Choosing Love Today

Mike Morrison
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Choosing Love Today is a podcast for real people trying to follow Jesus in the middle of real life. No fancy language, no preacher voice, and no “Mike’s opinions.” Every episode is grounded in Scripture — real answers from God’s Word applied to the real issues we face every day. I’m Mike Morrison — a husband, dad, and regular guy learning as I go. Most days, faith isn’t shaped by big dramatic moments. It’s the small choices, the quiet ones, that form who we become. So each episode feels like we’re sitting at the kitchen table, opening the Bible together, talking honestly about life, hope, and what it looks like to choose love one day at a time. If you’re looking for something real, simple, and rooted in Scripture, you’re in the right place.

  1. 6h ago

    Choosing Love Today: 1 & 2 Timothy - Episode 4: "Courage Over Fear"

    Have you ever noticed how fear likes to talk? Not out loud, necessarily. But inside your head. Fear says things like, "What if this doesn't work out?" "What if I fail?" "What if people don't understand?" "What if I make the wrong decision?" "What if things get worse instead of better?" And if we're honest, most of us have listened to that voice more than we'd like to admit. Timothy probably understood those feelings. When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, the situation wasn't exactly encouraging. Paul was in prison. His life was nearing its end. Opposition to the gospel was increasing. The future looked uncertain. If there was ever a time for someone to become anxious, discouraged, or afraid, this would have been it. That's why Paul reminds Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." I love that verse because Paul doesn't pretend fear doesn't exist. He's not saying, "Timothy, stop feeling anything." He's saying, "Don't let fear become your leader." There's a difference. Fear may show up at your door, but it doesn't have to sit at the head of your table. Think about driving a car. Fear can be a passenger. It can point out legitimate concerns and remind you to pay attention. But the moment fear grabs the steering wheel, you're headed for trouble. Many of us have spent times in our lives allowing fear to make decisions for us. We avoid conversations because we're afraid of conflict. We delay opportunities because we're afraid of failure. We stay stuck in familiar places because we're afraid of change. We hold back from serving God because we're afraid we're not qualified enough. Yet throughout Scripture, courage is rarely the absence of fear. Courage is choosing to move forward while trusting God anyway. And there are plenty of examples in the Bible: David faced Goliath., Esther approached the king. Peter stepped out of the boat. None of them knew exactly how things would turn out. They simply decided that trusting God was more important than listening to fear. Maybe that's the question for you today. Where is fear trying to make decisions in your life? What conversation have you been avoiding? What step of faith have you been postponing? What would change if you truly believed that God has given you power, love, and a sound mind instead of a spirit of fear? Now, before you start feeling like you need to become some kind of spiritual superhero, remember this: courage isn't about being fearless.......It's just about taking the next faithful step. Sometimes courage looks dramatic, but most of the time, it just looks ordinary. It starts with, one prayer....one conversation.....one act of obedience.....One decision to trust God today. So if fear has been doing a lot of talking lately, maybe it's time to listen to a different voice. The voice of the God who promises to walk with you, strengthen you, and guide you through whatever lies ahead. And that makes it easier to choose courage, even when fear is still whispering. And you may want to write this down as a Memory Verse on a 3 x 5 card and read it often: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 That will make it easier to...........Keep Choosing Love Today!

  2. 1d ago

    Choosing Love Today: 1 & 2 Timothy - Episode 3: "Guard What Matters"

    Have you ever noticed how careful we are with things we consider valuable? We lock our doors at night. We protect our bank accounts with passwords. Some people keep important documents in safes or lock boxes. When something matters to us, we take steps to protect it. But here's a question. Do we put the same effort into protecting our faith? In 2 Timothy 1:13-14, Paul tells Timothy, "What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." Paul was writing near the end of his life. Timothy was younger, and he would be carrying on the work after Paul was gone. So Paul reminded him to guard what had been entrusted to him. Not a pile of money. Not a piece of property....but The truth of God's Word and the faith that had been placed in his hands. That message still matters today. We live in a world full of distractions. Every day, there are voices competing for our attention. Now, some of those voices do encourage us to trust God,.... while there are others that encourage us to trust everything but God. If we're not careful, little compromises begin to creep in. A neglected prayer life. Less time in Scripture. A willingness to overlook things we once knew were important. None of those changes happen overnight, but over time they can pull us away from the things that matter most. Think about this....take a homeowner who notices a small crack in the foundation. At first it doesn't seem like a big deal. But if it's ignored long enough, that small crack can become a much larger problem. The same can be true in our spiritual lives. Guarding what matters doesn't mean living in fear. It means paying attention. It means protecting our relationship with God before the world slowly crowds it out. One of the best ways to do that is through simple, consistent habits. Spending time in God's Word. Praying. Gathering with other believers. Choosing influences that strengthen our faith instead of weaken it. Those things may seem ordinary, but they help protect what God has entrusted to us. So let me ask you a couple of questions. What has God placed in your care? Are there areas of your faith that need a little more attention and protection? Maybe today is a good day to take inventory. Not of your possessions, but of your priorities. Are the things that matter most getting the attention they deserve? Paul's reminder to Timothy is also a reminder to us. The treasure God has given us is worth protecting. Do you think your faith is worth protecting? The truth of God's Word is definitely worth protecting. As you move through your day, take a few moments to consider what matters most and what steps you can take to guard it well. And that's another way you can protect the things that truly matter. And that choice makes it easier to.....Keep Choosing Love Today!

  3. 2d ago

    Choosing Love Today: 1 & 2 Timothy - Episode 2: "Faithfulness Over Talent"

    Let me ask you a question. Have you ever looked at someone and thought, "I could never do what they do"? Maybe it's a gifted teacher, a talented musician, a successful business owner, or someone who just seems to have abilities that come naturally. It's easy to look at other people and convince ourselves that God can use them because they're talented, but He can't use us because we're ordinary. But when you read the Bible, that's not what God seems to be looking for. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul tells Timothy, "And the things that you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." Did you notice what Paul didn't say? He didn't tell Timothy to look for the most talented people. He didn't tell him to find the smartest people or the most charismatic people. Paul told Timothy to find reliable people. Other translations use the word faithful. Why? Because talent may get someone's foot in the door, but faithfulness keeps them walking through it. Think about it this way. If you needed someone to water your plants while you were away for a month, would you choose the most talented person you know, or the person you know will actually show up every day? Most of us would choose the reliable person every time. Faithfulness matters. The same is true in God's kingdom. God can use talent, but He values faithfulness. After all, many of the people God used in Scripture weren't chosen because of extraordinary ability. Moses struggled with speaking. Gideon struggled with fear. David was the youngest brother and wasn't even invited when Samuel came looking for Israel's next king. What they eventually had in common was a willingness to trust God and keep showing up. Sometimes we think our responsibility is to be impressive. God's Word reminds us that our responsibility is to be faithful. You don't have to have all the answers to be faithful. You don't have to be the most gifted person in the room to be faithful. You don't have to have a large audience to be faithful. You simply have to do what God has placed in front of you today. So let me ask you a couple of questions. Have you been comparing your abilities to someone else's? Are there opportunities God has given you that you've been overlooking because you feel unqualified? Maybe today is a good day to stop focusing on what you don't have... and start using what God has already placed in your hands. The truth is, most people won't remember how talented we were. But they will remember whether they could count on us. More importantly, one day we'll stand before the Lord, and I don't believe He's looking for perfection. He's looking for faithfulness. Take the next step. Keep showing up. Keep serving. Keep trusting. Keep doing the good God has called you to do, even when it seems small or unnoticed. And that's another way you can focus less on talent and more on faithfulness. And that's another way to.......Keep Choosing Love Today!

  4. 3d ago

    Choosing Love Today: 1 & 2 Timothy - Episode 1: Faithful to the Finish"

    What does it look like to stay faithful when the world around you keeps pulling in another direction? In 1 & 2 Timothy, Paul writes to a younger man he loves like a son, encouraging him to stand firm, guard what he has been taught, and live out his faith with courage and integrity. These letters speak honestly about leadership, hardship, false teaching, perseverance, and what it means to remain faithful when following Jesus isn’t easy. But underneath all of it is something deeply personal: an older believer reminding a younger one that faith isn’t merely something we talk about. It’s something we live. Join me as we walk through Paul’s words to Timothy and discover how his encouragement still challenges us today to keep the faith, love people well, and finish the race set before us. And as always, Keep Choosing Love Today!

  5. 4d ago

    Choosing Love Today: 1 & 2 Thessalonians - Episode 7: "Be An Encourager"

    Have you ever had somebody say exactly what you needed to hear at exactly the right time? Maybe you were having one of those days when nothing seemed to be going right. You were discouraged, questioning yourself, maybe wondering whether anything you were doing was making a difference. Then somebody came along and said a few simple words that changed the direction of your day. They didn't solve your problem. But they just reminded you that you weren't facing it alone. Paul understood how important that could be. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, he tells the believers, "Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." I like that last part. Paul wasn't correcting them because they had failed. He was telling them, "You're already doing this. Keep doing it." Apparently there are some things we're never supposed to outgrow. Encouraging one another is one of them. The world certainly doesn't have a shortage of criticism. Turn on the television or spend a few minutes online and you'll discover plenty of people willing to tell somebody else what they're doing wrong. And if we're honest, criticism can come pretty naturally to us too. We notice the dirty dish left in the sink before we notice the five that were washed. We notice the mistake at work before we mention the dozen things somebody did right. We notice when someone disappoints us but sometimes forget to tell them when they make us proud. Paul gives us another way to live. He wants us to “Build each other up.” That doesn't mean empty compliments or pretending something is good when it isn't. Real encouragement isn't flattery. It's deliberately looking for opportunities to help somebody keep going. Sometimes that's as simple as saying, "I appreciate you." Maybe it's telling your spouse something you admire about them instead of assuming they already know. Maybe it's calling a friend who's going through a difficult time in their life or just having a bad week. Maybe it's telling a young person, "I see something good in you." Or maybe somebody has been carrying a load quietly, and you simply say, "I know this hasn't been easy. You're doing better than you think." Those aren't complicated things......But they can be powerful. So think about the people around you today.....Who could use some encouragement from you? Is there somebody you've been meaning to call? Is there somebody who's been doing a good job but hasn't heard you say it? And here's another question: When people spend time with you, do they usually leave feeling stronger or smaller? That's worth thinking about. Paul was writing to believers living in a difficult world, surrounded by pressures and uncertainties. They needed each other. So do we. Nearly two thousand years later, people still get discouraged. They still wonder if anybody notices. They still need someone to remind them that they're valued and that they don't have to carry everything alone. And encouragement still doesn't cost much. Sometimes just a few honest words can help somebody take the next step. So don't wait until somebody is falling apart before you tell them they matter......say it today! And that's another way you can....... Keep Choosing Love Today!

  6. 5d ago

    Choosing Love Today: 1 & 2 Thessalonians - Episode 6: "Hope Changes How We Grieve:"

    There are some phone calls you never forget. It was Sunday, 1-12-1975, in the early afternoon. My younger brother called to tell me our Dad was involved in a head-on collision coming back from the lake and that he was dead. Maybe you've you've received a call like that. If you have....I'm sorry, because I know it's not easy. You can remember where you were when the phone rang. You remember who was on the other end. And sometimes you can even remember the first few words they said before your mind started trying to process what you had just heard. Someone you love is gone. Grief has a way of dividing life into "before" and "after." The believers in Thessalonica understood that kind of loss too. Some people they loved had died, and they had questions about what that meant, especially concerning Christ's return. So Paul writes to them in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, and he says he doesn't want them to be uninformed about those who have died, so that they will not "grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope." Notice what Paul doesn't say. He doesn't say, "Don't grieve." That's important. Sometimes Christians can feel like sadness somehow shows a lack of faith. We think we're supposed to smile through our tears and say, "Everything's fine because I know where they are." But everything isn't fine. Someone we love isn't sitting in their chair anymore. We can't pick up the phone and call them. There are birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and ordinary Tuesday afternoons when we suddenly miss them all over again.....and that hurts. Paul doesn't tell the Thessalonians to pretend otherwise. He simply reminds them that their grief has something woven through it that changes everything.......Hope. For the follower of Christ, death doesn't get the last word. Paul goes on in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 to remind them that Jesus died and rose again. That's the foundation of Christian hope. Our confidence isn't built on pretending death doesn't hurt. It's built on believing that Jesus defeated it. And that lets us do something that might sound strange. We can hurt and hope at the same time. We can cry and still believe. We can miss someone terribly and still trust that the goodbye wasn't forever. Maybe you're carrying some grief right now. Maybe it's fresh. Maybe it's been years, and something unexpectedly brought it back. Don't beat yourself up because it still hurts. Love leaves a hole when someone is gone. Instead, ask yourself this: Can I allow hope to sit beside my grief instead of expecting hope to erase it? That's closer to what Paul was telling the Thessalonians. Faith doesn't mean we never cry. Hope doesn't mean we never hurt. It means that even through the tears, we believe there's more to the story. The Thessalonians needed that reminder nearly two thousand years ago. Some things really are the same then and the same now. We still lose people. We still grieve. But because of Jesus, we still have hope. And that's why I can...... Keep Choosing Love Today!

  7. 6d ago

    Choosing Love Today: 1 & 2 Thessalonians - Episode 5: "Mind Your Own Business"

    There are four little words in the Bible that when they're directed at you, you might get offended, angry or they simply might make you laugh when you hear them. Believe it or not, that's pretty much exactly what Paul tells the Thessalonians in 1 Thess. 4:11 - “Mind your own business.” Paul encourages them to make it their ambition to live a quiet life, to mind their own business, and to work with their hands. He says living this way will help them earn the respect of people outside the church and keep them from being dependent on others. That's interesting because when we think about living out our faith, we sometimes picture doing something big. Something noticeable. Something that makes an impact. Paul points in almost the opposite direction. Live quietly. Take care of your responsibilities. Do your work. And quit getting tangled up in everybody else's business. That sounds surprisingly current, doesn't it? We're living in a time when everybody seems to know what everybody else is doing. (and of course we have an opinion about what everyone else is doing) We can pick up our phone and within five minutes know what somebody ate for dinner, where they went on vacation, what they're angry about, and probably what they think everybody else is doing wrong. And if we're not careful, we can spend so much time watching everybody else's life that we neglect our own. Paul gives us a different picture. There's something powerful about a person who simply lives faithfully. They show up. They do what they've promised to do. They take care of their family. They work hard. They treat people fairly. They don't have to be involved in every disagreement or offer an opinion on everything. They just live a steady life. And people notice that. Maybe that's why Paul connects this kind of living with earning the respect of outsiders. Friends, please listen to me closely....Someone may never listen to us talk about Jesus if the way we're living doesn't match what we're saying. Did you hear that? So here's something worth considering: How much of my energy is being spent on things that really aren't mine to carry? Am I so interested in what someone else should be doing that I've stopped paying attention to what God has put in front of me? Sometimes choosing love means getting involved. When somebody is hurting, struggling, or genuinely needs help, love doesn't say, "That's none of my business." But there's a difference between caring about people and trying to manage people. We don't have to correct every opinion. We don't have to enter every argument. We don't have to know everybody's business. Sometimes one of the strongest ways we demonstrate our faith is simply by living our own life well. Take care of what's yours. Be dependable. Work honestly. Help when you're needed. Love people without trying to control them. Paul gave that advice to believers living nearly two thousand years ago, but I'd say it travels pretty well. Because in a noisy world that's constantly telling us to watch what everybody else is doing, a quiet, faithful life still stands out. And that makes it easier to....... Keep Choosing Love Today

  8. Oct 9

    Choosing Love Today: 1 & 2 Thessalonians - Episode 4: "Always Room to Grow"

    Most of us probably wouldn't mind hearing someone say, "You're doing a pretty good job." Whether it's at work, at home, or just trying to be a decent human being, a little encouragement goes a long way. But here's the interesting part: being told you're doing well doesn't necessarily mean there's no room to do better........and Paul understood that. In 1 Thessalonians 3:12, he tells the believers, "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else." Now think about that for a minute. These were people Paul already cared deeply about. Their faith was growing. They were hanging in there during difficult circumstances. Paul wasn't writing to people who had completely missed the point. And still..... he prayed that their love would increase and overflow. Apparently, when it comes to love, there's no point where we get to say, "Well, I've got that one mastered." That's encouraging to me....and I'm sure you'll agree with me, because loving people isn't always easy. There are people who make it pretty simple. They love us, we love them, everybody gets along, and life is good.....But then there are those other relationships. You know the ones I'm talking about. The person who irritates you. The family member who knows exactly which button to push. The coworker who tests your patience. The person who disappointed you and doesn't seem to understand why you're still hurting. The ones that just seem to continually get on your very last nerve time after time. You get the picture? Those are the places where love needs room to grow. Notice Paul doesn't just say to love the people who love you back. He says love should overflow "for each other and for everyone else." That's a much bigger circle. And maybe that's where we need to stop occasionally and ask ourselves: Has my circle gotten too small? Have I become generous with love toward people who are easy to love but stingy with it toward everybody else? Is there someone I've quietly decided doesn't deserve any more patience from me? Growing in love doesn't mean pretending people never hurt us. It doesn't mean ignoring unhealthy behavior or never setting boundaries. It simply means we don't stop asking God to help us become more loving people. Because love isn't something we graduate from. There's always another conversation where we can listen a little better. Another situation where we can show a little more patience. Another person who could use some kindness. Another opportunity to choose grace instead of getting even. And that's every bit as true today as it was when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. Maybe today the question isn't, "Am I a loving person?" Maybe the better question is, "Where could my love grow?" Because wherever we are in that process, God can stretch the boundaries of our love just a little farther than they were yesterday. And that's how you can Keep Choosing Love Today!

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About

Choosing Love Today is a podcast for real people trying to follow Jesus in the middle of real life. No fancy language, no preacher voice, and no “Mike’s opinions.” Every episode is grounded in Scripture — real answers from God’s Word applied to the real issues we face every day. I’m Mike Morrison — a husband, dad, and regular guy learning as I go. Most days, faith isn’t shaped by big dramatic moments. It’s the small choices, the quiet ones, that form who we become. So each episode feels like we’re sitting at the kitchen table, opening the Bible together, talking honestly about life, hope, and what it looks like to choose love one day at a time. If you’re looking for something real, simple, and rooted in Scripture, you’re in the right place.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Morrison
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Choosing Love Today