Lori Sharp Elliott, Ministries of Loving People with the Love Of Christ

Lori Sharp Elliott, Ministries of Loving People with the Love Of Christ Helping people find comfort, hope, wisdom, and purpose by drawing closer to Christ. Doing real life together.

Christian fellowship, Faith, Hope, Grace, Mercy, Love, and Jesus.

09/10/2026

Abel is the Bible’s earliest example of righteous suffering. Abel did what was right before God, yet Cain killed him (Genesis 4:3–10). Abel’s righteousness did not protect him from another person’s sinful choice.

Jesus develops this idea in the Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10 (KJV)

Peter makes an important distinction too: there is suffering because we’ve done wrong, and there is suffering despite doing good (1 Peter 2:19–20; 3:17). The second is what Christians commonly mean by righteous suffering.

And Jesus is the ultimate example. He was innocent, yet He was rejected, falsely accused, mocked, betrayed, and crucified. His suffering was unique because His death accomplished redemption, but it also shows something important about righteousness: being treated badly is not proof that you have done badly.

09/10/2026

First recorded death: Abel
First recorded murder: Cain killing Abel
First person Jesus identifies with righteous suffering: Abel

Matthew 7:1–5This is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It is often summarized as “Do not judge,” but Jesus’ teaching i...
09/10/2026

Matthew 7:1–5

This is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It is often summarized as “Do not judge,” but Jesus’ teaching is more precise than simply saying we should never recognize wrongdoing.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
— Matthew 7:1, KJV

Jesus continues by saying that the standard we use to judge others will be used toward us. Then He gives a vivid picture: a person notices a speck in someone else’s eye while having a beam in their own.

The key is verse 5:

“First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly…”

Notice Jesus does not say the speck in the other person’s eye isn’t real. He says deal honestly with yourself first so that you can see the other person clearly.

So Matthew 7:1–5 is primarily a warning against hypocritical, self-righteous judgment. It teaches us to examine our own heart before condemning someone else’s.

“Judge not” does not mean you have to tolerate mistreatment, ignore deception, or abandon boundaries. In fact, only a few verses later Jesus tells His listeners to recognize what is holy and to beware of false prophets by examining their fruit (Matthew 7:6, 15–20). That requires discernment.

Examine yourself → repent where necessary → see clearly → then address the situation with humility.

If someone is judging you with a harsh stick and picking you apart, looking at very thing wrong with you then they miss seeing the full picture and the full truth.
Anyone can find something wrong with a million dollars if they look close enough.

If you feel judged by your church or pastor to a specific standard that only Jesus himself could reach and you feel misunderstood and abused emotionally, it’s ok to call that action out and set boundaries for yourself. You don’t have to put up with that. Jesus didn’t die for you to feel inferior and mistreated. We aren’t supposed to judge others when our own actions aren’t representative of Christianity.

09/04/2026

THE BATTLE WE CANNOT SEE

I recently went back and read some words I believe the Holy Spirit gave me about God, Jesus Christ, spiritual warfare, and the life we are called to live as Christians.

One sentence especially stayed with me:

“Do not lay down your sword in fear.”

I believe the Holy Spirit was reminding me that the sword is not a physical weapon. Scripture tells us exactly what it is:

“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17

There are battles in this life that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. That is important because people are not our enemy. We are called to love people, pray for people, forgive people, serve people, and share Christ with people.

Our battle is spiritual.

It is the battle between truth and deception.

Faith and fear.

Righteousness and sin.

Hope and despair.

Obedience and temptation.

The things of God and the things that try to pull our hearts away from Him.

One of the things I wrote was:

“Read the Word of God daily. Meditate on His teachings. When the time is right, the Lord God will teach you words of wisdom to fight the good fight for the Kingdom of God.”

The more I have thought about those words, the more I understand why God’s Word matters so much.

You cannot recognize a counterfeit if you have never studied what is real.

God’s Word teaches us what is true. It corrects us when we’re wrong. It gives us wisdom when we’re confused. It reminds us who Jesus is when the world tries to distract us from Him.

And God’s Word also tells us to test what we hear and hold fast to what is good.

That matters to me.

I don’t want to follow emotion simply because something feels powerful. I want everything brought back to Scripture and ultimately back to Jesus Christ.

Another thing I wrote was:

“The body of Christ where you belong.”

We weren’t created to fight spiritual battles alone.

Christians need one another. We need encouragement, prayer, correction, fellowship, wisdom, and love. God did not create the Church to be a building filled with strangers. Scripture describes believers as the body of Christ.

Different people. Different gifts. Different stories.

One Lord.

One Savior.

Jesus Christ.

I also wrote about Acts 7:37 and the promise Moses spoke about, that God would raise up a prophet like him.

That promised One points us to Jesus Christ.

And that may be the most important part of everything I wrote.

The Christian message isn’t ultimately about how strong we can become.

It is about Christ.

Jesus is our Savior.

Jesus is our hope.

Jesus is the One who conquered sin and death.

Jesus is the One who offers eternal life.

Jesus is the One we follow.

We fight by standing in truth. We fight through prayer. We resist temptation. We choose righteousness. We forgive when bitterness would be easier. We love when hatred would be easier. We remain faithful when fear tells us to run.

That is Christian courage.

There was another sentence I wrote that still moves me:

“This is no cause, it’s for life, eternal life with Christ Jesus our Savior, who goes before us, who fights our spiritual battles.”

That is what I want people to understand.

It isn’t about being afraid of the world.

It is about Jesus Christ and eternal life with Him.

So if you’re weary today, don’t lay down your sword in fear.

Open your Bible.

Pray.

Ask God for wisdom.

Stay close to the body of Christ.

Put on the whole armor of God.

And above everything else, keep your eyes on Jesus.

Because the greatest Christian warrior isn’t the person who fights the most people.

It is the person who remains faithful to Christ.

Truth is our defense.

God’s Word is our sword.

Christ is our Savior.

And must always be our witness.

“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10

❤️ What Scripture has helped you stand firm when you were going through a battle no one else could see?

09/03/2026

Jesus describes His followers as “the light of the world” in Matthew 5:14–16 and tells them to let their light shine so that others ultimately glorify the Father.

Be a “beacon of hope” so God will use you to point people toward Christ, beautiful.

Christ is the source. We reflect His light.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about discernment and what it really means to be led by the Holy Spirit.I believe God st...
09/03/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about discernment and what it really means to be led by the Holy Spirit.

I believe God still speaks to our hearts. He can convict us, redirect us, bring Scripture to our remembrance, give wisdom when we don’t know what to do, and impress something upon our hearts so strongly that we know we need to pay attention.

But God never asks us to leave our Bible behind in order to hear Him.

In fact, Scripture gives us a beautiful instruction:

“Do not quench the Spirit… test everything; hold fast what is good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:19–21

Think about that.

God tells us not to quench the Spirit, but in almost the same breath He tells us to test everything.

Those two things belong together.

We can be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit while keeping our Bible open too.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would teach us and bring His words to our remembrance (John 14:26). James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it (James 1:5). Paul tells us not to grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9) and to stand firm in our faith (1 Corinthians 16:13).

And when life becomes confusing, there is something else I find deeply comforting:

Christ is the faithful witness.

That isn’t just a beautiful thought. It is Scripture.

“Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness…”
Revelation 1:5

There will be times when other people don’t understand what God is doing in your life. There may even be times when you don’t completely understand it yet.

You don’t have to force understanding.

Take it to God.
Take it to Scripture.
Pray for discernment.
Give it time.
And watch the fruit.

Jesus said, “You will recognize them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:16.

I think sometimes we want God to give us the entire map when He is simply giving us enough light for the next few steps.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.

A lamp doesn’t illuminate the entire road. It gives you enough light to keep walking.

So that is where my heart is today.

Remember what God has already done.
Stay in the River and follow where He leads.
And when the Harvest comes, look carefully at the fruit.

09/03/2026

Lord, give me discernment without pride, faith without foolishness, courage without fear, and a heart humble enough to be corrected by Your Word. If something is from You, establish it. If it is not, remove it. Above everything else, keep my eyes on Jesus Christ, the faithful and true witness. Amen. 🙏

07/27/2026

Be discerning about people who are always bragging about themselves, showing pictures of what they’ve done for charities. If it’s all about them it doesn’t glorify the Kingdom of God, it glorifies them on earth. The Lord doesn’t honor when people boastfully praise themselves on Social Media or any other platform. Because it should always glorify the Lord. The lord sees what is done in silence and he honors you for being humble when giving.

07/27/2026

The best way to heal is to focus your energy on others and off yourself. Help friends in need, be there to support family, and let Christ’s light shine through your goodness to children in Christ.

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