“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” John 4:35b
This year, I had the opportunity of being a small part of Journey to Judea (J2J), a living nativity that our church hosted. During Journey to Judea, I had the blessing of walking through with the Deaf tours. I was asked to assist with the lighting and I was excited to serve alongside others who were ministering to the Deaf. It did not take me long to realize, though, that the Deaf were actually ministering to us as much as we were ministering to them. Their excitement about the “journey” and their eagerness to receive the Gospel was amazing and contagious!
All weekend, I would stand back and just gaze into the faces of these precious people and watch their eyes light up and their faces glow with pure joy as the Story of Christ was proclaimed in their language. I remember one night standing at the cross watching the interpreter tell the story of Christ as HE was judged unjustly, beaten, mocked, and then nailed to the cross. When the interpreter signed, “And then Jesus cried out…”Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” my heart broke! For the first time, I really saw myself in that crowd of mockers and felt the pain of my sin and experienced that horrible moment when the people at the cross realized what they had done and walked away beating their breasts and pulling their hair. My eyes glanced around the Deaf that stood there and one of them signed, “Praise You, God!” My heart just cried out, “Yes Lord! Praise You!”
All weekend, I stood back and just watched the Lord impress His Truth upon the hearts of those who walked through, including my own heart, and each time was more awesome than the next. I never got tired of hearing the Gospel proclaimed and I found myself walking back in the building after each tour praising God for something new that HE had taught me through the “journey.”
As I talked with the Deaf from each group, I heard a common statement – “I have never seen anything like this! I did not know all of that!” My heart grew more and more burdened for those Deaf in our community who have not heard the Gospel and have not been exposed to God’s Word on a regular basis. As the Deaf tours ended, I began to talk with some other visitors who had gone through J2J with other groups and they were saying the same thing…”Wow! I did not know all of that…I learned so much!” God brought John 4:35 to my mind, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”
All month, the Lord has been quickening my heart to the realization that there are so many around me everyday who have never trusted in Him as their personal Lord and Savior. The Lord continues to impress upon my heart His command that we are called to proclaim His Word to all the nations (see Matthew 28:18-20). The life application question for me is: Do I share the Gospel when the Lord brings that opportunity before me?
During Christmas is a wonderful time for all Believers to stand up and proclaim Christ Jesus to all those around us. Christmas is not just about the birth of Christ but it is also about the REASON Christ came in the form of a baby, grew in statue, and served the Lord obediently even to death! Christ’s birth ushered in the way for man to be reconciled to God. Christmas is a time of celebrating the finished work of the Cross because through the Cross, God provided a cure for sin and death. We are no longer bound to sin but we are free in Christ Jesus to live a life that is full of the abundance of God Himself. We are free from guilt and shame and we have new life in Him! We are vessels for God to use to reveal His truth to others and to draw them to Himself! My Friend, isn’t that truth worth proclaiming to each and every person we meet!?!
Lord, may that be the priority of our hearts. May our lives be a true representation of who you are and may our obedience to the call on our lives lead others to You!
No matter what season, what circumstance, what position we may be in, may we remember that the Lord has placed us there for a divine purpose and HE will use us to shine light into a dark and dying world. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:14-16.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #307
“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 faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Over the past several years, the Lord has really been reworking my heart! It has been a slow, deliberate, and often times, painful transformation. The process is not finished nor will it be until I met my Savior face-to-face but God is graciously revealing glimpses of my new heart along the way. This “reconstruction surgery” has not been limited to one area of my life but rather has encompassed my entire person. I am learning that I have never had a “right view” of God.
Now, please understand; I am not saying that I was not exposed to the Truth as I grew up. I am simply saying that my heart was not ready to receive Truth and I continually rebelled against the Lord during most of my youth and early adulthood years. You see, I knew God’s Word, I could answer most Bible questions correctly, I shared the Gospel with others, and I knew there was a God but I did not believe His Word applied directly to my life. I was rebellious, stubborn, and determined to “run my own life.” I did pray but those prayers were self-serving, unrighteous, and usually accompanied situations in which I needed help. And by “help” I mean I had gotten myself into a situation and I was trying to avoid further consequences. My view of God was formulated by my immature, limited rationale and understanding. I did not seek to know God through the pages of His Word.
Several years ago, God drew me to Himself and gave me a passion to study His Word and to get to know who HE says HE is through Scripture. God has been (and continues) teaching me that His Word is absolute! HE is God and I am not! “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer; the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images” (Isaiah 42:8). My entire life I have tried to be my own god. Praise be to the Most High that HE did not allow me to continue in that bondage of sin. HE rescued me from my sin and myself and reconciled me to Himself through the finished work of Christ on the cross!! Scripture says, “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).
My Friend, God is the Author and Finisher of our faith. HE offers eternal hope, complete freedom, and a new life for all who believe. There is no sin too great for His blood to cleanse, remove, and forgive!! Through Him, we are able to “live no longer for (ourselves), but for Him who died for (us) and rose again” (see 2 Corinthians 5:15). We are able to die to self and live for Christ when we surrender ourselves to Him and apply His Word to our daily lives. Yesterday, one of my mentors handed me a slip of paper that contained a powerful explanation of what it means to biblically die to self. May the Lord create in each of us a desire to die to ourselves and live a life completely surrendered to Him alone!
Dying to Self
When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at nought, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ,
That is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence.
That is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruptions by the will of God,
That is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you truly love to be unknown,
That is dying to self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances,
That is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from someone of less stature than yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no resentment or rebellion rising up in your heart,
That is dying to self.
(Author unknown)
Over the past several years, the Lord has really been reworking my heart! It has been a slow, deliberate, and often times, painful transformation. The process is not finished nor will it be until I met my Savior face-to-face but God is graciously revealing glimpses of my new heart along the way. This “reconstruction surgery” has not been limited to one area of my life but rather has encompassed my entire person. I am learning that I have never had a “right view” of God.
Now, please understand; I am not saying that I was not exposed to the Truth as I grew up. I am simply saying that my heart was not ready to receive Truth and I continually rebelled against the Lord during most of my youth and early adulthood years. You see, I knew God’s Word, I could answer most Bible questions correctly, I shared the Gospel with others, and I knew there was a God but I did not believe His Word applied directly to my life. I was rebellious, stubborn, and determined to “run my own life.” I did pray but those prayers were self-serving, unrighteous, and usually accompanied situations in which I needed help. And by “help” I mean I had gotten myself into a situation and I was trying to avoid further consequences. My view of God was formulated by my immature, limited rationale and understanding. I did not seek to know God through the pages of His Word.
Several years ago, God drew me to Himself and gave me a passion to study His Word and to get to know who HE says HE is through Scripture. God has been (and continues) teaching me that His Word is absolute! HE is God and I am not! “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer; the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images” (Isaiah 42:8). My entire life I have tried to be my own god. Praise be to the Most High that HE did not allow me to continue in that bondage of sin. HE rescued me from my sin and myself and reconciled me to Himself through the finished work of Christ on the cross!! Scripture says, “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).
My Friend, God is the Author and Finisher of our faith. HE offers eternal hope, complete freedom, and a new life for all who believe. There is no sin too great for His blood to cleanse, remove, and forgive!! Through Him, we are able to “live no longer for (ourselves), but for Him who died for (us) and rose again” (see 2 Corinthians 5:15). We are able to die to self and live for Christ when we surrender ourselves to Him and apply His Word to our daily lives. Yesterday, one of my mentors handed me a slip of paper that contained a powerful explanation of what it means to biblically die to self. May the Lord create in each of us a desire to die to ourselves and live a life completely surrendered to Him alone!
Dying to Self
When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at nought, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ,
That is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence.
That is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruptions by the will of God,
That is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you truly love to be unknown,
That is dying to self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances,
That is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from someone of less stature than yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no resentment or rebellion rising up in your heart,
That is dying to self.
(Author unknown)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #306
“So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.” Genesis 7:7
In our Ladies’ Sunday School class, we have begun a journey through Scripture studying different women along the way. Our purpose is to gain a better understanding of who God is, increase our love for Him, and to gain valuable life applications (learning to apply God’s Word to our daily lives). Each woman we encounter gives us glimpses into the character of God. There are life applications rooted deep within each woman’s story…Those who loved the Lord and obeyed His commands as well as those who did not. As we mine our way through the pages of God’s Word, we are blessed with the opportunity to know God more. The more we know who God truly is, the more we desire Him. The more we desire Him, the more we seek Him. The more we seek Him, the more we are satisfied in Him – “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” (John Piper).
My Friend, God is at work in each of us for the purpose of transforming us into the man/woman HE created us to be – A Man/Woman After His own Heart. Recently God has been using one Biblical woman in particular to teach me about faithfully obeying the Lord. This woman is Noah’s wife. Scripture does not give us any background information about Noah’s wife, nor does it record her name, personal information, or any words that she spoke but Scripture does record two facts about her – she got on the ark (see Gen. 7:7, 13) and she got off the ark (see Genesis 8:15, 18)!
We do not know what Noah’s wife was doing or saying during this time. All we know is that she did get on and off the ark in response to God’s command. Each of us have our own personal “arks”. In each of our lives, there are times when God gives us commands that do not make sense to our limited, human minds. We may find ourselves struggling with obedience. Perhaps we question the Lord or we try to rationalize a “better” way to approach a situation. We begin to allow “fear of man” (placing a higher value on what others think or say about us than seeking our satisfaction in God alone) to guide our thoughts, actions, and decisions. Noah’s wife was asked to board an ark that would take her away from her home and all that she was familiar with. Her life would never be the same once she stepped onto the ark. The Lord God would close the door behind her and her family, send flood waters to cover the entire earth, and destroy all mankind except for those on board. God had been using the past 120 years to bring them to this very moment…The doors were open, would they follow Him onto the ark?
Life Application Questions:
Sometimes God changes our lives dramatically…Do you see God’s faithfulness in every circumstance of your life? Do you seek Him daily in the midst of the chaos and changes or do you allow yourself to become overwhelmed, fearful, and depressed?
I love the picture of Noah’s wife obediently following her husband onto the ark. She had no idea what it would be like to live on the ark. She had no idea what it would be like in the midst of the storm. She had no idea what life would be like “on the other side of the storm.” Yet, she trusted the Lord and her husband and faithfully obeyed. Life before the ark was not Mrs. Noah’s permanent home! Life after the ark was not her permanent home either. Her permanent home is where she is spending eternity. Scripture does not tell us about Noah’s wife’s spiritual condition so we will not make any assumptions here. What we can do is ask ourselves, “Where is our home?”
My Friend, are we seeking to set up residence here and try to fit in, succeed, take root, and remain or do we understand that this is just a temporary dwelling for us and we are here for a divine purpose? God has carved out this moment in history and placed each of us in it. We are called for a purpose…Are we obedient to His commands? What ark are you facing today? Are you willing to trust the Lord, board that ark, and ride the waves of His faithfulness? If we will follow Him, we will never regret it! God is faithful! God is trustworthy! God’s plans for us are designed to grow us in Him and to point others to Him. Do you trust the Lord God completely with every aspect of your life? “Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually” (Psalm 119:117).
In our Ladies’ Sunday School class, we have begun a journey through Scripture studying different women along the way. Our purpose is to gain a better understanding of who God is, increase our love for Him, and to gain valuable life applications (learning to apply God’s Word to our daily lives). Each woman we encounter gives us glimpses into the character of God. There are life applications rooted deep within each woman’s story…Those who loved the Lord and obeyed His commands as well as those who did not. As we mine our way through the pages of God’s Word, we are blessed with the opportunity to know God more. The more we know who God truly is, the more we desire Him. The more we desire Him, the more we seek Him. The more we seek Him, the more we are satisfied in Him – “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” (John Piper).
My Friend, God is at work in each of us for the purpose of transforming us into the man/woman HE created us to be – A Man/Woman After His own Heart. Recently God has been using one Biblical woman in particular to teach me about faithfully obeying the Lord. This woman is Noah’s wife. Scripture does not give us any background information about Noah’s wife, nor does it record her name, personal information, or any words that she spoke but Scripture does record two facts about her – she got on the ark (see Gen. 7:7, 13) and she got off the ark (see Genesis 8:15, 18)!
We do not know what Noah’s wife was doing or saying during this time. All we know is that she did get on and off the ark in response to God’s command. Each of us have our own personal “arks”. In each of our lives, there are times when God gives us commands that do not make sense to our limited, human minds. We may find ourselves struggling with obedience. Perhaps we question the Lord or we try to rationalize a “better” way to approach a situation. We begin to allow “fear of man” (placing a higher value on what others think or say about us than seeking our satisfaction in God alone) to guide our thoughts, actions, and decisions. Noah’s wife was asked to board an ark that would take her away from her home and all that she was familiar with. Her life would never be the same once she stepped onto the ark. The Lord God would close the door behind her and her family, send flood waters to cover the entire earth, and destroy all mankind except for those on board. God had been using the past 120 years to bring them to this very moment…The doors were open, would they follow Him onto the ark?
Life Application Questions:
Sometimes God changes our lives dramatically…Do you see God’s faithfulness in every circumstance of your life? Do you seek Him daily in the midst of the chaos and changes or do you allow yourself to become overwhelmed, fearful, and depressed?
I love the picture of Noah’s wife obediently following her husband onto the ark. She had no idea what it would be like to live on the ark. She had no idea what it would be like in the midst of the storm. She had no idea what life would be like “on the other side of the storm.” Yet, she trusted the Lord and her husband and faithfully obeyed. Life before the ark was not Mrs. Noah’s permanent home! Life after the ark was not her permanent home either. Her permanent home is where she is spending eternity. Scripture does not tell us about Noah’s wife’s spiritual condition so we will not make any assumptions here. What we can do is ask ourselves, “Where is our home?”
My Friend, are we seeking to set up residence here and try to fit in, succeed, take root, and remain or do we understand that this is just a temporary dwelling for us and we are here for a divine purpose? God has carved out this moment in history and placed each of us in it. We are called for a purpose…Are we obedient to His commands? What ark are you facing today? Are you willing to trust the Lord, board that ark, and ride the waves of His faithfulness? If we will follow Him, we will never regret it! God is faithful! God is trustworthy! God’s plans for us are designed to grow us in Him and to point others to Him. Do you trust the Lord God completely with every aspect of your life? “Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually” (Psalm 119:117).
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #305
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Over the past two years, the Lord has really been dealing with bondage in my life…Habitual sins that lingered across the years as well as very dark areas of my life that I tried to “tuck away” and forget. God knows exactly what we need and HE is so faithful and gracious to give us our needs. I used to believe that this verse in Philippians applied only to our physical needs. God has been revealing to me that while HE does care about our physical needs and HE is faithful to meet each of those needs at perfect moment, HE is more concerned with our spiritual needs.
I would like to share an article with you that I wrote for our Church’s Newsletter. God continues to bring this truth back to me every time I try to “tuck away” my sin instead of allowing God to deal with it in the light of His Word:
In our Ladies’ Sunday School class as well as the Deaf Ladies’ Bible study, we have been learning to Seek God and to Become a Woman after God’s Own Heart. God has been teaching us that HE is sovereign and HE knows each of us better than we know ourselves. HE can see the depth of our despair and HE alone can reach to the very depth of whatever pit we may be dwelling, rescue us, clean us from the inside out, and make us into a new creation…Free, whole, complete, and pleasing to Him! HE does this through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) and that Christ came that we might “have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
His desire to give me abundant spiritual life is the reason that God has been so diligent to deal with my heart regarding the past. Through Scripture, I am now able to see that blocking memories was an attempt to free myself from sin. I was a sinner in need of a Savior but I spent most of my life trying to be my own savior. I have allowed fear, anxiety, shame, and guilt to control me but Christ came to remove that burden! “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
I love the testimony of King David because it is a picture of an imperfect man being transformed into a “Man after God’s own heart” (see 1 Samuel 13:14). David sinned against the Lord many times in his life and he often allowed fear to guide his decisions; however, David’s life bears the imprint of the Lord God. God loved David and drew him to Himself. God molded and shaped David through the circumstances in his life and David emerged a mighty man of God. My Friend, do you realize that God can mold and shape you into the man/woman HE created you to be? No matter where you have been, no matter what you have done, no matter what has been done to you, Christ blood cleanses you from all unrighteousness. Christ’s blood has the power to make a new life out of lives that have been destroyed, marred, and ravaged by sin. I know this is true because this is exactly what Christ did for me! God looked upon my helpless state and HE poured out His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness and HE alone made me new.
The Lord works in our lives according to our individual needs. For me, I needed to face my past by walking through all those memories that I had suppressed for years. The way that God chose to do this was by giving me the opportunity to share my “life story” with our small group. In the process of preparing to share, the Lord allowed me to view my past through the backdrop of Scripture. HE gave me eyes to see Him in the midst of all that pain and shame. I am utterly amazed by God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! God allowed me to experience Him in a brand new way.
I have no idea what you may be facing today, but I want to encourage you to seek God. Be open to the work HE wants to do in your life, even if that work seems painful at the time. HE loves you and HE desires to set you free. HE is trustworthy and HE will never forsake you. Scripture tells us that Satan “walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). My Friend, Satan will continue to whisper lies into your ear hoping that you will believe those lies and turn from God’s truth. Satan desires to destroy us but God desires to transform us into the image of Christ and to give us abundant life through Him. Like King David, our lives can bear the imprint of the invisible God. We can be a reflection of His absolute power and authority. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Over the past two years, the Lord has really been dealing with bondage in my life…Habitual sins that lingered across the years as well as very dark areas of my life that I tried to “tuck away” and forget. God knows exactly what we need and HE is so faithful and gracious to give us our needs. I used to believe that this verse in Philippians applied only to our physical needs. God has been revealing to me that while HE does care about our physical needs and HE is faithful to meet each of those needs at perfect moment, HE is more concerned with our spiritual needs.
I would like to share an article with you that I wrote for our Church’s Newsletter. God continues to bring this truth back to me every time I try to “tuck away” my sin instead of allowing God to deal with it in the light of His Word:
In our Ladies’ Sunday School class as well as the Deaf Ladies’ Bible study, we have been learning to Seek God and to Become a Woman after God’s Own Heart. God has been teaching us that HE is sovereign and HE knows each of us better than we know ourselves. HE can see the depth of our despair and HE alone can reach to the very depth of whatever pit we may be dwelling, rescue us, clean us from the inside out, and make us into a new creation…Free, whole, complete, and pleasing to Him! HE does this through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) and that Christ came that we might “have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
His desire to give me abundant spiritual life is the reason that God has been so diligent to deal with my heart regarding the past. Through Scripture, I am now able to see that blocking memories was an attempt to free myself from sin. I was a sinner in need of a Savior but I spent most of my life trying to be my own savior. I have allowed fear, anxiety, shame, and guilt to control me but Christ came to remove that burden! “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
I love the testimony of King David because it is a picture of an imperfect man being transformed into a “Man after God’s own heart” (see 1 Samuel 13:14). David sinned against the Lord many times in his life and he often allowed fear to guide his decisions; however, David’s life bears the imprint of the Lord God. God loved David and drew him to Himself. God molded and shaped David through the circumstances in his life and David emerged a mighty man of God. My Friend, do you realize that God can mold and shape you into the man/woman HE created you to be? No matter where you have been, no matter what you have done, no matter what has been done to you, Christ blood cleanses you from all unrighteousness. Christ’s blood has the power to make a new life out of lives that have been destroyed, marred, and ravaged by sin. I know this is true because this is exactly what Christ did for me! God looked upon my helpless state and HE poured out His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness and HE alone made me new.
The Lord works in our lives according to our individual needs. For me, I needed to face my past by walking through all those memories that I had suppressed for years. The way that God chose to do this was by giving me the opportunity to share my “life story” with our small group. In the process of preparing to share, the Lord allowed me to view my past through the backdrop of Scripture. HE gave me eyes to see Him in the midst of all that pain and shame. I am utterly amazed by God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! God allowed me to experience Him in a brand new way.
I have no idea what you may be facing today, but I want to encourage you to seek God. Be open to the work HE wants to do in your life, even if that work seems painful at the time. HE loves you and HE desires to set you free. HE is trustworthy and HE will never forsake you. Scripture tells us that Satan “walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). My Friend, Satan will continue to whisper lies into your ear hoping that you will believe those lies and turn from God’s truth. Satan desires to destroy us but God desires to transform us into the image of Christ and to give us abundant life through Him. Like King David, our lives can bear the imprint of the invisible God. We can be a reflection of His absolute power and authority. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #304
“She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms.”
Proverbs 31:17
There are many life applications that are found within this one chapter of Scripture but one specific area that the Lord has really been convicting my heart is in regard to “seeking Him to satisfy my every desire instead of seeking to stuff myself with other things.” Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Thus begs the question, “What does it mean to “seek the kingdom of God?” Romans 14:17 tells us “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The Nelson Study Bible explains this verse, “The kingdom of God does not consist of external things like food, but in spiritual realities like righteousness in action and thought, peace that seeks harmony, and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Those who understand the spiritual realities of the kingdom will not choose the brief joy of satisfying selfish desires over the spiritual joy of putting aside those desires for the sake of others” (p. 1906).
In our focal passage, we learn that the Proverbs 31 Woman is “girding herself with strength.” What does that mean for us today? Let’s begin by examining two types of strengths: physical and spiritual. How do we obtain physical strength? We gain strength by eating properly, exercising, and getting proper rest. Those are each important aspects of keeping us strong and healthy; however, these are merely temporary fixes. Even if we eat properly, exercise, and rest every day, we will still get tired, hungry, and need to exercise again. Right? The Proverbs 31 Woman understood that she needed more than just physical strength to serve the Lord and glorify Him through her daily life. She recognized her need for spiritual strength. Spiritual strength is a gift from the Lord. When the Lord strengthens us to do all that HE has called us to do, then we are completely filled and every need is met by the One True Living God.
Life Application Question:
What do you do when you are tired, overwhelmed, sad, depressed, lonely, unappreciated, and/or unsatisfied?
If the answer to that question is anything other than “running to the Lord and feasting on Him,” then you are seeking strength outside of the Lord Jesus Christ!
How can we learn to feast on the Lord in order to find complete fulfillment, satisfaction, and strength?
The answer is to seek the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, and all your strength. “Seeking God…can be defined as studying God’s Word, making earnest prayer to Him, and confessing sin” (The Lord’s Table, p. 12).
The Proverbs 31 Woman feasted on the Lord and she sought Him above all else. What does it mean to “feast on the Lord”? Here is an accumulation of the responses gathered through a couple of Bible studies I am involved in:
• Feasting on the Lord means to approach His table with celebration
• Feasting on the Lord means to put aside all distractions and come to His table with an appetite for Him alone
• Feasting on the Lord means to “prepare” ourselves through prayer, praise, confession of sin, and repentance
• Feasting on the Lord means to “soak Him in”
• Feasting on the Lord involves obedience to Him
• Feasting on the Lord means we do not come to His table “already full” of other things
• Feasting on the Lord produces joyfulness within our hearts and soul – even in the midst of trials
• “Your words were found, and I ate them, An Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).
Feasting on the Lord means that we are seeking Him to fill every part of ourselves. We are studying His Word, making earnest prayer to Him, and confessing our sins. We are learning to discern His Word and apply it to our lives. We are making daily decisions to die to self and to live for Christ. We are exchanging our self-seeking ways for His perfect desire for our lives. We are willing to crucify our flesh in order to reflect Him more accurately to those around us. We understand that our lives have been bought with a price and we are not to live for self but our lives are now living sacrifices to the Risen Lord.
What are some things we can “feast” on rather than the Lord Jesus Christ? Here are some of the answers from both of the ladies’ classes: Food, children/grandchildren, relationships, friends, popularity, jobs, material possessions, fame, wealth, ministry, hobbies, television, computer, Facebook/Facebook games, travel, exercise, youth and processes to keep us young, religion, education, satisfying the flesh in any manner (gluttony, sex, overspending, etc.). This is certainly not a complete list but it does give us a starting point to begin evaluating the things in our lives that could be taking the place of an intimate relationship with the Lord. God’s Word says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:1-5a).
My Friend, do you realize that when we desire anything more than we desire to know the Lord God and find complete satisfaction in Him, we are bowing down to idols?! Whatever our heart desires more than seeking the Lord is an idol that we have “carved for ourselves.” God commands that we do not make anything an idol in our lives because that idol will become our god. We will be bound to it and our flesh will crave it. We will seek it with all our hearts, minds, and souls, and that will lead us away from the Lord into death and destruction. Man cannot serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24). We may think we can “keep a balance” in our lives but the truth is that we are weak, powerless creatures and whatever we seek will have dominion over us. We will bow down to the desires of our hearts. The only “balance” that we will find is at the feet of Christ…Crying out to Him to satisfy us completely and to teach us to be content in all things because HE Himself has said, “Never will I leave you nor forsake you” (see Hebrews 13:5). “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
Proverbs 31:17
There are many life applications that are found within this one chapter of Scripture but one specific area that the Lord has really been convicting my heart is in regard to “seeking Him to satisfy my every desire instead of seeking to stuff myself with other things.” Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Thus begs the question, “What does it mean to “seek the kingdom of God?” Romans 14:17 tells us “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The Nelson Study Bible explains this verse, “The kingdom of God does not consist of external things like food, but in spiritual realities like righteousness in action and thought, peace that seeks harmony, and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Those who understand the spiritual realities of the kingdom will not choose the brief joy of satisfying selfish desires over the spiritual joy of putting aside those desires for the sake of others” (p. 1906).
In our focal passage, we learn that the Proverbs 31 Woman is “girding herself with strength.” What does that mean for us today? Let’s begin by examining two types of strengths: physical and spiritual. How do we obtain physical strength? We gain strength by eating properly, exercising, and getting proper rest. Those are each important aspects of keeping us strong and healthy; however, these are merely temporary fixes. Even if we eat properly, exercise, and rest every day, we will still get tired, hungry, and need to exercise again. Right? The Proverbs 31 Woman understood that she needed more than just physical strength to serve the Lord and glorify Him through her daily life. She recognized her need for spiritual strength. Spiritual strength is a gift from the Lord. When the Lord strengthens us to do all that HE has called us to do, then we are completely filled and every need is met by the One True Living God.
Life Application Question:
What do you do when you are tired, overwhelmed, sad, depressed, lonely, unappreciated, and/or unsatisfied?
If the answer to that question is anything other than “running to the Lord and feasting on Him,” then you are seeking strength outside of the Lord Jesus Christ!
How can we learn to feast on the Lord in order to find complete fulfillment, satisfaction, and strength?
The answer is to seek the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, and all your strength. “Seeking God…can be defined as studying God’s Word, making earnest prayer to Him, and confessing sin” (The Lord’s Table, p. 12).
The Proverbs 31 Woman feasted on the Lord and she sought Him above all else. What does it mean to “feast on the Lord”? Here is an accumulation of the responses gathered through a couple of Bible studies I am involved in:
• Feasting on the Lord means to approach His table with celebration
• Feasting on the Lord means to put aside all distractions and come to His table with an appetite for Him alone
• Feasting on the Lord means to “prepare” ourselves through prayer, praise, confession of sin, and repentance
• Feasting on the Lord means to “soak Him in”
• Feasting on the Lord involves obedience to Him
• Feasting on the Lord means we do not come to His table “already full” of other things
• Feasting on the Lord produces joyfulness within our hearts and soul – even in the midst of trials
• “Your words were found, and I ate them, An Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).
Feasting on the Lord means that we are seeking Him to fill every part of ourselves. We are studying His Word, making earnest prayer to Him, and confessing our sins. We are learning to discern His Word and apply it to our lives. We are making daily decisions to die to self and to live for Christ. We are exchanging our self-seeking ways for His perfect desire for our lives. We are willing to crucify our flesh in order to reflect Him more accurately to those around us. We understand that our lives have been bought with a price and we are not to live for self but our lives are now living sacrifices to the Risen Lord.
What are some things we can “feast” on rather than the Lord Jesus Christ? Here are some of the answers from both of the ladies’ classes: Food, children/grandchildren, relationships, friends, popularity, jobs, material possessions, fame, wealth, ministry, hobbies, television, computer, Facebook/Facebook games, travel, exercise, youth and processes to keep us young, religion, education, satisfying the flesh in any manner (gluttony, sex, overspending, etc.). This is certainly not a complete list but it does give us a starting point to begin evaluating the things in our lives that could be taking the place of an intimate relationship with the Lord. God’s Word says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:1-5a).
My Friend, do you realize that when we desire anything more than we desire to know the Lord God and find complete satisfaction in Him, we are bowing down to idols?! Whatever our heart desires more than seeking the Lord is an idol that we have “carved for ourselves.” God commands that we do not make anything an idol in our lives because that idol will become our god. We will be bound to it and our flesh will crave it. We will seek it with all our hearts, minds, and souls, and that will lead us away from the Lord into death and destruction. Man cannot serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24). We may think we can “keep a balance” in our lives but the truth is that we are weak, powerless creatures and whatever we seek will have dominion over us. We will bow down to the desires of our hearts. The only “balance” that we will find is at the feet of Christ…Crying out to Him to satisfy us completely and to teach us to be content in all things because HE Himself has said, “Never will I leave you nor forsake you” (see Hebrews 13:5). “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #303
“To everything there is a season,A time for every purpose under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
In the past, I was not a big fan of change. In fact, I much prefered a “boring” life. My flesh is most comfortable when I know what I am doing, how I am to do it, and when I am to do it. I love lists and being able to mark off each accomplishment. When I wake up in the morning, I enjoy knowing what my day holds, what tasks need my attention, and to have everything running like a well oiled machine (as my grandmother used to say). Any deviation from my plan is disturbing to me and I find myself feeling anxious and unsettled. I resist change and I diligently work to return my life to “normal.”
Several months ago, God began to open the door to many adjustments in my life. Now, I must say that nothing earth-shattering is happening. The changes are really quite simple but they are changes none-the-less. God has and is continuing to allow every area of my life to experience some sort of shift. Needless to say, this is difficult for me. I have felt myself begin to panic and I have tried to grab hold of those things in hopes of preventing further modification. I must say that once again, I am learning that I am not in control! God is! God is continually at work and HE is graciously teaching me that change is one way that HE is molding and shaping me. To resist the work of His hand is rebellion so my heart's desire is to see the change that God allows in my life as a blessing tailor-made for me.
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God!” (Isaiah 44:6).
Before I write another word, I must confess that this devotion is not derived through my wisdom but rather it is an accumulation of truths that I have received over the past several months from some godly women who have surrounded me, prayed with and for me, encouraged me, held me accountable, and spoken truth to me. I would gladly offer their names; however, I know they would not be pleased. They would tell you that they only spoke what God laid upon their hearts. God has also used our pastor’s sermons to speak directly to my troubled heart. Pastor JD spoke on this very topic in his sermon on March 20th. The Lord really used Pastor JD’s emphasis on “You can respond with joy when (by faith) you see the purpose of the trials…Trials help meet a desperate need.”
In our ladies’ Sunday school class we have been learning that God meets all our needs…Even those needs we do not realize we have. As soon as Pastor JD began to expand upon his point, it was as if the Lord exposed yet another layer of sin in my heart and allowed me to see the work of His hand! WOW! I am able to understand that God is using this season of change in my life to sift me, transform me, mold me, release me from past bondage, and to free me. My heart can hardly contain the joy that rushes over me when I think that the God of all the universe is actively pruning me so that I can bear much fruit.
My Friend, do you realize that God is doing the same thing in your life? Now certainly, our circumstances may be different but God is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Allow me to encourage you with some of the same wisdom I have received recently.
• Do not resist the work of God in your life. God loves you with an everlasting love and HE has a divine purpose for each situation in your life. “Cast your burden on the LORD, And HE shall sustain you; HE shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
• Do not allow yourself to believe that God does not care about you or that HE has forgotten you. God cannot and will not forget His own! “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me” (Isaiah 49:16). “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For HE Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
• Trust God’s promises. “For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3). God promises us that HE alone is our firm foundation. No matter what is happening in our lives, HE is the rock that will never be moved! HE will never crumble, tremble, shake, or collapse. And when we are rooted and established in Him, we are secure.
• Seek the Lord in the midst of your trial. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). God is using this trial to teach you more about Himself as well as to shave away those things that are hindering you from being more like Him.
• Change and/or trials are wonderful opportunities for us to draw close to the Lord and to experience Him in a whole new way. Do not fear the work that God is doing in your life. His work will produce a more intimate relationship with Him. “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
God uses change in our lives to grow us spiritually and to equip us for the calling that HE has placed upon our lives. We can rest in the knowledge that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom HE foreknew, HE also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that HE might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:28-29).
Ecclesiastes 3:1
In the past, I was not a big fan of change. In fact, I much prefered a “boring” life. My flesh is most comfortable when I know what I am doing, how I am to do it, and when I am to do it. I love lists and being able to mark off each accomplishment. When I wake up in the morning, I enjoy knowing what my day holds, what tasks need my attention, and to have everything running like a well oiled machine (as my grandmother used to say). Any deviation from my plan is disturbing to me and I find myself feeling anxious and unsettled. I resist change and I diligently work to return my life to “normal.”
Several months ago, God began to open the door to many adjustments in my life. Now, I must say that nothing earth-shattering is happening. The changes are really quite simple but they are changes none-the-less. God has and is continuing to allow every area of my life to experience some sort of shift. Needless to say, this is difficult for me. I have felt myself begin to panic and I have tried to grab hold of those things in hopes of preventing further modification. I must say that once again, I am learning that I am not in control! God is! God is continually at work and HE is graciously teaching me that change is one way that HE is molding and shaping me. To resist the work of His hand is rebellion so my heart's desire is to see the change that God allows in my life as a blessing tailor-made for me.
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God!” (Isaiah 44:6).
Before I write another word, I must confess that this devotion is not derived through my wisdom but rather it is an accumulation of truths that I have received over the past several months from some godly women who have surrounded me, prayed with and for me, encouraged me, held me accountable, and spoken truth to me. I would gladly offer their names; however, I know they would not be pleased. They would tell you that they only spoke what God laid upon their hearts. God has also used our pastor’s sermons to speak directly to my troubled heart. Pastor JD spoke on this very topic in his sermon on March 20th. The Lord really used Pastor JD’s emphasis on “You can respond with joy when (by faith) you see the purpose of the trials…Trials help meet a desperate need.”
In our ladies’ Sunday school class we have been learning that God meets all our needs…Even those needs we do not realize we have. As soon as Pastor JD began to expand upon his point, it was as if the Lord exposed yet another layer of sin in my heart and allowed me to see the work of His hand! WOW! I am able to understand that God is using this season of change in my life to sift me, transform me, mold me, release me from past bondage, and to free me. My heart can hardly contain the joy that rushes over me when I think that the God of all the universe is actively pruning me so that I can bear much fruit.
My Friend, do you realize that God is doing the same thing in your life? Now certainly, our circumstances may be different but God is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Allow me to encourage you with some of the same wisdom I have received recently.
• Do not resist the work of God in your life. God loves you with an everlasting love and HE has a divine purpose for each situation in your life. “Cast your burden on the LORD, And HE shall sustain you; HE shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
• Do not allow yourself to believe that God does not care about you or that HE has forgotten you. God cannot and will not forget His own! “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me” (Isaiah 49:16). “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For HE Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
• Trust God’s promises. “For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3). God promises us that HE alone is our firm foundation. No matter what is happening in our lives, HE is the rock that will never be moved! HE will never crumble, tremble, shake, or collapse. And when we are rooted and established in Him, we are secure.
• Seek the Lord in the midst of your trial. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). God is using this trial to teach you more about Himself as well as to shave away those things that are hindering you from being more like Him.
• Change and/or trials are wonderful opportunities for us to draw close to the Lord and to experience Him in a whole new way. Do not fear the work that God is doing in your life. His work will produce a more intimate relationship with Him. “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
God uses change in our lives to grow us spiritually and to equip us for the calling that HE has placed upon our lives. We can rest in the knowledge that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom HE foreknew, HE also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that HE might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:28-29).
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #302
1 Corinthians 13:8, “Love never fails.”
Our focus this past year has been “learning to love others as Christ loves us.” As I have shared before, my definition of love has differed 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 bring our study of 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 to a close. We will be looking intently into verse 8. What does it mean that “love never fails”? Take a moment to reflect back on what we have been learning as we have mined our way through 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. We have learned that God commands us to love others as HE loves us. These powerful verses hold a detailed outline of what true, Christ-like love is and how we are to demonstrate that love but it also reveals the very character of God! 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love…” God’s love was demonstrate in its upmost glory on the cross where Christ Jesus died as a payment for our sin!! “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
My Friend, BEFORE we were even conceived, God loved us enough to provide a way for us to have an intimate relationship with Him. HE sacrificed His own Son to be a ransom for us. Christ Jesus became a substitute for us so that we would not have to face the wrath of God. God is love and HE is holy!! His holiness demands payment for sin and His love provided that payment! When we look deep into our focal passage - “(Love) never fails” – we cannot help but see the glory of God and His grace and mercy flowing from the cross!! God's love is absolute, unchanging, complete, perfect and NEVER failing! Because of who can is, we can trust every word HE says! God's word tells us that His love, demonstrated on the cross, saves sinners and transforms them into children of God - blameless, new, and complete in Him! (see 2 Cor. 5:17; John 1:29; Rom. 5:8).
The entire first portion of 1 Corinthians 13 is describing agape love. A love that is a deliberate choice on the part of the one who loves…It is NOT based on the worthiness of the one who is loved. In other words, for us a Christ-like love is a deliberate choice and an attitude of the heart. God commands us to love and HE alone equips us to love according to His command. When we truly understand who God is and what HE sacrificed to redeem us, then we will desire to obey His every command. We know full well that we are fully equipped by the Holy Spirit to glorify the Lord God completely (see Ephesians 1). We are without excuse! If God calls us to love as Christ loves, then HE has already provided all that we need to accomplish that calling!
Christ Jesus is the Supreme Example of how we are to love one another. And because of that truth, we are able to be and do all that God has called us to do! “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 faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). We are able to forgive, to love, to serve, to minister, to sacrifice, and to proclaim truth. Let us remember that we were not created for ourselves but rather we were created to glorify the Lord God and to point others to Christ. This world is a very UNloving place but God’s children CAN be a light that shines in a dark and dying world and we CAN love others in a way that points them to the cross where they too can find forgiveness of sin, an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, restoration, and healing!!
What a joy is to study the Word of God with you! I am looking forward to next week as God continues to guide and direct our time together. Until then, may the Lord ignite in each of us a passion to love as HE loves, to serve as HE serves, and to minister as HE ministers. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Our focus this past year has been “learning to love others as Christ loves us.” As I have shared before, my definition of love has differed 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 bring our study of 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 to a close. We will be looking intently into verse 8. What does it mean that “love never fails”? Take a moment to reflect back on what we have been learning as we have mined our way through 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. We have learned that God commands us to love others as HE loves us. These powerful verses hold a detailed outline of what true, Christ-like love is and how we are to demonstrate that love but it also reveals the very character of God! 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love…” God’s love was demonstrate in its upmost glory on the cross where Christ Jesus died as a payment for our sin!! “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
My Friend, BEFORE we were even conceived, God loved us enough to provide a way for us to have an intimate relationship with Him. HE sacrificed His own Son to be a ransom for us. Christ Jesus became a substitute for us so that we would not have to face the wrath of God. God is love and HE is holy!! His holiness demands payment for sin and His love provided that payment! When we look deep into our focal passage - “(Love) never fails” – we cannot help but see the glory of God and His grace and mercy flowing from the cross!! God's love is absolute, unchanging, complete, perfect and NEVER failing! Because of who can is, we can trust every word HE says! God's word tells us that His love, demonstrated on the cross, saves sinners and transforms them into children of God - blameless, new, and complete in Him! (see 2 Cor. 5:17; John 1:29; Rom. 5:8).
The entire first portion of 1 Corinthians 13 is describing agape love. A love that is a deliberate choice on the part of the one who loves…It is NOT based on the worthiness of the one who is loved. In other words, for us a Christ-like love is a deliberate choice and an attitude of the heart. God commands us to love and HE alone equips us to love according to His command. When we truly understand who God is and what HE sacrificed to redeem us, then we will desire to obey His every command. We know full well that we are fully equipped by the Holy Spirit to glorify the Lord God completely (see Ephesians 1). We are without excuse! If God calls us to love as Christ loves, then HE has already provided all that we need to accomplish that calling!
Christ Jesus is the Supreme Example of how we are to love one another. And because of that truth, we are able to be and do all that God has called us to do! “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 faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). We are able to forgive, to love, to serve, to minister, to sacrifice, and to proclaim truth. Let us remember that we were not created for ourselves but rather we were created to glorify the Lord God and to point others to Christ. This world is a very UNloving place but God’s children CAN be a light that shines in a dark and dying world and we CAN love others in a way that points them to the cross where they too can find forgiveness of sin, an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, restoration, and healing!!
What a joy is to study the Word of God with you! I am looking forward to next week as God continues to guide and direct our time together. Until then, may the Lord ignite in each of us a passion to love as HE loves, to serve as HE serves, and to minister as HE ministers. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #301
Weekly Passage:
1 Corinthians 13:7
“(Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into 1 Corinthians 13:6, “(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;” 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 be looking intently into verse 7. What does it mean that “love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things”? At first glance, it may be tempting to think that if you love someone then you are to overlook his/her faults and pretend that they do not exist. This is not an accurate understanding of this passage of Scripture. Remember, we must ALWAYS study Scripture in context – seeking to understand exactly what the writer is explaining to us so that we will accurately study the Word of God.
Now, I know it has been several weeks since I last posted a devotion (and I apologize for my inconsistency this year), but try to reflect back on what we have been learning as we have mined our way through 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. We have learned that God commands us to love others as HE loves us. These powerful verses hold a detailed outline of what true, Christ-like love is and how we are to demonstrate that love but it also reveals the very character of God! 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love…” God’s love was demonstrate in its upmost glory on the cross where Christ Jesus died as a payment for our sin!! “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
My Friend, BEFORE we were even conceived, God loved us enough to provide a way for us to have an intimate relationship with Him. HE sacrificed His own Son to be a ransom for us. Christ Jesus became a substitute for us so that we would not have to face the full wrath of God. God is love and HE is holy!! His holiness demands payment for sin and His love provided that payment! When we look deep into our focal passage - “(Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” – we cannot help but see the glory of God and His grace and mercy flowing from the cross!! The entire first portion of 1 Corinthians 13 is describing agape love. A love that is a deliberate choice on the part of the one who loves…It is NOT based on the worthiness of the one who is loved.
In other words, true, Christ-like love is a deliberate choice and a Christ-like attitude of the heart. God commands us to love and HE alone equips us to love according to His command. When we truly understand who God is and what HE sacrificed to redeem us then we will desire to obey His every command. We know full well that we are fully equipped by the Holy Spirit to glorify the Lord God completely (see Ephesians 1). Christ-like love does not overlook sin but rather it confronts sin with the truth of God’s Word for the sole purpose of pointing that person to Christ. We are called to love as Christ and in order to do that, we must deliberately choose to love others as Christ loves us…Understanding that no matter what offense someone may do to us, WE have done FAR WORSE to the Lord God YET HE loved us and gave Himself up for us in order that we might be saved.
Christ Jesus is the Supreme Example of how we are to love one another. We are able to fully forgive and to love as HE loves us when we are surrendered to Him, fully dependent upon Him, willing to obey Him with our whole hearts. We must remember we were not created for ourselves but rather we were created to glorify the Lord God and to point others to Christ. This world is a very Unloving place but God’s children can be a light that shines in a dark and dying world and we can love others in a way that points them to the cross where they too can find forgiveness of sin, an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, restoration, and healing!!
Life Application Question:
How do you love? What are you demonstrating by the way you respond to those around you?
May we each call upon the name of the Lord and ask Him to forgive us for the times we have not loved as HE loves us and ask Him to teach us to love others in a way that honors Him.
1 Corinthians 13:7
“(Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into 1 Corinthians 13:6, “(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;” 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 be looking intently into verse 7. What does it mean that “love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things”? At first glance, it may be tempting to think that if you love someone then you are to overlook his/her faults and pretend that they do not exist. This is not an accurate understanding of this passage of Scripture. Remember, we must ALWAYS study Scripture in context – seeking to understand exactly what the writer is explaining to us so that we will accurately study the Word of God.
Now, I know it has been several weeks since I last posted a devotion (and I apologize for my inconsistency this year), but try to reflect back on what we have been learning as we have mined our way through 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. We have learned that God commands us to love others as HE loves us. These powerful verses hold a detailed outline of what true, Christ-like love is and how we are to demonstrate that love but it also reveals the very character of God! 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love…” God’s love was demonstrate in its upmost glory on the cross where Christ Jesus died as a payment for our sin!! “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
My Friend, BEFORE we were even conceived, God loved us enough to provide a way for us to have an intimate relationship with Him. HE sacrificed His own Son to be a ransom for us. Christ Jesus became a substitute for us so that we would not have to face the full wrath of God. God is love and HE is holy!! His holiness demands payment for sin and His love provided that payment! When we look deep into our focal passage - “(Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” – we cannot help but see the glory of God and His grace and mercy flowing from the cross!! The entire first portion of 1 Corinthians 13 is describing agape love. A love that is a deliberate choice on the part of the one who loves…It is NOT based on the worthiness of the one who is loved.
In other words, true, Christ-like love is a deliberate choice and a Christ-like attitude of the heart. God commands us to love and HE alone equips us to love according to His command. When we truly understand who God is and what HE sacrificed to redeem us then we will desire to obey His every command. We know full well that we are fully equipped by the Holy Spirit to glorify the Lord God completely (see Ephesians 1). Christ-like love does not overlook sin but rather it confronts sin with the truth of God’s Word for the sole purpose of pointing that person to Christ. We are called to love as Christ and in order to do that, we must deliberately choose to love others as Christ loves us…Understanding that no matter what offense someone may do to us, WE have done FAR WORSE to the Lord God YET HE loved us and gave Himself up for us in order that we might be saved.
Christ Jesus is the Supreme Example of how we are to love one another. We are able to fully forgive and to love as HE loves us when we are surrendered to Him, fully dependent upon Him, willing to obey Him with our whole hearts. We must remember we were not created for ourselves but rather we were created to glorify the Lord God and to point others to Christ. This world is a very Unloving place but God’s children can be a light that shines in a dark and dying world and we can love others in a way that points them to the cross where they too can find forgiveness of sin, an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, restoration, and healing!!
Life Application Question:
How do you love? What are you demonstrating by the way you respond to those around you?
May we each call upon the name of the Lord and ask Him to forgive us for the times we have not loved as HE loves us and ask Him to teach us to love others in a way that honors Him.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #300
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 rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;”
1 Corinthians 13:6
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into the final portion of 1 Corinthians 13:5, “(love) thinks no evil.” 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).
“More songs have been written about love than about any other topic. It has inspired some of the world’s best, and worst, poetry. It has set on fire, and broken, countless hearts throughout human history. Many things are said about love. Yet for the final word on the topic, we must turn to the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, provides the world’s most beautiful ode to love.
One common word for love in the Greek language was eros, which suggested physical sexual desire and not much else. Another word (philos) suggested the esteem and affection found in a casual friendship. Because neither of these words came close to describing the kind of love he wanted to communicate, Paul chose a relatively rare Greek word for his definitive passage on love. This 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” (The Nelson Study Bible, p. 1933).
As I sit here at my desk this morning, I cannot help but think ahead to this Sunday, Resurrection Sunday. My time with the Lord this morning has been and continues to be a precious time of remembrance. This past week has been filled with opportunities for me to reflect upon the cross where Jesus died for me. God is drawing us to the cross as we prepare to celebrate the very reason we have salvation – complete freedom from sin, death, and destruction. Because, in our humanness, we are limited in our ability to comprehend the things of God, I struggle with understanding how the God of all creation, the King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of peace, the Great I AM, would ever choose to die for me! WOW! To think that before the foundation of the world was laid, God chose to offer Himself as the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world.
My Friend, God did not decide this on a whim. HE did not create creation and then have to hurry up and try to fix something that man had destroyed! NO! God, in His infinite wisdom, chose to create a world knowing that the people would hate Him, reject Him, mock Him, refuse Him, yet HE willingly came to earth to live, die, and rise again in order that we might live! That truly takes my breath away! Why would the Lord God do such a thing? Scripture tells us “For God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). God’s love is the reason that Jesus went to the cross and suffered and bled so that sinners could become children of God! We must understand that God’s love is very different than our love. We have the ability to love yet we do not always exercise that ability. Scripture tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This means that everything God does flows from WHO HE IS!
In fact, let’s read that entire portion of Scripture. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that HE loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:7-10). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Scripture also says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). This directs us back to the truths that God has been revealing to us and teaching us for over a year now. We are called by God to love one another and to glorify Him through that step of obedience.
God does not love us because we are worthy of His love! We are vile, wicked sinners saved through grace. HE chose to love us, to send His Son to die for us, to shower us with grace and mercy so that we could enter His gates with thanksgiving. We are able to praise Him because HE gives us that ability to do so! Read our focal passage once more. “(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” 1 Corinthians 13:6. God Himself is the Supreme example of perfect, selfless, unspotted love. We, as children of God, are called to be that exact representation to all those people who God allows to enter our lives. Do we love as Christ loves us? Do we reach out and minister to those who are difficult to love? Do we seek to glorify God in every interaction that we have with others? Do we think more highly of others than ourselves? Does the world look at us and see Christ or do they look at us and see a person who loves only those who we “feel” deserves our love? Do we rejoice in truth and strive to live a life that points others to Christ?
May each of us fall before the Lord and allow Him to reveal any area in our hearts that do not honor Him. May we seek to love others as the Lord Jesus loves us. May God prepare our hearts, minds, and souls to worship Him this weekend as we reflect upon the Cross and His absolute display of selfless, perfect, and life-changing love! Praise You, Jesus, for first loving us and providing a way that captives can be set free!! May we live in freedom so that others will see You reflected in our lives and come to You for salvation. We love You and praise You for You truly are the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world!!!
“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 rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;”
1 Corinthians 13:6
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into the final portion of 1 Corinthians 13:5, “(love) thinks no evil.” 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).
“More songs have been written about love than about any other topic. It has inspired some of the world’s best, and worst, poetry. It has set on fire, and broken, countless hearts throughout human history. Many things are said about love. Yet for the final word on the topic, we must turn to the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, provides the world’s most beautiful ode to love.
One common word for love in the Greek language was eros, which suggested physical sexual desire and not much else. Another word (philos) suggested the esteem and affection found in a casual friendship. Because neither of these words came close to describing the kind of love he wanted to communicate, Paul chose a relatively rare Greek word for his definitive passage on love. This 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” (The Nelson Study Bible, p. 1933).
As I sit here at my desk this morning, I cannot help but think ahead to this Sunday, Resurrection Sunday. My time with the Lord this morning has been and continues to be a precious time of remembrance. This past week has been filled with opportunities for me to reflect upon the cross where Jesus died for me. God is drawing us to the cross as we prepare to celebrate the very reason we have salvation – complete freedom from sin, death, and destruction. Because, in our humanness, we are limited in our ability to comprehend the things of God, I struggle with understanding how the God of all creation, the King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of peace, the Great I AM, would ever choose to die for me! WOW! To think that before the foundation of the world was laid, God chose to offer Himself as the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world.
My Friend, God did not decide this on a whim. HE did not create creation and then have to hurry up and try to fix something that man had destroyed! NO! God, in His infinite wisdom, chose to create a world knowing that the people would hate Him, reject Him, mock Him, refuse Him, yet HE willingly came to earth to live, die, and rise again in order that we might live! That truly takes my breath away! Why would the Lord God do such a thing? Scripture tells us “For God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). God’s love is the reason that Jesus went to the cross and suffered and bled so that sinners could become children of God! We must understand that God’s love is very different than our love. We have the ability to love yet we do not always exercise that ability. Scripture tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This means that everything God does flows from WHO HE IS!
In fact, let’s read that entire portion of Scripture. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that HE loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:7-10). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Scripture also says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). This directs us back to the truths that God has been revealing to us and teaching us for over a year now. We are called by God to love one another and to glorify Him through that step of obedience.
God does not love us because we are worthy of His love! We are vile, wicked sinners saved through grace. HE chose to love us, to send His Son to die for us, to shower us with grace and mercy so that we could enter His gates with thanksgiving. We are able to praise Him because HE gives us that ability to do so! Read our focal passage once more. “(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” 1 Corinthians 13:6. God Himself is the Supreme example of perfect, selfless, unspotted love. We, as children of God, are called to be that exact representation to all those people who God allows to enter our lives. Do we love as Christ loves us? Do we reach out and minister to those who are difficult to love? Do we seek to glorify God in every interaction that we have with others? Do we think more highly of others than ourselves? Does the world look at us and see Christ or do they look at us and see a person who loves only those who we “feel” deserves our love? Do we rejoice in truth and strive to live a life that points others to Christ?
May each of us fall before the Lord and allow Him to reveal any area in our hearts that do not honor Him. May we seek to love others as the Lord Jesus loves us. May God prepare our hearts, minds, and souls to worship Him this weekend as we reflect upon the Cross and His absolute display of selfless, perfect, and life-changing love! Praise You, Jesus, for first loving us and providing a way that captives can be set free!! May we live in freedom so that others will see You reflected in our lives and come to You for salvation. We love You and praise You for You truly are the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world!!!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #299
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
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into the final portion of 1 Corinthians 13:5, “(love) thinks no evil.” 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).
God has continued to reveal more truth to me regarding our study from last time. I am beginning to realize that my thought life has not been rooted and established in God’s truth. Growing up, I did not seek the Lord and His will for my life. Now, I did pray but my prayer life was self-focused and not honoring to God. My parents faithfully took my sister, Annette, and I to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I heard truth and I could answer all the questions in class but I did not learn to apply God’s truth to my life. I viewed God as “a genie in a bottle.” I wanted Him to give me what I wanted, when I wanted it, and to make my life easy. As the years progressed, I became very discontent with church and the Lord. I allowed my understanding of God to be based on my “wisdom” and experiences.
As I entered my teenage years, my attitude and behavior become more and more rebellious and I became self-destructive. I refused to listen to wise counsel…I truly thought I knew everything! I believed the lies of Satan and I made assumptions on everyone around me. By this, I mean that I did not seek to understand other people or to consider them at all. If someone tried to correct me or speak truth to me, I became defensive and defiant. I would become angry at that person and assume their motive was evil toward me. I would hold grudges and refuse to forgive them. Needless to say, I was not an easy person to be around.
When the Lord convicted my heart of these things when I was 25 years old, I was broken hearted. My eyes were opened and I began to realize how much damage I had done to those around me, my relationships, and my own walk with the Lord. I cried out to God and begged for His forgiveness and asked Him to transform my entire life so that I could live my life in a way that truly honored him. Now, I will be the first to admit that I have not “arrived!” I am most certainly a “work in progress.” But the amazing thing is that God continues to draw me to Himself and HE loves me with an unconditional, unchanging, unending love! WOW!! “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us a ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).
My Friend, God desires the same thing for you! When we allow our thoughts to take us captive and we refuse to apply God’s truth to our lives, we will live in bondage. We will make assumptions on people’s motives. We will become bitter, unforgiving, and angry. We will become slaves to our flesh and will face frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction in our daily lives. Christ Jesus tells us that He came to give us abundant life but the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10).
Are you allowing Satan to steal your joy? Are you allowing your thoughts to take you captive? Are you living a life that is full of bitterness, unforgiveness, and dissatisfaction? If so, you don’t have to continue in that destructive pattern! God’s Word promises us that we are “…in all these things…more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). How will you choose to live the rest of your life…In bondage or in the freedom that Christ Jesus came to offer you?
“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
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into the final portion of 1 Corinthians 13:5, “(love) thinks no evil.” 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).
God has continued to reveal more truth to me regarding our study from last time. I am beginning to realize that my thought life has not been rooted and established in God’s truth. Growing up, I did not seek the Lord and His will for my life. Now, I did pray but my prayer life was self-focused and not honoring to God. My parents faithfully took my sister, Annette, and I to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I heard truth and I could answer all the questions in class but I did not learn to apply God’s truth to my life. I viewed God as “a genie in a bottle.” I wanted Him to give me what I wanted, when I wanted it, and to make my life easy. As the years progressed, I became very discontent with church and the Lord. I allowed my understanding of God to be based on my “wisdom” and experiences.
As I entered my teenage years, my attitude and behavior become more and more rebellious and I became self-destructive. I refused to listen to wise counsel…I truly thought I knew everything! I believed the lies of Satan and I made assumptions on everyone around me. By this, I mean that I did not seek to understand other people or to consider them at all. If someone tried to correct me or speak truth to me, I became defensive and defiant. I would become angry at that person and assume their motive was evil toward me. I would hold grudges and refuse to forgive them. Needless to say, I was not an easy person to be around.
When the Lord convicted my heart of these things when I was 25 years old, I was broken hearted. My eyes were opened and I began to realize how much damage I had done to those around me, my relationships, and my own walk with the Lord. I cried out to God and begged for His forgiveness and asked Him to transform my entire life so that I could live my life in a way that truly honored him. Now, I will be the first to admit that I have not “arrived!” I am most certainly a “work in progress.” But the amazing thing is that God continues to draw me to Himself and HE loves me with an unconditional, unchanging, unending love! WOW!! “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us a ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).
My Friend, God desires the same thing for you! When we allow our thoughts to take us captive and we refuse to apply God’s truth to our lives, we will live in bondage. We will make assumptions on people’s motives. We will become bitter, unforgiving, and angry. We will become slaves to our flesh and will face frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction in our daily lives. Christ Jesus tells us that He came to give us abundant life but the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10).
Are you allowing Satan to steal your joy? Are you allowing your thoughts to take you captive? Are you living a life that is full of bitterness, unforgiveness, and dissatisfaction? If so, you don’t have to continue in that destructive pattern! God’s Word promises us that we are “…in all these things…more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). How will you choose to live the rest of your life…In bondage or in the freedom that Christ Jesus came to offer you?
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #298
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 fourth 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 fourth portion of our focal passage “(Love) thinks no evil.” The more I study God’s Word the more I realize how little I know! The more I study Scripture the more I am convicted of my sin! This journey continues to be a very difficult road for me but I am so thankful for God’s sustaining grace and His never failing love. The past couple of weeks, the Lord has used our focal passage to spur a deeper evaluation of my thought life. Our pastor has written a thought life study that he uses to encourage people in developing a Biblical-based thought life. I have asked his permission to share some of his material because I have personally benefited from his study. Pastor Mike’s work is under his copyright but he is generously allowing us to use it for this particular portion of our devotion.
You may be wondering how a study of our thought life fits into our journey in learning to love as Christ loves. That is a wonderful question, My Friend! I am learning that one huge factor in our actions, reactions, responses, and communication stems from our thoughts. Proverbs 23:7 states “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” “In other words, a person’s thinking determines his living. The way this progression works out practically is that our thoughts stir our feelings, which in turn trigger our actions. That is why we must learn to gain control over our heart and mind” (Pastor Mike Summers, Personal Thought-Life Study, p.1). Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it springs the issues of life.”
How do we keep our hearts with all diligence? In our Ladies Sunday School class, we are studying Proverbs 31. Our goal is to become a “Woman after God’s Own Heart.” Through our pursuit, we are learning that what we watch, what and who we listen to, where we seek counsel, and what we allow our minds to meditate upon must be chosen through godly wisdom. The book of Proverbs begins with the pursuit of godly wisdom and concludes with the application of that wisdom. Regardless of our gender, God calls us to live a life surrendered to Him. That means that our thought life must be surrendered to Him.
Turn to 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” “Our thought life is to be taken captive. This shows us that we can be in control of our thinking. If you don’t take your thoughts captive-they will take you captive! You are to bring your thinking in line to obedience to Christ. In other words, what we think about is to be brought into submission to Him” (Summers, p. 1).
“How can you gain control of wrong thoughts that are corrosive to your joy and stability in Christ? Wrong thinking doesn’t just change because we may want it to change. The battleground is your mind and you are equipped to be victorious because through His Son, God has provided you the resources for the battle you face” (Summers, p. 1).
Let’s turn together to 2 Peter 1:2-8. What truths can we glean from this passage of Scripture?
My Friend, do you see the great promise rooted deep within this portion of Scripture?! We are already victorious through Christ Jesus! We do not have to be controlled by wrong thinking. We can be wise and discerning men and women of God! We are equipped through the power of the Holy Spirit to say the right things, to do the right things, and to encourage others to apply this very truth to their lives as well. This past week, the Lord has used a situation in a friend’s life to really convict me personally. I began to realize how much influence I really have over my husband and even my children. I also began to realize how often I misuse that influence. As I prayed over this and asked the Lord to help me to fully confess my sin, HE allowed me to see that what I am thinking about truly does impact what I say and do.
When our hearts and minds are stayed on the Lord and focusing on His truths, our words and deeds will encourage others. When we take our minds captive and understand that “everything we do and every word we say is seen, heard, and evaluated by a holy God” then we will be more mindful of the way we behave (whether in word, deed, or thought). The way we love others is influenced by our thoughts. As children of God we are commanded through Scripture to love others as Christ loves us. In doing so, our obedience to the Lord serves as a reflection of Christ to others and ministered to the very deepest need we all have – to love the Lord God with all our hearts and to know Him as our personal Lord and Savior. Thus brings us to the life application.
How do we develop a pleasing and obedient thought life?
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). In his Personal Thought-Life Study. Mike Summers suggests 4 steps of daily application of this truth:
1. Pray that God would help you make your thoughts acceptable to Him (Psalm 19:14).
2. Renew your mind by filling it with the right things (Romans 12:1-2; Psalm 119:11-16).
3. Commit each thing you do to the Lord and right thoughts will be established (Proverbs 16:3).
4. Occupy your mind with what is acceptable (Philippians 4:8-9).
“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 fourth 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 fourth portion of our focal passage “(Love) thinks no evil.” The more I study God’s Word the more I realize how little I know! The more I study Scripture the more I am convicted of my sin! This journey continues to be a very difficult road for me but I am so thankful for God’s sustaining grace and His never failing love. The past couple of weeks, the Lord has used our focal passage to spur a deeper evaluation of my thought life. Our pastor has written a thought life study that he uses to encourage people in developing a Biblical-based thought life. I have asked his permission to share some of his material because I have personally benefited from his study. Pastor Mike’s work is under his copyright but he is generously allowing us to use it for this particular portion of our devotion.
You may be wondering how a study of our thought life fits into our journey in learning to love as Christ loves. That is a wonderful question, My Friend! I am learning that one huge factor in our actions, reactions, responses, and communication stems from our thoughts. Proverbs 23:7 states “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” “In other words, a person’s thinking determines his living. The way this progression works out practically is that our thoughts stir our feelings, which in turn trigger our actions. That is why we must learn to gain control over our heart and mind” (Pastor Mike Summers, Personal Thought-Life Study, p.1). Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it springs the issues of life.”
How do we keep our hearts with all diligence? In our Ladies Sunday School class, we are studying Proverbs 31. Our goal is to become a “Woman after God’s Own Heart.” Through our pursuit, we are learning that what we watch, what and who we listen to, where we seek counsel, and what we allow our minds to meditate upon must be chosen through godly wisdom. The book of Proverbs begins with the pursuit of godly wisdom and concludes with the application of that wisdom. Regardless of our gender, God calls us to live a life surrendered to Him. That means that our thought life must be surrendered to Him.
Turn to 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” “Our thought life is to be taken captive. This shows us that we can be in control of our thinking. If you don’t take your thoughts captive-they will take you captive! You are to bring your thinking in line to obedience to Christ. In other words, what we think about is to be brought into submission to Him” (Summers, p. 1).
“How can you gain control of wrong thoughts that are corrosive to your joy and stability in Christ? Wrong thinking doesn’t just change because we may want it to change. The battleground is your mind and you are equipped to be victorious because through His Son, God has provided you the resources for the battle you face” (Summers, p. 1).
Let’s turn together to 2 Peter 1:2-8. What truths can we glean from this passage of Scripture?
My Friend, do you see the great promise rooted deep within this portion of Scripture?! We are already victorious through Christ Jesus! We do not have to be controlled by wrong thinking. We can be wise and discerning men and women of God! We are equipped through the power of the Holy Spirit to say the right things, to do the right things, and to encourage others to apply this very truth to their lives as well. This past week, the Lord has used a situation in a friend’s life to really convict me personally. I began to realize how much influence I really have over my husband and even my children. I also began to realize how often I misuse that influence. As I prayed over this and asked the Lord to help me to fully confess my sin, HE allowed me to see that what I am thinking about truly does impact what I say and do.
When our hearts and minds are stayed on the Lord and focusing on His truths, our words and deeds will encourage others. When we take our minds captive and understand that “everything we do and every word we say is seen, heard, and evaluated by a holy God” then we will be more mindful of the way we behave (whether in word, deed, or thought). The way we love others is influenced by our thoughts. As children of God we are commanded through Scripture to love others as Christ loves us. In doing so, our obedience to the Lord serves as a reflection of Christ to others and ministered to the very deepest need we all have – to love the Lord God with all our hearts and to know Him as our personal Lord and Savior. Thus brings us to the life application.
How do we develop a pleasing and obedient thought life?
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). In his Personal Thought-Life Study. Mike Summers suggests 4 steps of daily application of this truth:
1. Pray that God would help you make your thoughts acceptable to Him (Psalm 19:14).
2. Renew your mind by filling it with the right things (Romans 12:1-2; Psalm 119:11-16).
3. Commit each thing you do to the Lord and right thoughts will be established (Proverbs 16:3).
4. Occupy your mind with what is acceptable (Philippians 4:8-9).
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #297
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?
“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?
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?
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