Tag: Lunch Bite

The Way of Love

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1, ESV)

The Way of love is to speak truth in love, to be concerned first about our own life and that we are in the right relationship with God through Jesus and then to care enough for others to speak the truth to them about their life and relationship with Jesus.  If we have all the wisdom of men or even heavenly wisdom from above but try to apply those words in our own life or in others without love, then we are nothing but noise pollution in the world.

Genuine followers of Jesus are in such short supply because so many have been deceived into speaking words of God without love.  This is perceived by others as being judgmental.  What is truly interesting is that we speak the same judgmental words to ourselves.  I am a failure, life will never get better, there is no hope, I am too bad for God to want to redeem.  It seems that to feel better about ourselves we need to tear others down.  Church folk, not believers, are really good at this because they are frustrated from years in church and still feeling the weight of sin in their life.  They have never truly been converted by faith.

The words that must be spoken does not change.  Wisdom from God is the truth that we need.  But again, it is like medicine we have the medicine, but we need the prescribed method for applying the medicine.  The way of love is the method of application of words and truth.  Biblical love is understood best in this situation as being committed to another’s welfare above our own.  First, we must be quick to hear and slow to speak.  Next, we must remain humble and contrite not looking to be argumentative with God’s word but look for ways that they or you need to have the word applied to life.  Then, show them the love of Christ on the cross.  Look at each person, even your enemies, and say to yourself I would like to spend eternity with them when sin and brokenness is no more.  If you think this does not apply, then anything you speak is nothing more than disturbing the peace a.k.a a noisy gong and a clanging cymbal. 

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10, ESV)

The Way of Love

“But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:31, ESV)

The way of healing begins with the healing of the members of the body.  Just released is a vaccination for Covid-19.  This vaccine does not function by strengthening the lungs, or by reducing fevers.  The vaccine works by strengthening individual cells giving them the knowledge they need to recognize the enemy virus and each individual cell whether in the eye or the foot is then enabled to protect itself from the virus. 

God has given the body the vaccine that is needed to overcome the sickness within the body.  The vaccine is love applied as prescribed by the truth of Scriptures.  The body is dying because many claim to love and to be tolerant and to be inclusive.  However, good their intentions may be and how much love they may have if not applied to the sins of life by the truth of God’s word as prescribed by God then healing will never happen in the body. 

People claim to know better than God in how to apply love to the problems of death and sin.  They do so by first denying the truth of God’s word and accepting the diagnosis of the great Healer.  Sin is sin according to this truth, pride, anger, gossip, fear, sexual immorality of all flavors (homosexuality, fornication, adultery, gender confusion), drunkenness of all flavors (addictions, substance abuse including nicotine, food, and any number of excesses).  Many church denominations have set aside the means of applying God’s vaccine of love to the disease in the body because they reject God’s authority in their life.  They start by using 1 Corinthians 13 the love chapter to justify the rejection of truth for “the higher gift” of love.  They start then by God is love and therefore reject the application of God’s love as prescribed by God and therefore they will never find true healing.  Desire God’s greater gift to love and to apply that love to your own life one member at a time.  The way to overcome this pandemic is not with the denominations or the megachurches but is one member at a time.  One believer at a time, making one disciple at a time. 

“If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26–27, ESV)

Before Paul penned the familiar words of 1 Corinthians 13 Holy Spirit inspired him to lay the groundwork for the way of love.  In the preceding chapter God gives Paul the structure and layout for the church, the body of Christ.  How each child of God has been given a gift to use within the body and to care for one another. 

The centuries that have past since those days has left the body of Christ mutilated.  Unity in the body has been destroyed because truth has been neglected.  That is the truth of God’s word.  People have made their own religions and defined their own means of seeking God that are contrary to God’s word.  A common thought is that church is not needed to be saved, and it is not but being a member of the body of Christ is required.  Then there are those that have been hurt by the demons in church, we all know them they are disguised as sweet little old ladies who spew forth poison with their tongues.  How many are the stories true or not of people who have been treated harshly by a church member.

The way of love must begin with healing the body.  If we are called by His name and are part of the family of God, then we must function in the body to suffer and rejoice with one another.  To do life together.  Can the body survive separate but together?  No, at least not for an extended period.  God is calling His children to return to be once again members of the body of Christ and to know the way of love.  Ezekiel had a vision of bones that came to life as the bones reattached themselves to become skeletons, and muscle covered the bones, and then flesh.  It is time to know the way of love and love of God by living in the body.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:7, ESV)

There are certain chapters and verses in scripture that are often quoted and used more than others.  1 Corinthians 13 is on of those chapters.  It is often referred to as the way of love.  Love is a word so overused in life that it has lost  meaning, power, and usefulness. 

If we are to recover love in our life and culture we must first understand the ways of love.  First love is not an emotion, emotions change and to endure we need more than feelings.  To believe, hope, and endure through this life we must understand the ways of love.

Love is about commitment and responsibility.  Let’s first commit to learn the ways of love from God’s word.

There is an insult that is often used “dumber than a box of rocks.”  None of us would consider ourselves to be that devoid of life or of thought.  After all, in God’s created order we are the higher beings.  Able to think and create, to use tools, and to learn new things.  That is true for every human, depending on gifting and education we all have intelligence in a variety of ways.  Of course, we are not dumber than a box of rocks.  But are we spiritually as void of life as a rock? 

Jesus said if the people were to be silenced there is spiritual life in creation and God would have the stones sing the praises of Jesus.  I do not believe this to be symbolic or metaphor.  If Jesus willed as God the rocks would be given the voice to sing.

It is Christmas a time when there is more singing than at any other time of the year.  Hymns and carols of Christmas are some of our favorite memories.  Isaac Watts wrote the song Joy to the World  in the mid-18^th century.  Watts was inspired to write, “And Heaven and nature sing”  as words of this song from Psalm 98 because all of creature sings the glory of God and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together” (Psalm 98:4–8, ESV)

A song today may be what you need to revive your heart.  Make a joyful noise and be smarter than a box of rocks because Jesus is worthy of our praise.

I am comforted in my failings as a disciple when I consider men far greater than I that have struggled with their own commitment to Jesus.  Consider Peter’s direct denial of being a disciple.  When confronted by people, when fear overcame, when he became uneasy with being identified as a follower of Jesus he denied Him not just once but three times.  In Luke’s Gospel we read, “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”” (Luke 22:61, ESV). 

From this if I want to be a disciple a follower of Jesus I need to learn these things and work at them every day.

1. I should never be comforted by the failings of others.  My relationship with Jesus and God is personal and should not be judged by how others relate to Jesus.  Peter cared nothing about the other disciples but only about His Lord.
2. I have Holy Spirit as my counselor and guide and if I allow Him to work in my life I will be a better disciple of Jesus. After the coming of Holy Spirit at Pentecost Peter still was learning but he never denied the Lord again.
3. I am never beyond the sight of God.  He sees my every action and He knows my every thought.  Even if Peter had never spoken the words Jesus would have known the denial. 
4. Will I draw near to the Lord today even if the world through ridicule and mocking tries to instill fear in my heart and cause me to deny Jesus.  Peter entered the court at the risk of being discovered.

Consider your life today the Lord has turned His eyes on you.  What does He see?  Will you commit to change the heart issues that would lead you to denying Jesus?

As we start this week, and the midday hour approaches you may know of the challenges that you will face this week.  Some may be large, and others may be small and of course we often pray that God would deliver so that we do not face these challenges.  That is not God’s way.  God wants us to have a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him.  We relate to God through faith and trust and God will not deny his grace he will deliver us through this week.

Jesus when he prayed this prayer knew what the disciples would face as they took His message to the world and all He asked was that God protect them from the evil one, Satan.  That is all that is needed this week from us is to believe, that God is near, that God will provide all that is needed, and that God can be trusted to bring us through this week.

Be blessed in the knowledge that God loves you not matter how challenging this week may be God is with you.  You are not of this world you are a child of God. 

The leading factors contributing to death in this country from the CDC are:

• Heart disease: 655,381
• Cancer: 599,274
• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 167,127
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 159,486
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 147,810
• Alzheimer’s disease: 122,019
• Diabetes: 84,946
• Influenza and pneumonia: 59,120
• Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 51,386
• Intentional self-harm (suicide): 48,344

The leading cause of death in the US according to statistics maintained by private research groups is 1,095,000 deaths from abortion. That is approximately 3,000 abortions per day in the US. Approximate is the best we can do because abortion mills are not required to report the number of abortions performed.

Every death is the result of sin as scripture tells us in Romans 5. With one man sin and death came to all men. We are without hope because of the condition that will kill us all, sin! Yet we laugh at our sins, dismiss our sins, hide our sins, excuse our sins and never take responsibility for our sins. God is not laughing. He is offended yet merciful. He is angry yet just. He is vengeful yet loving. So what does God do?

“Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:14–19, ESV)

Obedience to the point of death on a cross. Do you see it the cure for sin is the free gift of Christ’s death.

How good of a listener am I. That is a really good question. I try to read a lot scripture everyday because I need it and because I am always asking the question God what do you want from me. God speaks but am I listening.

Believers tend to come at God with all of what they can do and offer even the poorest of believers. (Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”). We want God to take notice of us with extravagant acts of religious devotion. we say we are doing it out of love for God. But are we really. Are we listening to what God says he wants from us or are we trying to get the spotlight on how special we are by calling attention to ourselves.

This is what God says he wants are we ready to listen?

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

• Treat others better than you treat yourselves and see every person even the worst sinner and heathen as a child of God.
• Love being a kind person just for the sake of being kind. Not so others can see and praise you for your kindness but simply loving to count others more important than yourself.
• Don’t just be humble but live a life of humility. The only way we can do that is to listen to what God says from His word and strive to exalt God above ourselves in every moment, decision, and action we take throughout the day.

It always amazes me when reading scripture that if I keep the right perspective on who Jesus is then what is being said makes more sense. Take the question he asked the lame man, “Do you want to be healed.” If we consider this story (John 5:1-5) and how long this man laid next to this pool begging and hoping for a miracle we would think how insensitive and uncaring the question. Of course the man wants to be healed. Yet, Jesus knows his heart and he wants to heal the right ailment. Look at the man’s response.

“The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”” (John 5:7, ESV)

The man’s response was all wrong, he was counting on someone to help him and that failed, he was counting on superstition or worse demonic when the waters were stirred and that failed. Then Jesus responds, “Get up.” This is a command from the Lord and the man got up.

Is Jesus asking you today if you want to be healed. Like the man in the story are we looking for help from other sources and like the lame man these all will fail. Jesus wants you to be healed and he commands healing in your life if we will be obedient and get up this Monday and go into the world healed for all to see. That’s what happened with the lame man he boldly marched through the streets and people took note that this man was healed. The healing we need today is from the leading cause of death in the world SIN! Everyone who dies experiences death because sin came into the world and with sin death just as God said. Jesus asks today, “Do you want to be healed?”