Focal Passage for 2010:
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV)
Weekly Passage:
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up” 1 Corinthians 13:4
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on a third portion of 1 Corinthians 13:4. Our focus this year has been, and continues to be, learning to love others as Christ loves us. As I have shared before, my definition of love differs from God’s definition of love. God is teaching me that HE is the authority on all things. In light of that truth, if my definition is different than His, my definition is wrong!! “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
This week, we will focus our attention on the third portion of our focal passage “Love does not envy…” What is envy? Basically, when we are envious or jealous, our flesh desires what someone else has. Over the past couple of months, I have been working on my personal testimony to share with our small group. The Lord has been revealing to me a number of sins that have been hidden in my heart. Envy is one of those sins. God has been revealing to me that I have been jealous of other people’s testimonies. I know this sounds strange, but allow me to explain.
As I have shared before, my past is full of abuse, my own sinful choices, and the painful consequences of both. In an attempt to “free” myself from all of that, I blocked many of those memories and refused to deal with them in the light of God’s Truth. I found comfort, security, and safety (or so I thought) in hiding behind walls that I constructed in my heart and mind. Walls that do not allow people to get close enough to me to hurt me. I thought that these invisible walls shielded me from the pain of rejection, abandonment, fear, abuse, and being vulnerable. I have held tightly to these “defenses” for years and even refused to allow my husband to get past them.
Recently, God has been tearing down these walls. God has been bringing back the past by allowing the memories to return and HE has not permitted me to block them or stop them from resurfacing. I have had no choice but to face the past and deal with it. (“I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies” Psalm 18:1-3). Several times, I have made the comment, “I wish I had someone else’s testimony!” I really never gave that comment much thought and I certainly did not think that my comment revealed any sinful attitude or sinful desire hidden in my heart, but I was wrong!! “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
God has been teaching me that when I try to separate myself from my past, I am actually attempting to separate myself from the work that God has done through that past. By trying to hide my past and by comparing my testimony to other people’s testimony, I was being prideful, arrogant, and hiding the work that God has done, is doing, and continues to do in my life. God’s work is worthy of praise! “You are worthy, O Lord, TO receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11). For many years, I could not understand how God was “glorified through my sin” but now I realized that God IS NOT glorified through my sin but HE is glorified through His power to transform my sinful, wicked life into a life that reflects His faithfulness, mercy, unconditional love, sovereignty and saving grace!! WOW!!
Reread our focal passage once more, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up” 1 Corinthians 13:4. My Friend, when we envy any person for any reason, we are not reflecting the love of Christ. Our envy makes us bitter and unable to rejoice in what God is doing in the lives of other people. When we are refusing to rejoice with other people, we are saying, in our hearts, that God’s work is not praiseworthy, honorable, perfect, right, and/or sovereign. Envy can manifest itself in many ways in our lives and at times we may not even realize that is a sin that we are dealing with. God’s Word promises us that God sees all things (see Hebrews 4:12), that He alone bring all sin to light (see Hebrews 4:13), and that HE can and will transform our wicked, sinful hearts into a heart that loves Him, desires Him, and honors Him (see Romans 12:2).
May we each bow before the Lord God Almighty and ask Him to search our hearts and to reveal any sinful thought, attitude, and/or behavior that we have hidden deep within our hearts. May we surrender our lives to Him and allow Him to mold us, shape us, and transform us into the person HE has created us to be. May our lives reflect the glory of God so that His love flows through us. My Friend, this is the only way we can truly love others as Christ loves us. God desires to use every part of our lives to display His amazing grace, love, mercy, and power. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Monday Morning Devotion #292
Focal Passage for 2010:
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV)
Weekly Passage:
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up” 1 Corinthians 13:4
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on a second portion of 1 Corinthians 13:4. Our focus this year has been, and continues to be, learning to love others as Christ loves us. As I have shared before, my definition of love differs from God’s definition of love. God is teaching me that HE is the authority on all things. In light of that truth, if my definition is different than His, my definition is wrong!! “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
In our last devotion, we dove deep into the first portion of our focal passage to learn the meaning of “Love suffers long…” In this portion of Scripture, “…Paul chose a relatively rare Greek word for his definitive passage on love. The word, agape, describes a love that is based on the deliberate choice of the one who loves rather than the worthiness of the one who is loved. This kind of love goes against natural human inclination. It is a giving, selfless, expect-nothing-in-return kind of love” (Nelson Study Bible, p. 1933). I LOVE this portion of Scripture because when we look closely we see the very image of Jesus Christ our Lord!! Jesus Christ is our Example!! HE is the perfect Model of Biblical love!! We discussed that “long suffering” is actually patience. We answered the question, “How can we exhibit patience in our relationships with others in a way that honors the Lord, exemplifies Christ and points others to the cross?” The answer is really learning to DIE TO SELF!!! In order for us to love others the way Christ loves us, we must learn to put aside our “rights” and serve others in a way that benefits them. What benefits mankind most?? The greatest blessing we can offer another person is the truth of the Gospel. Sharing the Gospel is vital but we cannot neglect to put the Gospel in action as well through acts of love.
This week, we are going to move a little further into our focal passage, “Love…is kind…” What is “kindness”? Kindness is an expression of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are kind to one another, we are setting aside ourselves and treating another person in a way that says, “I value you/I love you” while exhibiting our submission and obedience to the Lord God. Turn to Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians chapter 4 begins by calling us to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love” (verses 1-2). Again, we see a picture of Christ unfold before our very eyes!!!
God’s breathed Word centers on Christ!! Every word in Scripture is pointing us to the One who came to save sinners and set the captive souls free!! Nothing that God commands in Scripture is optional!!! Yes, men/women do rebel against the Lord God but their rebellion does not void, diminish, lessen, or eliminate the truth, power, and absoluteness of Scripture!!! We are called to glorify the Lord God in all we do, think, and say. Nothing is hidden from His sight and we will ALL stand accountable for the choices we make. Everything we do, think, and say should be for the purpose of pointing others to the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are kind to one another, putting others above ourselves, and dying to self, we are exhibiting something that the world cannot offer!!!
You see, our world system is established on sin and self. Our culture screams the message “LIVE FOR YOURSELF!!! SATISFY YOURSELF!!! DO NOT THINK ABOUT ANY ONE ELSE!!! When a child of God steps up and selflessly loves another person the way Christ loves, the world takes notice. The world may not applaud or even acknowledge the expression of Christ but the power of God is revealed and the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of those who were once blind!! What we do and how we live does matter!!! God in His infinite wisdom created us to be His representatives to a lost and dying world. This world is not our home and we must not live as if it is!! When we release our “rights” to the Lord and live in a way that is worthy of His calling we gain so much more than we ever gave up!!!
Kindness can be expressed in a number of ways:
• Speaking in ways that edify, encourage, and point others to the truth of God’s Word
• Letting go of all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and malice
• Forgiving others as Christ forgave us
Do people see Christ Jesus being lived out in your life?
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV)
Weekly Passage:
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up” 1 Corinthians 13:4
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on a second portion of 1 Corinthians 13:4. Our focus this year has been, and continues to be, learning to love others as Christ loves us. As I have shared before, my definition of love differs from God’s definition of love. God is teaching me that HE is the authority on all things. In light of that truth, if my definition is different than His, my definition is wrong!! “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
In our last devotion, we dove deep into the first portion of our focal passage to learn the meaning of “Love suffers long…” In this portion of Scripture, “…Paul chose a relatively rare Greek word for his definitive passage on love. The word, agape, describes a love that is based on the deliberate choice of the one who loves rather than the worthiness of the one who is loved. This kind of love goes against natural human inclination. It is a giving, selfless, expect-nothing-in-return kind of love” (Nelson Study Bible, p. 1933). I LOVE this portion of Scripture because when we look closely we see the very image of Jesus Christ our Lord!! Jesus Christ is our Example!! HE is the perfect Model of Biblical love!! We discussed that “long suffering” is actually patience. We answered the question, “How can we exhibit patience in our relationships with others in a way that honors the Lord, exemplifies Christ and points others to the cross?” The answer is really learning to DIE TO SELF!!! In order for us to love others the way Christ loves us, we must learn to put aside our “rights” and serve others in a way that benefits them. What benefits mankind most?? The greatest blessing we can offer another person is the truth of the Gospel. Sharing the Gospel is vital but we cannot neglect to put the Gospel in action as well through acts of love.
This week, we are going to move a little further into our focal passage, “Love…is kind…” What is “kindness”? Kindness is an expression of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are kind to one another, we are setting aside ourselves and treating another person in a way that says, “I value you/I love you” while exhibiting our submission and obedience to the Lord God. Turn to Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians chapter 4 begins by calling us to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love” (verses 1-2). Again, we see a picture of Christ unfold before our very eyes!!!
God’s breathed Word centers on Christ!! Every word in Scripture is pointing us to the One who came to save sinners and set the captive souls free!! Nothing that God commands in Scripture is optional!!! Yes, men/women do rebel against the Lord God but their rebellion does not void, diminish, lessen, or eliminate the truth, power, and absoluteness of Scripture!!! We are called to glorify the Lord God in all we do, think, and say. Nothing is hidden from His sight and we will ALL stand accountable for the choices we make. Everything we do, think, and say should be for the purpose of pointing others to the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are kind to one another, putting others above ourselves, and dying to self, we are exhibiting something that the world cannot offer!!!
You see, our world system is established on sin and self. Our culture screams the message “LIVE FOR YOURSELF!!! SATISFY YOURSELF!!! DO NOT THINK ABOUT ANY ONE ELSE!!! When a child of God steps up and selflessly loves another person the way Christ loves, the world takes notice. The world may not applaud or even acknowledge the expression of Christ but the power of God is revealed and the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of those who were once blind!! What we do and how we live does matter!!! God in His infinite wisdom created us to be His representatives to a lost and dying world. This world is not our home and we must not live as if it is!! When we release our “rights” to the Lord and live in a way that is worthy of His calling we gain so much more than we ever gave up!!!
Kindness can be expressed in a number of ways:
• Speaking in ways that edify, encourage, and point others to the truth of God’s Word
• Letting go of all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and malice
• Forgiving others as Christ forgave us
Do people see Christ Jesus being lived out in your life?
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