The Lori Cline Show from Lifeword

We can never be good enough to earn our salvation, but Jesus died to give it to us. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Are you a dog person or a cat person? We are dog people, but I will say I love ALL animals.  We ADORE our pets, don't we? In 2020, the pet industry hit a record sales of 103 Billion dollars. We often care for and love on our pets way more than we do people! It's true.  We have two dogs, Roxy and Ruby. We love them dearly. They're good dogs, until they're not. They're potty trained to go outside. They can sit, lay down and play fetch. But… they are animals. Animals often do bad things. Roxy likes to eat lizards, baby rabbits and turtles. She will also play with frogs and chipmunks until they die. She loves to go on adventures in the woods beyond our yard if her invisible fence collar is not working. No matter how mean you sound trying to get her to come back, she will stop, look at you, turn back around and keep on walking. So naughty. Ruby loves to eat ANYTHING she can get her little teeth on. She has chewed up shoes, books, pens, shirts, a brand new backpack and so much more. Once she chewed up the leather corners of my Bible, but I guess I really couldn't be mad because she was feeding on the word, right? I had to do that.  Here's my point, dogs are good, until they're not. They can also be really bad. Do we sometimes describe people the same way? He's a good person. She's a good person. They do good things. They give, serve, love and are kind. Those ARE good things, but what about all the times he or she may NOT be a good person or may NOT do good things? We don't like to focus on that do we?  The reason we don't is because we don't want to come face to face with the true condition of our human heart, which IS, we are DEAD in our SIN, apart from Christ. See Ephesians ch 2. What God created in the beginning was good, but then a choice was made.  Genesis 2:17 You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. God's words to Adam and Eve in the garden were not unclear. When you eat from it, you WILL certainly die. Everything was good, until it wasn't.  Dr David Jeremiah describes it this way, “Satan was the original violator of the righteousness of God, but sin entered the world through Adam and death entered the world through sin.” While we are responsible for our own choices and sin, we are born into the family of a fallen human race. Adam's sin brought death to the world and there is not enough good any man or woman can do to wipe that away.  Romans 3:23 says “ALL” have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Here's the good news,  2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. It may be difficult for you to see yourself as a sinner and you may do a lot of good things, but the Bible makes it so clear, you could never be good enough to be made right with a holy God apart from the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on a cross. Without Him, you are dead IN your sin.  That's the truth.  Take an inventory as you think about how good you really are. Go to Exodus 20 and brush up on the ten commandments. Next, go to the words of Jesus who then took those laws much deeper in Matthew chapter five. Scroll on down to the parts about murder, lust and envy in your heart and then the part about loving our enemies.  The truth is we are all sinners, in need of a savior. Thank God, where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. I'm SO thankful for amazing grace that is greater than all my sin. I'm Lori Cline.

Because of the resurrection, the church should be working in one accord with joy. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What is the number one most attended church day of the year? Easter Sunday!  Did you go to church on Easter? According to research MANY of you probably did.  If you have little ones, you may still have decorated eggs in your fridge, but for the most part the flurry of Easter is behind us. The worship services, brunches, new dresses, ham and potato salad lunches, family photos and all things Easter have been checked off and sadly for many they won't darken the doors of the church or think much about it until next Easter. According to Gallup, a conservative estimate is that thousands of U.S. churches are closing each year. Back in 1937 when they first measured U.S. church membership, 73% of the U.S. were members of a house of worship. Today, that number is below 50%! While the world around us is changing, the great commission hasn't changed.  Following Pentecost, as the early church was exploding in Acts 2, the functions of the church established then haven't changed. What's changed? What about church beyond Easter Sunday?  Many believers have left the building or have even left the faith. Just look around or have an honest conversation with someone about church. You'll quickly discover a vast array of reasons why people choose to not gather with the body of Christ.  Some have what I call the quickly spreading ‘itching ears' virus as described in 2 Timothy 4:3. People will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead they gather around those saying what their ears itch to hear.  People eject because sound doctrine usually leads me to conviction over the sin in my life. Conviction and repentance don't seem to be a popular topic.  A few other reasons we've seen from the long list of why people eject from gathering together are church wounds, a fallen leader, this virus, complacency, consumerism, religious, political and social division and simply not being able to reconcile the suffering and brokenness of this world.  I hear you. I get it. I've seen it and experienced it. It gets messy. So why does it matter that we are connected to the body, I'm not talking about a building, I'm talking about an ekklesia, beyond Easter Sunday? We need each another. The body needs every part. See 1 Corinthians 12. The body can't function FULLY without each member strengthening the other and working together as one. Over and over we see the importance of digging into relationships, pursuing unity in the body, not ejecting, speaking the truth in love and working together for the mission we are all called to fulfill. God's people coming together become His hands and feet carrying out His plan to show this broken and messy world God's way, God's love, God's grace, God's mercy and the truth of His coming kingdom.  Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. The early church of Acts beyond resurrection day and beyond Jesus ascending to the heavens was FULL of joy! Jesus was ALIVE! There were over 500 eye witnesses! The early church leaders were there! They saw it with their own eyes! This changed EVERYTHING! So why NOW church are we so stale? Why have we lost our JOY? Why are we being tossed about by every wind of doctrine?  Ekklesia, it's time to speak the truth. It's time to quit playing church and be the church. It's time to grow up in maturity and we can't do that alone. It's time to gather. It's time to move as one. We are here for such a time as this.  Jesus is STILL alive and our mission remains the same. That's the truth.  Will you gather beyond Easter Sunday? It's not about dressing up. It's not about checking off your church attendance box. It's not about a building, it's about being connected to the living, breathing body of Christ, doing your part that only you can do, so together we can be a city on a hill shining bright to a very dark world around us and beyond.  I'm Lori Cline.

We are often guilty of being distracted with our life and not spending time in prayer with God. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Have you ever been invited over to a friends house for coffee and after you walk in, you get your mug, sit down expecting a conversation to begin, but instead your friend does EVERYTHING BUT talk to you? It wouldn't be much of a visit now would it? It would be a bit odd honestly. You expect to connect, talk about life, share joys and struggles but instead your friends attention is on their phone, then they fold some laundry, binge watch some TV, read a book… all while you're just sitting there! RUDE right? Maybe you try to initiate a conversation, but after a while you realize it's not gonna happen, so you decide to leave.  So what happened? The stage was set. An invitation was extended. Time was set aside. The coffee was hot and the chairs were warm and comfy. Then nothing. No connection or conversation. Barely a greeting and how are you before distractions robbed the moments that could have been. We would hope to never do that to a friend.  But, sadly many of us are guilty of being the distracted one when it comes to spending time with God in prayer. We start our day with a quick ‘thank you Jesus for this day' and off we go! At some point we might give a quick thanks for our lunch and dinner or shoot up a few quick prayers throughout the day about not being late or that something works out in our favor like a basketball game and then our heads hit the pillow after the kids are down and we're so exhausted from the day we barely begin to thank God for the day and lift up needs we are aware of before we fall fast asleep. Sound familiar? I'm guilty.  It starts to feel like a drive through, fast food exchange instead of a sit down dinner, face to face kind of soul connection and heart exchange.  Prayer is not something simply reserved for meals and church buildings. It's an amazing opportunity we have to sit with the Father. We can come boldly to the throne of grace, (Hebrews 4:16) that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. As we stop and begin the conversation we can lay our burdens down, talk about our struggles, share our joys, give thanks for everything we are and have, as well as take time to ask our questions and be honest with what we wrestle with. Still why can it be so hard to do? I discovered an old Puritan saying recently I think might help us all. Pray till you pray! Meaning, start somewhere and then get beyond the routine phrases and requests. Make time to sit in God's presence and keep the conversation going until you find yourself in deep communication and communion with the Father. Maybe you get to a place you don't say a word, but your heart is still, there are no distractions and you find yourself resting in the presence of God, ultimately trusting Him with everything in your life and all the things consuming your mind. Pray till you pray.  Amazing things happen when we pray. The Apostle Paul knew that first hand that's why he wrote this to the church in Colossae…  Colossians 4:2  Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. I love this short and simple reminder from Paul to be intentional and devoted to taking time to pray. When we come to God daily with attentive hearts and a thankful spirit, no matter how chaotic the conversation may begin or where the location, we can press in, ignore the distractions and find rest and delight in God's presence. As we do our hearts will open even more and the conversation may go deeper than we ever imagined. That's the truth.  Pray till you pray! It's a conversation that's long overdue.  I'm Lori Cline.

When we see those who are struggling in life, we should be there for them as others were for us. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Have you ever received a ‘whale of a' thank you? Well stop your scroll and let me tell you the coolest story that actually was a ‘whale of a' thank you, because it was actually done by a whale!  Seriously! So let me start with explaining the phrase. Anytime you say a ‘whale of a' anything, it means an exceedingly good example of a particular thing. So if you were doing a great job, it would be awesome to hear your boss say, ‘you're doing a whale of a job'! Or if you went to a party you could say ‘I had a whale of a time'! Ok… you get it! So there was an actual whale that in its whale way, said thank you and showed gratitude.  It actually happened back in 2005. It was in December, six miles from the Farallon Islands, a chain of rocky islands about 30 miles west of San Francisco, California. A 50-foot-long female humpback whale was spotted near the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge and it was entangled in crab fishing gear and nets.  This whale, estimated to weigh 50 tons, was on its usual migratory route between the Northern California coast and Baja California when it became entangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots. A crab fisherman spotted it first and made the call for help. A team of divers and rescuers located the trapped whale and evaluated the situation.  These whales are huge, but the team seeing how badly this one was trapped, realized the only way to try and save it would be to have divers get in the water, swim up to it and cut the ropes. There were about 20 ropes, which each are 240 feet long with weights every 60 feet, so imagine the stress on this animal with these weights pulling it down, ropes digging into its skin, wrapped around its tail and even one in its mouth. It was a struggle for this humpback to stay above water simply to be able to breathe.  As the whale floated passively in the water, four divers took about an hour cutting away the ropes. The diver that cut away the rope from the mouth of the whale shared it was an epic moment in his life as he and the whale made eye contact while he freed her from the ropes.  Once the whale was free, it swam in circles and then this 50 ton humpback whale swam up to each diver, one by one, and nuzzled them gently, as if to say thank you, before swimming away.  I love this story for a few reasons.  First it reminds me how easy it is to get trapped in sin and the cares of this world and when we do sometimes the tangled mess we find ourselves in, we can't get out of on our own. We need to welcome loving hearts who are willing to jump in the deep water with us.  Second I'm challenged to remember there are those around me close to drowning. Father, help ME see and hear the cries of help that may be around me and give me the courage to jump into the deep to lend a helping hand.  And third, when I am set free from the ropes that hold my heart in fear, worry or the heavy weight of lies that try to hold me down and keep me from breathing in deep and being all God wants me to be… I need to stop and give thanks to God for setting me free from those chains on a daily basis. I Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The victory and freedom we can walk in because of Jesus, is worth a whale of a thank you to God each and every day! That's the truth. Be encouraged. You're not alone. God loves you so much. No matter where you may find yourself, in the water trapped, diving in to help or maybe you need to say thank you… through it all God gives us the victory.  I'm Lori Cline.

Grief touches every life at some point, but we can feel peace and comfort from God. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ If I say the phrase ‘good grief', what's the first thing you think of?  For many, it's the beloved cartoon character Charlie Brown, who made the saying popular in the 1950's. Poor Charlie Brown was always bummed out and frustrated and so often nothing ever seemed to go right. He could never kick that football! GOOD GRIEF just seemed to be the right thing to say. If you think about it though, can grief be good? It's really an oxymoron. These two words, GOOD and GRIEF placed side by side and used together, which totally contradict each other. When you think of grief you don't naturally think of it as something good. But should we?  Can grief be a good thing? Grief is deep sorrow as a result of losing someone we love. Looking back at the past year, our world has been stricken with grief as a result of loss due to Covid-19. Over two and a half million people worldwide have died from that alone. That's in addition to all the other ways people die everyday.  Did you know there is a world death clock? It calculates the number of people who are dying in the world every second. On an average there are 56 million deaths that take place in a year. This is then broken down by month, day, hour and minute. By the time this video finishes, over 400 people will have died.  The gravity of loss our world has faced, and continues to face, leaves an ongoing shadow of grief that covers the hearts of the world. The rain falls on us all and no one is immune to death. There is a time for everything, a time to be born and a time to die.  In my deepest moments of grief recently, God's promise in Psalm 34:18 to be ‘near the brokenhearted' has been proven true for me. I've felt His peace, His comfort and my hope of heaven has grown stronger than ever. My eyes see this life from a much more eternal perspective. This brings me peace and even joy in the midst of grief. Good grief, you might even say, because my eyes are not consumed with the things of this world. Knowing this life is not the end, my eyes stay even more fixed on Jesus and set on things above. That is where my hope comes from in the midst of grief.  King Solomon understood the good that comes from grief. Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. Solomon is known for his wisdom. It's what he asked God for out of anything he could have had. Here he gives us a bit of an oxymoron, like good grief. It is good to go to the house of mourning. But what do we find there? Tears, heartache, loss and grief, yet in the midst of that there are hearts considering what matters most. It's not the prosperity of life but the grit, strength and perseverance that is forged in the fires of mourning, loss, struggle, not our desired outcome and frustration.  James even tells us to count it all joy. Sounds a bit upside down, but when you consider  the wisdom, grace and comfort that covers your soul in those seasons and the eternal perspective gained… I believe it's easier to see grief as something God uses for our good.  That's the truth.  Friends - there will be a time for us all to die. Be wise. Consider your eternity. This world is not the end. Jesus made a way of salvation and for those found IN HIM, the house of mourning becomes a house of celebration and only because of the HOPE we have of heaven, can we truly know GOOD GRIEF. I'm Lori Cline.

The cross is a landmark and symbol of the sacrifice of Christ that we can follow to Him. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Have you ever searched for something?   Well, every Tuesday evening, my husband and I join a search for treasure. You see, there's an island off the coast of Nova Scotia called Oak Island. This tree-covered island has intrigued treasure hunters for more than 200 years.   It's believed that the island is hiding one of the greatest treasures of all time. Since 2014 we have watched two brothers search for the ‘so called' Oak Island treasure.   Using modern technology plus their own expertise, they have searched and actually discovered some very interesting and very old artifacts.  Something took place on that island long ago.   I don't know what they'll find, if anything, but we love their passion and pursuit to unearth the mystery that is Oak Island. They dig, they drill, they dive, they excavate and they metal detect all over the island finding clues that link to the past with the hopes of uncovering the story.   A phrase they use on the show that's caught my attention is this, ‘follow the feature'.  What I've learned is that a FEATURE is completely different from an artifact. An artifact is something portable. It can be removed easily, picked up and separated from a location like coins, nails, an iron cross or anything discovered that can then be removed from a location and analyzed.   A feature is something that cannot be moved or separated from its location and it gives context to whatever took place there.  One such feature they've discovered is an ancient stone pathway. As they unearth this road, finding artifacts along the way, over and over they continue to say, ‘follow the feature'.  It's archaeology 101 I guess, because they know someone a long time ago, created this feature and as they follow it, they hope it will lead them to what they are searching for, which is to discover the treasure of Oak Island.   Follow the feature. That phrase has rolled around a lot in my mind this holy week as we focus on the cross of Christ.  You see, the cross is an unchanging, unmoving, undeniable feature we all at one point or another discover.  When we do, we have a choice. Will we follow it and see the mystery of the great exchange and what that means for those who believe OR will we simply see it as a relic, something to be worn around our neck but not something to truly carry.  Following the cross leads you to discover who Jesus really IS. He tells us in His own words with these seven truths.   “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  John 6:35.   “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12   “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, He will be saved” John 10:9   “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” John 10:11   “I am the true vine, whoever abides in me will bear much fruit” John 15:1   “I am the way, and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6   “I am He” (the messiah) John 4:26     If you've searched and found those six truths of who Jesus is, then they will lead you to this one…   John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”     That's what we discover when we follow the cross, the feature and fact of history we can't ignore, we find Jesus. The great I AM. The author and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY set before Him endured the cross, for you and for me.  That's the truth.     This weekend, maybe for the first time you'll discover what Easter is really all about. That's my prayer for you. Don't search for a bunny… follow the feature that is the cross and you'll discover the lamb.     I'm Lori Cline.

The words we speak in truth should always reflect the love and grace of Jesus. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Is it easy for you to ‘speak to it'? For some of you ‘high justice' people, I know it is! You see someone doing something that isn't right, someone's misbehaving or someone's stepping out of line… you gotta speak to it!  As believers, we are called to “speak to it”, IN LOVE, when we see a brother or sister putting back on the ways of the ‘old man' they used to be. We should be walking daily in the newness of life that Christ has put on us and in doing so, our walk and talk should imitate that of Christ. HE is our standard. So, when any one part of the body begins to break down or not live or walk in the way they should go, we're called to speak to it and remind one another WHO WE ARE in Christ and who we SHOULD NOT be. The Bible speaks truth to EVERYTHING in our life. Got questions? It's FULL of answers. Don't take my word for it, dig into it for yourself. But you must be ready to take yourself off the throne and put God back on it. When you do that, the words in these pages satisfy your soul like nothing else can and your path is made clear.  We're focusing this week on the words of Paul in Ephesians chapter four. Paul is speaking to the way the church is acting. The believers were ‘grieving the spirit' in how they were treating one another, how there were living and speaking. Paul loved them so much, he had to speak to it. Ephesians 4:29-32 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Think about your words. Does the way you talk reflect the love and grace of Jesus? Do you tear others down way more than you build them up, all under the guise of sarcasm? We're wounding our own body when we hurt those we should be loving.  Do you hold bitterness in your heart for a brother or sister? Drop all the surface things you may disagree on and let's get back to the heart. Paul doesn't tip toe around anything. Get RID of ALL bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. This is speaking directly to the heart of believers who should know better. You may not actually go rage out and ACT on what your feeling, because that could land you in jail, but the INTENT is just the same. Consider this the next time you become outraged on social media over differing opinions. Consider this when you feel misunderstood. Do your words do more harm than good? Build UP more than you tear down.  Paul wraps up his loving rebuke with grace. Be kind. Be compassionate. Extend forgiveness and grace because of the undeserved grace God extends to us through Christ.  Friends we forget our own desperate need for grace and stand in judgment too easily. We get angry, we hold bitterness in our heart, we focus more on things of this world and the way we talk and act looks nothing like Jesus. We grieve His spirit in us and have forgotten where we once were. God forgive us.  A preacher friend put it this way - when you remember the grace that you've come from, you walk and talk into who you're CALLED to be.  That's the truth.  May our hearts be open to hear so we live reflecting more of Jesus to the world around us. That's our mission and we should love one another enough to speak to it, in LOVE, extending grace, as the Lord leads us all.    I'm Lori Cline.

Even though the truth can hurt sometimes, it still must be spoken in love. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Have you ever had to speak to it? Mamas I know you have! It's a moment you simply can't be silent. Truth needs to be spoken into a situation and you just can't hold your tongue!  A child is misbehaving and a parent is no where to be found, girl I got to speak to it! What about you see someone intentionally break in line where some patient soul has been waiting? I might need to speak to it!  I know you have some moments coming to your mind when you had to ‘speak to it'. For me it's when enough is enough and I come to the place where truth HAS to be spoken.  Families, in love, sometimes must come together and speak to it.  It is time to get a job! This relationship is bringing you down more than it's lifting you up! You are headed down a dark road If you keep making these choices for your life. Sometimes we must speak to the GIANT elephant in the room!  The TRUTH can hurt. But still… it MUST be spoken. Did you know, if you are a believer and follower of Jesus, you are called to ‘speak to it'? You are.  Well, Lori, that's just not my business. I don't need to go ruffling feathers or saying something that might hurt someones feelings.  IF it's the truth, and they are a brother or sister in Christ, it IS your business. You do need to ruffle those feathers, feelings may get hurt, they may get mad, but you are members of the SAME body!  We forget that don't we! If I break a leg, am I going to ignore it, let it get infected or heal back crooked so I can't walk? NO! It's my body. We want to take care of our body and often yes it hurts to clean out a wound or reset a bone, but it MUST be done to heal so the whole body functions and moves the way it was intended.  Romans 12:5 and 1 Corinthians chapter 12 speak to this in that, IN CHRIST, we are one body, made up of many members. I love verse 26 of 1 Corinthians chapter 12 that says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” We don't think of it that way enough. We are called to love one another and speak the truth IN LOVE so we may be whole, working together as one for the cause of Christ.  In that spirit, I'm gonna speak to it.  Ephesians 4:25-28 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Body of Christ, stop lying to yourselves and to one other! That's NOT love.  LIVE out and speak the TRUTH in love. Romans 6:4 calls us to walk in the NEWNESS of life, but spiritual DECAY has set in the hearts of many! Clean it out. Renew your mind with the truth! If you get angry, don't sin! Believers are NOT called to violence, hate, slander or judgment. We are to be SLOW to anger and quick to listen to the pain and needs of the body.  Stop stealing! Work for what you need. God established work for your good so get to work and God will bless you so you can in turn bless those around you.  That my friends is the TRUTH in love. No getting around it. Spoken by the Apostle Paul to the church. That's you and me. He spoke to it. He wasn't afraid to and we shouldn't be either. God give us ears now to hear and repentant hearts moved to change so the world sees a healthy body at work for the cause of Christ. That's why we must ‘speak to it' IN LOVE.   That's the truth.  Paul speaks to it even more in the rest of Ephesians chapter 4. We'll look at that next time. Follow along with us at Lifeword.org.  I'm Lori Cline.

When struggling with a decision, we should ask God for the answer and trust Him to reveal it. #lifeperspectivespodcast Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Is it difficult for you to ask for help? For many of us I'm afraid it is! We want to be able to do whatever it is ourselves. We got it. No help needed. But is that really always the case?  No! We all NEED help sometimes.  For all the busy body types watching this, how many times have you really wanted help with something, NEEDED help, but didn't ask for it? Someone might even ask, can I do anything? You're reply, “no, no I got it.”  But do we really? Do we really ‘got it'?  No, we don't. And then we get all bent out of shape because we did it all by ourselves.  Repeat after me, I need help.  It's true! We all need help sometimes. But why is it so hard to ask for it? For me… I want you to think I got it ALL under control. I learned this long ago and still I am learning this. I fall into the “no one can do it like me” category, which falls under pride and control. Hey, at least I'm aware! Lord give me strength! As soon as I think I have a good healthy awareness of it, man I can fall right back into an unhealthy pattern of not asking for help. I've recently really struggled with a decision I needed to make. I kept going back and forth about it. I was praying about it, but still had no rest. One day I would be on one side and the next I would be on the other. It was driving me crazy. I needed peace and I needed to just make a decision and move forward. I needed help.  My youngest, one day before school, was reading a daily devotion and this was the verse she read…  Psalm 28:7 ​​The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. After she read that my husband looked at me and said, that just might be your answer. I took that to heart and spent some time that morning with the Lord in Psalm 28. Do you know what that entire chapter is about? Rejoicing in answered prayer.  What God showed me that day was I once again was clinging more to fear and control than trusting the Lord with which way I needed to go in that decision. I was reminded my strength is not from me. I am not my best protector. The Lord is my strength and my shield and as I TRUST He shepherds and guides me in ALL my ways, He helps me. And once I surrender all of that fear and control, the worry and fretting is gone.  What overwhelmed my heart in that moment was joy, peace, awareness of how I wasn't trusting the Lord and as I laid that down my heart was FULL of praise.  I had asked the Lord to help me make the decision, but what I hadn't done was to let go and actually TRUST Him with the outcome. Once I did that, he helped me. Or maybe the better way to put it is, I trusted Him to.  If you're struggling with a decision today. Stop asking everybody else for an answer. Spend some time in prayer and ask God what His will is. As you trust Him and let go of your own fear and control, He will be there to help. That's the truth.  Trust the Lord with all you face today and have joy knowing He'll guide you in the right direction.  I'm Lori Cline.

We can use the light of God's Word to reveal the broken areas in our lives we couldn't see. #lifeperspectivespodcast Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What race are you running? You may say, well Lori I'm not running a race nor do I plan on entering myself into any type of race today, tomorrow or really any day in the future.  I hear ya! Honestly me either, but I want to challenge that thought a bit. We may not be in a ‘literal running on pavement' kind of race, but we ARE all running a race.  I was thinking back on the winter olympics and how there are so many different types of races and events, each designed to push athletes from around the world to the extreme! The goal is to be the BEST, the fastest, the most death defying even, in the process to reveal who will win the GOLD.  The training is clear. The athletes know how to prepare, what strategy they must follow and for sure they know what they're trying to achieve. They know the race they are running and they know the PRIZE set before them. Do WE know, in this often described ‘rat race of life', what we're running for and what's at the end?  I can tell you right now, knowing those two things can change your life and how you live it.  Let's look deeper at the race we're running, WHY we're running it and what's at the end!  Answer the following questions…  When you think of your days and how you spend your time, what's your focus? What's your motivation? Why do you do what you do? Do you have joy even in the midst of all the craziness of this world, or are you mostly full of stress and anxiety?  How do you love your family? Do you humbly serve them, spend quality time with them? Do you live each day on purpose, intentionally on mission throughout your day OR are you simply just getting by and not really sure why any of it matters? Are you pursuing more of YOU or more of GOD? What about your training? What are you filling your mind, heart and body with? Where do you find rest? How's your discipline and focus? Do you face each day as a gift or as a grind?   All of these questions can help determine the race you're running and what drives you.  In the arena of LIFE, we all fall into one of two categories.  Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. There are two ways to live this life. One is lived for God, deeply rooted in truth and obedience, strong, bearing much fruit. That path leads to life. The other is lived for SELF, easily blown away by the wind, no roots, no firm foundation, concerned only for earthly gain and no concern for obedience to God. That path leads to death.  Two races. Two very different motivations which lead to two very different endings once you cross the finish line. It's not something to deny, ignore or pretend doesn't matter.   The apostle Paul knew very clearly what team he was on, what his race was and how to train and even how to train others for it. He saw clearly the prize before him.  2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Paul knew what race he was in. He knew why it mattered. He lived for something other than himself. That's the daily race worth running. His life was not his own, it was lived for Jesus, on mission and he never looked back until he crossed his finish line. When we run that race, our life isn't without pain or sorrow, but it's deeply rooted, bearing much fruit and leads to a crown of righteousness and eternal life. That's the truth. Let's run the race set before us. When your motivation and prize is Jesus, you'll have purpose, peace and joy no matter where the course may take you. I'm Lori Cline.

We should live our lives for the purpose God has called us to, not our own desires. #lifeperspectivespodcast Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What race are you running? You may say, well Lori I'm not running a race nor do I plan on entering myself into any type of race today, tomorrow or really any day in the future.  I hear ya! Honestly me either, but I want to challenge that thought a bit. We may not be in a ‘literal running on pavement' kind of race, but we ARE all running a race.  I was thinking back on the winter olympics and how there are so many different types of races and events, each designed to push athletes from around the world to the extreme! The goal is to be the BEST, the fastest, the most death defying even, in the process to reveal who will win the GOLD.  The training is clear. The athletes know how to prepare, what strategy they must follow and for sure they know what they're trying to achieve. They know the race they are running and they know the PRIZE set before them. Do WE know, in this often described ‘rat race of life', what we're running for and what's at the end?  I can tell you right now, knowing those two things can change your life and how you live it.  Let's look deeper at the race we're running, WHY we're running it and what's at the end!  Answer the following questions…  When you think of your days and how you spend your time, what's your focus? What's your motivation? Why do you do what you do? Do you have joy even in the midst of all the craziness of this world, or are you mostly full of stress and anxiety?  How do you love your family? Do you humbly serve them, spend quality time with them? Do you live each day on purpose, intentionally on mission throughout your day OR are you simply just getting by and not really sure why any of it matters? Are you pursuing more of YOU or more of GOD? What about your training? What are you filling your mind, heart and body with? Where do you find rest? How's your discipline and focus? Do you face each day as a gift or as a grind?   All of these questions can help determine the race you're running and what drives you.  In the arena of LIFE, we all fall into one of two categories.  Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. There are two ways to live this life. One is lived for God, deeply rooted in truth and obedience, strong, bearing much fruit. That path leads to life. The other is lived for SELF, easily blown away by the wind, no roots, no firm foundation, concerned only for earthly gain and no concern for obedience to God. That path leads to death.  Two races. Two very different motivations which lead to two very different endings once you cross the finish line. It's not something to deny, ignore or pretend doesn't matter.   The apostle Paul knew very clearly what team he was on, what his race was and how to train and even how to train others for it. He saw clearly the prize before him.  2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Paul knew what race he was in. He knew why it mattered. He lived for something other than himself. That's the daily race worth running. His life was not his own, it was lived for Jesus, on mission and he never looked back until he crossed his finish line. When we run that race, our life isn't without pain or sorrow, but it's deeply rooted, bearing much fruit and leads to a crown of righteousness and eternal life. That's the truth. Let's run the race set before us. When your motivation and prize is Jesus, you'll have purpose, peace and joy no matter where the course may take you. I'm Lori Cline.

Whether you have a good relationship with your dad or not, God is a perfect Heavenly Father who loves you. #lifeperspectivespodcast Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Growing up, was your dad, or a father figure in your life, like a super hero to you?  Dads can be larger than life through the eyes of a child. If something needs to be fixed, something heavy needs to be picked up, a jar needs to be opened, a bug needs to be killed, a turtle in the middle of the road needs to be saved or a little girl simply needs someone to let her put bows in their hair…  it's DAD to the rescue!! I'm no longer a little girl, but I will always be my Daddy's little girl. That's just the way it is and my Dad still LOVES to come to my rescue. To this day if I ever should need him, he would be there. I saw this on full display recently. A winter storm blew through our area. My husband was out of town. It was dark and freezing outside. I discovered our 82 pound Goldador, Roxy, was not in the back yard. Our little beagle mix just stood there looking confused. This was not a good thing. We have an invisible fence around our yard which backs up to a wooded area. Both of our dogs have collars that will gently give them a good zap if they get too close to the boundary line. We also have some chicken wire fencing in the woods around the back as a backup, but it can be pushed through if a dog is determined enough.  Roxy was determined that night because she was chasing a possum. Long story short… Roxy chased that possum to my neighbors backyard and my amazing neighbor brought Roxy back to me safe and sound. I called my parents and my Dad, even though he's over three hours away, wanted to rescue me from this problem! He googled and read up on the fence system, the collars and walked me through testing the collars, checking the batteries, checking the wiring… all the things. He wanted so bad to fix it for me. He wanted me to not have to walk our big dog on a leash in the cold. He wanted to come to my rescue.  I had to wait till the ice cleared and Roxy ended up needing a new collar unit, but thinking back to that night, my Dad came to my rescue. He loves me so much and wanted to help me as much as he could to get it figured out.  Maybe you have a broken relationship or no relationship with your earthly father and the last thing you would call him is a hero.  Psalm 68:5 says, God is a father to the fatherless.  Do you believe that God loves you? Do you believe He wants to come to your rescue? No matter the brokeness you may have come from, no matter where you are now, how cold and dark it may be as you stand alone in your circumstance, Daddy God wants to come to your rescue.  Zephaniah 3:17  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. Your father God delights in you, He rejoices over you with singing. Let that sink in. You are held and SO loved by God. He is a loving father waiting for you to call on Him and pour your broken and anxious heart out to Him. He is near.  He is loving - John 3:1 He is kind - Ephesians 2:7-8 He is compassionate, abounding in love - Psalm 103:8 He offers you His greatest gift of love, His son Jesus - John 3:16 He is faithful with new mercies every morning - Lamentations 3:22-23 He is merciful, strong, forgiving, righteous, caring and sovereign. He is our good shepherd - Psalm 23 He is my strength and my shield, and He helps me as I put my trust in Him - Psalm 28:7 And He IS making all things new… Revelation 21:5 That's the father God wants to be for you. He is good and He loves you.  That's the truth.  Look to your Daddy God for rescue. He IS mighty to save.  I'm Lori Cline.

If we want God to move in our lives, we should make sure our life conditions are favorable. #lifeperspectivespodcast Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Are the conditions of your heart and life favorable for what you are hoping and praying for God to do in your life? We get so stuck on the request. Dear God, please give me this. Dear God, please make this happen in my life. Dear God please bless MY plans. Dear God, I'm ready… where ARE you? But…  are the conditions favorable for God to move?  Here's what I mean. In the winter, conditions must be just right for it to snow. Kids can pray all they want for a snow day, but if conditions aren't favorable, it simply won't happen. A winter storm forms when a cold dry air mass mixes with a warm, moist air mass. There must be three things before anything frozen will fall from the sky; cold air, moisture and lift. With those conditions, there is a high probability of snow, sleet and ice.  Now, I want to ask you this.  How are the conditions of your heart?  What about your life?  Are we guilty of asking God to make it snow in the middle of summer? Are you tracking with me?  Friends, the heart behind how we approach God with our requests, needs, desires and wants matters. God is God and through the prophet Isaiah He makes it clear His thoughts, ways and timeline are WAY above our own. Also God is ALWAYS at work and on the move, even in seasons we feel He is silent. He loves us. He never leaves us and He is always at work. Jesus said in John 5:17, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” So, just because we don't SEE what we want to see WHEN we want to see it, God sees and knows and His way is always best.  Knowing those truths, it's always good to check the conditions of our heart to be sure we're seeking His way above our own. Here are three conditions that will lead to a high probability of peace for your heart as you discover God's will and plan for your life.  First - do you know Jesus? Does your heart belong to Him? That's the MOST important thing. John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Give your heart to God by grace through faith in Jesus and as you seek His way, your heart will then be open to listen and hear His voice. Second - Is your heart and mind focused on Jesus, daily being renewed by truth? The world wants you to believe YOU are God and what YOU want YOU deserve. Set your heart on what is true and what leads to life.  Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. This condition is vital to seeing above your circumstance, broken dreams and desires to be open to see God move in His way, in His perfect timing and for your good.  And third - Are you willing to lay down your request, your need, your deep desire, trusting God with it?  Only then, can you truly say, blessed be your name Oh God, no matter what may or may not come.  Jesus is the perfect example for us.  Luke 22:41-42 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” The conditions of our heart must be in a place where we know Jesus, we're being renewed daily with truth, and our heart is willing to say with a thankful heart, Lord,not my will, but yours be done. With those conditions God can and WILL do above and beyond all you could ever ask or imagine.  That's the truth.  Check the conditions of your heart. Lean in, watch and wait and you'll see something beautiful in His time.  I'm Lori Cline.

Rather than focusing on all the things we need to do in a day, we should determine who we are going to be. #lifeperspectivespodcast Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Who will you BE today? Do you ever ask yourself that question when the alarm goes off and your feet hit the floor? We normally start our day tackling the immediate to do's and then pretty much go through our day focusing on all the ‘doing'. Our heads hit the pillow at the end of the day and we think, ‘did I get it ALL done'?  Often our minds are swirling with stress, anxiety, fear and worry OVER all the things we did or did NOT get accomplished. But, should that BE our primary focus? A dear counselor friend years ago helped me begin to start and end my days differently. He said, ‘Lori, begin your day thanking God for who He has created you to BE. Lean into the TRUTH of who you ARE. That is way more important than all you DO. Then, as you go through your day checking things off your to do list, you will have more peace. When the day is done and your head hits the pillow, trust it was enough, and REST in who God is creating you to BE through it all.” (MIND BLOWN) That had the biggest impact on my soul and heart health. Simply being reminded I am not what I DO, but I am so much more in God's eyes. He cares MOST about the condition of my heart. How I SHOW UP for each day, how I treat people through the process of projects and tasks, how I love my family and the words I speak over those around me, how I walk with Jesus and pursue His way over my own are ways of BEING that show Jesus to the world way more than anything I can DO.  Thinking about how we can BE each day should change the ATTITUDE of our heart as we are doing ALL the things we have to do. In that ‘heart' place we are blessed and full of joy. We have peace. Jesus always brings it back to the condition of our heart. In the sermon on the mount, which begins in Matthew 5 He lays out a bit more clearly what the ‘BEING' looks like. Matthew 5:3-10 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus spoke of poverty, sorrow, humility, meekness, all the things that normally are not equated with success, joy and blessing. Our human understanding of how things should BE gets turned upside down doesn't it?  We will BE blessed through all the doing of the day if we will…  BE humble. BE teachable. BE honest with our pain and trust the Lord with it. BE meek, not proud or arrogant. BE hungry and thirst for the things of God and His ways. BE merciful to those hurting around us. BE pure in heart, led by the love of Christ keeping our mind set on things above, not the cares of this world. BE a peacemaker, not a stone thrower. Be identified with Christ in ALL we do, speaking and standing for truth. And if we are persecuted for it, we will BE blessed.  That's who Jesus has called you to BE today.  That's the truth. As we focus more on who we are being (which should look more and more like Christ), we will be showing more of Jesus to the world around us AS we are doing the works He has prepared for us to do.  It's a beautiful and BLESSED life.  I'm Lori Cline.

We can be secure in knowing that God loves us, and if we are saved nothing will separate us from Him. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Do you believe you are worthy of love? Sadly I believe this is one of the biggest LIES the enemy can whisper in our ear for us to believe when it comes to love.  The love LIE is this - I'm not worthy. This is a deep one.  Don't fall for it. The enemy wants more than anything for you to feel alone, unworthy and unlovable. If he can lead you away from what is true, away from the flock, away from the good shepherd, he can and will destroy your life. Knowing who you are in Christ begins with knowing you are loved. You are known, knit together and created in the image of God for a purpose. You are a priceless treasure. God made a way for you to be saved through faith in Jesus. That's how much he loves you.  No lie is big enough to separate you from the love of God. So don't believe it. Call it what is it and DAILY set your mind on what is true.  Romans 8:38-39 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. When you believe and know that to be TRUE, you are secure in who you are in Christ. You know your identity as a child of God and you are FREE to receive the fullness of His love in your life as well as be a conduit of it to others.  Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' Jesus lays it out for us. With everything you are, heart, soul and mind, love the Lord. A heart that loves the Lord in that way will naturally love others.  It begins with the love of the Father for us. Receiving and abiding in that love leads us to want to obey and love God back with our life in how we live and love those around us.  Do you see the beautiful flow of it all?  1 John 4:19 puts it this way, we love because He first LOVED us. That's where it all begins, with the love of the Father and us throwing our arms up to receive it.  That's the truth.  When you believe it, you're life will be transformed forever.  Don't get caught believing love LIES. Remember what is TRUE. Thanks for digging into these truths with me this month!  If you missed any of the love LIES broadcasts, you can find them all at lifeword.org. I'm Lori Cline.

True love releases grudges and is willing to forget rather than holding faults against someone. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ If someone you love hurts you, do you believe you have a right to remember that offense and hang on to it? Are you believing truth or a lie? Here's the thing about what is true or what may be a lie, it doesn't matter what you or I think or believe about it, what matters is what the Bible says. If I am a Christ follower, God's word is my standard for truth in how to live, how to love and how to pursue what is right and true.  The love LIE is this - I have a right to remember everything you've ever done. So, let's look at what the Bible has to say about me hanging on to something my husband did or said five years ago. Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Ok, there you go!  So after 77 times forgiving, I can dust off an offense and remind the one I love of it right in the middle of a heated discussion!  Not quite.  Jesus is teaching here in this chapter that believers have been forgiven way more than they will ever be asked to forgive. Understanding the grace I've received for my faults in turn should cultivate a heart of grace and forgiveness in me to offer to those who hurt me. We forgive because we have first been forgiven.  1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Holding faults against someone is not love. Deeply loving someone is being honest when we are hurt and communicating the truth of what we feel in love. As we listen and work through the issues, our understanding of grace as well as our love for Christ should move us to be quick to forgive, abounding in grace, not keeping a record of wrongs.  Ok, so what do we do when it doesn't come that easy? Often I forgive, but the hurt still remains and my mind goes back to what was said in a heated discussion or what was done and I don't know how to let go of it?  I think of the lyric of this old hymn..   Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.  When I think of the grace poured over me, I can't NOT offer it to those around me. Often it's most difficult to offer it to those we love most. In those seasons we can lean into the power of the Holy Spirit to give us strength to believe what is true, let go and offer grace once again.  In time hearts can heal and love grows stronger. That's the truth.  I pray you can forgive what needs to be forgiven. Don't believe the love LIE that you have a right to remember. Throw away the list in your mind once again and praise God for the grace that covers you. I'm Lori Cline.

Love must not be blind, but compassionately honest, uplifting, and correcting when necessary. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Is it considered romantic to believe that love is blind? We're looking all month long at love LIES we believe. If you believe your heart can always be trusted or all you need is love and that it's always the other persons issue when it comes to conflict in relationships… you may want to know what truth we've discovered on those beliefs and dig deeper into what God has to say when it comes to love and the LIES we often believe. Discover more at lifeword.org.  Today I wanted to talk a little bit about the phrase, love is blind. Is love blind or is that a love LIE we sometimes believe? Why do we say ‘love is blind'? I don't want to be blind to anything, I want to see what I need to see.    Many though fall in love with the IDEA of falling in love… they become so consumed with what THEY want, they become blind to what is best, what is real or what is true about a relationship. Love is blind when your heart falls for someone and suddenly the world only revolves around them. You're surrounded by hearts and butterflies and they can do no wrong. Hearts become blinded by love.  Now my first thought with that goes to the first commandment where God said in Exodus 20 to have no other gods before me, meaning don't put any man or woman on a pedestal to worship where they do not belong.  I call that infatuation and believe me reality WILL set in and reveal what is true. No one and no relationship is perfect or without flaws and no man or woman is to be worshiped.  God lays out what love looks like all throughout scripture.  No love should be blind in that it ignores what is true. Truth matters when it comes to love. Honesty and vulnerability give way to trust.  In every relationship we are to speak the TRUTH in love. Paul explains this more in Ephesians 4:15. When we walk in truth and love we model Christ and that leads to beautiful relationships that have a foundation of honesty, grace and love.  Ephesians 4:2-3 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. This is a verse that was on our fridge for years. To this day it reminds me in my marriage to make humility, patience and truth a priority and expect the same from my husband. We bear with one another in love. That means we aren't blind to anything. We are brutally honest about everything and our hearts, flaws and lives are first surrendered to God and then surrendered to one another.  Walking out love in this awareness and gentleness leads to so much peace and joy in our relationship and our home. That's the way God designed it. That's the truth.  Don't be blinded by love. Be fully aware of what is true. Know you are first loved by God and as you walk in that love, any other that comes your way you'll see and know if it's worth pursuing.  I'm Lori Cline.

Rather than seeking happiness in a significant other, we can find it in Jesus Christ. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Do you know what today is? It's singles awareness day!  The day after valentine's is a day that singles everywhere can say, ‘hey it's great to be single'! Or maybe it's more like, ‘thanks for reminding me I'm single'.  No matter how you look at it, I wanted to take this opportunity to focus on a love LIE singles may believe.  All month long I've been focusing on love LIES the enemy whispers in our ear. It's so important to remember what is true when it comes to love. So today I thought we'd tackle this love lie - I need someone to be happy.  If you're single, or even if you're in a relationship, be honest with yourself. Do you believe you NEED someone to be happy?  What is true when we find ourselves constantly searching for someone to make us happy? We all have a story and a life to live. I realized a long time ago that my story and my timeline of events looks different than yours and that's ok. Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. If my happiness is based on my plans or what I think I need, I'll come up empty every time. I must first delight myself in the one who has every step I take ordered. It doesn't mean I don‘t dream and pray about the desires of my heart, but it does mean I trust God with those desires and His timing. In that place I rest content.  Those words have stirred around in my heart recently, ‘I rest content'. Do you rest in contentment with your life and where you are in this season? Therein lies peace and joy. How do we get to that place?  Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Go highlight that one if you believe you need someone or some thing, some job or identity to be happy. The fear of the Lord, which is basically acknowledging He is perfect in all His ways and OVER it all, is what leads to life and being satisfied IN it. There's happiness.   When you know the love of God and understand His love for you, your heart can't even contain the fullness of joy, peace and love the Father lavishes on you. You have NO NEED to look for it anywhere else! Here's a prayer for anyone that's searching for that love…  Ephesians 3:14-19 For this reason I kneel before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. When you are rooted in the love of Christ, you are KNOWN fully and loved so deeply you can't even understand it. There is no other joy or happiness that can compare or be found. That's the truth.  Don't believe the lies. You don't need someone to be happy. You simply need to look to THE ONE, the way, the truth and the life. As you do, you can rest content knowing your steps are ordered and you are deeply loved. Knowing those truths could be the path that leads you to the one… or not… either way His way is always best.  I'm Lori Cline.

Those who revere God will receive healing and reward, while those who do not will receive judgment. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Since the coronavirus has become our new reality, what one supplement has been skyrocketed to fame? Vitamin D! Now we all know eating our fruits and vegetables is the best way to get our daily allowance of vitamins and minerals, but supplements have always been part of helping ensure we are getting what we need for our body. Never before have I seen more products and supplements on the market claiming to help strengthen immunity. And just to be clear, while no supplement will cure or prevent disease, we ARE seeing a rise in many turning to supplements to strengthen their immunity in hopes of protecting against Covid-19. Vitamin C, Zinc, B-vitamins, garlic, elderberry, turmeric and ginger are all very popular when it comes to boosting our immune system and reducing inflammation, but at the VERY top of the list is good old vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential to the health and functioning of our immune system. To put it simply, Vitamin D enhances the effect of our white blood cells. They fight against the bad stuff in our bodies. Vitamin D is sometimes called the ‘sunshine vitamin' because it's made when the cholesterol in our skin is exposed to the UV rays of the sun. I love that about Vitamin D. One of my favorite things to do is soak up the sun. Safely of course, but I could sit outside on a sunny day with a glass of ice water and be like a turtle on a log, not moving for hours. Did you know, half of the US population is actually deficient in vitamin D? It's true. So, it sounds like we all need to go outside and soak up the sun. God knew what He was doing when he said ‘let there be light' and saw that it was good. And it's no accident that throughout scripture God is likened to the sun. In Habakkuk 3:4 we read, ‘His radiance is like the sunlight, He has rays flashing from his hands.' In Psalm 84:11, ‘the Lord God is a sun and shield'. And in Matthew 17:2, ‘when Jesus was transfigured before them, His face shone like the sun'. I also discovered this verse in the prophetic book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament in the very last chapter… Malachi 4:1-2 Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. What in the world does that mean for us? Judgement IS coming. And like a fire consumes every root and branch of a forest, ultimately every evil will be consumed. But for the faithful to God, the warm healing rays of the sun of righteousness will shine upon us and we will be free forever. That's the truth! And I can't wait. Let the sun shine into your life for more than just vitamin D today. It's not only good for your body it's good for your soul.

We can know without a doubt that Jesus will come again someday. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Have you checked the forecast? What does it hold for this day?  As much as we can look ahead and prepare and plan, still what this day holds remains a mystery. We can't see the future. But, based on forecasts, predictions, weather analysis and observations of the atmosphere and the earth, we can TRY to know what IS on the horizon when it comes to the weather.   Every morning we ask our virtual home assistant, “Alexa, what's the weather”? She let's us know what the weather is currently in our area and what we can expect for the rest of the day. Because the science of meteorology has been around for thousands of years and become so advanced in our lifetime, we can actually know before we start the day or week even, if we will need a jacket, a raincoat or if we need to prepare for an ice storm.  Speaking of ice, a few weeks back a cold front swept across the country. Snow, sleet and ice were headed our way. School was canceled before it even started sleeting because it was in the forecast. What did I do, along with everyone else in the city? I ran to the store to stock up on groceries. The milk, eggs and bread always go first! It's a mad dash to prepare for what's to come! If you happen to NOT be prepared, the ice is still coming, ready or not. I couldn't help think about how quick we are to prepare for weather related events like ice, hurricanes or tornadoes, but how IDLE we sit, unphased even, in the wake of the predicted coming of Jesus Christ. I've talked about the predictive accuracy of scripture before, so if you question that, dig into it. Compare the Bible with any other holy book and you'll discover there is NO comparison. It's true.  You need to get ready. I've checked the forecast. Jesus is coming soon. Acts 1:11 ​​“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” That's Jesus talking in that last one. Look around. The ways of Christ are NOT the ways of this world. Pressure and persecution will only grow more as we follow Jesus with not only our words but by the way we live our life. Christ could come at any moment. The birthing pains described in Matthew 24 are increasing, can't you feel it?  Ready yourself!  Is your heart prepared to meet God? Jesus IS the way. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved! While no one knows the day or the hour, I have it on the absolute infallible authority of God's word, that Jesus is coming again.  That's the truth! Pastor, author and theologian David Jeremiah puts it this way, “Future truth impacts present responsibility. It is the knowledge that His coming is soon that puts a little bit of urgency into our step and determination into our service.” I love that. What I know to be true of the future, impacts how I respond today. I live my life in the light of the HOPE I have for tomorrow. That's the forecast. I'm ready! I pray you are as well. I'm Lori Cline.

If we surrender the things we hold onto, we can trust that Jesus will give us something better. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ When do you know if it's a good time to sell?  No matter what you may be considering selling, the BEST time to sell is when something is at its PEAK value. You want to make the most money, so you SELL when you know you can cash in! Any collector knows this to be true because they hold on to antiques or highly collectible toys that are still brand new, in unopened boxes for the very purpose of selling at the highest price. One person's trash is another person's treasure. Vintage items, if sold at the right time, to the right buyer, can make someone a lot of money.  In the world of buying and selling we look to professionals to help us navigate the market and guide us in when it's the right time to buy or sell anything. And that's wisdom. You don't go investing or selling without researching growth trends and markets. You want to make a sound decision that makes good sense.  When Jesus walked this earth he had a way of turning things that seemed to make good sense upside down, often leaving people scratching their heads or very angry. His sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter five is a perfect example. The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the persecuted, THEY are the ones who are blessed. What? This teaching was a hard pill to swallow for some. One person who just couldn't buy it was the rich, young ruler. He asked Jesus what ‘good thing' he must DO, to have eternal life. Jesus, seeing much deeper behind the question, told him to keep the commandments. He was quick to respond, ‘hey I've done that, but what else do I lack?' This is what happened next.  Matthew 19:21-24 ​​Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus was giving this man the best advice he would ever hear! It's a good time to sell! Today's the day. Give it all away right now and follow me! Don't miss this opportunity!  Sadly, it proved to be MUCH too high a price for the rich young ruler.  He couldn't see the gain was so much more than riches.  What about you? Jesus has the same message for us today. It's a good time to sell. TODAY is the day of salvation! What are the barriers that are keeping you from saying YES to Jesus. What do you hold so dear. That's the very thing He wants you to let go of. Surrender it. Lay it down and trust Jesus with it.  I remember seeing a cartoon once of a little girl looking up to Jesus. She's holding a teddy bear that she loves SO much. Jesus is leaning down wanting her to trust Him with it. What she doesn't see is He holds a MUCH bigger bear to give her as soon as she lets go.  That's God's economy. It's not about the stuff, it's about where our heart is.  That's the truth.  Give your heart to Jesus. You'll quickly discover the things you held so dear, pale in comparison to knowing Him.  I'm Lori Cline.

Giving our hearts to Jesus means that our lives are to be about Him, not us. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ For anyone who has ever had a baby or been around a baby, what is the one universal rule?  Don't wake the baby!  If the baby is napping, you don't wake the baby! Now before I start getting comments about how this is somewhat of a myth, I obviously know that there are in fact times to wake a baby as needed for their health and well being. So with that being understood, let's go back to the general rule for a healthy baby that is napping… you don't wake the baby. It's good to let them sleep! Don't ring the doorbell! Just leave the package at the door and walk away quietly! A sleeping baby is a wonderful thing. They will wake up when they are hungry. They will wake up when they are wet or dirty. They will wake up when they are ready to play. They will wake up when they are gassy. They will wake up if they are sick or have an earache. They will wake up when it is TIME to wake up.  When it IS time to wake up, all those needs WILL be FULLY met.  Timing is everything. Maybe you needed that reminder today as roses, chocolates and balloons are being delivered all across the land in the name of LOVE.  When it comes to LOVE, timing IS everything and God has YOUR steps and heart ordered as you trust in Him. God, who established time as we know it and who clearly instructs us that there IS in fact a TIME for everything, makes it clear there is a time for love. He established it completely in the garden. It was not good for man to be alone, so God in His wisdom and perfect plan, created woman. Eve, created from man, was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Marriage, and the love created as a result within it, was established by God and in His timing and plan, it is HOLY and GOOD.  There is a time for everything, even love. Ecclesiastes three speaks to this in saying there is a time for embracing and a time to refrain from embracing as well as a time to love. But just like a sleeping baby, do NOT wake it up, before it's time!  If love is true, then love is patient. Love has self control and LOVE waits.  Song of Solomon 8:4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. Sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, let love sleep! Don't wake it up before it's time. This is not only sound wisdom from King Solomon, it's God's perfect plan for your life. When you walk in obedience to that plan you are protecting your heart and body from a world of pain, confusion and disappointment that stepping outside of that plan could bring.  God's way and God's timing are always best when it comes to love. But the world is pushing your way, your timing. That's why we must align our life, heart and body to God's way, because the creator of love, who loves us with a perfect love has laid out the very best plan for us to follow when it comes to LOVE.   1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.  The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. When we give our heart and life to Jesus, He becomes our focus and first love. It's no longer about ME! It's waiting on the Lord for ALL things, pursuing purity, waiting and trusting Him with my heart, knowing He has my steps ordered. And when it's time for love to be stirred and awakened, it will be perfect and holy and beautiful because it will be His way, His plan and in His time. That's the truth.   Love is patient. Don't miss what God has in store for you. Wait for it. It's so beautiful in His time.  I'm Lori Cline.

When we lose sight of our love for God, we can always repent and come back to Him. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Have you lost that lovin' feelin'? Is it gone, gone, gone?  Could your heart be like this balloon? In one moment it's full of possibilities and then the next (LET THE BALLOON GO) it has left the building, leaving you empty and deflated.  The Righteous Brothers recorded, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' in 1964. It resonated with hearts across the country so much that it shot up the charts to number one and people are still singing it today thanks to radio, television and top gun.  If by chance you've been living under a rock and do not know the song, it basically describes behaviors that seem to reveal a love, which was once strong and passionate, that has lost its fizzle. A heart is drifting and it's showing. The connection is no longer what it was. When it comes to relationships and love, some might say if you've lost that lovin' feelin', then the feelin' you had was probably not TRUE love. True Christ like love, which is described so beautifully in 1 Corinthians 13, stands the test of time. A love that fades is most likely infatuation, which has been described as unreasonable and short-lived passion. Isn't that often where our hearts are recklessly drawn? We settle for short-lived passions that fade and leave us empty.  We are quick to give our heart away to things and people that don't deserve it and then we wonder why we are left holding the pieces. Our heart, the most precious part of who we are, is what God desires. Jesus said in Matthew 6, ​​”seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” He also said, “​​For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Every new day our heart must first be filled with Christ. This realigns us to follow and treasure HIS way and His word over our own. We hear His voice above the worlds. Still, our hearts are prone to wander. Our time with Jesus decreases and our time with the world and the cares and temptations of it increases. We drift and our first love begins to be replaced with cheap imitations of what God ordained.  The love of God FOR us is faithful and steadfast, but our love for Him over and over proves to be fading and faithless. The marriage of the The Old Testament prophet Hosea and his wife Gomer puts on full display the example of our wandering hearts. We give our heart to Jesus and then over and over we redirect that love and offer it FULLY to whatever idol the day may bring. God forgive us and may we get back to our first love and commit to it with our whole heart.  Revelation 2:4-5 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Jesus, through the Apostle John, addresses the church of Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2. This church is referred to as the ‘loveless' church. The church, of which Jesus is the cornerstone, has always been God's plan to display His grace, love, truth and mercy to not only the world as we know it but also to the angels we can't see. (Don't take my word for it, see Ephesians chapter 3.) So the church matters, so much so that Jesus addresses the seven churches in Asia at that time and his message STILL applies to us today. He tells the loveless church, along with you and me, you've lost your love for me! You've fallen out of love and replaced your devotion and affection for me with whatever your fleshly heart desires.  Repent. Come back to your first love. Our life and heart falls to pieces and we wonder where IS God in all of it. Friend, He never left. We wandered off. He does not. We choose our own way and ignore His. We are faithless and He is forever faithful, lovingly waiting for our return. That's the truth.  No matter where your heart may be right now, give it back to Jesus. Maybe you've never given it to Him in the first place. Today's the day. What a beautiful day to discover a love that never leaves you, is never ending and never fades. Call on the name of the Lord and be saved. Seek that love first and everything else will follow.  I'm Lori Cline.

Showing the world that we love like Jesus shows them that we are loved by God. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ How do YOU see Jesus?  Do you see a holy man, guru or prophet? Maybe you see him as a radical faith figure who started a movement that ended with his death? Do you see him only in a manger at Christmas? Maybe you see him on a gold cross around your neck and accept that his death meant something, but did it really mean everything?  I know people see Jesus in many different ways. To me, He IS my savior, the promised son of God. HE is the beginning and the end. He IS the atoning sacrifice for my sins and the ONLY way, the truth and the life. He is the resurrected messiah, prophesied about in the Old Testament, the ONE who defeated sin and death and the one who sits at the right hand of the Father even now, waiting for the time He will return for His bride. He is with me always and He loves me.  That's the core of who Jesus IS to me. He is so much more, but I know even if you don't see Jesus the way I do, wouldn't you probably still say that Jesus IS love? That seems to be the common denominator. Jesus IS love. He loved sinners. He loves you and He loves me. Jesus preached about loving our enemy and loving our neighbor. He loved well and calls us to do the same and we quote it regularly, but do we really know what LOVING like Jesus looks like? I'll tell you what it's not, it's not a touchy feely gospel of good vibes and sunshine. When Jesus talks about love, it always requires sacrifice and surrender.  He lays it out for us.  John 15:9-14 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. The life of Jesus was a full display of sacrificial LOVE. He loved to display the love of the Father. God is love and Jesus was that love sent to earth in flesh to make a way for you and me to be reconciled to the Father.  When we remain in that love, we can't help but love others. It compels us to do so because we realize we don't deserve it! When you are loved so perfectly, even in the midst of sin, rebellion and shame, it leads you to repentance and a desire to STAY IN that love. That's abiding in the love of Jesus. It's obedience to the Father. So when we obey like Jesus, we LOVE like Jesus. They go hand in hand and the beautiful result of a life lived like Jesus is complete JOY, not some empty promise the world will never deliver. Love God and Love others like Jesus.  1 John 4:7-12 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. When you love like Jesus you show the world that you know you are loved by God. You get it and you want to give it away and obedience naturally follows. You want to know His way. You desire to take up your cross and follow. That's how Jesus loved me and it's how we can love like Jesus.  That's the truth.  It's a perfect love and the resulting ripple effect on the world around us continues to put on full display the truth that is the common denominator from Genesis to Revelation, God SO loves the world. I hope you know that love today. You can discover even more about it at LIFEWORD.org.  I'm Lori Cline.

There are many things to love in the world, but God should have our hearts. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ LOVE is in the air! Your response to that may be, ‘oh no it's not'! OK, you may not be IN love at the moment, BUT we all have objects of affection in our life. So then the question is, what or WHO is the object of your affection? My forever valentine is my husband, so his cute face comes to my mind. I adore my two miracle girls. I pour my love, care and attention on them daily. You may really LOVE your car or truck, so maybe that's what comes to your mind. Those strong feelings of affection and adoration for whatever we love, are powerful. We love so much we will spend billions of dollars showing it over the next few weeks, and I know many of you will spend a good bit of that on your pets! We love our family. We love our friends. I love my dogs, Roxy and Ruby. My husband loves his 1959 Gibson acoustic guitar.  The objects of our affection and love direct our attention, care, time, passion and often our life. This CAN get out of hand. Remember ‘The Lord Of The Rings'? Tolkien, the English author and scholar, imagined a world where the story revolved around one object, a very powerful ring. It became ‘the precious' object of affection for anyone who possessed it, but its power was so strong it could NOT be controlled, so it had to be destroyed.  The story of that ring is a good reminder as we consider where our hearts attention may be. Is it healthy? Is it out of balance? Are the objects of our affection honoring to God? What about God? Where is He in the mix? Here's what I have come to learn over and over in my life. When God is NOT the primary object of my affection and focus of my heart, I AM out of balance. I'm going to repeat that for me one more time. When God is NOT the primary object of my affection and focus of my heart, I AM out of balance. Life becomes more and more about ME. All the things, all the desires of my heart, all the objects of my affection, end up serving ME, not God.  God knows our hearts are prone to wander. That's why Jesus in Mark 12 boils all the commandments down to the greatest with the first and foremost one being to, ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' He's reminding us to keep God as the primary object of our affection! God first. His way and have no OTHER gods before Him.  Yet our hearts wander. Our eyes and desires shift from God to self. WE become the object of our affection, so much so that we are blind to what is true.  Paul wrote very clearly to this LOVE of SELF and the fruit that is produced as a result.  2 Timothy 3:2-5 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Look around and you see that kind of behavior everywhere. What happens is when we love ourselves and our pleasures MORE than we love God, we naturally live out of a narcissistic worldview. We filter God's word and truth in a ‘narcigesis' way, in which we bend it to our selfish, self pleasing, boastful and proud liking. SELF becomes the center of the story and God is further and further removed from it or put in His place according to our liking. This is the danger of making SELF the object of our affection. Paul warns against it and calls it like he sees it. Either God is first or I am.  What has our heart? Where is our devotion? What matters most? Take an honest look at the characteristics and fruit of your life. Do they resemble what Paul described in 2 Timothy 3? Only when our heart is set first on loving God, is everything else in our life set into its proper place.  That's the truth.  I pray we seek God first today. Take SELF out of the picture. As we do the desires of our heart actually come more and more into view.  I'm Lori Cline.

If we are hoping for something that hasn't come yet, we can trust God sees it. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Do you believe things today are as they ought to be? If you're on a beach somewhere with your toes in the sand and not a care in the world, you just might believe that. But even IF that is where you are, things still aren't as they ought to be are they? We DO have so many cares in this world. We don't have to look far to find pain. It's in our own lives, in the lives of those around us and we see it everyday in our country and around the world. When my heart is overwhelmed with the truth that things are NOT as they ought to be, I remember 1 Peter 5:7 that says, ‘cast all your care on Him because He cares for you.' We weren't meant to carry the weight of this world. We can find rest as we lay ALL our cares down at the feet of Jesus. That's the beauty of faith. Even when the world around us is falling apart, I am blessed. If you are IN Christ, you can claim that same blessing and promise. So even if things aren't as they ought to be, it CAN be well with your soul and as it ought to be because you are IN Christ. He makes it right, even when it's not. It's a beautiful truth that is not based on what you see. It's based on a HOPE that is found in what we cannot see. It's faith's promise. Things may not be as they should be now, but one day they will be and until then, it IS well with my soul. Faith's promise is that one day things will be as they ought to be. So we walk by faith and look to the promises of God. He's never not kept one by the way! Look at Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament. God promised them a son. God told Abraham in Genesis 15 to count the stars and if he COULD count them, that would be the number of his descendants! Do you know how long Abraham and Sarah waited for a child? A very long time. But the Bible tells us that Abraham believed in the Lord. He had faith, even when things weren't as they ought to be. There was a time Abraham fell on his face and laughed about it all, Sarah laughed too, but thankfully they lived through that, and even though he was one hundred years old when Sarah conceived, God was faithful to His promise. Hebrews 11:12 ​​And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. Abraham walked by faith. He laughed a little along the way, but still He believed. What are you believing for today that you aren't seeing? Trust and know that God sees. His plan for your life IS good. His timing is perfect. His ways are SO above our own. We can't see the big picture, but when we walk by FAITH and believe in the promises of God, we are BLESSED and in our heart, things ARE as they ought to be. Receive this blessing today and believe in the promises of God for your life. Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. This blessing of God's people is called “the Aaronic benediction” asking God to delight in His people and show them favor. God's favor leads to peace. This isn't a life without pain, struggle, death or war, this is a heart that believes in a God who IS faithful to His promises even when things around us are not as they ought to be. That's the truth. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you trust IN Him and walk each day, by faith. I'm Lori Cline.

Jesus wants to do something new, but we must step forward to allow Him to work. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Are you still living in last year? It's a new year! Aren't you ready to step into something new? No not really. I'm good. Have you ever felt that way? You're not alone. Something new doesn't always feel good at first does it? This new month of the new year I'm focusing on the word NEW throughout scripture at lifeword.org. Today I'm looking deeper at the way we often want to hang on to what is old. The problem with that is we find ourselves trying to control the NEW thing God is doing or wants to do IN and through us. Why in the world would we want to control what God is doing? Usually because it requires us to throw off the old and familiar. Sometimes we get stuck don't we? I'm not ready for something new. I'm not ready to move on. I'm not ready to take down my Christmas tree and twinkle lights. I want it to still be Christmas where we're all in PJ's eating way too much and watching movies. Let's just stay a bit longer in last year. Last year is comfortable. I'm familiar with it. It's worn in like a good pair of vintage jeans, and those are hard to come by so let's just leave it be for a while ok? The struggle is real. Jesus ushered in something new. While God's people had longed for the awaited Messiah, they weren't ready for the WAY He came to save the world. It didn't look like they wanted it to look. How in the world could GRACE be enough? People wanted to control the gospel then and many still do today. But when we add to it or take away from it, it never ends well. It's a rebellious and disobedient spirit. The old way and the new way never fit together. Matthew 9:16-17 ​​“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Here in chapter nine of Matthew, there is a conversation happening about fasting. The law only required one fast a year. The Pharisees had added to that to require twice weekly fasts, because they thought they knew better. Remember the control part? Jesus and his disciples didn't follow that. Some wanted to know why. He uses a metaphor, which I love. You don't sew unshrunk cloth on an old garment. When you wash it, the patch will shrink and tear away. The new doesn't work on the old. You also can't pour new wine into old wineskins, they'll burst during the fermentation process. The new doesn't work IN the old. Here's the truth he wanted them to see. Jesus ushered in a NEW covenant of saving grace through faith. This covenant wasn't anything to add to the law, HE was fulfilling the law and bringing something new. Salvation is a NEW nature. The holy spirit reNEWS us to walk in the spirit, in a NEW way, not in the old ways of the flesh. Ephesians 4:22 tells us we are to throw off our old sinful nature and our old way of life. When we do that, the spirit then can renew our thoughts and attitudes. We put on a NEW self, a new nature, that should be evident in how we live each day. You don't meet Jesus and then walk away the same. No. You walk away changed and NEW. Jesus wants to do something new in your life, but to step into it, you've got to stop looking back and take a step forward. Let go! It's a new year and a new day. Give thanks for what was and move into what Jesus has for you today. Yes it may be uncomfortable, but water walking wasn't meant to be. That's the truth! Today, move and follow Jesus into something new this year! A great adventure awaits. I'm Lori Cline.

Rather than focusing on perfection, we should pursue what is right and abide in God's grace. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What changes do you need to make this NEW year? Some of mine are obvious, others might not be so easy to see. I'm not talking about resolutions, but with each NEW day, we are given an opportunity to CHOOSE to take steps toward change we want to see in every area of our life. The new year is a great time to self examine a bit and look back at where you've been, maybe hold up a mirror and see where you are and then pray about where God would have you be or even go! Caution! This is a process that often requires you to be mean to yourself just a bit. Seriously! We settle into comfortable rhythms and routines, which could be doing more harm than good. We desire physical health, joy and fulfillment in our work and at home, spiritual maturity, community and authentic relationships but we aren't taking the steps to MOVE in the direction to get there! When your car is out of alignment, you know it. You have to work harder to keep it between the lines. It's pulling one way and you keep bringing it back to center. In the same way, when something is out of sync in your LIFE, you know it. But often we keep living with it that way. We choose to ignore it, which leads us to gradually drift off course and the constant pull and stress of it all wears us down. There are changes you know you need to make right now that you can see and then there are changes you need to make you maybe can't see. Thankfully, the one who knows you and loves you best can not only reveal what those are but He will give you the grace and strength you need to take the steps that lead to change. Philippians 3:12-16 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Paul was in prison when he wrote this encouragement to the Philippian Christians! And he still had a perspective of pressing on and taking HOLD of all God had called him to. He wanted to finish well. He was focused. He was disciplined. He wasn't pulled to the right or left. He knew the direction he was headed. He would not be paralyzed by his past or discouraged by the present. He saw beyond it. He had a kingdom perspective. His purpose was clear because it had been revealed through Christ Jesus. Paul was far from perfect, but he didn't focus on that! He focused on what he knew to be true and he kept taking the steps he needed to press on. That's where discipline comes in. You move when you don't feel like it. You stand firm when those around you are falling away. You make changes in areas of your life you need to make to honor God in all you do. Paul took the step of aligning his life to God's way and God's word.  He took the step of pursuing righteousness. Even in prison, he took the step of NOT complaining and NOT giving up. He lived his life for Jesus alone and in doing so he encourages you and I today to do the same. That's the truth. It's not about perfection, it's pressing on each and every day pursuing what is right and as we do, we'll begin to see change in our life as we abide in God's grace along the journey. I'm Lori Cline.

Our Shepherd has prepared our way and will guide and comfort us through the ups and downs. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Is the Lord your shepherd? If you're tired of wandering and ready for complete peace and rest, follow Jehovah-Rohi. Rohi is the Hebrew word for shepherd. Jehovah-Rohi is one of the names of God. He is the Lord my shepherd. The Lord IS my shepherd. I gladly follow Him. Sometimes I try to go my own way, that never works great and I usually get stressed out. So back to His green pasture I go. In a previous season of my life I was a radio promoter. This was in the days before smartphones. We had blackberries, mobile phones, fax machines and no GPS. As a radio promoter I would promote Christian artists to Christian radio. Part of that job was taking artists all over the country to meet radio programmers and convince them to play my artist's latest single. To prepare for a promotional tour required lots of planning and back then, printing out directions. Before a trip I had a folder full of directions. It was all on me to get us everywhere we needed to be. It was so much fun. It was also exhausting. Today you simply ask siri to tell you where to go and GPS tracks you the whole way there and tells you where the best restaurants are. I never think about directions like I did back then. I jump in the car, put in a destination and the GPS on my phone guides me. Life's a breeze. Tracking your own way in life is exhausting. If you didn't know it, you don't have to do it anymore. There is a good shepherd that knows the best place to eat, the best place to get a cool drink and the best place to find rest. You don't have to worry about all the things. He will lead you, you only need to follow. Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. All the things in this life you used to worry about, you don't have to anymore. The shepherd has it all laid out for you. The journey may get crazy, but He will guide you and comfort you. When you follow the shepherd, you're never alone. And the cool thing is as you begin to follow Him here on earth, you dwell with Him here as you will in Heaven. How cool is that. The journey never ends, but you can rest because He's got it all mapped out for you. And it's full of goodness and love. That's the truth. The Lord is my Shepherd. Jehovah-Rohi. I will follow Him and He will lead me wherever I need to go. I'm Lori Cline.

We should preach the truth in love and let the Holy Spirit do His work without judgment. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What do planks, pigs and pearls all have in common? Jesus. Jesus referred to all three at a certain point in His sermon on the mount. In this section of His sermon He is doing two things. He is condemning judging others, while also speaking to the importance of discernment. They are two different things and both are very important. Jesus wants us to consider our own heart when it comes to both. Let's look closer at what Jesus says about planks, pigs and pearls. Matthew 7:1-6 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. Jesus is very clear. Do not judge. How you judge others is how you will be judged. Easy enough right? I wish. Friends, we start each day looking in the mirror, yet often we don't see what is glaring back at us. We are blind to our own planks as we nitpick over the dust in our brother or sister's eye. Let it begin with me. May we start each day with a posture of humility and openness to the spirit to reveal the planks we must FIRST remove. Only then, can we move toward our brother or sister to remove their speck. And before we remove a speck, how about we encourage what they're doing right. Speak life and then that will open a door to receive correction in love. This makes me think of my girls. In the morning if one of them has something that is not right with their hair or makeup, they are quick to help each other. Let me get that, there is something not right. Let's get that back in place. This, I believe, is the spirit of what I call ‘speck removal'. There IS a time and a place, but it must be from a heart of love and care, not judgment. We ladies call it straightening each other's crown. It does more to build UP than tear DOWN. We should invite that kind of ‘speck removal' and crown straightening. It's the sharpening and refining process we all need to clear out and fix what we can't see. That's a beautiful thing that moves us toward maturity in Christ. So that's the planks part, what about the pigs and pearls? That seems different than judging. Well, that's where spiritual discernment comes in. We are called to tell the world about Jesus. We are not the judge, yet we are to go, tell and make disciples. How that message of truth is received is not up to us. If the truth and love of Jesus we have to give to the world, our pearls, are not welcome, we move on. We plant seeds and where they fall and if they root or not is beyond our control. We simply are called to love our neighbor, walk in obedience and be faithful to share the message. There are many that will deny the truth of Jesus. There are many that will not receive it. Love them and move on. You will never win a heart to Jesus through a debate. Let the Holy Spirit do its work. Speak and live out the priceless truth and hope we hold dear. If it is not received as such, then shake the dust off and know the Lord will lead you to hearts that are ready to hear. That's the truth. Planks, pigs and pearls, oh my. The words and ways of Jesus are what we live by. When our hearts are aligned with His, the planks are obvious, the pearls are precious and the pigs are well, pigs. Walk on my friends. I'm Lori Cline.

When we recognize what God is calling us to do, we must pursue that calling. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What are you pursuing? You might say you are pursuing your passion. Is pursuing your passion always a good thing? It depends on the heart behind it and the motivation. Is it rooted in the spirit or rooted in the flesh? There IS a big difference. For me, as a believer in Jesus, I am motivated by the spirit of the living God in me. No longer is it about my will and my way, it's His will and His way for my life. I am not my own. I was created for a purpose for such a time as this. Here's the cool part, that purpose, becomes my passion because I was gifted for it and designed to fulfill it. That's the way God works. Oftentimes though, we get distracted. We get overwhelmed. We lose sight of what matters most and we clutter up our heart, life and home with things that lead us away from that passion and purpose. We settle for idols, cheap imitations and substitutes of God's best for our life and as we pursue those things, we find ourselves lost. Thankfully God is a new morning mercy kind of God. His grace is sufficient and his love for me never fails. His desire is for me to know His will. In this season, when so many find themselves Spring cleaning and clearing out the clutter to move forward, I am taking steps to do the same. Pray. Purge. Pursue. These three steps have led me to be still and listen to where God is leading me to move forward in areas of my life. I'm doing more listening than speaking and if you know me, you know that's not easy. But where I am weak, He is strong and I am leaning IN to hear God's voice and be moved to ready myself for what He has for me. Pray and listen to what God wants to gently reveal to you. Purge and clean out what needs to be made new, pruned or thrown out of your life. Pursue with passion where God is leading you. Pursue is our last step. This is where we are confident of what God has spoken and we know the steps we are to take by faith and we are now at the starting block getting ready to run! Our feet are locked and loaded and the path is clear. Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Do you see the example of Jesus? Pray. Purge. Pursue. He listened to the Father. He spent time in prayer. He knew the Father's will. He laid down His own. He ran the race that was set before Him, endured the cross and made a way for you and me. Even though the world may tell you different, this life is not about you. God created the world and knit you together in your mother's womb for a purpose. That purpose rests completely IN Him. He has joy for you today and it is found when you pursue Him, because as you do, the path and purpose for your life becomes clear and you can't help but pursue it with passion. That's the truth. Don't be overwhelmed in this season, do what I'm doing. Pray. Purge. Pursue. Joy isn't found in doing all the things we should be doing, it's found at the feet of Jesus. We listen for His voice, move by his leading and pursue the plans He has for us. Let's ready ourselves for the race we were created to run. I'm Lori Cline.

We must ask God to purge our lives of the sins that draw us away from Him. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What is God leading you to in this season? Where is He wanting to mold you? Are there areas of your life and heart that need a clean out? It is Spring. What work needs to be done now that will lead to making room for growth and good fruit down the road? While I love the idea of Spring cleaning, I do not want to do the Spring cleaning. That is in a way what led me to seek the Lord in this season and it really doesn't have much to do with vacuuming or dusting. I've simply been overwhelmed. I know many of you can relate. As I have taken inventory of my life, home and heart, and all the things that seem obvious that I NEED to do, I've been stuck in ways, not even knowing where to begin. That's when God gave me the words pray, purge and pursue. Instead of getting stuck in a cycle of what I should be doing, my heart is seeking what the Lord wants to LEAD me to do. One way is full of shame and guilt while the other is full of grace and is an open invitation to move closer to who God wants me to be and the plans He has for me. We began last time with pray. If you missed it you can find it at Lifeword.org, but to recap a bit, we're asking God to lead us to the things and areas of our life and heart that need attention. Pray till you pray, is the first step and words are not required. The purpose of the ‘pray' step is to be still and know God wants to move you closer to His heart and will for your life in every area. So listen and see where He leads you. The next step we are looking at today is PURGE. We begin with prayer. Once God reveals our area of focus, it's time to purge. Now when I think of purge I think of the physical act of cleaning OUT. Get rid of it. And in fact, that may be what God wants you to do. To purge is to cleanse, purify or remove. When you have the urge to purge, you act quickly! I love that! For me, this is where the spirit comes in. Where I am weak, thank God He is strong. I can lean on the Lord to give me the strength to follow through with any action of obedience the Lord moves me to take. (2 Corinthians 2:10) I will never have the urge to do things that aren't easy, but in His strength, I can do all things! What this step looks like for you will be different from what it may look like for me. Ask God to reveal your step forward and then to give you the urge or desire to take it! Where and what do we need to purge? God will reveal it. We can look to Psalm 51 as an example. David's sin was revealed and instead of sweeping it under the rug or ignoring it, he responded, took action and brought it to the Lord. Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. God revealed what needed to be cleaned out in David's heart. David responded with repentance and surrender. He wanted to have the sin cut out and his life made new. He moved closer to God through the process. We can do the same whatever that looks like. Be still and listen to His voice. By faith, you can throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. (Hebrews 12:1) You can cut out what is dead in your life and prune back areas of growth to produce more fruit. (John 15:2) You can take an honest inventory of where your treasure has been and realign your heart to what matters most. (Matthew 6:19-21) Wherever God leads us, those are the steps we can take to respond. That's the truth. We pray then we purge. God reveals and we respond. It's Spring cleaning that goes beyond the surface. Next time we'll move beyond the purge to PURSUE what God has in store. Join me at lifeword.org. I'm Lori Cline.

We should be constantly praying with the knowledge that God knows our need before we ask. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Now that it's Spring, what do many of us find ourselves doing on a sunny afternoon? Spring cleaning! Ok, maybe I should have rephrased that and asked, ‘what SHOULD many of us be doing'? Yes, it's time for Spring cleaning, but to be honest, if I have a free sunny afternoon, the last thing I want to do is clean. But, there IS something about coming out of winter, with all its cold and dark days, into the beauty and warmth of Spring. You do want to throw the windows open, let the fresh air in, whistle while you work and allow all the woodland creatures to come clean your home like they did for Cinderella! Oh if only that could happen. If you're like me in this season, honestly, I'm overwhelmed. Maybe you can relate. My heart is still mourning the loss of my Dad, we've had many losses around us, people are hurting and life hasn't slowed down for any of it. In fact, I think it sped up! Now hear me, I am blessed through it all. God's grace and mercy IS new for me every morning and His goodness is all over my life, still it's a lot at times. My heart is embracing the beauty of lament and I do find myself praising through the storms. Still, in that place, I've felt stuck when it comes to the things I SHOULD be doing, like Spring cleaning! With an honest heart, I wanted to share with you what God has gently led me to in this season, to take some steps forward in areas that I find it difficult to move. It's three steps. Pray. Purge. Pursue. Write those down if you feel led to. Pray. Purge. Pursue. We can journey together. I'll dig deeper into each one over the next 3 broadcasts. The thing is, in any season, God wants us to know Him more. He wants us to abide deeper in His presence and as we do, the light of truth shines bright on areas of our lives that may need some attention. As the spirit of God REVEALS, we then are moved to take steps of obedience as we RESPOND to His leading. Then the beautiful thing is our movement or action steps aren't rooted in comparison, shame or defeat. Our steps are a response to an invitation to move closer to healing, closer to health, closer to God's will for our lives and ultimately closer to who God has called us to be for such a time as this. So, if you're ready to join me in this season to take some steps forward, whatever that looks like for you, we begin today with prayer. The first step is to pray till you pray. Make time. Get quiet. Be still. Shut out distractions and take some deep breaths. This is the most important step. If you miss this, you're motives and movements can be way off. Don't look to what the world or social media says you need to be doing in this season. What does God say? Psalm 46:10 says ‘be still, and know that I am God'. To hear God's voice, we must still our own and others. This is the primary focus of the first step. Silence the noise and wait on the Lord to reveal the areas of your heart, life and home that may need attention. Your heart may need time to open. That's ok too. Words aren't required when we pray. The spirit intercedes for us, Romans 8:26 tells us and I'm so glad. Often I have no words and I think that's where God wants us to begin. Just be still. Jesus invites us to come and find rest. In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus gives us His example in how to pray. I love the Lord's prayer, but it's the verse right before it that in this season, moves my heart. Matthew 6:7-8 ​​And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you pray till you pray. No words are required, simply a heart open to hear. And if you know me I love words, but God is gently reminding me, I don't have to even speak. My Father knows what I need before I even ask. Pray. It's the first step. Your Father already knows what you need, and the process of prayer and listening to His voice is what allows Him to reveal it to you. That's the truth. God is very present and He wants you to know what steps to take in this season. Be still. Know He is good and He has a good plan for your life and He has good steps for you to take today. Take this first step with me and pray. Together we'll discover what comes next. I'm Lori Cline.

When we cannot change our circumstances, Jesus is still there to comfort us. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What is something you wish so desperately you could change, right now, but you cannot? If you're like me, I have a mile long list. It's a crazy feeling isn't it? This isn't right. I want to make it right. This wasn't supposed to be this way. How can I fix this? This is not how my story was to be written. What can I do to change it? Is there a REDO button for this day or this chapter of life? When life doesn't turn out like we expected or the big waves almost knock us down, we all must come to a place we simply understand that we are NOT in control. It's that ‘throw your hands in the air' moment of surrender. Broken moments, broken chapters, broken pieces of our lives that are beyond our control, are the very moments God uses to remind us, He IS our only hope. He is the ONE who holds it all together and no matter how many pieces there may be to our life, He is the only one who can put them back together in a way we would have never imagined. He is there, IN every moment, wanting to carrying us through it. How does a child let you know they want to be carried? They put their hands in the air. We must do the same. We come to a place where we accept the reality that we can't, and God can. When we rest in that, there is peace. Are you familiar with the serenity prayer? It's a prayer to God asking for calmness and peace in all matters of life. It was written by Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr and promoted and published in the nineteen thirties and forties. There are two versions and I want to read you both. The short version is this, O God grant me... the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference, Amen. The full version reads like this, God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen. The line that makes me smile is, ‘so I may be reasonably happy in this life'. There are things we can't change and there are things we can. What I love about this prayer is it is full of surrender, while at the same time accepting responsibility. God calls us to water walk in seasons and He also calls us to be carried. My prayer is that whatever any day may hold that I always know who holds it. Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Jesus holds me together, ever single day. I'm so grateful He does. Whether you choose to trust Him or not, He holds you too. He is IN it all and working through it all for your good. Believing that brings peace and accepting what we cannot change, is serenity. That's the truth. If you're struggling with what you cannot control, trust Jesus with it. One day all things will be made right, but until that day, we walk, rest and move by faith and find peace only when WE let go. I'm Lori Cline.

Our faith must grow and mature as we walk in our relationship with Christ. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Do you have a green thumb? I like to think I do. I mean I love plants and over the years I've had many. Some of them have done really well and others, not so much. I love the beauty of plants. I love the health benefits of having plants. One plant, or tree, I currently have is a ten foot fiddle leaf fig I named Felix. I've had Felix the fiddle leaf now for almost ten years and overall he's done great, but in this season, he's looking a little rough. If you've ever owned a fiddle leaf fig, you know they are quite moody. They actually like to be ignored, but don't neglect them. They need filtered sun, but not direct sun because they'll burn. They like being root bound, but don't let their roots sit in water for too long. They're complicated, but when the conditions are just right, they thrive, grow tall and are beautiful. We're not much different are we? We can be oh so complicated, but when the conditions are right, we thrive, grow and become something beautiful. What does any plant need to survive? It's really comes down to three things, soil, water and sun. A seed is just a seed until it's buried in the soil, watered by the rain and strengthened by the sun. What was dead, is brought to life. There is so much potential in one little seed. I love the Spring because what was planted in the Fall is now blooming and what will be planted now will bear fruit in the season to come. Faith is like that. If you have placed your faith in Jesus, that little seed of faith should be growing. But just like any seed or young plant, you need things to nurture your faith so it will grow strong roots and mature into something beautiful. In the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13, Jesus uses the example of one of the smallest seeds and how THAT is like the kingdom of heaven. When planted, it grows, thrives and over time gives shelter and shade for all around it. Matthew 13:31-32 ​​He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” We are saved by grace alone, through faith. That tiny seed of faith is meant to grow! As it does, not only am I stronger but those around me experience the beauty and peace of God through the spiritual growth in my life. Deep roots and strong branches of a mature faith encourage others, give rest, bring shalom and strength for those on their journey. That's how the body of Christ works! We comfort one another. We spur one another on. We grow stronger together as one body. The kingdom of heaven is made up of small seeds of faith planted in us. Those seeds of faith are meant to grow UP out of the weeds of this life to mature into mighty oaks of righteousness we read about in Isaiah 61:3. As we grow, no matter the storms or winds of this life, we are not moved or shaken. A mighty oak takes years to grow from a seed, so our hearts and lives take time to mature IN Christ. I think the question we can call ask is, “are we growing in our faith?” Spending time in prayer, digging into God's word, being sharpened and encouraged by other believers, serving and building UP the body with our gifts are all things you need to grow in any season. Go read Ephesians chapter 4 and then James chapter 1. Those are great places to see where YOU are on the growth chart. There are marks of a mature believer just as there are marks of one that is immature or doesn't know Christ at all. The fruit is always evident. The good news is that wherever YOU are today, all it takes is a seed of faith for you to begin to grow. That's the truth. What do you need in this season? Add more Jesus and I guarantee something beautiful will begin to grow. I'm Lori Cline.

We cannot see the truth of who Jesus is unless He opens our eyes. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Are you prepared to see it? You'll need these glasses! It's being called an extremely rare astronomical event and it's happening in just a few days! I'm talking about the great North American total solar eclipse that will occur on April 8th. Now while yes, we do see annual eclipses, this one is special for many reasons that are WAY over my head. You can dig deeper into the fascinating timing and geometry of it all, but just know it will be something special to experience and millions in North America will have the opportunity to see it. In fact, areas that will be in the “path of totality”, as they call it, will be flooded with tourists wanting to see it first hand. But, to see it, you must be prepared. It is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun without specialized eye protection designed and approved for solar viewing. If you do, you could cause permanent damage to your retinas. To see the eclipse safely, you will need solar viewing glasses or if you want to simply watch the shadow, you can use a pinhole projector or a colander from your kitchen. You see the fact is, there are steps you must take to be able to fully see and experience what will take place in the sky this month. If you don't follow those steps, you won't see it. Often there is a process to really seeing and understanding what it is you're seeing. I couldn't help but think of when Jesus healed a blind man. This healing is only recorded in the book of Mark and what I love about how it unfolds is that there was a process to this blind man being made to fully see. Mark 8:22-25 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. This man was blind. He couldn't see anything. He was brought to Jesus. There was a bit of a process to him gaining his sight. Jesus took him by the hand. He, without seeing, followed. At first his vision was a bit blurry. He could only partly see. Then after another touch from Jesus, he saw everything, clearly. Isn't that interesting. This was no accident. Everything Jesus did and the way He did it had meaning and purpose. This mans sight came in stages. He didn't see clearly at first. Isn't that just like the disciples. They were so close to Jesus. He revealed himself as messiah in so many ways, still they didn't fully see or understand until His resurrection. Only Jesus has the power to open our eyes to see our need for Him OR to see where we have been blind in our own eyes. The blind man absolutely knew he was blind, but what he didn't see was his need for Jesus until his eyes were opened. It's no accident you are seeing this today. You've been brought face to face with truth. The question is, are you prepared to see it? Jesus wants to open your eyes so you can look up and clearly see your need for a savior OR maybe see areas in your life where you've been blinded by sin. Take the steps you need to take right now to see clearly. Jesus is waiting to show you what you've been missing. That's the truth. Don't miss this opportunity. Like the rare total solar eclipse that will take place, this may be the day God has prepared your heart and eyes to see where you've been blind. I'm Lori Cline.

The plan God put in place from the beginning was to save a broken and dying world. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ When was the last time you really prayed? I love the phrase, pray till you pray. When I pray till I pray, that's when I REALLY pray. That kind of prayer is not a quick, ‘thank you God for this day', followed by a ‘please Jesus let that light turn green', on the way to work. Now while those are fine too, time spent with the Father is intentional and takes… well, time. I love the example we have in Jesus. Time with the Father wasn't optional for Him. It was vital, like breathing. He prayed after being baptized. He prayed all night before calling His disciples, after healing people, before trips, early in the mornings, before feeding the five thousand, in front of Jewish leaders and for 40 days in the desert. He was in constant communion with the Father. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to ‘pray without ceasing' and that's how we see Jesus pray. It's a life lived OUT in and through prayer as we move through our moments and our days. Every moment IS holy and God is with us and wants to guide us through each one. There is divine purpose in our days, and prayer slows us down to recognize it. All this month at Lifeword.org I've been looking closer at the words of Jesus. Today I wanted to focus more on His prayers and the one specifically we find in John 17. The time is close at hand for Jesus' betrayal and arrest. In this chapter, which is a part of what is known as the Upper Room Discourse, we see Jesus wrap things up with a prayer. He prays for himself, His Disciples and all who will believe. I want to highlight three parts of this prayer. As Jesus prays for Himself, He knows the time has come and in these moments He confirms the calling and mission that was set before Him. John 17:3-4 ​​Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. Jesus' work and life on earth was coming to an end. The cross was before Him and in this time with the Father he states again the will and WAY of the Father. His will is that we spend eternity with Him. The way is Jesus and the work has been done. Jesus then prays for His disciples, His friends. They have been faithful to the word and they have believed. He prays for their unity, joy and protection from evil. John 17:16-18 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. His prayer for the disciples was a reminder there is more to come and that they stay on the path of truth. The next phase of God's plan was about to unfold and they would carry the gospel forward from here. Then He prays for me. Yep, He had me on His mind. If you believe, the last part of chapter 17 is for you as well. His desire is for God to be glorified through OUR lives as WE walk in unity, love and follow His ways. He ends His prayer for us with these words. John 17:26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. Through Jesus, I am KNOWN by the Father. How deep and wide is the Father's love for us? He loved us so much He sent His son Jesus so we might be saved and KNOW Him. That same love of God is in me. His spirit abides in me and I am His and He is mine. How beautiful the words of our savior to the Father on our behalf before carrying out the final mission and plan on the cross. Remember, the plan God put in place before the earth was even formed, was to redeem a broken and dying world. Jesus came to bring peace. He came to die. You were on His mind. I was on His mind. He interceded for us then and he intercedes for us now and His desire is for us to know Him and make Him known. That's the truth. Pray till you pray today and be known and loved by the Father. I'm Lori Cline.

If Jesus doesn't cost us anything, the life we're living may be lost. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Did Jesus come to bring peace? He did say, blessed are the peacemakers. The prophet Isaiah said he would be called the Prince of Peace. Peace I leave with you, peace I give you, peace be still, are all words Jesus spoke. On the night of His birth, the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”. Ephesians 2:14 says ‘for He Himself is our peace'. Yes, Jesus came to bring peace. Jesus made a way for mankind to be made RIGHT with God. Without Jesus we are enemies of God. (Romans 5:10) The sin that separated us was atoned for, paid for and made right, on the cross. The cross alone made the way for PEACE with God. Colossians 1:19-20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. I am so thankful for the cross. Jesus' death, burial and resurrection changed everything. Only Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, could take away the sins of the world. Peace with God, through faith in Jesus, is now for all who will believe. See John 3:16. Jesus did come to bring peace, but look around, are we at peace? Watch the news tonight and then tell me if our world is at peace. Bring up politics, religion or the injustices of the world in a crowded room and let me know how peaceful that discussion goes. It seems there is more division than peace. Well, Jesus brings that too. Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Wait a minute, that's not MY Jesus! Friend, if the Jesus someone has been selling you doesn't include this truth, you need a new truth dealer. Better yet, seek and know for yourself. So what DOES Jesus mean here? He's bringing a sword. Households are divided. To follow Him you gotta carry your cross and to find your life you must lose it? That's not very zen! In this chapter, Jesus is sending out the twelve apostles. It's about to get real. They will be sheep among wolves. They will be teaching, healing and persecutions are coming. He is preparing them for the immediate task at hand as well as the future challenges ahead. One big challenge they would face and we face today, is the COST of following Jesus. Choosing to follow Jesus then and now requires total SURRENDER. Following Jesus means His way over yours. Following Jesus means He is ruler of your life. Following Jesus means dying to your way and following His. THAT kind of surrender to Jesus brings DIVISION. That kind of surrender to Jesus in certain parts of the world brings death. That's what Jesus was preparing his followers for. What does it mean for us today? If following Jesus hasn't COST you anything, then the life you're living, may very well be LOST. That's the truth. Following Jesus will cost you, but it'll never compare to the price He paid for you. I'm Lori Cline.

To follow Jesus, we must seek His ways above our own. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ How does Dairy Queen serve a blizzard? The ice cream and fast food chain has served the blizzard upside down since the beginning. Why do they do this? The inspiration actually goes back to 1959 when a 14 year old boy kept asking for thicker and thicker ice cream shakes. Finally the owner, at a point of frustration, flipped a shake upside down and asked, ‘is this thick enough for you'? Yep, that inspired the DQ flip. The purpose rests in PROVING the ice cream shake is, in fact, so thick, it won't fall out when flipped upside down. When our lives are flipped upside down, what do we prove? Do we fall apart or hold fast? That may sound kind of silly, but life does get crazy doesn't it. What we believe about God and how we respond is proven in those roller coaster moments and seasons of life. When life is not as expected, where IS our hope found? Jesus turned things upside down during His time on this earth. What was valued was devalued. What was expected was not delivered. The last became first, the poor became rich and the guttural prayers of a dirty sinner, not the calculated words of a white washed saint, moved the heart of the Father. Do you believe in Jesus? Does your life prove it? Back in the time of Christ, disciples would follow their rabbis so closely that they would be covered in his dust. "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi" was a blessing commonly given to disciples in Jesus' day. I love that imagery. I want to follow Jesus so closely and live my life in such a way that it PROVES I belong to Him. I want to walk like Jesus. I want to talk like Jesus. I want to be covered in HIS dust. Are you dusty with the words and ways of Jesus? All this month at Lifeword.org I'm looking at his words, the red letter ones. Often we highlight only the ones that make us feel good. While the gospel accounts of Jesus' life and His words are recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is present from Genesis to Revelation. He IS the word made flesh. The ways and words of Jesus turned the world upside down. His followers hoped for a kingdom on earth that would make them free and rich. In His sermon on the mount, Matthew 5, 6 and 7, Jesus served up a kingdom flipped upside down. The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who seek righteousness, mercy and the pure in heart, they are blessed. It's not simply what you do, but what you think and the condition of your heart that causes you to sin. Marriage is sacred. Love your enemies. Give more than required. Seek the Father's will over your own. Store up treasure in heaven not on earth and so much more you can read for yourself that should PROVE the ways of a follower of Christ. Jesus followers should be set apart not only by the LOVE of Jesus but also the WAYS of Jesus. He makes it so clear, but still many are missing the way. I want my life to shine a light that makes the path clear. Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. We are the light of the world. Covered in the dust of Jesus we are a city on a hill in the darkness. And our life, even when turned upside down, should prove we are His people and He is our God. That's the truth. Go read Jesus' sermon on the mount today. I pray you walk away from it dusty, and if you do, you'll be blessed. I'm Lori Cline.

When we seek Jesus with a heart willing to surrender, that is when we truly find Him and when we do, we find peace. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What kind of Jesus do you seek? When you even hear the name of Jesus, what are your first thoughts? What you've heard spoken or read about Jesus is usually what leads you to believe what you believe about Him. Or, maybe you're thoughts on Jesus are a result of what you think about people who claim to follow Jesus. You might not like what you see so therefore you choose to not have anything to do with the Jesus they follow. That's putting a lot of weight into human hands, opinions and worldviews when YOUR soul is on the line. You're seeking something today. Maybe you're even running after it. I think if you silenced all the voices in your mind and filtered through all the desires of your heart, the one thing you, or any of us, are seeking is PEACE. Peace is found only IN Jesus, but the key requirement is letting go of everything else YOU hold dear. Yep, there it is. Surrendering your will for HIS is required. Any other Jesus you or anyone else tries to put out to the world, is an ANTI Christ. Simply meaning, it is a false or counterfeit spirit that actually opposes God and leads people away from the one true Jesus with false teaching. Read more for yourself on that in 1 John 2:18-22. If you deny the one true Jesus for any other form of Jesus you seek, you are LOST and forever without peace. Jesus made it very clear in what it takes to know and follow Him. We can quickly look at a couple examples we have in scripture of interactions people had with Jesus. They wanted a Jesus that fit into their world. They wanted a Jesus they could feel good about and celebrate all while clenching with white knuckles onto what they held dear. It simply does not work that way. Jesus said it himself and we'll look at his words about it in just a bit. First let's look at the very rich, but left still wanting, rich young ruler. His interaction with Jesus is recounted in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. He desperately wanted eternal peace. He runs to Jesus, kneels before Him and wants to know what he can DO to be saved. While he claimed to be a ‘good' man, none are righteous apart from Jesus. Still, this man wanted a Jesus that worked into HIS plan, not the other way around. Mark 10:21-22 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus isn't who YOU want Him to be and He doesn't fit into our lives any way we want like those bendable Jesus toys you can buy online. He IS God. He is HOLY. He wants ALL of you. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, the interaction looked quite different. Matthew 4:19-20 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Drop our livelihood? Sure. Leave it all behind? Done. You want ALL of me? You got it. Now in that moment they had NO IDEA the path set before them and what it would all entail, but what they did know was the savior they were seeking, was calling them by name and that was all they needed. Later they would hear Jesus say, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” They were beginning to see it more clearly every day they spent with Jesus. Less of me. More of Him. When we seek Jesus with a heart willing to surrender, that is when we truly find Him and when we do, we find the PEACE we were looking for all along. That's the truth. The truth doesn't bend, but the love God has for you, never ends. I'm Lori Cline.

When presented with temptation, Jesus responded with Scripture. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Can you hear me now? Good! Do you remember that? From 2002 to 2011, Verizon Wireless aired commercials which showed a test caller calling from all over the place to check for service. It was brilliant, because now over twenty years later, when a call gets glitchy, what do we say? Can you hear me now? No one likes to drop a call. We have things to say and words to hear! Listening matters. A friend of mine recently shared these words of wisdom on listening. Listen to understand, not to respond. Let that soak in. Listening to really understand requires silence on our part, not a quick response. Words are powerful. They reveal so often the depths of our heart and emotions. Sometimes words spoken reveal beauty and depth of wisdom and character, while other words reveal immaturity, foolishness and selfish motives of the heart. Out of the heart the mouth speaks. All this month I'm focusing on the words of Jesus. You know, the red letter ones. Some people like to ONLY focus on those, listen close to understand, that's a BIG mistake. Every word, from Genesis to Revelation is God breathed and inspired. Jesus is the word made flesh and He and the Father are one, so EVERY word, is the word. Don't be foolish and misunderstand that very important truth. While the words WE speak are powerful, THE Word of God cuts deeper than any. Hebrews 4:12 ​​For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The word of God is what we take to battle. We are to daily put on the armor of God, we read about in Ephesians 6. The sword of the spirit, is the word of God. We speak the word of God and the Holy Spirit uses its truth to cut deep into the hearts of those who need to see their need for Jesus. Only the power of the holy spirit can convict and draw someone to repentance. That truth and power is what we take into battle. Jesus fought the devil with that sword. He used the Word of God, in the face of temptation, three times while fasting for forty days and nights in the desert. With each word, Satan was cut deep by truth and ultimately had to flee. Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'” Jesus was slicin' and dicin' on the devil right there with the word of God! At a very weak moment physically from his fast, Satan attacked. He dropped temptation bombs left and right and Jesus used countermeasures of scripture and took each one out like a ninja. Make no mistake, this was no easy battle, but Jesus was equipped with the word. He IS the word and in that battle He knew no lie or temptation of the devil could stand against it. That's the truth. Look to the Word of God and join us this month as we lean in and listen to understand the words Jesus spoke, the power they hold and how God wants to use them in our own lives to penetrate our hearts and draw us closer to Him. I'm Lori Cline.

Even as time goes on and things chance, the words of Jesus remain. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Do you know any of the words of Jesus? Whether you believe and follow Him or not, you very well may have quoted Him. You might know Jesus said to, “love your neighbor,” but do you also know Jesus said, “love your enemy”? Yep. Wherever you stand with Jesus, the fact remains that His words always cause a stir. The Pharisees used the words of Jesus against him to have him crucified. So good reminder, just because someone uses the words of Jesus, doesn't mean they FOLLOW the words of Jesus. Find out what Jesus said for yourself. Dig into Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As you seek Him, you WILL find Him, from Genesis to Revelation. Some bibles have the words of Jesus in RED. I love those. These ‘red letter editions' as they are called, highlight the words of Jesus in the color red throughout the gospel accounts. The first one was published in 1899 by Louis Klopsch. He was inspired to publish such an edition by reading what Jesus spoke in Luke 22:20 which says this… Luke 22:20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” This verse sparked the idea. Jesus' words in red, symbolizing the new covenant Jesus sealed with His blood on the cross. It's simply a tool we can use as we study ALL of scripture. As a red letter edition bible highlights the words of Jesus, I thought I would do the same. So join me this month at Lifeword.org as I look at some of the red letter words of Jesus. We'll dig into truth He spoke that doesn't get as much mainstream attention because, well, it might not be what we WANT to focus on. But you see, that's why we should. Every word of God's word matters. That's the danger in thinking any part of the Bible is of more importance than the other. EVERY word is from God. Jesus Christ IS the Word (John 1:14). All of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is the Word of GOD, (2 Timothy 3:16–17) AND the word of Jesus, because He and the Father are one. (John 10:30) We are to hold dear, adhere to and follow EVERY word, because it is right and true and it will stand forever. This is what Jesus said about His words. Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Here in Mark chapter 13, Jesus is giving his disciples a look into the future. While out on the Mount of Olives, Jesus begins to describe the coming destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem as well as a great tribulation and end to heaven and earth as we know it. There will be signs, just as buds blooming now are signs of Spring that will lead to Summer, we will see and know when the time is near. Jesus makes it clear. All things, in the heavens and on this earth, will pass away, but His WORDS will remain. That's the truth. Jesus said it. I believe it. I stand alone on it. It's the only thing in this life that will not fail. I'm Lori Cline.

God sees whatever battle we are in and will fight for us. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Is it time to drop your weapons? I don't know about you, but when I'm attacked, I don't readily want to lay my weapons down. The natural response is to weapon up like you see in the movies. You fire at me, I'll fire back. Now I'm not talking literally, but goodness we have some sharp arrows in our proverbial arsenal we like to throw at the ready don't we? Remember the power of your tongue and the power of your comments? I won't dig deep into that today, but if you need Godly wisdom, there is much to read in His word about the heart and what flows out of it by way of your tongue. Dig into that and ask God to reveal and heal the roots of your words. Today I wanted to remind you of what is true if you are in a season of verbal attack, hurt or betrayal. First, remember you are never alone. God sees and He knows what you're facing. Take your hurts to the Lord and allow His love and healing grace to meet you there. In Genesis 16 we read how the Lord met Hagar in her sorrow. “You are the God who sees me”, she prayed. He sees you today and in Him there is comfort, wisdom and peace. Second, drop your weapons. We don't battle as the world does. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Paul was being slandered by the church he planted in Corinth and his authority as an apostle of Jesus was being challenged. His faithful obedience, empowered by the Holy Spirit, was all he needed to stand strong against his accusers. Like Paul, let your life be the witness to silence the words of those against you. Fight on your knees in prayer. Love your enemies and those who come against you. Your soft answer and unexpected response of grace to their anger could bring them to repentance. Third, remember the Lord is your shield. Psalm 3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. When King David prayed these words he was being attacked at every turn. To make it cut a little deeper, his son Absalom was leading the attack. David prayed, ‘Lord you are a shield around me'. If you read about David, you quickly get a glimpse of the great warrior he was. No doubt he was familiar with a full body shield that shields one from the arrows AS they would MOVE forward. David's faith, identity, character, even though all were being attacked, were shielded and protected by God. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “What a divine trio of mercies is contained in this verse! Defense for the defenseless, glory for the despised, and joy for the comfortless.” Whatever battle you may be in, remember God sees you. He IS always at work around you and the war that rages is not against flesh and blood. Don't fight as the world does. Go to the Lord in prayer. He is your shield. He is your glory. Lift your head and remember what is true. You are never without hope, you are loved and you are never alone in the battle. That's the truth. Let's drop our weapons. Whatever that looks like for you today, allow God to lead you, guide you and give you strength to love, even your enemies through the battle. I'm Lori Cline.

We should be willing to go to work wherever Jesus is moving. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Have you ever been dared to pray something? Me either! But I loved it and now I'm daring you to pray it too! But, before I get to the prayer, let's talk about mission. What is your mission? If you're a believer in Jesus, I really hope you know the answer. If you don't, let me give you a refresher. Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” What's our mission? We are to go and tell and teach the world about Jesus. Mission is the heartbeat of God. It began with Jesus and now it is to continue through you and me. Jesus said in John 20:2, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” That's you and me! Yes, it's also all of our missionaries we support and pray for that are all around the world, but it's also YOU and ME, right where we are. Luke 10:2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers or laborers are few. Why are the workers few? Because our eyes are only seeing what we want to see. We're not even seeing the harvest field around us. Where we work, where we live and where we play, that's where the harvest is. There are people all around us that need Jesus. They need a friend to listen. They need a helping hand to help them with a meal. They need someone that won't judge them. They need someone that can lay aside their agenda to see a divine opportunity to love. They need someone who will put their needs above their own. That's Jesus. That's what people need. Why do you love like that? Jesus. Why do you listen like that? Jesus. Why do you serve me like that? Jesus. Why do you care for me like that? Jesus. That's our mission. Will you accept it? If so, I dare you to pray this prayer. Jesus, where are YOU already at work where I live, work, learn and play? Jesus, how can I join you? That's it. That's what I'm praying in this season. Join me. I dare you. Don't miss where God is at work around you. There's no better place to be! Is it uncomfortable? Yes! Will you get your hands dirty in the field? Yes! Let's go! You can read all through scripture how God used ordinary men and women, just like you and me. Go and tell the world about Jesus. Show them His love. That's YOUR mission. That's the truth. May our prayer be, ‘Jesus, show me where YOU are at work', then may we be willing to go into the field. I'm Lori Cline.

God is able to deliver us from whatever we walk through. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Do you ever sing in the rain? I don't either, but I'm starting to think we should! Here's why, I was in the car rider line to pick up my girls from school. It was pouring rain. As I get closer I'm seeing kids using umbrellas, hoodies and backpacks to try to cover their head as they make their way to their car. Then I see this boy. He is not even walking fast. He's almost kinda struttin' a little. Is he not getting wet? Yes, he is. Does he not care? No, apparently not! I'm having this conversation with myself, in the car of course. As he gets closer to me, I see he's singing, in the rain! This kid was in his own little world. Earbuds in, hair dripping wet and he did not care one bit. He was walking, had a song in his ears and he was singing every word. As he walked by my car I said out loud to myself, “he's just singing in the rain”! You know what, it made me smile! He was soaking wet, walking along, singing his song. I want to be like that kid. I want to sing in the rain and not care that I'm getting wet. You know why he didn't care, he was way more focused on the song than the rain. Do you have a song to sing today? I don't know if you're walking in sunshine or a heavy downpour, but do you have the JOY of the Lord? I'm not talking about fake smiling, sweep the pain under the rug, I'm fine talk. I'm talking about peace in your heart and hope for tomorrow, even in the rain, kind of joy that only comes when you know God is WITH you. Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Here in Isaiah 43, God is reminding Israel, to not be afraid. He knew the journey ahead for them would be rough. They would face many obstacles along the way, but He would be with them and He would deliver them. God is still making a way for us. Through faith in Jesus we have the promise and hope of heaven. This world is not my home! So in a way, like that boy singing in the rain, I'm in my own little world a bit. I can walk out each day and no matter what comes my way or tries to bring me down, I can keep on walking with a song in my heart. That's mountain moving kind of faith. You see a mountain and yes it's big and yes you don't see a way around it, but God is WITH you! Remember Daniel's friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the Old Testament? Go read Daniel chapter three. They were FULL of faith. They were ‘singing in the rain' kinda boys. They weren't gonna bow to the king's idol. NO! The King asks, ‘and who is the God who will deliver you from my hands?' “O King” they said, “we have no need to answer you in this matter. Our God is ABLE to deliver us, but even if He does not, we will not worship your God.” Yep, they were thrown into the fire. The guys that threw them in died it was so hot. But those boys, I can just imagine them walking around singing in the fire with Jesus right there beside them. Remember those words back in Isaiah? I will be with you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Those boys had faith in that promise, so they just kept on walking. That's the truth. Trust the Lord with all you're walking through. He will walk WITH you and he'll even give you a song to sing. I'm Lori Cline.

God will redeem what is lost and restore what is broken when we give our hearts to Him. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Are you afraid of love? I was at one point in my life. I don't know what chapter in your story led you to where you are today with how you feel about love, but for me it had to do with trust. I didn't trust love. If we dig a bit deeper into the root lie I was believing, I ultimately didn't trust God with my heart. What I've come to discover over the years about the lies we believe, is that the broken pieces of our story can lead to broken views of God. Broken views of God lead to lies we then believe about His LOVE for us, His character and His plan. Those lies take root deep in our heart and the fruit is unhealthy. Jesus had my life, but there were pieces of my heart I had on lock down. Only when we shine the light of God's redeeming love and truth into those dark chapters of our story can love be trusted and have room to grow. When I went to college the last thing on my mind was marriage. I had a five year plan. Marriage was somewhere after those five years, IF it happened. Plans are great, but hold them loosely. The Lord had my path set for a different course. Something unexpected happened. I met a cute boy that didn't get on my nerves. We actually had fun together. He became my best friend. We even went through a break up and only by the amazing grace of God were we able to see beyond ourselves to something greater God had in store for us. It was His plan, not ours. But the beautiful thing was that all the things we desired individually, God gave us together and it was better than we could have ever asked for or imagined. God has a way of working like that. When I look back over 30 years ago now to those early days of love, I see clearly why I was afraid. I didn't want to trust God with my heart when it came to relationships. It was too scary. Love couldn't be trusted. Here's a light of truth. 1 John 4:18 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. Jesus had my heart, but the truth is, He didn't have all of it. The pieces I was holding on to needed to be released into His loving care. I let go and released my control of what I couldn't even control in the first place. Freedom flooded my heart. And with every step of faith I took, what was broken was restored and redeemed by the most perfect love of all. That's how our love story began and it is still being written today. It's a beautiful story. It's not perfect, but we look to the one who IS and we abide together in His perfect love. That has made all the difference. Give your heart to Jesus. If you're afraid of love or maybe believing a lie, shine the light of truth into what you're believing to be true about God. He'll redeem what was lost and restore what has been broken. The redeeming love of God is deep and it's unlike any you've ever known. That's the truth. Don't let fear hold your heart captive. Abide in the perfect love of God and He will redeem your love story. I'm Lori Cline.

Jesus brings joy beyond the circumstances we face. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Do you know you are loved? Even if you don't get chocolate, jewelry, flowers, cologne, dinner out or even a card at some point this week, YOU are deeply loved by God and He is creating something beautiful in your life. It's true. That may be the last thing you want to hear today, but the truth is, the most beautiful gift you could receive is knowing your worth, your beauty and your purpose are found FULLY in the one who created you, loves you and knows you best. God adores you. No other love compares. Seriously. I adore my husband. I've loved him and he's loved me now for well over thirty years. I'm thankful to God and blessed by that love, but God loves me more and my heart first belongs to God. The same for my husband. As our hearts have drawn closer to God over the years, our hearts have come closer to one another. It's a beautiful design and a deep love. All the things we think we want when it comes to love, can ultimately only be found when we first know we are loved by God. Everything else flows from that love. We receive it from God and then we give our heart back to God. It's a beautiful reaction to being loved. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) If you are in a season of waiting or maybe your heart has suffered loss or been broken, I want you to know God sees where you are and what you're walking through. You don't walk it alone. God is with you. He is near your hurting heart and working through your circumstance to create something beautiful. Knowing He is working FOR your good, (Romans 8:28) you can choose joy (James 1:2-4) even in the most difficult season or trial. Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. God knows the deepest desires of our heart. He also knows the idols we place above Him. When we seek Him first, the rest will fall into place in the most beautiful design. It's difficult to imagine something beautiful in a season of trial or longing. Still, as we reflect His love through it, beauty shines for the world to see. Coming through this winter we've been hit with some harsh conditions. Arctic blasts brought record breaking low temperatures and lots of ice and snow. The icy cold of winter, while it can bring many challenges, also brought beauty I had never seen. Ice pillars formed in the night sky. These ice or light pillars are an atmospheric optical phenomenon which look like vertical beams of light. They're beautiful! The effect is created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. Ever heard of ice brellas or ice bells? Me either! Apparently these can form around trees in lakes or rivers during a hard freeze. It looks like an ice skirt around the bottom of a tree. Unexpected beauty formed in the cold of winter. Even the harshest conditions of our lives or the coldest seasons of waiting can display something beautiful when our heart reflects the love of the Lord. Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Jesus brings joy beyond our circumstances. Whatever conditions we face in this life, He shines something unexpected through it as we trust Him with it. We grow as a result with deep roots and our lives become a display of His splendor, even in the winters of life. That's the truth. REST in the love of Christ. Something new and beautiful will form as a result. I'm Lori Cline.

We can rest in the knowledge that God controls the universe and loves us. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Don't you love when someone is looking out for you? You don't feel so alone. You know someone has your back. They care about what is in YOUR best interest. It's a good feeling. As a mom, I have my girls back. They know I am always looking out for them. Have you seen the image of a lion cub and it's mom right behind it. That's me. Nothing would even think about going after the cub because mama lion is scary and she has that baby lion's back. She is never far away. Her eyes are always on the lookout for the sole purpose of protecting her cub. With the recent winter weather that swept across the country, I was glad someone had our back. My area of expertise is not the weather, but I am thankful we have meteorologists that are always keeping an eye out. They can forecast what's to come with science and technology so they can let us know for the sole purpose of keeping us safe. With the snow, ice and record low temperatures we had, students were out of school for over a week. As a parent, I'll keep it real and tell you I was ready for them to go back. I love my girls, but I also love when they are in school. The last day they were out they were planning to go initially with a delayed start time. That morning, the district made the call to keep them home one more day. You know what, I wasn't frustrated in the least. I found myself grateful. They wanted my girls, as well as every other student, safe. Their eyes were on it. That's a good feeling. It gives you peace knowing someone that knows MORE than you or someone that can see the BIG picture is watching out for you and helping guide your steps. In life, you may feel today like no one's looking out for you. You may even be very self reliant because maybe those that were supposed to be looking out for you, didn't. I want you to know this, you are deeply loved and there has never been a day God hasn't had His eye on you. Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. I love this! God wants us to KNOW Him and in knowing Him we WILL know the WAY we should go in every circumstance. How many sources do we go to for counsel? Just check your latest online searches. We have questions and we take it to google before we take it to God! God sees. God knows. God will instruct you. God will teach you and counsel you. He holds the entire world in His hand and still, his loving eye is on YOU. I can rest easy knowing that today. You can too. You don't have to worry. Choose to trust. God sees where you've been. God knows the conditions of the road you're traveling today and He wants to guide you through the storm that may be coming tomorrow. That's the truth. It's like the song says, His eye is on the sparrow and I know HE watches me. Go check out Psalm 121 and know His eye is on you. I'm Lori Cline.

God fills us with His goodness and sustains us. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Have you ever been excited about a lemon? Well I have and I'll tell you why! I got one for Christmas this year. It wasn't wrapped in a box or anything, I actually picked it off of a tree. This wasn't just any lemon off of any lemon tree. This was a lemon that grew on a lemon tree that my parents bought and planted in a pot. My Daddy was so proud of that little lemon tree. If they got at least 2 big lemons each year they were happy, because that meant at least one or two lemon meringue pies. My Daddy met Jesus face to face this past summer. Goodness how we miss him. We're still in the year of firsts. This first Christmas without him, our family gathered. Even though Daddy's no longer with us, he's still everywhere around us. So much of who he was and what he loved and lived for, remains in us and in ways, in all things he left behind. One of the things he enjoyed was that lemon tree. This Christmas, it was full of lemons. Everybody got one. Round, yellow rays of sunshine in a way from Daddy. I've never been more excited about a lemon. Now something else you should know about me is I LOVE lemons. I am an avid lemon water drinker. I have been for a long time. So bringing one of the lemons that my Daddy loved home with me for Christmas was just about the best gift I could have gotten. I didn't want to cut it at first. I wanted to just keep it, but I knew it would go bad if I didn't. It was meant to be picked, and enjoyed. So I did. I sliced it up, filled a glass of water and squeezed a big slice in and let it float to the top. Do you think I enjoyed that glass of lemon water? Listen, I drank every drop. Then I filled it up again and drank all that. That wasn't just any lemon water. That was lemon water from a fresh lemon off of a lemon tree my Daddy loved and cared for! That just made it taste that much better. It was good. I felt close to my Daddy and I was refreshed. Isn't that the way this life is supposed to be lived? We have a father who is good. He is a giver of good gifts. He is our good shepherd and IN Him I shall not want. He refreshes my soul and IN Him I am blessed and filled up as I taste and SEE His goodness in my life. Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. When you savor something good, you want more. You can't stop talking about it. You give five star reviews because you want people to know the goodness you've experienced. The Lord IS good. What I have tasted and seen in my life over and over keeps me abiding IN Him. I take refuge in Him. I am connected to the vine. He IS my portion. When I am poured out He fills me up yet again. He is ALL I need in and out of every season. When I see His moving in my life and when I simply must wait, I know He is with me working it all for my good, in HIS time. Nothing else compares to the Father's love for me. It's so sweet. I'm not sugar coating anything here. Life IS hard and sometimes you get lemons. But then again, sometimes you get lemons! Through it all, I can be refreshed, renewed and know He is with me. That's the truth. Have you tasted the goodness of God? It's good water. I'm Lori Cline.

Although we do not see the big picture of God's plan, we can trust that He does. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Are you ready to turn the page? Yep, me too. What is it about January that at times feels like it lasts forever? It's 31 days. There are other months that have 31 days, but why does January feel like it has 47? Needless to say, with all the winter weather we've had, I'm ready to turn the page into February and move one day closer to Spring! Let this season pass on by, because I can't see any growth. I need to SEE something grow! Things burst out of the ground in the Spring and I can get OUT and GO! In Winter, everything is cold and still, including me. We're not very good at being still are we? Does it take a layer of ice and snow or an arctic blast to force us to be still? Sometimes it does. The beautiful rhythms of time and rotation of seasons is no accident. Each one fulfills a purpose. The growth we see in Spring would not come without the rest and renewal of winter. It's easy to forget there is purpose in a bitter cold season of stillness with no visible growth. It's a reminder we are NOT in control and it's in that stillness and surrender we KNOW God IS. God IS always at work. Even when I don't see it. What God is doing in a season of winter is unique and beautiful, just like each snowflake that falls to the ground. A unique design being formed AS it falls. Beauty through surrender. It's the same in our life. Surrender, even in a cold season of NOT seeing, IS bringing forth something beautiful in a season to come. That's the way God works. We don't have to see it to believe it. We TRUST and KNOW He is working through all things and there IS purpose in every divine moment. I love what Jesus said to Peter when Peter didn't want Jesus to wash his feet. John 13:7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter couldn't see the big picture. Jesus did. It wasn't for Peter to see, he needed only to surrender, serve and follow. Today, remember you can't see the big picture. You weren't meant to. This season may not look the way you had hoped, it's ok. Simply surrender, serve and follow. Trust God is in control. Trust requires letting go of wanting so desperately to SEE God move when and where and how you want Him to in your life. We can't realize or understand what He is doing, but later maybe we will. Still we surrender, serve and follow. For now, we simply REST where we are, in THIS season. Even in the cold, even in what we can't see. We can be still and know God IS at work and HE is the only one who brings restoration, renewal, revival and He will make all things new in the season to come. That's the truth. Don't question in the cold of winter, the goodness God has shown you in the Spring, Summer and Fall. His will WILL be done as we surrender, serve and follow. I'm Lori Cline.

One day, God will not just renew old things, but make all things brand new. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ Do you believe that what's been done can't be undone? It depends doesn't it. I can tie my shoe and then I can untie it, but I can't go back and undo the first tie. So while I can reverse the action of tying my shoe, I can't untie tying my shoe. Clear as mud right? To undo something you basically reverse the effect of what you did. Oh how many of us would love to reverse the effect of things we have said or done in the past. One of my favorite commands on a keyboard is UNDO! Wouldn't that be nice to have in real life situations. What did I just do?? UNDO. UNDO. Programmers can do this when they roll back commands. It's like they never happened. Well we can't roll back or hit undo in life. There are consequences to our actions and our choices. We may not be able to hit the undo key, or even call for a REDO like we did when we were little, but we can try to reverse the effects or make things right. God works through us and our circumstances to redeem moments and seasons. I'm so very thankful He does. I've experienced that in my own life. What the enemy meant for evil or maybe something I chose to do was forgiven, grace was extended and over and over something beautiful grew as a result. What was broken was mended. What was lost was restored. God meets us in our every need, failure and fear with provision, grace and love. I love how God met Adam and Eve in the garden after they sinned. They tried to cover themselves. They tried to undo a little of their shame. God met them with tunics of animal skin to wear. Blood was shed to cover their sin. The world is still under the curse of sin, but for those IN Christ, we are now redeemed and covered by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus' death on the cross brings us back into fellowship with the Father. What was done in the garden was undone on the cross. The good news now is that the hope we have because of Jesus, is that one day, He will come again and one day to come ALL THINGS will be made NEW. Revelation 21:1-5 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth, ”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” This is not describing a fixer upper heaven and earth, this is a MADE NEW heaven and earth. A new Jerusalem, a new earth, no longer plagued by the powers of evil, sin and death. The presence of God will very much be WITH us and every tear will be wiped from our eyes. Can you even imagine no more death, sorrow, crying or pain? What a day that will be. That's what all things made NEW looks like. It's not an UNDO it's a made new. John got a glimpse of it for us in Revelation and I'm so glad he did. Praise God for His word, because it is in fact, worthy and true. That's the truth! If you missed any of this months broadcasts where I've been digging deeper into scripture around the word NEW for this NEW year, you can find them all at lifeword.org. God wants to do something new in your life! Don't take my word for it, get into His word every day and discover the NEW He has for you. I'm Lori Cline.