Bethany McIlrath

First and Second: Perspective On What Matters Most (Matthew 22:36-40)

Tag: christ

  • What Your Broken Heart is Worth

    What Your Broken Heart is Worth

    Photo from: Pixabay I’ll admit, this idea hit me when I misheard the lyrics to “First” by Lauren Daigle. I thought she was singing: “before I bring my need I will break my heart.” The line didn’t quite make sense, but I was convinced that’s what she was singing, and then I read this verse:…

  • Being Empty Versus Being Emptied

    Being Empty Versus Being Emptied

    photo from: mymorningmeditations.com Who hasn’t reached the end of a day exhausted, empty, and totally wiped out? We all have moments like that, and sometimes they come after we’ve done good things. It’s often after VBS, the big retreat, or an amazing series of conversations about the Gospel that we find ourselves feeling drained. Paul understood…

  • The Faithful “If”

    The Faithful “If”

    Photo from: www.spectrumhealth.ie In Philippians 2, Paul explains what the “ifs” of faith can amount to. We read the words “if any” over and over again. Paul explains how the “ifs” we desire can add up to joy. Sometimes it helps to read Scripture backwards. Those “ifs,” for instance, are based on the presuppositions that follow:…

  • Pray First

    Pray First

    Photo from: sapch.org I remember when these words sounded limiting –were you ever in that place? Praying first…or really before anything at all, seemed so restrictive. It took up valuable time and energy. Praying first meant either doing something obligatory and then continuing in my own way or having to sit around and wait while time…

  • Love Others

    Love Others

    photo from: everydaywild.com Love your neighbor as yourself. This, we know well, is the second greatest commandment: “‘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.’ All the Law…

  • Love The Lord

    Love The Lord

    Photo from: www.playbuzz.com What does it mean to love the one who defines love? Love was in the mind of the one who thought up and foreknew all that is. His voice boomed with love when He spoke all into being. From the first sin of man to the day His perfect (all-loving!) son was rejected…

  • On Jesus’ Team

    On Jesus’ Team

    Photo from: www.huntleyyouthsports.org A few basic rules to keep in mind as we “press on toward the goal.” Simple and straightforward, I pray these help us work together with our spouses and loved ones to glorify God, “running the good race set before us.” Encourage one another Strategize according to what is right Give grace when…

  • The Blessing of Endurance

    The Blessing of Endurance

    Photo from: (www.redletterchristians.org) Isn’t it interesting that we tend to count our blessings most when “bad” things happen? It is after a major accident that we are glad to be alive, or post loss that we are grateful for those who truly love us. It seems that we need disruptions to remind us that life…

  • When Communicating Seems Impossible

    When Communicating Seems Impossible

    Photo from: stevemehta.com Marriage is a place in which we learn just how difficult the basics of communication really are. I’ve learned in my marriage that what means one thing to him doesn’t mean the same to me. His use of words is often full of hyperbole and expression, I’m often literal. He says what he…

  • Recognizing the Voice of Truth

    Recognizing the Voice of Truth

    Photo from: www.tleecorp.com You wake up and hear your spouse’s voice. Then your pets. Probably your kids. As you head out the door, you hear people in the neighborhood. People on the radio talk and sing. Your co-workers and boss speak, play music, and send you signals of the verbal and nonverbal variety. Friends text you….