An Epic Love » A journey of discovering what love truly is…

Apr 08 2012

Happy Easter…

Growing up I knew that Easter was about Jesus dieing on the cross, but there were many other things that my mind was set on that day… A visit from the Easter Bunny, Easter Egg Hunts, CANDY… did I say candy?

As a parent now, I search for the why behind the what. My children constantly ask me the why behind almost EVERYTHING. Why do I need a bath? Why can’t I have candy for breakfast? Why can’t all three of us go with you to the store to pick up a loaf of bread? Most of the time in the midst of the busy moments I don’t find it important to answer their whys… I end up using the over used “because I said so.” But the honest truth is, if we never take the time to really explain to them the why behind the silly mundane whats, how will they ever understand? And all though they don’t question why they get to have Easter egg hunts and eat candy on this occasion every year, I believe it’s even more important to teach them the why behind this particular what.

I pray we can all teach our children the real why behind today… Jesus. That Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. That He took the punishment we deserve.

Happy Easter to each and every one of you. May you know and understand the sacrifice made for you and I… may you feel it in your heart and have a feeling of gratitude like you’ve never known.

My love to all,

Rachel

by Rachel

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Apr 05 2012

A Harvest of Blessing…

guestpost

HiI bet you thought I fell off the map? I have taken a bit of a break from social media… the computer etc. It’s been quite refreshing! I will say that I have come back for Pinterest quite a bit, I’m pretty sure it’s no secret that I sort of love that site.

Anywho, I’ve missed this place… I’ve missed writing. My sweet friend Chantel from A Harvest of Blessing emailed me a bit ago asking me to guest post on her blog while she took a media fast and it gave me the jump start I needed to get back into writing! I’m a few days late from sharing this with you, but better late than never… right?!

You can find my post here on Chantel’s blog. But, be sure to take a look around and read the other posts… I am always uplifted and encouraged when I spend time reading her blog!

My love to all,

Rachel

by Rachel

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Feb 14 2012

Happy Valentines Day…

VALENTINE

I am always curious about holidays… why we celebrate them… where did they first originate…

Valentines day was first observed as Saint Valentines Day honoring early Christian martyrs. Numerous of the martyrs were actually named Valentine, which means worthy, strong, powerful.

Around the 15th century it evolved to the Valentines Day we now know… expressing our love to one another.

What I find to be interesting is that so many of these holidays we observe have Christian roots, but we have some how taken them from their true original intent and made it about ourselves and a reason to spend money.

Today, “Valentines Day”, was originally observed as a day honoring Christian martyrs… And for me, my mind is brought to the greatest Christian martyr of all. The one who not only suffered persecution and death, but did it for you and I.

My heart is so very heavy today… to think about all the people out there that are living apart from their Lord & Savior. The One who loved them with everything He had… and still does.

My prayer is that if you do not know Jesus to be your Lord & Savior… that you would come to know Him today, in this day of love. To know that He came so that you and I may be saved from our sins and have everlasting life. He poured out His love for us on the cross…

I was reading a book a few weeks ago and it was talking about how we cannot understand the gift of forgiveness until we understand the sacrifice that was made.

Jesus was beat… he was nailed to a cross to die. This most of us understand, but He did something so much more… He took the wrath of God. He took the punishment that we deserve for the sins we commit. But why?? Why did we deserve such a gift? Because of LOVE. For God so LOVED the world… He loves us. He loves you, and I.

Will you accept His love? Will you accept the gift that He gives… forgiveness? The Bible says “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””

I pray that this Valentines day would be a turning point in someone’s life… to know what real true love is.

If you have any questions or would like to talk more about this please contact me, I would be more than willing to speak with you. epiclve@gmail.com

My love to all,

Rachel

by Rachel

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Chantel - February 26, 2012 - 10:29 am

I had zero idea about the history of Valentine’s Day, I think this is really going to change the way I celebrate it next year!

tracie @ {tsj} photography - February 23, 2012 - 3:00 pm

beautiful post … and i love the image!!

Feb 13 2012

Love is not Rude…

In the book of Malachi, Jesus is said to be “like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”

Refining is a process of purification… a process in which impurities are removed.

A silversmith holds the silver in a fire until all impurities have burned away.

Jesus does the same thing with us, we are put into the fire… tested… to learn lessons and burn impurities away.

The word rude is defined as rough, unfinished, and lacking refinement.

When we are rude to one another, we demonstrate that we are unrefined. We show others just how many impurities we have.

When we choose to use unkind words in the heat of a moment, we are demonstrating that we are not slow to anger… that we are not abounding in love.

When we choose to spend money that we don’t have on something we don’t need, we are demonstrating that we lack self control.

Love is not rude, because it has no impurity. Love encompasses all that is pure.

The Bible tells us that God IS Love. If we live in love, we live in Him… and so He is in us. (1John 4:16)

My prayer is that God would refine us, burn all impurities from our hearts. So that we may live in love, live in Him, and He may live in us.

My love to all,

Rachel

by Rachel

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Feb 08 2012

Love does not Boast… It is not Proud

Pride. The word just sends me on a rabbit trail of thoughts. SO much has been said… But I feel as if it is best to remember the only true words that matter. The Bible.

We see in Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus tells us what the greatest commandment is… “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.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

We are to love the Lord our God… and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Everything we embody is to be LOVE. THIS is why we are here. LOVE.

THIS is why I am doing this study. I believe so many have no idea what it truly means to love. Love is not about SELF. It is about God… and out of reverence for Him … it is about others.

Love does not boast… it is not proud… because boasting and being prideful does not show our Love for God or others. It shows love for SELF. Yes we are loved… He sent His one and only Son to die on a cross for you and I. Because of this there can be true joy in our hearts and we can walk in the light knowing we have been washed clean. But this life is not a one person show… this life is not about us.

Pride is the opposite of humility. This segment of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 we are studying is saying… Love does not boast, it is not proud. Love is humble.

1 Peter 5:6 “‘Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

We humble ourselves… under God’s mighty hand. We submit ourselves to His will for our lives, loving and serving Him and others.

We can either choose to do what we’ve always done… serving ourselves and make a great earthly home, or we can choose to serve God, and by doing so serve others and work on building the kingdom of heaven where we will spend eternity.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I pray our hearts and minds can be focused on eternity… on humbling ourselves and loving one another.

My love to all,

Rachel

by Rachel

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bethany cox - February 9, 2012 - 8:56 pm

I pray our hearts and minds can be focused on eternity… on humbling ourselves and loving one another.- Amen sister!

Abi - February 9, 2012 - 8:36 pm

I have the word love tattooed on my inner wrist. I hear you.