Love: A Beautiful Sight!

     You may have seen a scientist take a ray of light and pass it through a crystal prism and seen it come out on the other side broken up into its component colors; orange, indigo, violet, yellow, red, blue and green –the colors of the rainbow (colors of the light spectrum).

     In the same way God takes love and passes it through Paul’s inspired intellect in 1 Corinthians and it comes out broken down into its elements [14 statements listed in pairs]. In these few words we have what we might call the Spectrum of The Eternal Gift of Love. Let’s try to grasp their names and virtues.

     Love is not simply a component of life but love is an intent, a purpose, that causes thoughts, words and actions in everyday life. This desire and command to love was the need of the Corinthians, and this is still our need today.

    The original word used in the Greek is agape, not eros which denotes physical love or philos which denotes friendship love. Agape, love that originates with and comes from God Himself which illuminates all other types of love. So that we understand this distinction the Apostle uses the definite article with agape.

    When Paul wrote (1 Cor. 13:4) “⁴ Love is patient and kind…” or as the KJV renders it “suffereth long” The original word used for patience here is made up of two words, makros- = “long” and thumos = “passion, anger, rage.”  It is the quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation that does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish. It’s the quality of having a long fuse.

    The next ingredient of love in verse 4. “Kind.” Some people say that love is blind. It isn’t blind, but it is kind. It sees people’s imperfections and still cares. We need to examine our response to others in the light of love. If negative attitudes quickly surface, if glaring character defects always loom up before us, let’s ask God to help us see others through eyes of love.

    Love is like a two sided coin. There are some things it is, and some things it is not. Paul goes on (1 Cor. 13:4b-6) to list 8 items which stifle love. The first four deal with the abuse of the gift of love.  It “ ..does not envy.” From a root word which means “to boil.”  Envy or jealousy is a feeling of ill will or begrudging because of the supposed advantages of others. Love is not in competition with others.  It also does not “…boast” Love is humble.  It is also “…not arrogant.” It means to be puffed out, full of oneself like air puffs out a pair of bellows. The previous word, boast, denotes outward display, this word, arrogant, the inward disposition. Space does not allow me to elaborate on the rest, but let me leave you with a test.

    When seeking a loving relationship, start by looking at how our Lord set the example in all of these features.  The things Love is, He is.  The things love is not, He is not.  Next as you read 1 Corinthians 13, take out the word love and insert your name.  Does that describe your kind of love for others?  If you are considering a biblical marriage-before you accept that promise- make sure your fiancé also passes this love test.   I saw a quote on a poster many years ago that summarized this important choice.  It said, “Be careful who you marry. 95% of your happiness or unhappiness will be made by that one decision.”  May you know the Lord’s great love and may you get the joy of sharing it with others.

A Beautiful Love Song!

     As I prepared my sermons for the month of February I was inspired at the contrast between how much of America expresses love. In 1976 Paul McCartney recorded the lyrics “You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs. But I look around me and I see it isn't so..”  Unfortunately poor Paul has had three wives and many girlfriends and like many of us has discovered that much of what we call love doesn't last.

    If you have ever been disappointed by love or had someone promise to love you forever who later became forgetful, then Psalm 136 is for you.  As much as people may hurts us and disappoint us, God’s love is permanent.  Seventeen times in as many verses, the psalmist drills the fact into our hearts and heads that God’s love is steadfast and it endures forever.

     He wrote that that same God who delivers us from oppressive rulers and marching armies has a love that extends beyond all of our troubles.  The same God who leads us through wilderness has a never-failing love (v.16) .

    The Lord knows our humble circumstances (V. 23), His desire is to rescue and restore (vv. 24-25), and so we praise the unstop-able love of God (v. 26).

    So what do we learn about our great God through these verses?  He is an Active God.  He does not abandon His people. He does not leave them alone.

   The psalmist also reminds us through his repetitious song that He is a providing God.  He cares about needs and meets them.

   It is the very attitude of thanksgiving to his never ending love that prevents and attitude of self-sufficiency or entitlement.

    So if today you find yourself feeling brokenhearted, crushed, small or forgotten.  May you be reminded that God is desperately in love with you.  People may forsake you and put you down, but your creator wants to lift you up and show you His love in so many powerful ways.  He wants to strengthen you.  Another Psalm says (Ps. 52:8) “⁸ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”  Maybe you've seen the Peanuts cartoon: Linus announces to his cranky sister, Lucy, that he’s going to be a doctor. “You, a doctor?” She asks. “How can you be a doctor? You don’t love mankind.” Linus replies, “I do too love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand.”  God so loved people that He gave His one and only Son so that we might live in His love.  God sings the greatest love song of all about you!

Love? I’ve Got Nothing to Say!

     During this month I am writing about love.  You will see it marketed all over the stores and websites promising to help find you someone to love.  Obviously it is a captivating subject.  My thesis on this subject is this: If we learn to love God, all the other forms of love will fall into place.  It won’t start with a website or a new social circle. It starts with your creator.

    Though many think of God and feel unworthy, God looks at each of us and thinks lovely! When Paul penned his letter to the Romans he spent much of the first seven chapters discussing sin.  For example: All have sinned (Rom. 3:23), death spread to all men because all sinned (Rom. 5;12), Are we to continue in sin (Rom. 6:1), The wages of sin (Rom. 6:23), and sin …dwells within me (Rom. 7:17).

    Suddenly (Rom. 8:1-2), as though a light breaking through the darkness Paul gives us the secret of love that releases us form the curse and burden of our sin. “¹ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death..”

     Jesus stands at the door of every heart knocking (Rev. 3:20) and those who invite Him to rule on the throne of their lives enjoy a love and light the surpasses the greatest imagination.  It brings new life now and the promise of eternal life ahead.  Paul continued (Rom. 8:11) “¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” It gives us a close, adopted relationship with our heavenly Father that allows us to cry out to Him like a child cries for his or her earthly father. (v. 16).

      Paul elaborates on the rewards of being in Christ in verses 18-30 such as the strength to endure, a glorious corruption-free heaven, the power of the Holy Spirit to assist us when we don’t know how to pray or even how to have the right emotions.  The God who searches our hearts wants more than anything to endue our hearts with this kind of love.

     As a grand finale, Paul gives out the rhetorical questions: (Rom.8:31) 1) If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8:33) 2) Who could bring a charge against God’s elect (you)? And (Rom. 8:35) 3) Who shall separate us form the love of Christ?  God has sent you the biggest valentine possible in the person of Jesus Christ who dies so that you might really love and live. 

     How can your respond?  Begin to follow Jesus with all your heart to day and say like Paul did (Gal. 2:20) “²⁰…the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  So when it comes to the love of God there is no argument.  It is the best.  And when I feel unworthy and see that Christ has made me clean, I’m speechless.  There is nothing to say.  Only to follow and do the things that bring honor to Him.

Want To Get An “A” in Love?

    In 1980 country music singer Johnny Lee recorded the song, Looking for Love (In All the Wrong Places). Psychologists have long known that every person has two great longings and inward needs. The first is to be loved, and the second is to love. But when pressures and heartaches come into our lives, many give up any hope of ever finding love. The tragedy is that we often look in the wrong places to fill this deep, deep need and longing. Some substitute lust for love. Others pursue material things or superficial relationships - all in the futile attempt to fill a God-shaped vacuum in the human heart.     But there is good news! There is a love worth finding and a love worth sharing. The Bible says, (John 3:16) ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.". On the cross of Christ, God's mighty love was revealed and offered unconditionally to all who would be saved.

     Do you long to know this mighty love? Then I need to ask you the most important question you'll ever be asked: Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves you, that your sins are forgiven, and that you are saved and on your way to heaven?  You can know! Let me share with you how to discover the greatest love worth finding. Here are the A’s of finding this unfailing love: ADMIT YOUR SIN, (Rom. 3:10) “¹⁰ as it is written:  “None is righteous, no, not one;”  (Rom. 3:23). “²³ for all have sinned …,” Sin is an offense against God that carries a serious penalty. (Rom. 6:23), " ²³ For the wages of sin is death,."

   ABANDON YOUR EFFORTS -  If we could save ourselves, Jesus' death would have been unnecessary!  Even "getting religion" cannot get you to heaven. The Bible says (Titus 3:5) it is "⁵ …not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy."  ACKNOWLEDGE CHRIST'S PAYMENT - What you cannot do for yourself, Jesus Christ has done for you! (Rom. 5:8)  “⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"  But you must acknowledge and believe this fact. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

     Finally ACCEPT CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR - When someone offers you a priceless gift, the wisest thing you can do is accept it! This very moment, you can receive Christ's gift of salvation. (Rom. 6:23) "…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  I urge you to receive Him today. You'll be eternally glad to know the best kind of love!

Giving Thanks For God’s Bountiful Blessings.

       One night I was chatting with an experienced mother about how she had changed from the first child of five to the last.  She told me she had mellowed a lot over the years:   "When my oldest (a girl) coughed or sneezed, I called the ambulance.   When my youngest (a boy) swallowed a dime, I just told him it was coming out of his allowance.”   We worry about a lot of things.  It is in our nature.   Every time an angel appears the first words from his mouth are “Fear not…” or “Do not be afraid.”  

    Since God is concerned for each of us as His redeemed children, the Apostle Paul assures us this concern certainly extends to our basic daily needs (but not our greed). The Apostle wrote, (Phil. 4:19) “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. This promise was made in connection with the financial support the Philippians had sent to Paul for his missionary ministry. He was assuring them that their giving would never be their lack. God would supply their needs, and the reason for His supply, was nothing less than “His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”     Governing God’s provision is nothing short of the wealth of what God has done for us in Christ. Again, Rom. 8:32 comes to mind.

    The Lord Jesus gave us His teaching against anxiety regarding our daily needs. He focused on the fact of God’s personal care for our basic needs in Matthew 6:25-34. Three times He tells us “do not be anxious” (6:25, 31 and 34). Five times questions are asked that are designed to show the foolishness of anxiety.

     Why is anxiety foolish? It is foolish because it is futile in view of the Father’s loving care and knowledge of our needs. He teaches us such worry is the product of being people of “little faith.” Worry is the product of failing to reflect on the fatherly care God must have for us as His people since He shows such wonderful care for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Finally, He shows that due to God’s loving care and the temporary and evil nature of this world, our greatest priority and concern must be the spiritual.

  Of all of God’s gifts, the greatest one He has given is the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus paid our sin debt, so a holy and just Judge could forgive us our sins and give us eternal life as a free gift. This gift is available to those who will call on Christ to save them from their sin in simple but sincere faith (John 3:16; Rom. 3:19-26; 6:23; 10:13; Eph. 2:8-10). For this gift of His Son, the gift which meets our greatest need, the Apostle Paul says, (2 Cor. 9:15) "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!".

    We, like the Pilgrims, have a choice. In life there will always be those things that we can complain about (the Pilgrims had lost many loved ones), but there will also be much to be thankful for. As our society becomes increasingly secular, the actual “giving of thanks to God” during our annual Thanksgiving holiday is being overlooked, leaving only the feasting. May God grant that He may find us grateful every day for all of His gifts, spiritual and material. God is good, and every good gift comes from Him (James 1:17). For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good.

Giving Thanks For My Church Family.

Alfred Ackley

     We’ve all heard the complaints about “organized religion.”  First of all, I haven’t seen all that many churches that I would call organized (ha).  One of the principle complaints I hear is “I don’t want to go down there where all those hypocrites are.”  To which I usually respond, “Come on down. We’ll make room for one more.  Moreover, the ones who gather regularly at the church are at least working on their hypocrisy problem.”

     Maybe the real tragedy is that we’ve allowed the modern church to be like a museum where fine saints are put on display like wax figures.  Instead we should be functioning as Jesus designed his church to be in action.  As we join together on mission to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ known to all the nations something wonderful is shown to an otherwise cynical world.  We show them we serve a risen Savior

      In 1933 a young Jewish man asked evangelist and musician Alfred Ackley, "Why should I worship a dead Jew?" To which Ackley emphatically, “He lives! Mr. Ackley's forthright, emphatic answer, together with his subsequent triumphant effort to win the man for Christ, flowered forth into song and crystallized into a convincing sermon on "He lives!" . . . The scriptural evidence, his own heart, and the testimony of history matched the glorious experience of an innumerable cloud of witnesses of that "He lives," so he sat down at the piano and voiced that conclusion in song.

      When I get good news, I look around for those that I love to share the good news.  Sometimes I can’t wait to see my wife and I will call her or text her so that she gets the good news first.  Those moments of happiness, along with the times of pain and agony and every emotion between were meant to be shared in a faith community called the church.  So in each place that we’ve lived one of the first things we do is find a “spiritual family” where we can share and grow.

    Let me share with you reasons I’m thankful for my church family why you should have one that you are thankful for as well.  1. A church is Scriptural. When believers first assembled after Jesus’ resurrection, they were referred to as a church (Acts 1:42).  Simply people of all ages and all walks of life helping each other grow in the Lord.  2. A church provides fellowship (companionship + closeness) with each other. Hebrews 10:25 (HCSB) states “²⁵ not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

     3. A church provides an excellent opportunity for evangelism.  In most churches there are small groups where the Word is taught powerfully yet in a conversational style where questions can be answered.  During these times often people become very responsive as they understand Jesus’ love for them.  Invite someone to your Sunday School class or Small Group and watch what can happen.  4. A church provides an opportunity for service. Many churches challenge their people to take leaps of faith and use their abilities to bring God glory, for example in music, drama, Bible-teaching, puppets, mission trips, and much more.   5. A church is inspirational – not just focused on the needs of its members, but also working together to reach the world.  There is a dynamic that happens only when you are assembled with other believers doing something magnificent (Prov. 27:17; Eccl. 4:9-12; Matt. 18:20). 
  6. A church has a positive influence.  As the outside community sees a group of people each taking their unique abilities and completing something that is part of a greater body of believers working in harmony to accomplish monumental tasks, then it confirms God’s activity in the world.   7. A Church prepares people for their eternal home. In Rev. 7:9, John describes his vision of having as being represented by “…a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,” We might as well get used to being together as we will be celebrating in the presence of our Savior as a group for a long time.  8. The church body is incomplete with you.  Rom. 12 Paul looks at the variety and necessity of each part that you and I contribute to the church “³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

    The Lord has built into each of us and each church a need for each other so that we might bring Glory to His name in unprecedented ways.  I hope you have a church family for which you can be truly thankful…if not, let me encourage you to find one today. 

  

Thanks For My Situation: Good or Bad.

     Paul wrote to the Philippians from prison yet his tone is incredible positive and full of victory.  Phil. 4:6 “⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  

         Do you ever worry? Don’t look around and point your finger at someone else. Do you ever worry—even the least little bit? And yet the Bible so clearly tells us not to worry about anything but to pray about everything.

    There are really only two categories of things for which we should never waste an ounce of worry:   First, those things we cannot do anything about and second the things we CAN do something about. The best thing you can say about worry is that it is useless. The worst thing you can say about it is that it dishonors God.

      Worry is the opposite of faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

     So what is the process by which we replace the naturally occurring worry with faith?  We study the character or nature of God.  God who is patiently waiting for people to come to know Him as Lord and Savior (2 Peter 3:9).  Becoming aware of the welcoming heavenly Father who is watching for “prodigals” to come home (Luke 15:11f).

     Sometimes we can get so shocked by the fiery furnace we find ourselves in that we forget the designer who never takes His eyes off of us (Ps. 121:4; 1 Peter 3:12).  2 Chronicles 16:9 says “⁹ For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him”  You got a Loving Father who is keeping His eye on you.  I know there are those reading this who have lost a job, lost their health, or lost a loved one and they are wondering if God has forgotten them.  Isaiah brought a message to the Israelites when they felt alone and forgotten (Is. 49:14-16) “¹⁴ But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;     my Lord has forgotten me.”   ¹⁵ “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?  Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. ¹⁶ Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…”

  Winston Churchill, who led England to fight back against tyranny, knew a lot of worry in his day.  He wrote “When I look back on all the worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.”

    God does have a plan for your life.  He loves you.  He is patient with you. For a follower of Jesus Christ every difficulty has a meaningful purpose to it as well (Rom. 8:28).   The real task is to begin thanking God in the midst of your situation whether it is bad or good and trusting in what you have come to know about His divine character.  As soon as continual praise becomes your habit, your anxiety will be replaced by peace and joy.