Make Them Work! (Part One)

Good morning.

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus told the parable of the talents. I’d like you to read it in your Bible first if you don’t know it yet. In this parable, talents were money, but we all know that talents are special gifts or abilities. Included in these talents would be musical, writing, handwork (for both male and female) and hundreds of other abilities, inclusive of the motivational gifts as recorded in Romans 12:6-8: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

The parable of the talents begins where the Master goes away for a long time (V14, V19). The talents he shared with them were his property – it belonged to him. This parable was told in the context of the Kingdom of God, for it is preceded and followed by a number of parables about the Kingdom of God and the end times, and therefore refers to Jesus as the Master who went away and shared His talents with His servants.  The moment we deal with somebody else’s property we are accountable, aren’t we? Our talents and gifts are not ours to do with what we’d like to, as we would see further on in this parable. It belongs to the Master.

The parable also tells us that the Master returns to call His servants to account. Jesus is returning soon and will call all people to account for what they did with that which was given them. “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works (Matthew 16:27).” To be frank, many godless people use their talents more efficiently than certain Christians.

Note that not all the servants were given the same amount of talents. Some were given five, others were given two and others were given one (V15). Everybody, however, received a talent. Talents are not only the obvious ones that we perceive as talents, such as singing, dancing, art or writing. There are a vast number of talents. My grandmother had this amazing gift to work with children. As children we just loved going to the farm during school holidays and, even though we usually worked hard to help her, since my grandfather had passed away, she had this wonderful way of making the holidays unforgettable. When my oldest child was little, she could be a handful, but one day, when grandma drove with us over a long distance, we didn’t know about our daughter. In fact we were astonished as we observed how she kept the child busy.

So, if you don’t have one of the ‘recognised’ obvious talents, don’t think you’re exempt from using your talent profitably. You certainly are talented and also gifted according to Romans 12:6-8 and will be called to account for what you’ve done with that which Jesus entrusted to you.

While you’re waiting for tomorrow’s message, think about your talents and gifts. Most of us have more than one.

Lord, please show me how I can make the most of my talents.

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The Humblest Person on Earth

Good morning.

What does it mean to be humble? Is it to have the attitude: ‘I’m so humble, I’m the humblest person on earth’ (smile)? Is it to crawl in the dust with feelings of ‘I’m not worthy to be seen’ or to hide in the shadows so nobody could see I’ve accomplished this great thing?

We read in Isaiah 66:2: “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word,” and in James 4:6: “Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”

It seems that to God humility is a criterion. According to Isaiah 66:2 above it is important that man has a fear for the Lord and a contrite or repentant attitude. To the Lord this is equal to humility.

So in reality what would humility be? How did Jesus portray humility? Jesus was bold and outspoken and did everything with confidence, yet when He was challenged and confronted, He never defended Himself. He often defended His Father’s interests, but never spoke of Himself in a proud manner. In fact He said that without His Father He is nothing (John 5:19).

We are often tested on our humility, aren’t we? When people of the world exalt themselves before us and belittle us, the first reaction that burns in our hearts is to defend and exalt ourselves so we don’t have to feel so humiliated. We feel that self-assertive behaviour will re-establish our image with such people and maintain our status.

But the Lord said via James in James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you,” and to Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts,” and Moses said to the Israelites in Exodus 4:4: “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” The same apply to us. Humility equals faith. If we trust the Lord and rest in Him when we are humiliated, He’ll defend us. We don’t need to act self-assertive, defend ourselves or appear strong. We need to be loving and kind, which are two attributes that the world often confuses with weakness, but which the Lord sees as strength.

Humility is not always easy. It screams against the nature of man, which wants to exalt and defend himself. To shut your mouth when people make you feel weak and insignificant, and when your flesh screams to defend itself takes faith. You need to trust the Lord. When you’ve accomplished something great in your eyes, the natural inclination is to boast about it, often in a subtle way, and then it’s not easy to keep quiet and let the moment pass, since the glory belongs to the Lord.

Without the Lord we are nothing (John 15:5) and humility is the attitude that admits it. Pride wants to tell us we’re something. We’re living in a world that expects of us to exalt ourselves. Jesus said in Luke 14:11 and elsewhere: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind (1 Peter 3:8).”

Lord, if there is any pride in me, please humble me.

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What Have You Sought Today?

Good afternoon.

When you woke up this morning, what was first on your mind? What was the first thing you asked off the Lord? Was it for your benefit or for His? What was the first concern you had in your mind about this week and about your life? Did it involve yourself or the Kingdom of God? What was it that troubled you?

I started this message this morning, but needed to go to church before I could continue with it, and was I glad, for I had a conversation after church with a sister in Christ, which turned out to be a good example of what we’re talking about. She is in a job where she gets involved with extremely rich and materialistic people and felt that she didn’t want to be so constantly involved with that kind of influence, since Christianity is so much different from materialism. Her first thoughts were about what effect it had on her. The Lord led me to encourage her that He could win some of those people over to His kingdom by means of the light that shines through her (Matthew 5:14-16) and she could influence such people to use their fortunes for good causes. This seemed to have turned her focus away from what she felt about herself to what God wanted from her and hopefully set her on a mission within her job.

All of us can affect the world with Kingdom principles wherever we are. So if you got up this morning thinking about what the Lord wanted to accomplish through you today and during this week, you have grown much into Jesus’ principle of seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

Since this is very close to God’s heart, the devil will make it his business to put our focus on self. We become so much aware of our burning needs and how we will be influenced by evil, that it doesn’t occur to us how much we can influence evil with God’s power. We often make our plans and have our mind on what we want. In the meantime the Lord had in mind something He wanted, but we miss it because our hearts are tuned in wrongly.

Because I’m naturally a person who wants to understand where I’m headed, the Lord found it necessary to tell me at church this morning, through a sister, to simply surrender to Him. Resting in Him and His plans for me will let me relax and stress less.

So how did you start your day this morning? Did you think about God’s kingdom and what He had in mind for today and this week? Did you think of what the Lord needs to do in your life to get you in line with His plans for your life (His righteousness)? The Lord needs us to do His bidding, to think of Him first and to rest in Him.

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts (Proverbs 20:27).”

 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds (Jeremiah 17:10).”

We see that God is constantly testing us. Shall we pray the following?

“Examine me, O Jehovah, and prove me; purify my heart and my mind (Psalm 26:2 MKJV).”

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts, and see if any wicked way is in me; and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23, 24).”

If you benefited from this, why don’t you link it to your Facebook or Twitter to make it available to your friends? You can also use the e-mail link to pass it on. Please also pray for the spreading of it to those who need it. Please feel free to ask questions or discuss thoughts.

A Biblical Treasure

Today I give you Proverbs Three.

1  My child, don't forget what I teach you. Always remember what I tell you to do.

2  My teaching will give you a long and prosperous life.

3  Never let go of loyalty and faithfulness. Tie them around your neck; write them on your heart.

4  If you do this, both God and people will be pleased with you.

5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know.

6  Remember the LORD in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.

7  Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the LORD and refuse to do wrong.

8  If you do, it will be like good medicine, healing your wounds and easing your pains.

9  Honour the LORD by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces.

10  If you do, your barns will be filled with grain, and you will have too much wine to store it all.

11  My child, when the LORD corrects you, pay close attention and take it as a warning.

12  The LORD corrects those he loves, as parents correct a child of whom they are proud.

13  Happy is anyone who becomes wise---who comes to have understanding.

14  There is more profit in it than there is in silver; it is worth more to you than gold.

15  Wisdom is more valuable than jewels; nothing you could want can compare with it.

16  Wisdom offers you long life, as well as wealth and honour.

17  Wisdom can make your life pleasant and lead you safely through it.

18  Those who become wise are happy; wisdom will give them life.

19  The LORD created the earth by his wisdom; by his knowledge he set the sky in place.

20  His wisdom caused the rivers to flow and the clouds to give rain to the earth.

21  My child, hold on to your wisdom and insight. Never let them get away from you.

22  They will provide you with life---a pleasant and happy life.

23  You can go safely on your way and never even stumble.

24  You will not be afraid when you go to bed, and you will sleep soundly through the night.

25  You will not have to worry about sudden disasters, such as come on the wicked like a storm.

26  The LORD will keep you safe. He will not let you fall into a trap.

27  Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it.

28  Never tell your neighbours to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.

29  Don't plan anything that will hurt your neighbours; they live beside you, trusting you.

30  Don't argue with others for no reason when they have never done you any harm.

31  Don't be jealous of violent people or decide to act as they do,

32  because the LORD hates people who do evil, but he takes righteous people into his confidence.

33  The LORD puts a curse on the homes of the wicked, but blesses the homes of the righteous.

34  He has no use for conceited people, but shows favour to those who are humble.

35  Wise people will gain an honourable reputation, but stupid people will only add to their own disgrace.

It makes you think, doesn’t it? Where does wisdom come from? It comes from obeying the Lord and walking with Him. As you walk with the Holy Spirit, you quickly learn what is acceptable to Him and what not. As you’re tempted to disobey, He’ll guide you to the truth and you’ve obtained wisdom.

Lord, I want wisdom in every area of my life and wish to obey this passage.

And You Shall Love Yourself

Good morning.

How have we got you now, Henry? All the time you’re talking about focusing away from self and now... ‘You shall love yourself’?

Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was and He said that the first was to love the Lord your God with everything you have and then He said: “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31).’” The standard for the love you’ll have for your neighbour is the love you have for yourself. If you don’t love yourself, how can you love your neighbour?

At this point each individual can go and look at their thoughts, feelings and internal conversations to themselves. How often do we hate what we look like, what we so stupidly do, the mistakes we make, the sins we can’t manage to overcome and our weaknesses and the thorn in our flesh that is so prevalent. The devil loves to use people and circumstances to fill our minds and memories with thoughts and feelings of inferiority and self-hatred and it is up to us whether we’re going to brood over it and allow it to affect our relationships. Some find it hard to live at peace with themselves and therefore find it difficult to tolerate and love their neighbour, whilst others just enjoy themselves, and that self-love simply flows over to their neighbour.

Self-love is not similar to self-centredness. When someone is self-centred, people often say she loves herself and is full of herself, but that is contrary to love, since such people are too focused on self to love others.

If you apply love, according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (please read it), to yourself, you would know that you love yourself and are therefore able to love your neighbour. Are we patient with our weaknesses and internal battles and kind in the way we deal with ourselves as a result? The Lord knows about these flaws and deals with it, so we may be patient with ourselves. Do we compare ourselves negatively with others’ good qualities and allow ourselves to feel inferior in response to their confident behaviour. We do have our own qualities and strengths on which we can focus that would make us love ourselves.

Do we resent ourselves when we act foolishly according to our judgement and are we then irritated with ourselves, treating ourselves harshly in our thoughts? If we do, we do not love ourselves. What is acceptable behaviour? Who sets the standard? If we accept our weaknesses, our level of knowledge and our standard of living and we live to please the Lord, everything we do would be acceptable and nothing would be foolish. But if we live to please people we’ll definitely feel inferior at some stage.

 

If we act righteously, doing all the right things, we have nothing to feel guilty and self-condemnatory about. If we love the truth and live and proclaim it, we’ll have peace in ourselves. Nobody is perfect and we will make mistakes, but if our attitude is one of righteousness and truth, the Lord will keep us at peace.

If we then cover our weaknesses, believe in ourselves, hope the best for ourselves and endure those attacks from our negative side and circumstances, we act in love to ourselves.

As we’ve said in our postings about love on 19^th and 20^th January, love needs to be actioned. If you find it difficult to love others, just apply 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 on yourself as we just did, then forget about yourself and love your neighbour.

Lord, help me to sort myself out in love so I could love my neighbour.

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O the Agony!! (Part Two)

Good morning.

We’re continuing looking at Psalm 22.

Ever since Satan has been kicked from heaven he felt he was right and God was wrong and wanted to get back at God. The way he does it is to get at God’s loved ones. When he saw that God sent Jesus to earth, he realised that that was the chance of a lifetime. He was going to get Jesus killed. From the first moment of Jesus’ life on earth Satan had stirred up the authorities, Herod and the religious leaders, to arrange for Jesus to be killed. At the cross he at last managed, as he’d thought, to break through God’s protection and get to this Son of God who had, for that time on the cross, taken all our sins upon Him (Isaiah 53:5), which gave Satan the right to attack. Can you to imagine the vengeance with which the evil forces attacked and tortured Jesus – snapping at Him and teasing Him? Remember, He was very aware of the spiritual realm. I’ve often wondered whether the darkness that came over from the sixth hour wasn’t related to the overwhelming presence of demon spirits.

The Psalmist also referred to the people around the cross who had a go at Jesus and described how He experienced the state of His body after the whipping and torturing that preceded the crucifixion. “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws”, “I can count all my bones” (V15-17).

Why do we focus on this? Why did the Lord consider this account important enough to put in the Bible? Simply because Jesus did it on our behalf and we were meant to be in His place, had He not gone through it innocently because of His love for us. If we had real appreciation for what Jesus went through for us and that it could have been us that had to go through it, we would not so easily yield to sin and disobedience. We would live less selfish and more Christ focused lives.

From Psalm 22:22 onwards the Psalmist declares the outcome of Jesus’ sacrifice. “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you, you who fear the LORD, praise him, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, the afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD, may your hearts live forever, all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you, for kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations, all the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive, posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that He has done it! (Extracts from V22-31)” He has saved those who would believe!

Jesus had a real hard time on the cross, but in appreciation for what He has done His loved ones will lift up His name!

Lord, I need to realise that you died for me so I could live for you.

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O, the Agony!!

Good morning.

We said yesterday that Psalm 22 is an account of Jesus’ experience of the crucifixion as prophesied by King David.

It begins with the words: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come (V1 GNB).” Because Jesus had all our sins put on Him on the cross, Father God had to turn His back on Him, since God can’t face the presence of sin, which is why Jesus called out during the crucifixion: “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me (Matthew 27:46)?’” The words; ‘I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come’, probably referred to His anxious prayer in Gethsemane “‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done (Luke 22:41-44).’” Help didn’t come because He had submitted Himself to God’s will and knew He had to go through with it, due to His great love for us. He was nevertheless just a man at the time and strained in His heart at the thought of what was coming. Even though He was willing, it did not mean it was easy. Apart from the physical pain of crucifixion and death, the agony of being rejected and under the attack of sin and evil was horrendous.

As we know from John 5:19, Jesus was completely dependent on His Father whilst on earth. Without Father God He had no power and was a mere vulnerable man. On the cross Jesus was thus on His own. His friends had abandoned Him, His Father’s protection and power were gone and Satan had an open door to enter. Yet He still exalted and praised His Father in verses 3-5, for He knew God’s plan and that His agony was an essential part in it. What was happening to Him did not matter, however hard it was, it was the outcome that mattered. If only we could submit to the Lord in such a way that we would take anything He send our way as long as He accomplishes His purposes.

In this prayer Jesus poured out His heart to God. He expressed how He felt: “I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads (Psalm 22:6, 7 ESV).” How do these words make you feel about your loving Lord and what He went through?

He then described how He experienced evil as they moved in on His unprotected, sin-laden body and as they instigated people around the cross: “Many bulls encompass me”, “they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion”, “for dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet”, “they stare and gloat over me” (Verses 12-17 ESV).  Can you put yourself in Jesus’ position, can you feel His agony and fear, does reading this bring a tear to your eye.

Lord, help me feel what you went through for me.

We’ll continue tomorrow.

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Let Him Touch Your Heart

Good morning. Thank you for your prayers the past few days.

We have posted the whole of Psalm 22 (GNB) yesterday. If you haven’t read that posting yet, I’d encourage you to read the whole Psalm before reading this.

This Psalm is an account of how the Lord Jesus felt before and during His crucifixion. It’s not about David. Hundreds of years before the actual crucifixion, Jesus considered it so important for His followers to understand His heart and feelings, that He revealed how he felt about the crucifixion to the prophet David, who recorded it in this Psalm. How do I know it? It is evident in a couple of verses in the Psalm. In verse 8 we read: “‘You relied on the LORD,’ they say. ‘He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him (ESV)!’” We find very similar words in Matthew 27:43 where the chief priests and scribes mocked Him during His crucifixion: “He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” We also read in Psalm 22:18: “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots (ESV).” We read in Matthew 27:35: “And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.”

There is more evidence in this Psalm that it is about Jesus that David is prophesying, but we’ll get to that as we proceed. To me the importance of this Psalm is that Jesus wanted His followers to know what He felt like when He paid the price for their salvation.

You may or may not agree with me, but the core nature of man is to be selfish. Even Christians are often selfish, which is why we love to remember those promises of God that make us feel good and comfortable. The Lord, however, expects of us to put ourselves in other people’s position, to try and understand what others feel like, what they go through and what they suffer with so we can do something about it. Christians are meant to focus outward, away from our own problems and concerns and meet the needs of others. The Lord promised to take care of our concerns.

Jesus was the first Christian, so to speak, so He had this prophesy written to make us appreciate that He understands when we go through tough times, when “many bulls encompass us; strong bulls of Bashan surround us (Psalm 22:12).” Remember, when He died on the cross all our sins were put on Him and during His lifetime he was tempted just like us. He knows what it’s like when we seem to find no escape and when everything seems to come down on us. His time on the cross was the ultimate of His paying the price on our behalf, the price that we were supposed to pay, which is why He understands and why He wanted us to know it through this Psalm.

We sometimes tend to see Jesus as God far away and untouchable. As we go through this Psalm in the next few days, try and get a feel of how Jesus feels in His heart and how human He was during His time on earth. Allow him to touch your heart as you realise what He went through for you.

Lord, please help me to see you.

If you benefited from this, why don’t you link it to your Facebook or Twitter to make it available to your friends? You can also use the e-mail link to pass it on. Please also pray for the spreading of it to those who need it. Please feel free to ask questions or discuss thoughts.

Cries from the Heart

Good morning

I’m still not well, but the Lord already gave me yesterday morning our passage for discussion over the next few sessions. I therefore post the passage today for you to read and meditate upon. Tomorrow we’ll start looking at it in detail. This is a very special passage that has more to it than meets the eye. Maybe I’ll be able to reveal a few things to you through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but you may just as well receive it from the Lord yourself...

Psalm 22

1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come.

2 During the day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer; I call at night, but get no rest.

3 But you are enthroned as the Holy One, the one whom Israel praises.

4 Our ancestors put their trust in you; they trusted you, and you saved them.

5 They called to you and escaped from danger; they trusted you and were not disappointed.

6 But I am no longer a human being; I am a worm, despised and scorned by everyone!

7 All who see me make fun of me; they stick out their tongues and shake their heads.

8 "You relied on the LORD," they say. "Why doesn't he save you? If the LORD likes you, why doesn't he help you?"

9 It was you who brought me safely through birth, and when I was a baby, you kept me safe.

10 I have relied on you since the day I was born, and you have always been my God.

11 Do not stay away from me! Trouble is near, and there is no one to help.

12 Many enemies surround me like bulls; they are all around me, like fierce bulls from the land of Bashan.

13 They open their mouths like lions, roaring and tearing at me.

14 My strength is gone, gone like water spilled on the ground. All my bones are out of joint; my heart is like melted wax.

15 My throat is as dry as dust, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have left me for dead in the dust.

16 An evil gang is around me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; they tear at my hands and feet.

17 All my bones can be seen. My enemies look at me and stare.

18 They gamble for my clothes and divide them among themselves.

19 O LORD, don't stay away from me! Come quickly to my rescue!

20 Save me from the sword; save my life from these dogs.

21 Rescue me from these lions; I am helpless before these wild bulls.

22 I will tell my people what you have done; I will praise you in their assembly:

23 "Praise him, you servants of the LORD! Honour him, you descendants of Jacob! Worship him, you people of Israel!

24 He does not neglect the poor or ignore their suffering; he does not turn away from them, but answers when they call for help."

25 In the full assembly I will praise you for what you have done; in the presence of those who worship you I will offer the sacrifices I promised.

26 The poor will eat as much as they want; those who come to the LORD will praise him. May they prosper forever!

27 All nations will remember the LORD. From every part of the world they will turn to him; all races will worship him.

28 The LORD is king, and he rules the nations.

29 All proud people will bow down to him; all mortals will bow down before him.

30 Future generations will serve him; they will speak of the Lord to the coming generation.

31 People not yet born will be told: "The Lord saved his people."

Please leave comments if you have any idea what this passage is all about.

Let's Praise the Lord

Good morning

Yesterday I discovered I was not just tired, I actually had stomach flu. So this morning, after having been shattered all day yesterday, I’m a little less shattered, but just want to sleep. Prayer would be appreciated.

So today I give you Psalm 146.

1  Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, my soul!

2  I will praise him as long as I live; I will sing to my God all my life.

3  Don't put your trust in human leaders; no human being can save you.

4  When they die, they return to the dust; on that day all their plans come to an end.

5  Happy are those who have the God of Jacob to help them and who depend on the LORD their God,

6  the Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them. He always keeps his promises;

7  he judges in favor of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free

8  and gives sight to the blind. He lifts those who have fallen; he loves his righteous people.

9  He protects the strangers who live in our land; he helps widows and orphans, but takes the wicked to their ruin.

10  The LORD is king forever. Your God, O Zion, will reign for all time. Praise the LORD!

Lord, I trust you.

Love is a Beautiful Thing (Interim)

Jesus told us His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). Last night I was very tired and decided to take some rest this morning. Since we’re currently having a discussion on love, I felt the Lord wanted me to leave you the Good News Bible version of the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 to read prayerfully and ponder about. Reflect your life in it and hear what the Lord tries to tell you as you read it.

Jesus told us His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). Last night I was very tired and decided to take some rest this morning. Since we’re currently having a discussion on love, I felt the Lord wanted me to leave you the Good News Bible version of the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 to read prayerfully and ponder about. Reflect your life in it and hear what the Lord tries to tell you as you read it.

1 Corinthians 13

1 I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no   love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.

2 I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains - but if I have no love, I am nothing.

3 I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned - but if I have no love, this does me no good.

4 Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud;

5 love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs;

6 love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.

7 Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.

8 Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass.

9 For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial;

10 but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear.

11 When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways.

12 What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete - as complete as God's knowledge of me.

13 Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Lord, thank you for love.

Love is a Beautiful Thing... or is it? (Part Two)

Good morning.

I hope you’ve managed to read yesterday’s posting after I had so much difficulty to get it posted. If you haven’t, maybe you should read it before continuing here.

Today we’re going to have a closer look at love as an action. I Corinthians 13:13 mentions faith, hope and love as life’s essentials. James deems both faith and works a requirement for justification in James 2:17-26. Jesus considers the doing of His commandments essential as evidence of our love for Him (John 14:21). If we therefore hope to be in right standing with God, we need to do love. Whenever we don’t do it, it’s not love.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears (covers) all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8).”

There is no such thing as love once and for ever. If I tell my wife I love her and am impatient with her; at that moment I don’t love her. If we say we have love and we never do anything kind to anybody, we are mislead - being unkind is being loveless. Every time we envy a person, we don’t grant her the privilege to have what she has and therefore don’t love her. Boasting and arrogance puts the focus and attention on ourselves and belittle the hearers, and so does rudeness hurt others. Irritability and resentfulness also focus on self and exalt ourselves above others. Love puts others first and every time we act selfishly, we resent others because they interfere with what we want for ourselves and therefore we don’t love them.

The statement that love does not rejoice with wrongdoing and rejoices with the truth is interesting. How often do we just sit by when somebody else gets humiliated or gossiped about and do nothing? How often do we say nothing when God is mocked and His name used in vain? How often do we see our brother sinning and we don’t correct him? Aren’t these examples of rejoicing in wrongdoing, i.e. approving it? If we love the Lord and our neighbour we’d like to see truth prevail and righteousness be done, won’t we? William Wilberforce gave his life fighting for the abolishment of the slave trade. He proved his love for the Lord for His righteousness and for the slaves.

And then, if we look through the eyes of love at a sinner, our obstinate children, the drug addicts, tramps, the other races that we dislike so much, our horrible boss, our enemies and all those of whom Jesus has said: “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they do (Luke 23:34)”... Do we bear with them, i.e. cover their weaknesses, do we believe the best of them - looking for the good in them, do we have hope for them and do we endure with them until we see the change we’re praying and working for?

Satan is active and stirs people up against one another. People don’t know what they’re doing when they’re acting in their carnal nature. We need to choose to act in love – we will not feel it and it will not come by itself, but walking in the Holy Spirit, who is love and who resides in us, will make it possible.

Lord, I need to hear when you prompt me towards love and then do it.

If you benefited from this, why don’t you link it to your Facebook or Twitter to make it available to your friends? You can also use the e-mail link to pass it on. Please feel free to ask questions or discuss thoughts.

Notes on today's post Love is a Beautiful Thing.

I really battled to get this post to work, so please forgive the different fonts. It's not my doing, but the website's. Maybe this was a really important teaching, which the enemy tried to interfere with. In any case PRAISE THE LORD!

Love in Jesus

Love is a Beautiful Thing... or is it? (Part One)

Good morning.

We can talk endlessly about love. When people have sex they say they’re making love, we easily say ‘I love this and that’ and especially ‘I love you’.

The dictionary defines love as:

A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person,

a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child or a friend,

and sexual passion or desire.

The Bible defines loves as:

“‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12:30, 31).”
 
There is quite a difference in the way man sees love compared to the way God sees it, isn’t it? If, in the light of the above definitions, we look at a couple of the love commands in the Bible, we’ll come to important conclusions.

“‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12:30, 31).”

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27).”

According to the dictionary definition above, do I need to involve my heart, soul, mind and strength to love God? I only need to feel love toward Him, don’t I? And if I don’t feel like loving Him today, I just ignore Him. Don’t we do that sometimes? And what about loving my enemies? How on earth can I feel love toward my enemy? She’s my enemy for a reason – I feel hatred toward her!

Don Francisco puts this well in one of his songs: “Love is not a feeling; it’s an act of the will. The definition according to 1 Corinthians 13 above focuses on actions. If we test our love based on that definition, we’ll discover quite lot about ourselves. This kind of love calls for an unselfish approach and its standard was set by the Lord. That’s how Jesus loved while He was on earth and that’s how God currently loves us. Think about how you often treat the Lord when it comes to sin and disobedience. If love was based on how God felt about your behaviour, He would love you when you’re good and despise you when you’re disobedient.

But love is an action. That’s why our love for the Lord is proved by obedience to His commands (John 14:21) with our mind, will and emotions (our soul) and with our actions (our strength), as well as intimate fellowship with Him in our hearts.

We do not need to feel love toward our enemies, but only have to do love in practical ways to bless them and meet their needs. Why does God expect this of us? Because He does it for us and if we do it for our enemies, they can see Him in us. Imagine how flabbergasted your archenemy would be if you bless him.

Doing love is contrary to human nature and tomorrow we’re going to look at it in more detail.

Lord, please teach me true love.

If you benefited from this, why don’t you link it to your Facebook or Twitter to make it available to your friends? You can also use the e-mail link to pass it on. Please feel free to ask questions or discuss thoughts.