Wide, Long, High, and Deep

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

“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 3:18-19)

God’s love is incredibly vast.  It’s…

Wide
Long
High
Deep

Are you questioning God’s love today?

Maybe you feel your sin has left a wide path of destruction, hurting those people closest to you, but God’s love is wide enough to cover your sin and rebuild any relationships that have been damaged.

Maybe you feel you’ve struggled with a particular sin for so long that you past the point of being forgiven, but God’s love is long enough to forgive you no matter how many times you’ve fallen.

Maybe you feel your sin is so great that a high and lofty God can’t forgive you, but His love is so high that He left the glory of heaven and came to earth to walk among us.

Maybe your saying “but you don’t know the depths of my sin and the horrible things I’ve done,” but God’s love is deep enough to wash away even the ugliest of transgressions.

Bottom line, NOTHING you’ve done or said can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).  Zip, zero, nada.

Grab a hold of how much God loves you today and then let His love abide in you.  As your revelation of God’s love grows, it will surpass just head knowledge and fill your heart, increasing your capacity to love others.

I’ve Got a Secret

“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 14:21

 

 

Who do you share secrets with?

The cab driver on the way home?

Probably not.

The tale-bearer at work who cannot stop talking?

I don’t think so.

Most people share their deepest secrets with those they love, those they trust.

Read the scripture above again.

Do you see the link between obedience, love and revelation?

Our love of God is evidenced by our obedience to Him.

But Jesus also says that He will show himself to the one who loves Him.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ was given to the Apostle John.

John was also known as the Beloved Apostle.

What a wonderful confirmation of the verse we just read.

Jesus gave the revelation of Himself to the Beloved disciple John.

He will share His secrets with you too.

Do you pray and cry out for a greater revelation of God?

Then grow in your obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

As you do, you will find that God, through the Holy Spirit, reveals more and more to you.

By walking in obedience you reveal your love and God in turn reveals more of Himself.

All too often our idea of increased revelation is increased attendance at seminars, conferences and workshops.

Not that those things are wrong but they are no substitute for simple obedience.

Here’s a secret – but feel free to share it with everyone –

Do you want to know Him more?

Then obey Him more!

Where is God Going Today?

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

II Corinthians 3:18

 

 

Where is God going today?

Asked another way, where will your schedule take Him?

Have you offered your life as a place for God to dwell on the earth?

Is His presence evident wherever you go?

Is God going to be at your job today?

How about in your home?

Will He make that dentist appointment and stop off at the grocery store?

Will others know you are a ‘carrier’?

When it came to the presence of God, Moses couldn’t keep a secret.

Read this passage from Exodus concerning that fact:

“But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.”

We are told to let our light shine before men.

Let His presence in our lives be evident to all around us.

Let it be evident through our obedient actions of love to others.

Let be evident that His presence is with us and in us.

We are much better, it seems, at telling rather than showing.

We are met with doubt and skepticism because the ‘shine’ on our lives doesn’t seem to measure up to the words we speak.  

No, we are not perfect, none of us.

But maybe if we did a little less talking and a lot more loving the evidence of His presence in us will begin to shine more and more…

 

 

Aroma Therapy

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

II Corinthians 2:14-15

 

Are you a practitioner of aroma therapy?

No, I am not going “new age” on you.

What I mean is what fragrance do you carry?

What aroma is evident when you walk into the room?

Paul said that God “…uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere.”

What a potent and powerful aroma we are to be in this world.

Paul goes on to say that we are a “…pleasing aroma of Christ…” to the Father.

He further states that aroma is among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

The aroma of Christ ought to be on us.

One definition offered by Webster’s dictionary of the word aroma is:

“a distinctive quality or atmosphere”

What distinct quality or atmosphere is evident when you walk into a room?

Are you spreading the aroma of Christ wherever you go?

Is the atmosphere changed for good when you walk in?

It should be!

Some ladies - and even some men - baptize themselves (full immersion picture here) in their perfume or cologne.

Usually you can tell they have arrived before they walk through the door.

The fragrance permeates everything.

Does the pleasing aroma of Christ follow your life?

Is it evident to others that Christ is in you?

Is the quality of your life distinctively Christ like?

Does the atmosphere of the knowledge of Him surround you to impact those around you?

It can.

It should.

It must…

…if we are to be the agents of change for the Kingdom of God on earth.

Join in that triumphal procession as a captive of Christ and let His aroma in you change others.

Be His fragrance...His aroma to others.

 

Unclogged Arteries

Today's blog post is from Denise Friedman:

We have been talking about love in our church.  Not head love, the love that comes expectations and strings attached.  Instead, heart love, the love that loves those even when it doesn’t make sense.  The love that loves others who have hurt us.  The love that loves others who can not or will not love us in return.  Our prayer focus this week is To open my heart to God as never before.

How do we open our hearts to God?  One way to do this is to obey Holy Spirit.  Is there an area of life which you are currently living in rebellion to God?  Take a few minutes and God to reveal what might be in your heart that is “blocking” the opening.   Is it pride, unforgiveness, lust, anger, insecurity, anxiety? Truly identify what exactly needs to be removed to allow your heart to be open to God. Although this might be a painful process, God already knows what the blockage is and He is ready to remove it!

 Consider this – if we discover we have a blocked artery, what do we do about it?  Do we ignore it, continuing to do what we have been doing?  Hopefully not! Once the doctor had identified the problem, we may undergo a medical procedure to “clear” the blockage, then we may need to take medicine and/or change our diet so our arteries remain open.

Today, God wants to be your physician.  He wants to clear your “arteries” to open your heart to Him as never before.  Are you willing to undergo the necessary “surgery”?

Father, I ask you today to reveal to me the areas I am not living in obedience to Holy Spirit.  Please help me to remove these areas from my life so that you can show yourself to me in a more powerful way than ever before.  I ask this is the precious name of Jesus, amen!

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

John 14:21

Don’t Pass Jesus By

Today's challenging post is from David Trotta, let it speak to your spirit -












Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:37-40)

I remember recently pulling up to a stop light alongside a person holding a sign asking for money to buy food.  I saw the person from a distance and was hoping the light would stay green long enough for me to drive on by, but sure enough, the light turned red as I approached, so I had to stop.  I anxiously waited for the light to turn green, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead so I didn’t have to look the person in the eye.  The light seemed to take forever, and the longer it took, the more uncomfortable I became.

Why did I feel this way?  Was it because I was wrestling with the conviction I felt inside for not reaching out to the person?  Was it because I didn’t want to engage in what was sure to be an uncomfortable conversation with a stranger?  Was it because I was in a hurry or too afraid?

Whatever the reason, I drove away while trying to convince myself that not stopping was the right thing to do.  But in reality, I missed an incredible opportunity to minister to my Savior.  Jesus said what we do for those in need, we do for Him. Jesus was standing there and I failed to recognize Him.

How about you?  Have you ever encountered someone in need, but continued on your way without stopping?

As we learned the last couple weeks, true unconditional, agape love won’t let us continue on our way.  It compels us to stop and act, regardless of the person or the cost.

After all, when we don’t stop, it’s really Jesus we are passing by.

Without any ‘But’

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,”

Philippians 2:3

 

 

 

I love my wife, but….

I love my husband, but…

We are all guilty of those kinds of statements.

We love them but there always seem to be no end to those things we want to change in our spouses, our children, our close friends and others we hold dear.

We can often be guilty of using similar statements when it comes to loving the down-and-out among us.

I’d love to help but…my schedule is just so crazy.

I’d love to help but…those ‘kind of people’ frighten me.

I’d love to help but...isn’t it their fault they are where they are?

I’d love to help but…_________________________(you fill in the blank)

The next time you are tempted to offer one of those excuses (trust me, we all do and there will be a next time) ask the Lord to help you through your moment of weakness and to use you to minister His love to others.

(Now let me be very honest with you at this point in the blog.

Instead of writing the words above “ask the Lord to help you through your moment of weakness and to use you to minister His love to others.” I first started to write these words:

Consider how many excuses the Lord Jesus tried in order to get out of going to the cross.

I felt the Spirit of the Lord lead me to rewrite it because the choice of words – intentionally or not – would attempt to motivate to action out of guilt and not out of love.

So often when we try to change our spouse, our children or other loved ones the motivation is not always that it is good for them as much as whatever we want changed makes it easier on us.

God is interested in us serving others.

It is actually more than a ‘passing interest’ on Gods’ part. It is a command.

But He is also interested in the motivation of our heart in doing so.

Do we only ‘love’ in order to ‘feel good’ about ourselves?

Are we serving only so that others might see and praise us?

Or do we love others because He first loved us?

Do we love through His love in us?

As you look for ways to minister His love and serve others ask God to keep you mindful of these things.

Ask Him to search your heart and the motivations driving you.

Ask Him to be the reason you do what you do.

Let His love shine through without any ‘but’!

Love at Work in You!

“Love is patient, … always perseveres.”

I Corinthians 13:4, 7 selected

 

Suppose you had never once in your life opened a Bible.

You had never heard any scripture read before by anyone.

Now let’s further imagine that someone opened a Bible to I Corinthians 13,

 handed it to you and said – without any further explanation –

“That is the love to be found in a believer!”

What reaction would you have?

What thoughts would be racing through your mind as you read?

If you are anything like me it might be: “I can’t do this!”

And, of course, as we have discussed before you cannot do this apart from Christ in you.

It is His supernatural love at work in the new man.

The old nature in you will resist, will fight the work of God but the good news of course is that when you cooperate with the Spirit of God at work in you  His supernatural love becomes more and more evident.

Most likely you have heard and read I Corinthians 13 many times.

We most often read it through the lens of extending that supernatural love to others.

That is a good thing to do.

But sometimes we might do well to read it and extend those words to ourselves as a gentle reminder that growing into His image is a process and not an event.

Love is patient, love perseveres, let love complete its work in you too.

Understand and remind yourself, by way of this passage, to be patient as you and the Spirit of the Lord cooperate together to see His love grow in you.

Understand and remind yourself, by way of this passage, to persevere as you and the Spirit of the Lord cooperate together to see His love grow in you.

Finally, understand and remind yourself to allow love to complete its’ work in you as you and the Spirit of the Lord cooperate together to see His love grow in you.

Empty Church Sunday

“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

 

 

Imagine this conversation between a shepherd and one of his sheep.

 

Sheep:  “So Pastor – What if you gave a sermon and nobody came?”

Shepherd:  “Well, depending on the reason it could be a very wonderful thing”

Sheep: “Could you explain what you mean by that?”

Shepherd:  “What I mean is that I would take no offense if the reason for their absence was because they were out loving on people – being the church to a hurting world!”

Sheep:  “But aren’t we told not to forsake assembling together?”

Shepherd:  “Yes, we are: and there certainly should be many opportunities for that. But you can be sure I would never condemn you for not being here if you were ministering to someone whom God had prepared for you.”

Sheep:  “What do you mean – prepared for me?”

Shepherd:  “What I mean is that when you ask God to use you and then open your eyes there is no shortage of opportunities that He will prepare for you to be His hands and feet in the world.

Shepherd: “Now let me ask you a question – Did Jesus ever go in search of people to set free. heal or teach or did they seek Him out?”

Sheep: “Oh, for sure – they sought Him.”

Shepherd: “Why do you think that was?”

Sheep: “I suppose it was because He loved them, He cared about them and they knew it.”

Shepherd:  “I believe as we genuinely love as Jesus loved we too will be a sought after people. But how many people are beating a path to the door of the church right now?”

Sheep: “Not many, I must admit.”

Shepherd: “So do you see now why I would rejoice if you were absent and the reason for your absence was because you were doing the Father’s work?

Sheep: “Yes, I guess I do.”

 

Lord

 Make it so in each of us.

Not that we are looking for excuses to be absent from fellowship but instead are so caught up in the work of the Father that like Jesus we can say

“Didn’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business?

May there be no offense taken by others when our absence is a result of obedience to you.

May ‘Empty Church Sunday’ become a reality as we “Go” and “Do”

In the matchless Name of Jesus

 Amen!

 

If Heaven Assigned Homework

“Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the Levitical priests, to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered.”

II Chronicles 23:18

 

 

 

If heaven assigned homework what do you suppose it would be?

Would it consist of math problems and writing assignments?

If there is a heavenly homework assignment I think it would have to be all about love.

Love others as you are loved.

Love those not easily loved by others.

Love the one who cannot or will not love in return.

But even those last three sentences can be vague and fail to motivate us to action.

What if the ‘heavenly homework’ was more specific?

What if there were very tangible, very concrete assignments?

That is how we were challenged this week.

We were given opportunities over the next 40 days to show the love of God in six different ways in our community.

It is not homework that is handed in for a score.

It is homework intended to teach us to love in deed and not with words only.

We are good at talking the talk but failing to walk the walk!

The challenge is meant to mobilize a church which can become comfortably immobile.

Instead of couch potatoes we become pew potatoes.

Same potato – different location.

Ouch!

So get off the couch or the pew and love in Jesus’ name!

Don’t Walk Away Sad

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

As our pastor taught us this past Sunday, the first steps to enlarging our capacity to receive God’s love are to identify the wrong things that fill your heart and then release them so He can fill us with His supernatural love.  Our hearts were created to be a vessel, and by design, they must contain something.  But, a heart that is already full has no room to be filled with more of God’s love.

So, I left service feeling challenged and excited to have that conversation with the Lord.  I want Him to show me those things that steal my affections away from Him.  I want Him to show me those things that I love more than Him.

Or, do I?

As I was thinking about having that conversation with the Lord, I was reminded of the story in the bible where a rich young ruler was brave enough to ask Jesus to peer into His heart and reveal where his affections lay.  But, the response of the young ruler is what weighed heavy on my heart.  The story goes like this….

After asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus responded by saying “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But after hearing Jesus say that, the bible says the rich young ruler “became very sad, because he was very wealthy.” (Luke 18:22-23)

The rich young ruler’s great sadness revealed the tug of war in his heart.  He loved his wealth and was unwilling to part with it.

What if the Lord asked me to release something near and dear to my heart?  Would I be able to say “yes Lord” or would I walk away sad?

Will you join me in asking the Lord to reveal those things that hinder our ability to fully surrender our hearts to Him?  But, before you do, will you also join me in asking the Lord to give us the courage to say yes to Him and release whatever He shows us, regardless of the cost?

In his book The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer said it best when he prayed “Father, I want to know Thee, but my cowardly heart fears to give up its toys.  I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting.  I come trembling, but I do come.  Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival.”

Examine your heart

Today's post is contributed by Denise Friedman:

Yesterday we spent time reflecting on the depth of God’s love we have experienced.  Hopefully you were able to spend some time honestly considering this and inviting God to move within you as never before. Remember, agape love, which the Bible speaks of, cannot be learned in an intellectual way, but must be experienced.

We need to prepare ourselves to receive more of God’s love.  How do we do this?  When we look to scripture for our answer, we find we need to enlarge the capacity of our heart.  This means, removing love of worldy things. 

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.-1 John 2:15-16

Today let’s identify what is wrong within our hearts.  The scripture gives us some starting points: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.  Well, that gets right to the point.  You mean if I have lust or pride, I can’t experience agape love?  That is exactly what scripture tells us.  Today, spend some time honestly identifying the wrong things that fill your heart, things that are of the world, not of our Father.  Don’t worry, he won’t be surprised with whatever you bring to him, he already knows everything in our hearts and loves us just the same.

 

 

The Measure of God’s Love

Today's blog post was contributed by Denise Friedman:

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ 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, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:17-19

We have been learning about supernatural love, love that surpasses knowledge, as stated in the scripture above.  God has supernatural love for us.  It does not matter what we do or fail to do, He still loves us unconditionally.  This is the love we are striving to feel for others.  This kind of love can only be experienced, not taught. 

Let’s take a look at the measure of God’s love you have experienced.  Take some time this week to reflect on these questions:

Answer on a scale of 1 (no change at all) to 5 (radically different)

1.          God’s love has changed my perspective of life.

2.          God’s love has changed my opinion of myself. (Can I see the beauty God has created within me?)

3.          God’s love has changed my service to God. (Do I serve out of obligation or love?)

4.          God’s love has changed my obedience to the scriptures.

5.          God’s love has changed my demonstration of faith.

6.          God’s love has changed my demonstration of love for others.

When you answer honestly, you may not be satisfied with what you find.  Remember, the depths of God’s you have or have not experienced, do not make you a bad person.  If you want to move into a realm of supernatural love, you do need to be honest and ask God to do a work within in you.  If you spend time with God and allow him to work within you, your answers in one month will be very different than they are today!

Father, I ask all reading this entry today to have an encounter with you and experience your love like never before in the name of your son, Jesus, amen.

Examine your heart

Todays blog post was contributed by Denise Friedman:

Yesterday we spent time reflecting on the depth of God’s love we have experienced.  Hopefully you were able to spend some time honestly considering this and inviting God to move within you as never before. Remember, agape love, which the Bible speaks of, cannot be learned in an intellectual way, but must be experienced.

We need to prepare ourselves to receive more of God’s love.  How do we do this?  When we look to scripture for our answer, we find we need to enlarge the capacity of our heart.  This means, removing love of worldy things. 

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.-1 John 2:15-16

Today let’s identify what is wrong within our hearts.  The scripture gives us some starting points: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.  Well, that gets right to the point.  You mean if I have lust or pride, I can’t experience agape love?  That is exactly what scripture tells us.  Today, spend some time honestly identifying the wrong things that fill your heart, things that are of the world, not of our Father.  Don’t worry, he won’t be surprised with whatever you bring to him, he already knows everything in our hearts and loves us just the same.

The Measure of God’s Love

Todays blog post was contributed by Denise Friedman:

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ 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, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:17-19

We have been learning about supernatural love, love that surpasses knowledge, as stated in the scripture above.  God has supernatural love for us.  It does not matter what we do or fail to do, He still loves us unconditionally.  This is the love we are striving to feel for others.  This kind of love can only be experienced, not taught. 

 

Let’s take a look at the measure of God’s love you have experienced.  Take some time this week to reflect on these questions:

Answer on a scale of 1 (no change at all) to 5 (radically different)

1.          God’s love has changed my perspective of life.

2.          God’s love has changed my opinion of myself. (Can I see the beauty God has created within me?)

3.          God’s love has changed my service to God. (Do I serve out of obligation or love?)

4.          God’s love has changed my obedience to the scriptures.

5.          God’s love has changed my demonstration of faith.

6.          God’s love has changed my demonstration of love for others.

When you answer honestly, you may not be satisfied with what you find.  Remember, the depths of God’s you have or have not experienced, do not make you a bad person.  If you want to move into a realm of supernatural love, you do need to be honest and ask God to do a work within in you.  If you spend time with God and allow him to work within you, your answers in one month will be very different than they are today!

Father, I ask all reading this entry today to have an encounter with you and experience your love like never before in the name of your son, Jesus, amen.

Infectious Love

Today's blog post was contributed by David Trotta:

I’m sure you’ve heard the news lately.  There is a flu epidemic in many parts of the US.  As soon as you have the symptoms, doctors recommend a self imposed quarantine to keep from spreading the flu to others you come in contact with.  As we all know, soon as you get the flu, you become a carrier and can infect others.

However, unlike the flu, there are some things that need to be shared after we become infected.  Case in point – the supernatural love of God.  As soon as we surrender our lives to Jesus, God takes up residence in our hearts and we become a carrier of the supernatural power of God.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus made possible something that was previously impossible after the fall of man – a new creation to once again carry the supernatural love of God.

Romans 5:5 states “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Now, as containers of the precious love of God, do we keep it bottled up inside?  Of course not!  As Christians and carriers of the supernatural love of God, our mandate is to go and carry that infectious love of Jesus to others.  No self-imposed quarantines!  Instead, spread the love of God with everyone you come in contact with.

There is no cure for this infection. As we make ourselves available to others, this supernatural love of God will spread and overtake our world.  It will bring warmth to a cold heart, hope to the hopeless, and deliverance to the captive.

Let’s go infect the world!

Let’s Go For a Walk

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Ephesians 5:1-2

 

 

Walk in the way of love.

What does that look like?

The author gives us the ultimate example and expression of love.

Christ loved us and that love caused Him to walk in the way of love.

That walk took Him to the cross.

That’s a lot to live up to, isn’t it?

The wonderful thing is, we don’t love in order to earn our way into heaven.

That price has been paid.

We love because He first loved us.

We love in order that we might be that picture others see of Jesus’ love.

Are you walking in the way of love?

Are you walking with the heart of a servant?

Do you care and are you concerned for others?

Does every dollar you earn get spent on you and yours or are you wisely stewarding the resources God has blessed you with in a way that also blesses others?

Maybe today’s ‘walk in the way of love’ assignment for you means nothing more than being a listening ear to a lonely person.

Can you do that?

Maybe todays’ love walk assignment has you mentoring a young man whose father left home long ago.

I don’t know what God has for you today on your walk.

I do know He has something for you to do today to be that image of His love.

Will you take a moment to get your marching orders?