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The Nature of Love

I think it's amazing how light is made up of multiple color components not visible to our naked eye. Yet, when you run light through a prism it makes those individual colors visible. You could say it reveals the true composition of light.

The other day I was thinking it would be interesting to run "love" through a prism to discover what it's comprised of. In so doing, we could get a better picture of who God is, after all, I John 4:8 tells us that, "God is love".  Then I realized, the Bible in essence, has already done this for us in 1 Corinthians 13. This is what is says from the Barclay translation.

• Love is patient
• Love is kind (means "sweet to all")
• Love knows no envy (not covetous)
• Love is no braggart  (there is no self-effacing quality in love)
• Love is not inflated with its own importance
• Love does not behave gracelessly (Christian love never forgets that courtesy, tact and politeness are lovely things)
• Love does not insist upon its rights (instead, remembers it's responsibilities)
• Love never flies into a temper (never becomes exasperated with people)
• Love does not store up the memory of any wrong it has received (God's love has learned the great lesson of forgetting)
• Love finds no pleasure in evil-doing (finds no pleasure in anything that is wrong)
• Love rejoices with the truth (does not desire to veil the truth, it has nothing to conceal)
• Love can endure anything (love never drags into the light of day the faults and mistakes of others)
• Love is completely trusting (always believes the best about people)
• Love never ceases to hope
• Love bears everything with triumphant fortitude (is consistent under trial/fire)
• Love never fails!

Dig In, Take Firm stand and Be Faithful

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season. (2 Timothy 4:2)

I firmly believe the future is bright and holds many new opportunities for us to influence our world for Jesus. Lately, I've been thinking about the above verse and the Lord reminded me of a key essential for each of us to employ if we're to experience God's best for our lives. Jeremiah declared, For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV) 

There's not a doubt in my mind that God has a plan for our lives and desires to manifest increase and bring influence through us, but how do we progressively and consistently walk in and enjoy all that He's promised?

I think the answer is found in what Paul wrote to Timothy, Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season. The Greek word instant means to stand upon, as to take a firm stand or hard position. It's a term borrowed from the military that meant to stay at one's post.

An interpretive translation from the original Greek would be, Take a firm stand and resolve to stay at your post! Regardless of whether times are good or bad, that is your post -- your place of responsibility -- so dig in, take a firm stand, and resolve that you are going to be faithful!

I have found that an attitude of determination, persistence, and never being willing to give up are absolute necessities to an experience of God's will. There will always be opportunities to back off on your faith, to throw in the towel, or just go do something else. But for those who will never relent in the plan of God, who will take their position and not lose ground, the future is bright and offers increase, promotion, and the fulfillment of your greatest dreams.

Be encouraged and know God is for us and along with the grandstands of heaven is cheering us on to take a firm stand, to dig in, and be faithful regardless of how life has been for you recently. We're commanded to live life with faith and patience (consistency), which always results in God's purpose and blessing for our lives! 

Be Watchful and Pray

Today I came across the following verse and I think it states well what God's expectation is for His people in this hour.

Devote yourselves to prayer, be watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)

Spiritual Investments

I've been thinking much lately of my need to live a life more focused on daily making what I call "spiritual investments". Galatians 6:8 uses the word "sow" and says the following:

The man who sows to gratify his physical cravings will reap destruction from them, and the man who sows to benefit the spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. - Gspd.

In our materialistic, superficial, instant satisfaction society it's easy even as Christians to get sucked into a lifestyle where we live only on the natural/physical plane of this world. I think it's important to always remember that is only one part of our existence. We are first and foremost a spiritual being created in God's image to be like Jesus displaying His love, dispensing His power and performing His works.

This doesn't happen in many Christians lives because we're not willing to take the time to "invest" in spiritual things, to go deep into God. In America we want everything quick, quick. In Texas recently, there was a sign in a store that said, "antiques manufactured while you wait". The American mentality of, "I want everything now" does not translate to spiritual things.

There is a price to be paid to truly live a life that honors our Lord's sacrifice, produces true Christ-likeness and tangible power to touch our world for Him. That price is paid by following God's plan found in Galatians 6:8, a plan that involves making daily spiritual investments in study of God's Word, meditation, prayer, worship and holding fast to the confession of your faith in Him.   

Re-reading a Classic

Lately I've been re-reading the classic spiritual growth book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. It's chalk full of stuff I need to be reminded, refreshed and re-centered about. For example he writes...

The Bible pray-ers prayed as if their prayers could and would make an objective difference. The apostle Paul gladly announces that we are "co-laborers with God"; that is, we are working with God to determine the outcome of events (1 Cor. 3:9).

We are working with God to determine the future! Certain things will happen in history if we pray rightly. We are to change the world by prayer. What more motivation do we need to learn this loftiest human exercise?

Daily Bread

In the book of Exodus when God sent manna from heaven to feed His people He told them to gather it daily. The Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:11 states, "give us this day our daily bread". It is so incredibly important we as Christians understand that we are sustained, grow strong and fulfill God's purpose for our lives as we daily feed on the bread of God's Word. Like the Children of Israel we must have a plan to daily get, consume and use the spiritual manna God provides us. Here are a couple free plans offered by Biblegateway and Kenneth Copeland Ministries to help guide you in one year from Genesis to Revelations - eat up!   

The Father's Faithfulness

I am daily reminded of and amazed by God's faithfulness. It's one thing to hear from someone else of His faithfulness and yet a completely different thing when God comes through in your life.

I'm speaking of the times when He faithfully is by your side enabling you to meet and overcome life's challenges, when He timely embraces you with His manifest presence melting life's cares away or even when He clearly and tangibly answers a prayer that changes your circumstances. I love what the prophet Jeremiah says in the following verse.

Jeremiah 1:12

Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. (AMP)

Sometimes we forget that God more than any one in the universe wants to perform His Word and reveal His His goodness in our lives. As a father of two boys (Samuel 2 1/2 and John Wesley 1 3/4) there's seldom a day that passes when I don't want to talk with them, play with them, buy them another toy (they don't need) or give them every advantage in life.

It prompts me to think of how much more our heavenly father desires to faithfully lead and provide for us in fact, he's already provided every blessing and advantage in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3) however, for us to make the connection with His fatherly provision and leadership we must meditate on, trust in and act upon His incorruptible Word.

It's as you do this you begin to experience God's overwhelming faithfulness and fatherly desire to exceedingly and abundantly produce the promise of His Word in your life!

I'll never get tired of reflecting on and telling of His faithfulness!

The Significance of Saying

Lately I've been studying the importance of speaking God's word. The Bible is filled with passages referring to the tongue and the words we speak. Here are just a few proverbs that give you an idea of how what you say can affect your life:

• the tongue of the wise is health - Prov 12:18
• watch your mouth and you'll protect your life - Prov 13:3
• A wholesome tongue is a tree of life - Prov 15:4
• A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth - Prov 18:20
• Death and life are in the power of the tongue - Prov 18:21

Of course I can't leave out Joshua 1:8, This Book of the Law (Word of God) shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

If you seek a key to success in life - look no further. Putting God's thoughts, ideas and truths on our lips daily is an effective way to focus our hearts and minds and produce God's plan for your life!

The Word spoken to you must be spoken through you if it's to become reality in your life. Jesus understood the importance of this. All throughout His ministry he declared with authority who He was, and what He was here to do. Go to the Bible check it out for yourself.

Adopted As Sons

Romans 8:15-17

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ - NASB

Recently at our Tuesday night service I shared what the Apostle Paul must have had in mind when he communicated the truth that we're adopted as sons upon our acceptance of Jesus. Being a roman citizen he understood the significance of adoption under Roman law and what occurred when it took place. Here are a few things he must have had in mind about every person who is adopted in God's family:

1) The adopted person lost all rights in his old family and gained all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family.

2) The person became heir to his/her new father's estate. If natural born children were a part of the family he or she become coheirs with them.

3) In roman law, the old life of the adopted person was completely wiped out; for instance, all debts were canceled. He or she was regarded as a new person entering into a new life with which the past had nothing to do.

4) In the eyes of the law the person was absolutely the son of his new father