​The Bible contains numerous references to praising God, with many psalms and other passages devoted specifically to this theme.

These are just a few notable examples:
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." Psalm 100:4

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits." Psalm 103:1-2

"Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!" Psalm 147:1

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!" Psalm 150:6

The 5 characteristics of God's love that I find myself appreciating the most these days are:

1. God's love is unconditional.
2. God's love is sacrificial.
3. God's love is everlasting.
4. God's love is compassionate.
5. ​God's love is transformative.​

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His love towards us is unconditional, sacrificial, everlasting, compassionate, and transformative. Those truths can be impactful in the life of a believer.​
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Today, let's look at these 5 characteristics of God's love and the Scripture that defines them.

Leaning on the promises of God means relying on the assurances that He has given us through His Word, the Bible.

God's promises are trustworthy and provide comfort, guidance, and hope to believers.

When we lean on these promises and trust in God's faithfulness, we find peace. Peace that passes all human understanding. Peace that sustains us in the midst of difficult circumstances. Peace that assures us that God is in control.

It's important that we read and meditate on God's Word regularly. When we do, we will be reminded of His promises and to deepen our trust in Him.

​Today, let's look at 12 of His promises and meditate on the Scripture where they are found.

Every home should be equipped with a library! Don't you think? I know I'd love to have a library. Instead, I have books scattered from the sunroom to the guest room and everywhere in between. But I totally agree with Jane Austen that there is simply no enjoyment like grabbing a good book and curling up in your favorite spot.

Who doesn't appreciate a good book? We certainly do! We've gathered all of our favorite reads from the past year into one blog post and it's PACKED with reading goodness! 

This past fall I was reading through the Bible with the Sweeter Than Honey Bible reading plan. On October 18, I came to Nehemiah 1-5 where we read about Nehemiah's prayer.

​I love the story of Nehemiah and the people rebuilding the walls of their beloved homeland. This rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem has spiritual significance for us today!​

​But what caught my attention was that they built the Sheep Gate first. 

I knew when I read “Sheep Gate” there had to be some spiritual significance to that. All of the gates of Jerusalem have spiritual significance. There is Gospel in these Gates!

This past fall, I was reading through the Bible with the Sweeter Than Honey Bible reading plan. On October 15, I came to 2 Chronicles 27-29: Ordering Your Ways Before God.

There, I read that King Jotham, a good king of Judah, did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

​It is recorded for us in 2 Chronicles 27, that he became mighty and it even tells us how and why:

Jotham became mighty because he “ordered his ways before the LORD his God” and I want that for us today too!

This past fall, I was reading through the Bible with the Sweeter Than Honey Bible reading plan. I came to the little book of Ezra.

On September 26, I read Ezra 4-7: Finding Your Jerusalem. We all have our "Jerusalem." It's that place God has planted us to be His witness.

Sometimes the work is easy there. But oftentimes it is not. Many times we may find the work quite difficult with much opposition. Any work for God is bound to have adversaries.

In Ezra 4:1-6, we read of the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin and the weapons these adversaries used. These same weapons can be used by our adversaries to prevent our work for God and His Kingdom.

See if you can identify the weapons of the adversaries in these six verses.