Focal Passage for 2011:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
1 Corinthians 13:5
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on the third portion of verse 5. Our focus this past 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) is not provoked…” The way God works never ceases to amaze me! I have shared before but I must say once again that when the Lord began to impress upon my heart to really seek Scripture regarding the love of Christ and to begin praying for that for my own heart, I was a little surprised. I truly believed that in most cases I did love others as Christ loves me. Boy, even writing that makes me cringe! Pride and arrogance surely creeps up and takes over very quickly, doesn’t it?! Through the study of His Word, God is faithfully revealing to me areas in my heart that do not reflect the love of Christ.
Our focal portion of Scripture has been very convicting for me personally. The Lord has revealed to me that my love is easily provoked. I am also learning that my love is more conditional than unconditional. My Friend, that is so sad! As a child of God, we are called to mirror the love of Christ but unfortunately my love has not always done that. As I meditate upon the truths the Lord has been teaching us throughout our study the past thirteen months, I am beginning to realize that I offer my love freely and completely to those who love me back, appreciate me, serve me, and please me but when I am challenged with opposition or feel unappreciated or unloved I quickly begin to retreat. I withhold my love and I become upset. At times, I have blamed the other person for me upset and “justified” my reaction telling myself that withdrawing from that person is for my protection.
My Friend, God’s Word tells us that HE is our protection! “For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings” (Psalm 61:3-4). Christ trusted the Father even unto death. Christ did not die for people who loved Him, honored Him, cared for Him, spoke kindly of Him, sought to please Him, worshiped Him, or followed Him. Scripture tells us that “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Christ loves us unconditionally and HE showers us with His grace, mercy, and faithfulness daily. God’s Word commands that we are to love as Christ loves us. My Friend, there are no conditions on that command. God does not say “love those who love you, or be kind to those who are kind to you.” God commands that His children love as HE loves completely, whole-heartedly, and without conditions.
How do we apply this truth to our daily lives? The very foundation of this life application is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Without the love of Christ dwelling inside of us, we are powerless to love as HE loves. If we have a personal relationship with Christ, then we must hold onto the truth found in Ephesians 1 and Philippians 4…We do have the power that raised Jesus from the dead living inside of us enabling us to do all things that God commands…Through Christ all things are possible! No matter what situation we may encounter, we are equipped to fully obey the Lord God. Certainly there will be times when we must address sin and lovingly speak truth to someone. That person may or may not receive the truth we share with them and they may even turn on us but we are still commanded to speak truth in love and to love them as Christ loves us. God may put distance between you and that person but we are still commanded to love them and pray for them.
There will be times in each of our lives when God will lead others to confront sin in our lives. We really need to receive that counsel with humility and appreciation. Now, this is not an easy task. When we are confronted, we may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or falsely accused. We may even be tempted to defend ourselves or to withdraw from that person. May the Lord give us the desire to listen to that person, take their counsel before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to us what is true and accurate, and then allow God to change our hearts into the image of Christ.
My Friend, when we love as Christ, we will not fear correction and wise counsel. We will seek to put others first and to love them selfLESSly. We will guard our hearts against the temptation to be “easily provoked to anger.” We will seek to glorify God in our actions, attitudes, responses, and reactions. The more we seek God and get to know who HE truly is, the more we will desire “to decrease so HE will increase!” Our focus will not be about us and how others affect us but rather our focus will be on how our actions affect others and whether or not we are we pointing others to Christ. How do you love? What do others see when they look at your example of love? Which direction are you pointing the people in your life - toward the Cross or away from it?
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #296
Focal Passage for 2011:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
1 Corinthians 13:5
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on the second portion of verse 5. Our focus this past 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 second portion of our focal passage “(Love) does not seek it own…” My Friend, do you realize that we all “seek” something? Every day, we are surrounded by choices and each of the decisions that we make regarding those choices reveals what we are truly seeking. We see this very thing demonstrated as far back as Adam and Eve. God created a perfect world and HE created Adam and Eve and placed them in the midst of His creation. No good thing was withheld from them. God blessed them and HE had an intimate, pure, unblemished relationship with them. God even established boundaries for them because HE knew what was best for them.
God’s boundaries were for Adam and Eve’s protection; however, Eve did not view it from that perspective. When Satan tempted Eve, he used the very same “line” he uses with us today, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). Now certainly Satan is not tempting us to literally eat from “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” but he does tempt us to seek our own pleasures and to reject God’s commands on our lives. His temptation may manifest itself differently in different situations but the bottom line is that Satan is tempting us to trade a pure, intimate relationship with the Lord God for self-seeking pleasures that lead to death.
As children of God, we are commanded to love as Christ loves us, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Christ’s love was demonstrated on the cross when HE did NOT “seek His own” but rather HE sacrificed His very life so that we may live! We are not called to die on a cross for the sins of others but we are called to die to self and to live a life that points others to the cross where they too can find forgiveness, salvation, and healing. My Friend, when we seek to fulfill our flesh we are hurting others. We may not understand how our selfishness affects others but sin always brings forth destruction! We are commanded to love one another as Christ loves us because through our obedience Christ is magnified and others are blessed.
Over the past year and a half, our Ladies’ Sunday school class and our Deaf Ladies’ Bible study has been focusing on learning to “Seek God.” This was the theme for our Ladies’ Retreat this past year as well. I am so blessed to be surrounded by women who desire to seek God and to know Him more. Their heart’s passion inspires me, motivates me, and challenges me to also seek the Lord God with all my heart. I am learning that I have to make a choice…I cannot seek to serve myself AND seek God at the same time, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). God’s command is clear, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5), “Seek the LORD while HE may be found, Call upon Him while HE is near (Isaiah55:6), “And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your hearts” (Jeremiah 29:13).
My Friend, who/what are you seeking today? There are only two directions we can walk…With the Lord or away from the Lord. God is calling us to call upon Him and to surrender our lives to Him. A surrendered life is a life that recognizes that he/she has been bought with a price and that the life he/she is now living is not his/her own but belongs to the One who saved him/her from the consequences of sin. If we are seeking self, we are walking in rebellion! May each of us fall before the Lord God and confess the sin of “seeking our own” and ask Him to create within us a heart that desires to love as Christ loves and to live a life that truly reflects the glory of God.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
1 Corinthians 13:5
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on the second portion of verse 5. Our focus this past 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 second portion of our focal passage “(Love) does not seek it own…” My Friend, do you realize that we all “seek” something? Every day, we are surrounded by choices and each of the decisions that we make regarding those choices reveals what we are truly seeking. We see this very thing demonstrated as far back as Adam and Eve. God created a perfect world and HE created Adam and Eve and placed them in the midst of His creation. No good thing was withheld from them. God blessed them and HE had an intimate, pure, unblemished relationship with them. God even established boundaries for them because HE knew what was best for them.
God’s boundaries were for Adam and Eve’s protection; however, Eve did not view it from that perspective. When Satan tempted Eve, he used the very same “line” he uses with us today, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). Now certainly Satan is not tempting us to literally eat from “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” but he does tempt us to seek our own pleasures and to reject God’s commands on our lives. His temptation may manifest itself differently in different situations but the bottom line is that Satan is tempting us to trade a pure, intimate relationship with the Lord God for self-seeking pleasures that lead to death.
As children of God, we are commanded to love as Christ loves us, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Christ’s love was demonstrated on the cross when HE did NOT “seek His own” but rather HE sacrificed His very life so that we may live! We are not called to die on a cross for the sins of others but we are called to die to self and to live a life that points others to the cross where they too can find forgiveness, salvation, and healing. My Friend, when we seek to fulfill our flesh we are hurting others. We may not understand how our selfishness affects others but sin always brings forth destruction! We are commanded to love one another as Christ loves us because through our obedience Christ is magnified and others are blessed.
Over the past year and a half, our Ladies’ Sunday school class and our Deaf Ladies’ Bible study has been focusing on learning to “Seek God.” This was the theme for our Ladies’ Retreat this past year as well. I am so blessed to be surrounded by women who desire to seek God and to know Him more. Their heart’s passion inspires me, motivates me, and challenges me to also seek the Lord God with all my heart. I am learning that I have to make a choice…I cannot seek to serve myself AND seek God at the same time, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). God’s command is clear, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5), “Seek the LORD while HE may be found, Call upon Him while HE is near (Isaiah55:6), “And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your hearts” (Jeremiah 29:13).
My Friend, who/what are you seeking today? There are only two directions we can walk…With the Lord or away from the Lord. God is calling us to call upon Him and to surrender our lives to Him. A surrendered life is a life that recognizes that he/she has been bought with a price and that the life he/she is now living is not his/her own but belongs to the One who saved him/her from the consequences of sin. If we are seeking self, we are walking in rebellion! May each of us fall before the Lord God and confess the sin of “seeking our own” and ask Him to create within us a heart that desires to love as Christ loves and to live a life that truly reflects the glory of God.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #295
Focal Passage for 2011:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.” 1 Corinthians 13:5
January 2010, we began a journey together learning to love as Christ loves. When we first began, I thought that our study would be finished in a few months and that we would move on to another topic fairly quickly. Well, it was not long before I realized how wrong I was. I must confess that I was very arrogant in my thinking. When the Lord began to impress upon my heart that HE wanted me to focus on learning to love as Christ, I was surprised. Why? I was surprised because I really believed that I did love as Christ most of the time. Boy, pride sure is rooted deep within my heart!!
The more God teaches me about the pure, unconditional, selfless love of Christ the more I realized the vile, wicked, conditional love that is alive and active in my heart. My Friend, when we examine our lives against the backdrop of Scripture we cannot help but see the sin that has taken root in our lives. Now, this should not be a discouragement to us. As children of God, we have the promise of God to cling too. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:6). “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14).
How does this truth affect you today?! This truth is the very core of our hope we have in Christ Jesus. HE alone is our Redeemer who reconciles sinners to a holy God. HE loves us with a love that in our humanness we cannot fully understand. HE is our example…We are called to be ambassadors of Christ in order to point others to the cross where they too can find forgiveness, salvation, reconciliation, and restoration. As we move forward this year in our pursuit to love as Christ loves, we will be challenged with truth. God will establish in our hearts a pure desire to reflect Him in our daily lives and HE will teach us and guide us as we love with a pure, unconditional, and selfless love. Are you excited?!?! I am so thankful that you have chosen to study God’s Word with me each week. I will do my very best to honor the Lord through this ministry and to faithfully record what God is teaching me so that we can learn and grow together. Grab your Bibles, My Friend…Here we go!!
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on the first portion of verse 5. Our focus this past 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 first portion of our focal passage “(Love) does not behave rudely…” What does it mean to “behave rudely?” God’s Word is clear and His commands are explained throughout Scripture. With that in mind, let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 10:24 in order to gain more insight. “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.” When we act rudely, we are basically saying in our hearts that our desires, wants, needs, opinions, etc. are more important than someone else’s desires, wants, needs, opinions, etc. An example that we are all familiar with is when one child wants something that the other child has and he/she begins to act rudely. Rude behavior may manifest itself differently in each child depending upon the circumstance but the heart issue is always the same.
As a mother of four, I deal with this heart issue on a daily basis. I recognize it in my children and I am usually very quick to address it with Scripture. My heart’s desire is for my children to grow into the men and women that God has created them to be. I want them to grow spiritually and to have a heart after God’s own heart. I understand that any sin that is allowed to grow will continue to take root and that sin will disrupt a pure and intimate relationship with the Lord God. Now, I have a question for you. Why is it easier to see sin in our children’s hearts than it is to recognize sin in our own hearts?!
God uses my children to teach me more about Himself and to convict my heart on many levels as I deal with their heart issues. Allow me to share a personal example. One day last month it seemed that all I did was deal with rude behaviors and unkind hearts in my children. I was exhausted and ready for bed that evening and I remember praying for my children. I asked the Lord to convict them of their sins and to change their hearts and then I drifted off to sleep. The next morning, our alarm went off at 5:00am and I said, “Good Morning” to my husband, Glen. It was not two minutes after that greeting that I began to act rudely toward my husband. I asked him a question and I did not like the answer he gave me. Before I knew what was happening, I was following him to the bathroom insisting that he change his mind and do things my way. He stopped what he was doing and explained that he was called by God to be accountable for our family and the direction I wanted him to go was not where he felt the Lord leading. Now, I knew he was right but my flesh was furious that he was not “listening to me.”
I wish I could say that I immediately stopped arguing and repented of my sin and asked his and the Lord’s forgiveness but that would not be true. I remained upset with my husband most of the morning until a dear friend called. As I shared with her my frustration, she said to me, “Michelle, you know that you responded sinfully to Glen and that you need to apologize to him.” In that moment, the Lord reminded me of our focal passage and the very lessons that I had worked on with my children the day before. “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
My Friend, when we do not guard our hearts with the truth of God’s Word and use His Word to guide our hearts, we will quickly find ourselves acting in ways that dishonor the Lord. Our behavior does affect those around us. We are called by God to live lives that point others to the Cross. When we act rudely and selfishly, we are falling short of our calling. Christ gave all of Himself so that we could be reconciled to God. Without His blood, we have no hope for eternal life in heaven. As children of God, we must love others the way Christ loves us! We must die to self and live for Christ daily. Why? Because “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by fiath in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). How do you love, My Friend?
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.” 1 Corinthians 13:5
January 2010, we began a journey together learning to love as Christ loves. When we first began, I thought that our study would be finished in a few months and that we would move on to another topic fairly quickly. Well, it was not long before I realized how wrong I was. I must confess that I was very arrogant in my thinking. When the Lord began to impress upon my heart that HE wanted me to focus on learning to love as Christ, I was surprised. Why? I was surprised because I really believed that I did love as Christ most of the time. Boy, pride sure is rooted deep within my heart!!
The more God teaches me about the pure, unconditional, selfless love of Christ the more I realized the vile, wicked, conditional love that is alive and active in my heart. My Friend, when we examine our lives against the backdrop of Scripture we cannot help but see the sin that has taken root in our lives. Now, this should not be a discouragement to us. As children of God, we have the promise of God to cling too. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:6). “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14).
How does this truth affect you today?! This truth is the very core of our hope we have in Christ Jesus. HE alone is our Redeemer who reconciles sinners to a holy God. HE loves us with a love that in our humanness we cannot fully understand. HE is our example…We are called to be ambassadors of Christ in order to point others to the cross where they too can find forgiveness, salvation, reconciliation, and restoration. As we move forward this year in our pursuit to love as Christ loves, we will be challenged with truth. God will establish in our hearts a pure desire to reflect Him in our daily lives and HE will teach us and guide us as we love with a pure, unconditional, and selfless love. Are you excited?!?! I am so thankful that you have chosen to study God’s Word with me each week. I will do my very best to honor the Lord through this ministry and to faithfully record what God is teaching me so that we can learn and grow together. Grab your Bibles, My Friend…Here we go!!
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on the first portion of verse 5. Our focus this past 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 first portion of our focal passage “(Love) does not behave rudely…” What does it mean to “behave rudely?” God’s Word is clear and His commands are explained throughout Scripture. With that in mind, let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 10:24 in order to gain more insight. “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.” When we act rudely, we are basically saying in our hearts that our desires, wants, needs, opinions, etc. are more important than someone else’s desires, wants, needs, opinions, etc. An example that we are all familiar with is when one child wants something that the other child has and he/she begins to act rudely. Rude behavior may manifest itself differently in each child depending upon the circumstance but the heart issue is always the same.
As a mother of four, I deal with this heart issue on a daily basis. I recognize it in my children and I am usually very quick to address it with Scripture. My heart’s desire is for my children to grow into the men and women that God has created them to be. I want them to grow spiritually and to have a heart after God’s own heart. I understand that any sin that is allowed to grow will continue to take root and that sin will disrupt a pure and intimate relationship with the Lord God. Now, I have a question for you. Why is it easier to see sin in our children’s hearts than it is to recognize sin in our own hearts?!
God uses my children to teach me more about Himself and to convict my heart on many levels as I deal with their heart issues. Allow me to share a personal example. One day last month it seemed that all I did was deal with rude behaviors and unkind hearts in my children. I was exhausted and ready for bed that evening and I remember praying for my children. I asked the Lord to convict them of their sins and to change their hearts and then I drifted off to sleep. The next morning, our alarm went off at 5:00am and I said, “Good Morning” to my husband, Glen. It was not two minutes after that greeting that I began to act rudely toward my husband. I asked him a question and I did not like the answer he gave me. Before I knew what was happening, I was following him to the bathroom insisting that he change his mind and do things my way. He stopped what he was doing and explained that he was called by God to be accountable for our family and the direction I wanted him to go was not where he felt the Lord leading. Now, I knew he was right but my flesh was furious that he was not “listening to me.”
I wish I could say that I immediately stopped arguing and repented of my sin and asked his and the Lord’s forgiveness but that would not be true. I remained upset with my husband most of the morning until a dear friend called. As I shared with her my frustration, she said to me, “Michelle, you know that you responded sinfully to Glen and that you need to apologize to him.” In that moment, the Lord reminded me of our focal passage and the very lessons that I had worked on with my children the day before. “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
My Friend, when we do not guard our hearts with the truth of God’s Word and use His Word to guide our hearts, we will quickly find ourselves acting in ways that dishonor the Lord. Our behavior does affect those around us. We are called by God to live lives that point others to the Cross. When we act rudely and selfishly, we are falling short of our calling. Christ gave all of Himself so that we could be reconciled to God. Without His blood, we have no hope for eternal life in heaven. As children of God, we must love others the way Christ loves us! We must die to self and live for Christ daily. Why? Because “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by fiath in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). How do you love, My Friend?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)