that sense of living to please Him, we bring Him glory and it brings a satisfaction that nothing else in this world can deliver. It’s what we were made for. It’s our spiritual sweet spot.
We get a little piece of it now. We are all like Moses just getting a glimpse as God is seen here and there, but what we really hope for—and boast in—is the glory of God. That’s what heaven will be.
Are you bragging today on God and the confident hope in seeing His glory?
Our in-person ladies’ Bible study wrapped up our time in Galatians this week. Galatians 6:11 tells us Paul took the pen in his own hand and wrote with big letters. Whether due to poor eyesight, emphasis, making it personal—or all of the above—the Gospel message is clear to the end. We invite you to listen to this week’s teaching video as Laura does a “fly over” to review some of the BIG lessons learned from Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
The moment we begin a relationship with Jesus, we have HOPE. Hope for eternity on that day. But also hope for peace and joy and a life that matters on this day (which is a particularly poignant and appropriate observation today, as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior).
Hope keeps us afloat. Because of hope, we can proclaim with Habakkuk: “… he enables me to tread on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:19
We need not live under the pile, the hill, or the mountain. Whatever challenge today brings, we can walk over it.
Having HIM means we have hope. That never changes. That reality is sure. Our position in Christ is permanent.
But what does change is ourselves. We change through the events and circumstances that ebb and flow into the currents of life. We grow in Him. Hope bolsters our faith. Our faith is proven real. And through the squalls and storms of life, we are transformed to be more like Jesus, our source of hope. We become more acutely aware of what John Newton said so well, “I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
The ever-increasing awareness of our own wretchedness makes it even more astonishing and amazing that He would want us. But He does want us. He wants us enough to die for us.
Jesus chose the cross because He loved us. And He loves us still.
Think about your absolute worst moment. Your most shameful response. We all have those situations that we would love to delete from our memory banks—those events that just thinking about make our faces burn with shame, as we look around hoping no one can read our minds or our faces.
Jesus knows every one of those. He knows. And He still loves us.
Why?
Some of those aren’t just bad memories from the past. They are very much ongoing challenges in the present. We commit, I’ll never say that again … then out it comes from our mouth! We proclaim, I’ll never do that again … and find ourselves spiraling right back to the same behavior. We feel like a failure. We are filled with disappointment and shame, because that’s what sin brings. But Jesus didn’t die for a perfect person. He died for sinners like you and me:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
He died for us and He loves us, warts, messes, and all. His is an honest love—He knows exactly who we are and who we are not—and He still loves us. He still died for us. And that, my friends, brings a blessed hope that nothing else in this world can make good on.
The hope you and I have is all because of who HE IS rather than who we are (and who we are not). Only a GREAT God and a GOOD God could love one so undeserving.
It is grace … grace on steroids! Grace amplified and demonstrated in power and love.
Because of that awareness, we have hope, and it prompts grateful praise. We are moved to praise Him more and more and more. Our praise expands. It deepens and widens. It becomes interspersed into our day to day. Not just a piece of our launch-the-day quiet time, but a song on our tongue, a thought-life devoted to continual prayer, and a transformation of our attitude.
I find myself switching from my favorite oldies station to Christian praise music—not from guilt or obligation, but because I want to. My delight is to praise the one who fills my mind and heart with hope.
Wonder and joy and peace and PRAISE are injected into my daily chaos. My list is still long, the urgent tasks still call, the undone list seems to mock me, but my heart is hopeful. Hymns spring forth from my tongue—naturally, almost unconsciously, and joyfully.
Praise in the midst of jumping through hoops and spinning plates? It can only be because of Jesus. My hope in Him prompts praise. How can it not?
Will you join with me in praising Him more and more … allowing hope to prompt praise in your life?
Thank you, Lord. This day, this moment, I’m choosing to praise You because of the hope you have provided!
As our weekly Bible study group comes to the end of the book of Galatians, we find that Paul offers some very practical ways for us to live out the Gospel in our relationships with others. We invite you to listen as Laura unpacks these assignments:
Hope carries a confident assurance for followers of Jesus. It’s what we celebrate in Him this Holy Week of Easter. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope for today and glorious inheritance for eternity. Our challenge is to continue to appropriate that hope and the reason for it all month … and keep it alive in our hearts all year!
Our Write the WORD bookmark this month includes 30 verses that all include the word HOPE. Download your copy here.
