again… love

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. (I Corinthians 13)

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.  “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12: 9-21)

love

Some dear friends of mine got married today and I think one of the neatest things about this particular ceremony is that, unlike the majority of weddings we’ve been to, Roger and I are both very good friends with the groom and bride respectively, so we were very blessed to be a  part of the celebration, as their friends and as their brother and sister in Christ.  Marriage is designed by God and functions as a way that man and woman can come together and honor the Lord as a unit.  Marriage also reflects the way Christ views the church—a spotless bride, consecrated in Covenant for devotion, love, and service.  With every wedding I go to with Roger, I am reminded of how thankful I am for him and for the man of God that he is and for the leadership he provides in our household. Neither of us is anything without Christ, and to him we owe our lives, our service and our love.

How deep the fathers love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give his only son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts no power no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

©  1995 Kingsway's Thankyou Music

light…

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (II Corinthians 4: 1-6)

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,… (Philippians 2: 14-16)

 

Jesus said “I have come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in the darkness.” (John 12:46)  According to Paul, we who believe in Jesus reflect that light to the world. 

How well am I reflecting Jesus’ light, the light of the gospel, to the world (to fellow believers, to non-believers)?  Am I truly commending myself to every man’s conscience as Paul says in II Corinthians?  Obviously this is something I must work toward daily and consciously.  The paradox is that it isn’t by MY strength that I am pushing toward this end, but through Christ’s strength. It is through Christ that I glorify Christ; the Holy Spirit is my helper in running the race; without Christ I am  nothing

disconnected…

This past weekend, I attended a graduation ceremony in North Carolina for my younger brother.  It was an excellent time to be with my immediate and extended family as we celebrated his accomplishment, so the purpose of this reflection is absolutely not to say that I felt that my time in NC was mis-spent or mis-placed…  that being said…

All week long, I have lacked focus spiritually. my prayer life hasn’t been the same; i have been less drawn to the Word, and when I HAVE read, have found myself having trouble gleaning meaning from the words on the page.  I feel disconnected.  I think that a huge part of this is because I did not connect with my church body this past Sunday.  Until this past weekend, I did not fully realize the importance and impact of connecting weekly with a body of believers.  I met with a few individuals over the week, but the impact is distinctly not the same.  It isn’t that I didn’t *know* the importance and benefits of fellowship, but the impact of it was noticeable this week, by the opposite effect— by the lack of fellowship. 

I’m hoping that as people read this, that one of three things is true of you:

1. You belong to a church body of which you play an active and meaningful role; therefore you relate to me in that you distinctly miss the fellowship when you can’t be a part of it.

2. You are not currently in a fellowshipping body of believers, but you were at one time; so this reminds you of what you’re missing—of what you need to get back to.

3. You have never been part of a body of believers that shares impactful, meaningful fellowship, and now your wheels are turning—hmm, I should explore what it means to belong to a church family in the real sense of belonging—ownership, participation, contribution, sacrifice, joy: love.

testing…

testing… 1, 2, 3…

I have a new computer.. it’s my little machine, an Acer AspireOne 8.9.”  I have a little program on here that is supposed to make blog-writing easier … I dunno.  But this is me, giving it a whirl.  And speaking of a whirl… I am going to try to be more faithful with the blogging thing in the next few months.  stay tuned….