It's all about luuuuuve (love).

Damas y caballeros!

I'm here to reveal something that I've never revealed to anyone before: I'm a lover. I'm just leaving it at that and if the topic comes up in a real conversation with you, we may devulge further, but as for now, I leave it at that.

"Why did you even mention it if you're not going to explain it?" you may be asking me. Well, it's because today's devotion comes from one of the love chapters in the Bible and I got excited to read about the perfect love/agape love that is available to us. That's right, Bible scholars, we're talking about 1 Corintios 13/ 1 Corinthians 13

So the excitement stems from the fact that I know how spectacular true love is and how much I'd like to express it and have it expressed to me. The passage always makes me think of how I can love people better and can be a better example of who God is in my life because I believe that at the end of the day, love makes ALL the difference.

You may be familiar with this part of the passage:

  4Love is pacient

Love is kind

 It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres

4El amor es paciente,

es bondadoso.

El amor no es envidioso ni jactancioso ni orgulloso.

⁵No se comporta con rudeza, no es egoísta, no se enoja fácilmente, no guarda rencor.

⁶ El amor no se deleita en la maldad sino que se regocija con la verdad.

⁷ Todo lo disculpa, todo lo cree, todo lo espera, todo lo soporta.

--And I guess for me, I know how powerful love is when expressing to someone. Love is waaay much more than just the relational between guy and girl deal, it's what one shows to family members, strangers, friends and enemies. I want to be the kind of lover that is described here and knows no bounds and "always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." But, it'll take God's help and His wisdom.--

 So, as I am here back in the U.S. of A. I will be learning to get used again to my family, advantages and disadvantages, but in all this, I want to show love the way God would have and I gues with a bit of 'Ife' flair.

And you see, I'm a lover and growing up to become a better lover of all peoples.

With much love, peace, and elbow grease,
     Ife 'Quipaya' S.

Total Sub-Sub-Sub-Submission!

Submission is a very interesting word (linguistically speaking). I don't k now much about linguistics or the origins of words, but from what I do know, the part 'sub' means under or beneath and 'mission'...uhm...I guess that could mean project or purpose or I don't know. A whole lot of other things, but checked it out in the dictionary to have an origin in 'to send'. If we put that together what do we get?

Sub-under/beneath
Mission- to send

To send under? I am not a linguist, but this looks about right. If send under my wills, I submit my wills to something else. Submission, or sending under, means that there is something ontop and in this case, it would be the will of God and what He has planned.

The devotion for today is from Santiago 4:1-10/ James 4:1-10. It talks about how we (as humans) need to let go of the selfish (having the characteristics of devotion to oneself) things in this life that are so destructive; cause us to fight, kill, envy, commit adultery, make enemies with God, amongst others. So when we realize the need to get rid of this, James goes on to explain how important it is to be humble.

From verses 5-10, he explains where God fits in this: He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.<--vs. 6 and a whole list of things we should do to reach humility in the sight of God and what God's response is.

Personally, I don't see myself as the outwardly proud person, but in my everyday life, I see how proud I can get. When I make plans, I just assume that I am obviously capable in my own strength to bring them to realization or when someone says "WOW. You must have been a great student in hs to attend such a fantastic college"  my response is usually a 'Yea' or something along those lines...I mean...it's true, but why is it true. Not because of what I was capable of doing, but how God worked through me.

So when it comes time to 'send under'  my own image of myself and how great I think I am, then I can truly see God work in me. James mentions in vs. 10 'Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up". This is hinting that when we make the decision to put ourself under, God will show up and lift us up on His own special way.

Enough of being prideful and selfish. Time to "Submit, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" vs 7. Basically sums up what James is saying in this entire passage (1-10). I can't say 'sending under' is an easy concept to grab because we all want to be able to control things in our life, but I guess the issue is when we think we know better than God does and our way of controlling is the best way.

Supongo que total submission is the best submission. Giving in completely.

Alright, well, enjoy your day, remember to give God the control and definitely pray about it if this is something more difficult. Prayer is one way of relinquishing control because we recognize that communicating with God leads to Him having His will be done.

Chao y un gran abrazo,

Ife 'Quipayan' S.

P.S. I leave for the US of A in exactly 12 hours!!