May 17, 2024

Perfect Law

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug, 
and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul,
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:7

In this portion of Scripture, there are a few questions that can help us understand God and His character.

  1. What is it to be ‘perfect’?
  2. Which law is it talking about and where do we get the law that is perfect?
  3. Whose soul is revived and how?
  4. Which statutes?
  5. What does it means to be ‘trustworthy’?
  6. What it means to ‘make wise the simple’?

Consider these answers….

1-) To be ‘perfect’ is to be holy, righteous and good (Romans 7:12 and Psalm 119:142). And we see this in our God—He is Holy, righteous and good. Look at what He does to our lives: though we grieve Him, He is never upset with our characters, otherwise we would have been dead by now. However He is still gives us another chance.

2-) The “Law” is talking about the commandments that are holy, the Word of God that is contained in the Bible. When we meditate on this Word, it teaches us on what to do and what not to do. Therefore it is in this Book where we are shaped and molded to be perfect.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth meditate on it day and night
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8

3-) It is our souls that are revived as the Word of God is life.

The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
John 1:1 and John 1:14

4-) The statutes are the precepts, the commandments, the “dos and dont’s” which are to be obeyed.

5-) If something is ‘trustworthy’ it means it is so true, and there is truth in it.

Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.
Psalm 119:142

What this means is that the precepts, the commands, and the promises of God are true. What He says He will do, He will; believe it shall come to pass. When He says “the reward of sin is death,” He means it.

6-) We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. Meaning that it is simple to follow if one uses it properly otherwise if it is not used properly it make wise become tough.

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.
I Timothy 1:8

Therefore, let us rejoice, my sisters, in meditating on the Word of God as it is a sure way to our perfect life. God is perfect—let us also be perfect. Remember He is holy and in Him there is no darkness.

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Father, we thank You for You are a perfect God.  We pray, oh Lord, for the grace that we should be perfect as well.  Whatever is not pleasing to You, Lord, may the Holy Spirit reveal it to us; and as we confess to You may we be united again with You and be with You always.  Thank You that You hear our prayers each time we come to You.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Comfort

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug,
 and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
Psalm 119:50

I love this passage of Scripture, for to be preserved by God is a big relief to any person who is waiting upon the Lord and has faith (1 Thessalonians 3:7) and has accepted Christ as his/her Lord and Savior.

This shows that God’s will for my life and your life is for us to be victorious in all areas of our lives. Even when we face trials, adversaries, challenges of any kind He will preserve us. Even if the enemies may fall 10,000 at the left side and 10,000 at the right, we will not be harmed for we are preserved and this is a comfort to us.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble You preserve my life,
You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes,
with Your right hand You save me.
Psalm 138:7

But why do you think He is preserving us?

  • Because of His banner of love for us – He promised neither to leave us nor forsake us. He said in Psalm 23 that ‘surely goodness and mercy shall follow us’ all the days of our lives. In Isaiah 46:4 it says “Even to your old age and grey hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you, I have made you and I will carry you, I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
  • So that we accomplish what He sent us here on earth for—we are His disciples and so we have to bear fruit (disciples). [Click here to read John 15:1-8.] God wants us to bear fruits, more fruit, much more fruit and abiding fruit.
  • For us to live a comforted life—a life that is not worried about anything but trusting in the Lord. By so doing, serving Him will not be a hassle to do. “Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God trust also in Me” (John 14:1). This was Jesus speaking, giving an assurance that He and God are there for us.
  • Finally Romans 8:28 crowns it all by saying, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Let us make the purposes of God be fulfilled in our lives.

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Oh Lord, our God, we come before You in prayer giving You all the praise and honor for who You are…and what You have been…and what You shall be in the years to come. You are the Ancient of Days—from age to age You never fail us. We thank You for preserving us to Your glory. Make us also realize our calling and make us useful for Your purposes in this life. We thank You for this comfort and victorious life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Jesus is The WAY, The TRUTH, and The LIFE

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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Jesus answered, “I AM The Way and The Truth and The Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well.
From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14:6-7 NIV

The topic this week reminds me of a song we used to sing in my Sunday school days, here are the lyrics.

I am The Way and The Truth and The Life;
That’s what Jesus said

Without The Way there is no going,
Without The Truth there is no knowing,
Without The Life there is no growing,
I am The Way and The Truth and The Life;
That’s what Jesus said

Very true!  Without The Way?  There is no going…where can you go if there is no way through?  We cannot go to the Father except through Jesus.  The Way give access to wherever we want to go.  Therefore Jesus is the True Access to the many blessings the Lord has in store for us. We need to accept that Jesus is the only access and that sure way to everything.

Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand
and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God
Romans 5:2

Without The Truth? Wow, just having Christ in us and us in Him we are assured of having knowledge of the truth of the great things—for Christ knows all.  For it means we know God, too!

If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well.
From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me?
The words I say to you I do not speak on My own authority.
Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work.
John 14: 7-10 NIV

Jesus is life.  Without The Life?  Well,  “no Jesus=no life”.  Accepting Him as the Lord and Savior gives us eternal life.  We thank God for giving us life through Christ Jesus.  Otherwise there was no one to pay for our sins if it was not for Christ.

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Lord, we thank You for giving us Christ Jesus to be our Way, our Truth, and our Life. We are able to access abundant blessings through Him. We are able to know Your Word through Him.  And we have life through Him.  He is a blessing to our lives.  We pray for the grace to remain in Him and Him in us!  We pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Bearing Fruit in the Vine

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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I AM the True Vine, and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in Me, as I also remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
I AM the Vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
apart from Me you can do nothing.
If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples
John 15:1-8

This passage gives us an illustration of how bearing fruit is essential in the eyes of God.  The Bible is talking of a garden that is being taken care of by God Himself.  And Jesus said “I AM the True Vine…”.  This means there is another vine that is not true and has not been planted not by God.

As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to—
is it God’s or the other garden?

We are told “you are the branches.”  Branches bear the fruit; and so if a branch is not producing fruit, then it must be cut off.  If we do bear fruit, we are true branches. If we do not, then we are not true branches. Which side of the coin are we?

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness,
so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky,
over the livestock and all the wild animals,
and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in His own image,
in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.
God blessed them and said to them,
“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky
and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Genesis 1:26-28

We are created to bear fruit and win souls to Christ. If we don’t do that, we are not true branches and the Bible says in Proverbs 11:30 “…He who wins souls is wise.” Therefore, as Christians, and believers, and followers of Christ, we are to win souls for it to be accounted that we are wise. Failing to win souls, which is then the opposite of wise, would be shame in the eyes of God.

As branches cannot stand on their own unless they are attached to the vine so shall we remain attached to Christ (and Him to us) so that we can bear fruit.

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Dear Lord, we thank You for being our Good Gardener.  And we thank Christ for being our True Vine.  Dear Lord, I pray for Your grace to be sufficient in me that I remain to be a true branch and bear fruit. You created me, Lord, for this purpose—let it be fulfilled in Jesus’ name. Amen!

The Good Shepherd Cares for His Sheep

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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I AM the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep.
So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.
Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I AM the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me—

just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—
and I lay down my life for the sheep.
John 10:11-14

In this passage, Jesus declares Himself to be the promised Good Shepherd.  This is also illuminated in a number of Scriptures.  It was spoken of in the Old Testament prophesying of His coming as well as in the New Testament where He Himself now is confirming the prophecies spoken of in the past.

Here are things the Shepherd would do:

  • Psalm 23:1 He ensures we lack nothing.
  • Isaiah 40:11 He tends His flock like a shepherd, He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to his heart, He gently leads those that have young.
  • Ezekiel 34:23 God was saying I will place one shepherd—my shepherd, David. This shepherd being talked of here is Jesus the Messiah who came from David’s line and who laid down His life for the sheep.
  • Ezekiel 37:24  We see the Messiah cleansing the people who would receive forgiveness.

These examples illustrate Jesus’ tender and devoted care for His people. It is as if He is saying “As a good shepherd is toward his sheep, I am toward all who believe in Me—caring, watchful, and loving.”  He was willing to die for His sheep. This emphasizes the uniqueness of Christ the Shepherd…His death on the Cross saves His sheep.

Christ was mentioned as Good Shepherd in John 10:11-14; Great Shepherd in Hebrews 13:20; and the Chief Shepherd in 1 Peter 5:4.

We also, as His followers and believers, are shepherds.  We win souls, we are shepherds of His sheep also.  Others (pastors/evangelists) also shepherd the flock.  Do we sacrifice ourselves for our sheep or we leave them to die of thirst?  We are to take our sheep to the river banks where they can get water (the Word of God).  As true believers we are to care for the sheep, and are to think about the sheep first and then ourselves.

Let us truly take care of the sheep, pray with them, feed them with the Word every day, and follow up with them, so that they should not be in any want.

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Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your lovingkindness, thank You for who You are.  Indeed we are the sheep of Your pasture and so we are to exercise our calling.  We pray, Lord, that You help us take care of Your sheep You have given us.  May we also help grow the sheep and die to ourselves for them in Jesus’ name.  We pray for Your leading in all we do as we win souls to Your Kingdom.  In Jesus’ name we have prayed.  Amen.

The Door Gives Access

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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 So Jesus said to them again,“Truly, truly, I say to you,
I AM the Door of the sheep.

All who came before Me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not hear them.

I AM the Door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved,
and will go in and out and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:7-10

A door gives access to someone to go in and come out of any building, vehicle, etc.  This access helps you to benefit of what is inside the building or outside the building, for example.

Jesus said, “I AM The Door“…what does this imply?  He is giving us access to use Him because those who enter through Jesus will be saved—they will have abundant life (verse 10); they will have all they need to be delivered from sin, guilt, condemnation. He is the ONLY Door; none other exists.

Jesus answered, I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:6

…through Whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.
Romans 5:2

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Ephesians 2:18

In Him through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence…
Ephesians 3:12

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence
to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…
Hebrews:10:19

I know your deeds.
See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.
I know you have little strength
yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name…
Revelation 3:8

The above verses help us to understand what this Door can do and how it is going to help us.  Let us therefore choose deliberately to use this Door which will take us to the highest places.

The Israelites had much more limited access to God than we have today.  Christ, by giving His life as a perfect Sacrifice, has opened a way into God’s very presence and the throne of grace.  Therefore we, as believers, should gratefully and constantly draw near to God in prayer using this Door of access.

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Dear Lord, how wonderful and precious You are in all the earth.  There is no one who is like unto You.  Thank You, Lord, for giving us Christ the Savior to be our Door to salvation so that we can have life in abundance which means no more tears and sorrows.  Cause us, Lord, to continually and constantly draw near to You using this Door given to us.  We give You all the praise and honor in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

The Word is Life

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

Then Jesus declared, “I AM the Bread of Life.
Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry,
and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35

(context)

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I AM the Bread of Life‘ is the first of the seven I AM statements recorded in John’s gospel.  Each of the I AMs emphasizes an important aspect of the personal ministry of Jesus.  This first statement tells us that Christ is the sustenance that nourishes spiritual life.

Jesus said… “I tell you the truth
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink His blood you have no life.”
John 6:53

We receive spiritual life by believing in Christ and sharing in the redemptive benefits of His death on the Cross (Romans 3:24-25, 1 John 1:7).  We continue to have spiritual life as we remain in fellowship with Christ and His Word. (Compare John 6:53 and 63).

“…the words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”
Verse 63

Thus we partake of Christ as we continue to have faith in Him and prayerfully receive His Word.

Jesus is the Living Word and the Bible is the written Word.  Jesus call Himself the Bread of Life and elsewhere He relates this bread to the Word of God:

Man does not live by bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4

Therefore we eat His flesh by remaining in Him and by receiving and obeying the Word of God.

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Father, we thank You for Your goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives.  We thank You because You are not man that You can lie nor son of man that You can change Your mind…what You say You will do, surely You will do it.  We thank You for the grace to reunite us with Christ.  Give us the grace, Lord, to obey and absorb what is truth in our hearts.  May Your name be glorified.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I AM The Light of the World

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM…

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The True Vine
I AM The Door
I AM The Resurrection and the Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM. The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I AM the Light of the world.
Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness
but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12

First of all, let us look at a few principles of light:

What is it?
Light usually refers to visible light, which is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye and is responsible for the sense of sight.

How does light travels?
One of light‘s characteristic properties is that, in a transparent medium like air, glass, or still water, it travels in a straight line. Light exhibits characteristics of both waves and particles, the latter of which are described as packets of energy called photons.

What is the purpose of light?
— Brightens
— Illuminates
— Enlightens

Now Jesus is coming to tell us that He is THE Light of the world, what does that mean? This means:

  • He removes darkness and deception by illuminating the right way to God and salvation.
  • All those who follow Jesus are delivered from the darkness of sin, the world, and Satan. Those who still walk in darkness do not follow Him (John 1:6-7).
  • “Whoever follows Me…” is a present participle, depicting a continuing action—“whoever keeps on following Me…”. Jesus recognized and requires only a persevering discipleship.

Now physical light travels faster than sound, so therefore Jesus must travel fast, therefore people should receive Him in no time since He will brighten their lives immediately.

As believers today we count ourselves lucky to have this Light in us but the question will be do we actually realize we have this Light? I AM is in present tense meaning the Light is always there even though it’s more than 2000 years ago Jesus went to Heaven.  But remember this—

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved,
that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years,
and a thousand years as one day.
2 Peter 3:8

Therefore the Light is still fresh in us. We must let it shine in our lives. And as it brightens in us…as it illuminates us…as it lightens or shines in us…we should also light the world for we are carrying The Light.  Let us reflect Who and what we are carrying so that we do not mislead people into following us.  This Light (Jesus) brings light to darkness therefore wherever we are there should be a sign that, indeed, the Light of the world is there.  May those that are in despair find relief and those that are in darkness find Light and Life again.

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Father, hallowed be Thy name.  Lord, make me realize that I am carrying the Light of the world and so I am the Light, too.  Let this Light be hope to the hopeless, life to the dying, illumination to darkness and peoples’ lives.  Let my deeds and my character be that of Christ…for I am His follower.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

Love Gives

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This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need
but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:16-18 NIV

What made God give us Christ Jesus?—It is Love
What made Christ give us the Holy Spirit?—It is Love
What makes Holy Spirit give us gifts?—It is Love

For God gave us Jesus Christ (John 3:16) and Christ (as He was ascending into Heaven) said that He must go but gave the Holy Spirit who would be with us always (John 14), and the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us gifts (1 Corinthians 12).

So in our focus Scripture this week, we are commanded to act in love the same way we were loved and given the free gift of Christ as well as gifts of the spirit. Brethren, we are in this physical world and so our love can also be expressed by sincerely helping persons in need.

  • We can do this by sharing our earthly possessions with them (James 2:14-17)
  • If we refuse to give of our food, clothing, or money to help others in real need it is to close our hearts to them (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)
  • This also includes giving our money to help bring the gospel to those who have not heard (through evangelism) (James 4:9-10)

May the good Lord help us as we decide to express love
by giving with all our hearts without murmuring.

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Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You and we bless You because You are God. We honor You because You are the I AM who I AM, the omnipresent God. Blessed be Your Holy name in all the earth. Immortal God, invisible God, You are so great. Thank You for Your love for us. The free gifts to us are so precious that we glorify Your name because of such wonderful gifts. Teach us to love one another as You loved us, as Christ loved us, and as Holy Spirit loves us. Thank You for hearing our prayer and granting us the desire of our heart. It is in Jesus’ name that we have prayed. AMEN!!

Selfless Love

SeekingHimLogo

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Selfless love is love that is not self-centered.  What do I mean by self-centered?  That is, thinking of oneself instead of others.  Examples of self-centered minds are like the ones below.
• If it is s blessings…then let me be the first to receive; forgetting we are “…more blessed to give than to receive.”
• If it is a prize someone received, you ask question ‘why them and not me?’ and then pick an offence with others in the process.
• In a family you want your decisions only to be applicable and do not care about others, i.e., spouse or children.
• No conscience when you wrong a person instead of saying ‘sorry’
• Can’t compliment another after they have done something that is good.

Rather, selfless love must always…

Think of others first and you will be more blessed.
[Abraham and Lot]

Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me.
If you take the left hand,
then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand,
then I will go to the left.
Genesis 13:9

Not keep record of wrongs, is always kind
[Joseph and his brothers]

“No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.”
So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
Genesis 50:21

Not envious
[Moses]

But Moses replied “Are you jealous for my sake?
I wish that all the Lords people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”
Numbers 11:29

Protects
[Paul]

Even as I try to please everybody in every way.
For I am not seeking my own good
but the good of many so that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 10:33

Perseveres
[Jesus Christ]

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich,
yet for your sake He became poor,
so that you through His poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

As believers let us encourage one another to have selfless love and do as the Word says in the passage (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) we are focusing on this week.  We were made in His own likeness and so we have to show the likeliness of God.  In whatever we do, how we speak, the way we carry ourselves…let those who see us thank God and turn to God. We should not grieve the Spirit with our deeds and cause the name of the Lord to not be worshipped.

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Oh Lord, my God, how wonderful You are!  You loved us and gave us Christ so we are co-heirs in your Kingdom.  Renew our minds that we should not be conformed to the things of the world but represent Christ in all we do.  Let us bear love that is selfless, Lord.  In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.