Running Your Race

         Runners take your mark…

                                                Get Set….

                                                                  Bang!

                                       And the race is on….

 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?

Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

I Corinthians 9:24-27

The Apostle Paul uses the example of a race to illustrate our salvation.

This is not a race, however, that we run in competition with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Instead it is a race, which when faithfully run, will, among other things, bring my flesh into submission. Our bodies, as Paul speaks above, become the servants – or slaves – and not the master. As we run the race we learn to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ rather than to the impulses and cravings of the old nature.

As you can imagine this is not a sprint but a life long race.

The prize is not a celebrity endorsement contract, or our picture on a Wheaties cereal box but it is an eternal, incorruptible crown! We will look more closely at different aspects of this race throughout the week but let me encourage you with this; if you’ve fallen; if you’ve stumbled; if you’ve disqualified yourself, get back in the race and God Himself will be your strength and conditioning coach, bringing you to the finish line!

Homework Anyone?

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

 Ephesians 3:16-19

We were challenged last Sunday with some homework.

It was this: pray the above scriptures daily and see how your life changes.

Have you done that?

If so, don’t stop.

I would even encourage you to begin to pray it for others as well.

But there was more homework…

In addition to the prayer there were also three questions to pose to yourself (and maybe others) as you take stock of the impact God’s love has had in your life.

Here they are –

How has God’s love in you made a difference in the way you show love to others?

How do you think others would describe the difference God’s love has made in you?

What might be hindering you from loving others the way God loves you? 

In this blog it is not typical for me to simply copy the notes or comments from the outline given on Sunday but I think the value of doing that this week is great so I have done just that.

Obviously, you can read this blog and do nothing with the prayer or the questions.

The same is true of the outline from Sunday.

But if you use them as suggested there is great opportunity for you to grow spiritually.  

Won’t you take the time after reading this to go back through and

take some spiritual inventory?

Use the prayer and the questions to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you

about the love of God being more greatly manifested in your life.

By doing so may you become more and more “…rooted and established in love…”

Love Without Fear

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

   God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

I John 4:16-18

We have been reviewing the purposes of God’s love this week.

             We have said that His love has four primary purposes that include:

That we might be God’s dwelling place on the earth.

That we might receive personal revelation of God.

That we might make a personal declaration to the earth.

Today we look at the purpose of God’s love in removing all forms of fear in our lives.

Is there fear in your life?

I suppose that if we answered honestly most, if not all of us, would have to say yes.

We have known and received Gods’ love, but His love is not yet perfected in us.  

If it were, we would be without fear.

Jesus was without fear.

We find that in Him, the love of the Father was made perfect.

When I am fearful, I am failing to trust that the love of God can keep me in all the struggles and trials of life that I am facing.

I am currently unemployed and looking for work.

I would be dishonest with you if I said that I am never in fear of being able to provide for my family, pay the mortgage, etc…all the things that any one of you would face if you were without a job.

So where does the love that casts out all fear come into play?

I love God and He loves me.

I must remind myself that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.

As I stand in that promise and trust Him, the fear that I have melts away.

What difficulties are you facing today?

Is it something too big for God?

Surrender your fears to Him and know the love He has for you will work through those difficulties.

Remember that we are told that perfect love drives out fear.

We are never promised that perfect love drives out problems.  

Instead, bring those problems to the one who loves you and trust that He will see you through each and every one of them.

In closing, let me repeat some often mentioned words in scripture:

Fear not and Be not afraid!

A New Command?

“A new command I give you: Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

            Have you ever wondered why Jesus would tell the disciples to love one another and then call it a new command?

What was so new about loving one another?

I thought that command was around forever?

I believe the key lies in the very next verse when Jesus says: “As I have loved you.”

We are told in Romans that God demonstrated His love for us.

How did He do that?

Through Jesus, the Word made flesh.

Jesus became a living display, a demonstration of the Fathers’ love.

The love of the Father, as revealed through His Son, had not been seen before.

So Jesus links together for us the new command of not simply loving one another but loving one another as Jesus loves us.

His love was evident by His actions.

His love was to lay down His life for us.  

Not simply to surrender it to a force greater than His but to voluntarily lay it down.

That was a new command indeed.

Under the law, I might be persuaded to leave some crops in the field for the poor to glean but certainly not lay down my life for those less fortunate than me, not to mention laying it down for my enemies!

And yet, Jesus demonstrated the love of the Father, while we were yet sinners.  

In other words, Jesus displayed Gods’ love to His enemies – He extended Gods’ love to His enemies – including you and me.

A hot topic in the job market now is personal branding.

Labeling and marketing yourself in a way that sets you apart from everyone else.

What ‘brands’ you and makes you unique?

As disciples, we should be ‘branded’ by our love.

Love for the Lord, love for one another, love for our neighbor and love for our enemies. 

In doing this we make a personal declaration to the earth that we belong to Christ.

“A new command…As I have loved you…”

God Reveals Himself to Us

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:23

I have always appreciated the way that the King James Version translates the word ‘show’ in the verse above.
It uses the word ‘manifest’.
Manifest is defined as: to make clear or evident; show plainly; reveal.
We find then that the verse above links two things together; love and revelation.
But if you examine it again, note that it is not two things linked together but three.
We also find revelation is tied to obedience because the one who truly loves the Lord will obey His commands.
Maybe you can think of it as a three stranded cord: love, obedience and revelation.
My love for God is evident by my obedience to Him.
As I love Him. As I obey Him, He reveals Himself to me. God manifests Himself, i.e. God makes Himself clear and evident.
To the one who loves Him and obeys Him He plainly shows Himself.
Jesus said, in John 17:3, that eternal life was knowing the Father, the only true God and His Son Jesus Christ.
So we understand a second purpose in Gods’ love.
Yesterday we spoke of a purpose of His love was that we would be a dwelling place for Him on earth.
Today we see that another purpose of His love is that He might reveal Himself to us. Thus we are not simply containers for His glory.
He desires us to be in intimate relationship with Him!

No Staging Allowed

“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
John 14:23


Our local paper always includes the real estate section in the Saturday morning edition.
Many of the homes for sale are listed in this section.
Often it will include photographs and descriptions.
Then if you are in the market for a new home one of the things you can do is plan your weekend visits to Open Houses that you may have an interest in seeing and possibly buying.
A popular activity nowadays is to ‘stage’ a home. The purpose is to make an empty home look more attractive, or a cluttered home less cluttered in an effort to gain a quicker sale or a better price.
Today’s verse speaks of Jesus and the Father coming to make their home in us. This is not to ‘stage’ your life but rather to be a genuine expression of God’s love to you and those you come in contact with in the course of living your life.
As we have talked about in previous blogs
God doesn’t come into our lives in order to ‘play’ church in any way.
We are to be an expression of His love.
People will see right through any ‘staged’ love.
They can see through the phony, artificial words of a life ‘staged’
but not really lived ‘In Christ’.
They will be impacted by the genuine love of God lived in and through your life when He has made His home in your heart.
Like a home where you feel welcomed the moment you walk through the front door, so too is the life where God lives and dwells.
It is real.
It is genuine.
There is nothing ‘staged’ about it.
Are you willing to be that dwelling place of God on the earth?
Are you willing to love as He loves you?
No ‘staging’ allowed!

From Rags to Riches

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Colossians 3:12-14


Put on love.
After you have ‘gotten yourself dressed’ with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience the ‘overcoat’ we are to put on is love.
The writer tells us that love binds all of these other virtues together in perfect unity.
Two keys in this verse address an issue we sometimes miss.
We are told “…clothe yourselves…” and “…put on love…”
In other words, it is not done for me but I have a choice, a decision if you will, to clothe myself and put on what I present to the world each and every day.
There is an old expression that says: “He wears his heart on his sleeve.”; which means that our emotions and our feelings are readily evident to others.
Our verses today are similar in that if we are “God’s chosen people…” there should be interactions with others that give evidence to Christ in us.
We should be a people dressed in Christ and in His character.
Not just in our hearts and in our personal relationship to Him
but also in how we interact and react to others.
We should be seen and known as compassionate, kind, gentle, patient and humble people. But above all else, we should put on love.
Love should be so evident to others that it would be like an
overcoat that ties the rest of our ‘wardrobe’ together.
If it is true that “clothes make the man” then
be clothed in Christ as you live your daily life.
We can be guilty of sending mixed messages to people.
We talk like a believer but we dress with anger, pride, coarseness and hatred.
When we put on Christ and His love, when we clothe ourselves with His character and the fruit of His Spirit we find our wardrobe goes from rags to riches.

Avoiding Bankruptcy

“If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe,
and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.”
I Corinthians 13:3 (Message)

“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
I Corinthians 13:3 (NIV)


Without love, all that I give is insignificant.
If I had the wherewithal to donate millions to charity but do not have love I am told in verse 3 of the 13th chapter of First Corinthians that I gain nothing.
As Pastor Tim shared last Sunday:
Without love, ‘giving’ is just showing off.
If all I do is ‘give to get’, whether it is getting my name on a building, writing a blog for recognition, a roomful of awards or accolades then it is all done for naught.
Paul hits it even harder as he identifies some
things we all might consider ‘good’ deeds, i.e.
“giving all I possess to the poor…” or “…giving my body over to hardship…”
You see, even all of our good deeds done without love will not abound back to us in the way that one ‘small act’ done in genuine love can.
Robert Louis Stevenson is credited with the following words:
“You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.”
You see, giving will flow out of a heart filled with love. We looked at this verse last week but it bears repeating here – “For God so loved the world that He gave…”
There it is – giving follows love.
Who set the precedent for us?
God Himself!
As a matter of fact we are told in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that God loves a cheerful giver. Why? Because the one who is joyful in their giving is giving out of
love and not simply out of obligation.
Don’t be bankrupt, as the Message translation expressed it, but in love with God others.
Don’t waste your giving by giving without love!

Useless or Useful?

“If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.”
I Corinthians 13:2 (Message)

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
I Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)


I have very intentionally included the Message translation yesterday and today because it is so easy to ‘wax poetic’ when we read the 13th Chapter of First Corinthians and to simply close our eyes and picture the last wedding we attended where these verses have been read. The problem is that we often relegate the potent message these verses carry only to a couple exchanging vows.
Our prayer, through the message given on Sunday, is that you let the Holy Spirit impress them on your heart.
Personalize the words, don’t pass them off.
Paul is telling us that all of the gifts, expressed accurately and exercised to the deepest levels possible are useless if the one exercising them does not have love.
Go back and read that last sentence again but this time instead of just reading the word ‘useless’, I would like you to say it out loud.
As a matter of fact, shout it out loud.
Let it resonate in you and make a lasting impression because that is the value our gifts carry when they are used for any reason other than loving those to whom the gifts are being ministered.
If you are asking to be used by God in a particular gift, check your motivation.
Are you desiring this gift so that, through its use, others are brought deeper into relationship with God?
Is love drawing you?
And if I can say it this way; is the use of your gift drawing a picture of love to those who are impacted by that gift?
I think we sometimes can ‘dilute’ the power of God’s word when we take a text like this and see it as only applicable at weddings.
Don’t fall into that trap.
When we understand that it applies not just to a first century gathering of believers, not just to a blushing bride and her future husband, but to every one of us then the weight of that word suddenly bears on us.
Allow the love of God to so fill you that the prophetic word, the gift of faith and the knowledge He brings is soaked in that love and evident to all as you minister His gifts.

The Seasoning We Should Apply to Our Words!

“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.”
I Corinthians 13:1 (Message)

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


When I read this verse in the Message translation printed above I often am reminded of one of the most grating noises known to man – that is the sound of finger nails dragged across an old slate chalkboard.
Just thinking about it makes some people cringe.
It just is not a very pleasant sound.
Paul, in the NIV translation also printed above, compares all of our eloquent speech, when those words are devoid of love, being nothing more than the equivalent of a resounding gong or clanging cymbal.
A clanging cymbal and a resounding gong are two instruments that
can be very loud and sometimes very annoying.
It is nearly impossible to “sugar-coat” a clanging cymbal!
So too, the words, no matter how carefully chosen, that are not spoken out of love.
Have you ever been guilty of blurting something out and realizing, at
the same moment the words slip off your tongue, how hurtful they are?
Then we try to justify the words we just ‘hit’ someone with, by making this statement:
“Well, its’ the truth!”
Maybe it was, but was it delivered in love?
So often we feel the need to set someone straight because our own ego and pride is wrapped up in letting them know ‘the truth’ but we never stop to consider whether or not we are speaking the truth in love.
Putting the verse in context, Paul was speaking about the delivery of the vocal gifts in the local church. However, it is not a stretch to apply that same principle to all of our words.
Without love all I say is ineffective.
Without love, words are just noise.
With love, my words can bring life and build up.
So the next time, before you speak, stop and think
and season those words of truth with love!

God’s Love, It’s the Priority of Life

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:36-39


What is your dominant life principle?
What principles guide nearly every decision you make, impacting who
you are and why you are the way that you are?
You may deny it, but the truth is we all have one.
Reading today’s verse, what do you suppose the dominant life principle
ought to be for every disciple of Jesus Christ?
Well, as we learned today and as the verses make plain: “The dominant life principle of a Christ follower is to love God and love others.”
Jesus said that love was the first and greatest commandment.
Love is what ought to dominate our life and walk.
It is to be both vertical (directed to God) and horizontal (directed to others).
A life void of love is a life which is ineffective, incomplete, insufficient and insignificant.
We will look more closely at each of these the rest of this week as well as how to turn things around and live that life directed by the Lord which has love as it’s dominant guiding principle.
Love, however, is more than just a principle, love is a person.
For we know that God is love.
Thus, when we are allowing love to be our dominant life principle,
we are essentially surrendering our lives to God.
We love Him and we love others!

No Loopholes, No Exceptions

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Colossians 3:13

Talking, as we did yesterday, about being someone who is an encourager I could almost hear some of you saying: “I can do that!”
But today’s topic tends to bring a lot more silence in our ranks than encouragement does. Nonetheless, if we want to love as Christ does then we must forgive others even as we are forgiven.
Uh-oh, the silence was just broken by a familiar lament –
“But you don’t know what they did to me; I cannot forgive them!”
It’s familiar because most of us have made the same protest at one time or another.
You cannot walk on this earth without being offended.
That is true of believer and unbeliever alike.
We are not only commanded to forgive but we have the ultimate example of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. You see, if anyone ever could lay claim to be wrongfully used, accused and abused it was Jesus. He did not simply ‘tolerate’ it until a later date when he could exact revenge. He said: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:34
Now some of you think you just discovered a loophole.
Jesus forgave them in their ignorance but the people who hurt you knew exactly what they were doing so you are not required to forgive them.
Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.
Jesus didn’t run ‘disclaimers’ with His command.
He has forgiven me when I have sinned in ignorance.
He has forgiven me when I have sinned willfully and knowingly.
So, if I want to show Christ’s love to others I will:
…forgive as the Lord forgave me.

Be an Encourager!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
I Thessalonians 5:11


I love to hang out with people who are encouragers.
The reason should be obvious.
Encouragers are nice to be around and, after all, who doesn’t need to be encouraged every now and then?
That got me to thinking about the difference between an encourager and a flatterer.
To encourage someone is to give courage, hope or confidence to, but flattery, on the other hand, is to try to ingratiate oneself, please or get the favor of, by praise and attention.
In other words, encouragers have a genuine interest in the other person while flatterers are self-centered and out to manipulate for their own advantage.
We are called to encourage others, never to flatter.
Encouragement is so often private, flattery, however, is most effective when it is public.
As we continue to look at ways we can love as Christ did, we must step out and become encouragers.
Barnabas, whose name means ‘son of consolation’ is often held up in scripture (and rightfully so) as an encourager.
Listen to this description of Barnabas from Acts 11:23-24:
“When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Encouragers lives and words will point people to Christ.
It is most often done, not with a trumpet blast of attention but, as a whispered word of hope and courage.
Here is a challenge for you today.
Actively, look for opportunities to be an encourager.
Don’t seek fanfare or congratulations in the process of carrying out Gods’ will.
Just seek to build others up in their faith or encourage those who have not yet surrendered their lives to Christ.
Be an encourager!

Babys' First Steps

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you
to the interests of the others.”
Philippians 2:3-11


What are the big and the little ways that we can focus on other
people instead of always looking after our own interests?
How do we turn our attention to others with genuine expressions of love and service?
We might be tempted to begin a list which has steps far bigger than we are currently taking.
That would be counter-productive.
When you learned to walk as a child it wasn’t by one day standing up straight, perfectly balanced and walking over to your mom or dad. We all learned by first being able to roll over, then sit up, and eventually we graduated to our
first wobbly, unassisted step only to fall down again.
My point is that it took us some time and it was gradual success as we stayed with it.
The same is true when it comes to focusing on others.
I naturally want to focus on my own concerns and interests.
That is not always a bad thing; but when I am only consumed by what matters to me where is Christ in that scenario?
If my goal is to love as Christ loves then I will learn to surrender my will to His.
His will is all about serving others through me!
When I begin to take my eyes off of myself and recognize how I might love and care for others, I also begin to see how great God loves and cares for me.
I would not even begin to suggest ways for you to do that because the Holy Spirit is well able and desires to lead you in those acts of service.
Listen for His direction.
He will give you what you can handle and continued obedience brings growth.
Before you know it the baby is up and walking!
Then the steps get bigger.
But He is always with you and whatever He leads you in He equips you for.
What did you do when you wanted your baby to walk more than one step?
You went just out of his reach and you called his name.
Did the baby look at himself and his feet or did he look at, and move toward, the object of his affection?
Make others the object of your affections, your care and your concern.
Focus on others and show them His love.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly you learn to walk.

Acceptance Without Strings

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
Romans 15:7


Have you ever stopped to think about what it means to accept someone?
It means to receive willingly, to receive favorably.
Maybe the word acceptance recalls for you great memories of a letter from a college or university you were hoping to be accepted at.
Perhaps the memories are not so fond and instead of acceptance it was a letter of rejection for a job offer you thought was a perfect fit.
Rejection hurts and acceptance is always better than rejection.
When I accept another person and love them free of any and all of the strings we always want to attach, then I love them as Christ loved me.
How many have knelt at the cross only to be rejected?
How many have cried out to God for forgiveness and mercy only to hear Him say:
Come back when you are perfect!
We know, because we now know God, that would never happen; but are we guilty of requiring of others what has never been required of us?
Do we refuse to accept someone because they are not in our social circle or not at the same level of education we are?
Do we reject them because we have determined that they fail to measure up ethically or morally as determined by us?
Have we failed to understand that accepting and loving another person is not the same as approving and endorsing a behavior?
I recognize and admit that I sometimes behave in ways God does not approve of or endorse.
How about you?
Still, he loves me.
He fills me with His Spirit.
He gives meaning and purpose to my life.
He accepts me.
That means He accepts me willingly and favorably.
He knows, better than anyone, that there is still much work to be done in me.
When I accept others unconditionally, I am loving as Christ loves.
I am loving without strings attached.
I am bringing praise to God!

The Power of Gods’ Love

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
I Corinthians 13:13


The love of God is powerful.
There is nothing comparable.
There is no close second.
Here at His Place we are about a 90 minute drive away from Niagara Falls.
The Falls are such an awesome sight to behold as the millions of gallons of water thunder down with such force they must be seen, heard and felt, to be appreciated.
No photograph does them justice.
I can tell you that the water is harnessed to produce hydroelectric power.
As powerful as the Falls may be and regardless of how many homes are powered by its’ force it still cannot come close to the power of Gods’ love.
You and I were dead in trespasses and sin and only through the power of that love can we now know the abundant life that is ours through Christ.
As I am writing this, it is Resurrection Day – Easter – when we

celebrate Jesus rising from the dead.
The fact is the love of God was the reason for the cross.
The fact is the love of God was the reason for the resurrection.
The fact is the love of God is the reason we have restored fellowship with the Father.
The fact is there is nothing more powerful than the love of God.
My prayer for you today is that the power of His love so transforms and
fills your life that you will never, ever be the same.
“…the greatest of these is love,”

Discovering His Love

“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.
So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face
him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.”
I John 4:17 (NLT)


Who wants a more perfect love growing in their lives?
We find the answer to how that can happen in the same verse that offers the promise.
We are told to “…live in God…” and to “…live like Jesus…”.
That’s easy enough, right?
Actually, it is impossible apart from abiding in Christ and being filled
with the Holy Spirit.
We were challenged last Sunday to spend some time each day discovering God’s love for us. Discovery is an active process. I set about to ‘find out’ something.
“Columbus sailed the ocean blue;
in fourteen hundred ninety two...”
Remember that little ditty from grade school?
Columbus “set out to find” something – a new trade route – and in the process discovered a “new world” and a “round globe”!
Are you setting out to “find” Gods’ love today?
Are you being intentional and active in discovering how much and in what ways His love is demonstrated to you?
When I abide in Christ, when I am filled with His Spirit the blessing of His love are abundant and evident; but I must make them appreciated. As I acknowledge His care, His provision, His love for me there is a peace and confidence that comes to me so that I am no longer afraid of that Judgment Day we all will face.
I am growing perfect in His love and we are told that perfect love casts out all fear!
Are you actively discovering His love for you?
Are you finding out each and every day how much you are loved?
Is that love growing and being perfected in you?
Live in God.
Live Like Jesus.
Abide in Him.
Be filled with His Spirit.

Are You a Display Case?

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8


One of the definitions of the word ‘demonstrate’ that fits well with
our discussion today is:
“to explain or make clear by using examples”
“I love you” expressed to my wife is good. Demonstrating my love by completing a task
for her that she normally does (but hates doing) is even better!
Love can never be proven with mere words. Even God, whose word can be trusted and whose words are esteemed above His name, went beyond words and demonstrated His love by sending His Son.
But, while the cross and resurrection was the culmination of His work here on earth, there were countless demonstrations of the love of God in the life of Jesus leading up to that ultimate sacrifice. A read through of the Gospels reveals the blind seeing, the lame walking, the deaf talking, those in bondage set free and the dead raised.
Jesus aptly defined the word demonstrate, that is He explained the love of God and made it clear by using the examples we find in scripture. As a matter of fact, it was prophesied concerning Him that He would do just that. Listen to the words of Isaiah 61:1-3
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”
So today’s challenge for us is really quite simple.
It is this:
If the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on you, He will move you past mere words to demonstrate to those around you His love.
Be a display of His splendor by demonstrating His love!

Choosing Love

“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
John 10:18


There used to be a TV advertisement for an ice cream product that asked the viewer this question – “What would you do for a Klondike Bar?” The question was then followed by the silly and/or embarrassing things people were willing to do for the reward of the ice cream. What if I asked you what you would do, that you might not willingly otherwise do, if someone had a gun pointed at you? I know it is not a thought we want to consider but my point is that rewards (think ice cream) and force (think a loaded gun) sometimes make us do things we would not otherwise be willing to do.
Consider this: Jesus was not forced to the cross.
In His own words He tells us that no one takes His life, but that He voluntarily surrenders it. It is His choice to do so.
If it is not force and it is not a reward then what motivates Jesus to do that?
In a word – it is ‘love’.
Jesus loved us – and continues to love us – enough to choose to surrender His life for us.
Did Jesus ‘feel’ like going to the cross? I think His prayer in the Garden would answer that question for us. You may ask, “Well, doesn’t Hebrews 12:2 talk about Jesus enduring the cross for the joy that was set before Him; wasn’t He being motivation by a reward?” Remember, though, that Jesus existed in eternity and when His work on the cross was completed He was seated at the right hand of the Father. The relationship that was broken for a moment in eternity by my sin and yours was restored.
Jesus chose to lay down His life because of His love for the Father.
Jesus chose to lay down His life because of His love for you and me.
I am so grateful that love is not a feeling, love is a choice!
I don’t always feel like loving.
At those times God doesn’t absolve me of my need to love.
I must choose to love regardless, and sometimes in spite of, how I feel.
In the Old Testament God challenges us to choose life.
Through His Son, and by His Holy Spirit, we are also challenged to choose love!

God’s Love is Calculating and Purposeful

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”
I Peter 1:18-20

What exactly does it mean to say real love is ‘calculated’?
Sometimes we hear people speak about the love of God as if it is some sort of huge cosmic blob of divine silly putty that just ebbs and flows through the universe touching lives randomly and then moving on. Speaking as if it was a force that can’t really be known and which we may be fortunate to bump into once in our lives.
However, the love of God is purposeful, ordered and directed from God at you.
The love of God is ‘calculated’.
There is nothing random or chance about it.
Our verses from I Peter today make clear the plans of God were from
“…before the creation of the world…”
and had as its’ purpose; to redeem us through the precious blood of his Son.
That is real love and that is a love that is calculated and planned by God in eternity.
Nothing random, accidental or spontaneous about that!
The intentional and calculated love of God doesn’t let me off the hook either.
It demands a response from me, even if my response is to ignore it.
When we, as believers, reflect His love to others it serves as an in-your-face reminder of the personal nature of His love. Not in an arrogant way, but in a way that removes it from the ‘cosmic blob’ realm to something that pulls at the very strings of our heart!
Gods’ love is intentional when it touches your heart.
What is your response?

What Do You Reflect?

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.”
I John 2:15-16

Is the love of God revealed to you through popular culture and the media?
Can we rely on Facebook, a TV program or the current issue of People magazine to showcase for us how much God loves you and I?
Of course we can’t.
The world presents and displays for us a love which is not the love of God.
As a matter of fact we are told in the passage above, from the Epistle of John, that if love for the world fills our lives then the love of the Father is not in us.
If His love does not reside in us then we cannot reflect or share that love with others.
We talked last week about abiding in the vine which is Christ. In addition, we find some direction in the next verse of John’s epistle. Verse 17 says that “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
You and I cannot do the will of God apart from His Spirit dwelling in us and His word hidden in our heart. But a heart in love with the world is a heart filled with other things. There is no room for His word. I must determine that, with the help of God, I will meditate on His word and let it fill my heart.
I must abide in the vine allowing the Spirit of God to direct my steps and my life.
Only then, will His love flow through me to others.
Don’t misunderstand me.
God loves me.
My actions do not change His love for me.
But my choices and my actions will determine if His love flows through me to others.
Will I be a vessel used for His glory?
If, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, then here are some questions to ask yourself if it is your desire to be a vessel through which His love flows.
What is found, in abundance, in your heart?
Who (or what) consumes your time?
What is your thought life filled with?
What are your viewing habits?
Love the world – have a worldly heart.
Love the Lord – have a heart that reflects His love!