November 7, 2024

Sincere Love

February 17, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech
but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).
1 John 3:18 AMP

This verse always steps on my toes.  Today’s ‘me first’ mentality is encouraged and supported by society.  Yet, John 13:34 (HCSB) instructs us on what Jesus says we are to do:

“I give you a new command: Love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.”

My struggle with selfishness is a daily battle.  It is so easy to profess love.  But getting my actions to match my words is where the rubber meets the road.  Romans 12:9a (HCSB) states “Love must be without hypocrisy.”  OUCH!  Real love is demonstrated by deeds.  It requires a deliberate choice.  That choice doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary.  Encouragement and support cost nothing, except perhaps a little bit of time.  Sincere expressions of affection and labors of love show God’s love DOES dwell within us.

Galatians 5:13 (NLT) says we “have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”  We have a choice to make—live in bondage to our selfishness or live in freedom by putting our love into action.  The decision seems to be an easy one but persevering is the real challenge.

  *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Abba Father, this is a struggle I cannot beat on my on. I truly want Your love to be seen in me by my actions and how I love. Please help me conquer my selfish desires so my expressions of affection will be sincere. In Your mighty name I pray – AMEN, It Is So!

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Love With Actions

February 16, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

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

For the last few years our military men and women have been in other countries fighting for freedom.  Some have paid the greatest price—they have been killed in the line of duty.  Some of those who have served in the police departments and fire departments have also given their lives in doing their jobs.

Now we are hearing of people in the Church being martyred in other countries because of the persecutions occurring there.  This is what the verse is speaking of—“lay down our lives…”.  I pray that we would be brave and strong. And that we would stand up when we need to for our religious freedom.  That we would encourage our children to speak up when our God is being put down and not be embarrassed to speak about His glory.

When we see a brother or sister in Christ having trouble we should not hesitate to help them.  God will surely honor us in this act of kindness.   We will be changed when we do this.  We will understand the struggle of our fellow Christian as they share the struggle they have been through and we can usually offer sound advice. But we will be surprised at being blessed by the other person who shows how their faith has grown as they have gone through the struggle and hurt they have experienced.

“A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are My disciples,
if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35 

As Jesus told us, we are to love one another and in doing so we show that we are His.  It is not about a competition to see who can do more, do better; it is about what is in our heart that makes a difference.  God is looking for those whom He has called to step up and bring the good news to everyone.

  *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Father, help us to reach out to those who are hurting and lost. Remind us to pray before we act to know what You want us to do to further Your Kingdom.  Reveal Your Word to us so we can know we are hearing from You, not ourselves.  We want to do what is right.  In Jesus’ name, amen!

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Love Gives

February 15, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

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.

  *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

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!!

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Love Never Fails

February 14, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice
but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith,
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NLT

Love is patient
Love is kind
Love doesn’t wait to cross over to the other side
Well it’s worth never giving up
It’s worth holding on
Love never fails
And that’s a promise
Love never fails
Help me believe it

Help me to trust that this is truth
Help me to love like You do
Oh, Lord, help me to live like
Love never fails

Love doesn’t strut
It is not proud
Love will make sure to be seeking others out
Love doesn’t try to keep the score
It sides with forgiveness

Love never fails
And that’s a promise
Love never fails
Help me believe it

Love has eyes that see the pain
Love will never run away
It holds out hope
It holds out trust
Love will always be enough

 Singer / Songwriter: Ellie Holcomb

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This Week…Love is (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

February 13, 2015 by

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

Such a well-known, oft-quoted passage of Scripture!  But is it well and often lived out in my life?  Have you asked yourself this question, too?

This week, our devotional writers…Ahmee, Ann, Cynda, Laura, and Tina have shared some insightful points regarding what {Biblical} love is.  There messages have helped me and encouraged me to hold to the Truth regarding what love is.  Here are a few things they have had to say…

In Forgiveness is Love, Tina reminded us of the importance of forgiveness being a part of how we love.

“When we forgive, a weight is lifted from our hearts.  We will feel light, we will feel as if the world is at our fingertips, as when we first believed in Jesus Christ.  We can have that now.  Unforgiveness weighs a ton and sometimes we don’t realize it is piling up.

We need to release those who have wronged us and forgive ourselves.  We need to let God take away everything that holds us from reaching our dreams.  Stop believing the lies Satan has told us.  God wants us to love always, and not hold on to the wrongs in this world.”

❦

In Jesus’ Love IS, Laura shared some examples from her own life and pointed us to our Lord’s love.

” Jesus’ love is the same way.  It is patient and kind.  Jesus’ love is slow to anger, and it keeps no record of our wrongdoings because we are forgiven by that love.  We are saved by that love.  It protects us from evil, and it always perseveres.  This is why Jesus’s love will win in the end. ”

❦

 In Imperfect Love, Ahmee reminded us, though we are imperfect, we can strive to love perfectly by being examples of our Lord’s love.

“Love is meant to be unconditional.  But, like many other things the human race has gotten it’s hands on, it can be tainted.  And we need to remember this.  We aren’t going to love perfectly.  In a perfect world we would, but we don’t live in a perfect world.  I’m not saying we need to excuse or ignore the fact that we don’t love perfectly, but we need to be kinder to one another.  Some of us have had poor examples of what love actually looks like.  What we know in our minds sometimes does not translate in the real world, because we just don’t know what it’s supposed to be like.

We are imperfect.  Our love will be imperfect.  Together, we can strive for Godly love.  Together we can show one another (and unbelievers) what love truly looks like. We can be examples of the Lord’s love—He loves us, so we can love others. Together, we can get it right.”

❦

In Selfless Love, Ann gave us some great examples of 1st Corinthians-love lived out by men  (Paul, Moses, Joseph…and Jesus) throughout the Bible.  And she wrote…

“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. ”

❦

And in Utterly Unselfish, Cynda gave us a little exercise so that we had some perspective about living out 1 Corinthians 13.  And she also shared,

“Utterly unselfish love, possible only with God’s help

Whew!!!  That’s a tall order.  Try reading that passage with your name in place of {Love}.  (Did anyone besides me just say OUCH?!?) I am not all those things yet…but I can continue to work towards them. What I need to remember is that is not important how many times I fail, but how many times I get back up. Perseverance is key. Hebrews 12:1b (NIV) encourages us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us….” James 1:4 tells us we must “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” God will always be there to help if I am willing to persevere and ask Him for help. The neat thing—God has already provided us with everything we need.”

❦

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Forgiveness is Love

February 12, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogoLove 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 NIV

Wow, Paul sure gave the Church alot to live up to. We are not to hold grudges, not to gossip with others, not to lie about each other, not to  boast about ourselves.  We are to be encouragers—a light to those around us.  We are to show love to each other when we would rather be hateful or angry.

Human nature says ‘an eye for an eye,’ but God tells us we are to love at all times.  When things happen to us we are to seek His counsel first. We are to lay it down before Him and pray for discernment to know how to react or how to handle the situation.

Paul understood what God wanted. He knew God wanted our best, but in order to give our best we have to let go of stuff!  Stuff we have hung onto for years.  Stuff we have let stay in our lives for far too long.  God wants us to forgive those who have wronged us in order to receive His greatest gifts.  As we forgive, we are forgiven.  For those who are holding on to unforgiveness, hard times are experienced, sometimes illness.

When we forgive, a weight is lifted from our hearts.  We will feel light, we will feel as if the world is at our fingertips, as when we first believed in Jesus Christ.  We can have that now.  Unforgiveness weighs a ton and sometimes we don’t realize it is piling up.

We need to release those who have wronged us and forgive ourselves.  We need to let God take away everything that holds us from reaching our dreams.  Stop believing the lies Satan has told us.  God wants us to love always, and not hold on to the wrongs in this world.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Heavenly Father, help us forgive.  Help us to love You as You designed us to.  Show us ways to forgive.  Help us break away the chains that bind us to unforgiveness.  You can show us where we need to forgive and move along to become freely serve You and Your kingdom whether in our own home, in the community, or in the world.                                                             In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Jesus’ Love IS

February 11, 2015 by

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

How these verses ring true!  My husband and I have known each other for 10 years and, in April, we will have been married for 8 years.  I was patient in waiting on God to show me the right one.  We have both helped each other overcome some things and issues that were holding us back—be it in the realm of love or just life in general.

Now my husband and I try to be patient with each other.  We try to please one another, but there are some days when that just does not happen.  One of us will get over whatever we are arguing about, and the other will hold a grudge for a while.  Yet, we get over it.  Our parents have been married over 30 years—somewhat of a rarity now days.  They have been there for one another when bad things happened.  They have weathered the rough storms, and they have come out stronger on the other side.  We pray that our marriage will be as strong.

Jesus’ love is the same way.  It is patient and kind.  Jesus’ love is slow to anger, and it keeps no record of our wrongdoings because we are forgiven by that love.  We are saved by that love.  It protects us from evil, and it always perseveres.  This is why Jesus’s love will win in the end.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for Your patient and protecting love.  Thank You for the protection that Your love provides.  Thank You for the healing and strength that it provides.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Imperfect Love

February 10, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice
but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith,
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NLT

Love encompasses all the good there is in the world. Love taps into the spirit within us. God loves us and He is love. And because He loves us so much He kindly gave us what we needed in order to love properly. Love says ‘yes!’ even when faced with impossibility.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8

And Romans 12:9-10 says,

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
Love each other with genuine affection,
and take delight in honoring each other.

I believe (and will always believe) that love is a choice and an action.  We don’t just run around just loving because we don’t have a choice.  For some, loving others is embedded in their very fabric—like their heart beating—it is who we are.  But for others, it is like sleeping…we have to think about it and sometimes we fight it.  We, as human beings, have the luxury to pick who we will and will not love.  Our love is not always unconditional.  In a world of greed and putting ‘Number 1′ first, our love sometimes is up for sale to the highest bidder.  We withhold from others what we ourselves know we desire.

Love is meant to be unconditional.  But, like many other things the human race has gotten it’s hands on, it can be tainted.  And we need to remember this.  We aren’t going to love perfectly.  In a perfect world we would, but we don’t live in a perfect world.  I’m not saying we need to excuse or ignore the fact that we don’t love perfectly, but we need to be kinder to one another.  Some of us have had poor examples of what love actually looks like.  What we know in our minds sometimes does not translate in the real world, because we just don’t know what it’s supposed to be like.

We are imperfect.  Our love will be imperfect.  Together, we can strive for Godly love.  Together we can show one another (and unbelievers) what love truly looks like. We can be examples of the Lord’s love—He loves us, so we can love others. Together, we can get it right.

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Selfless Love

February 9, 2015 by

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.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

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.

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Utterly Unselfish

February 8, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

<If I>…have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.
Love endures long and is patient and kind;
love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy,
is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride);
it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.
Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way,
for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful;
it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness,
but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
Love bears up under anything and everything that comes,
is ever ready to believe the best of every person,
its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances,
and it endures everything [without weakening].
Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].
1 Corinthians 13:3b-8

Does reading this passage make anyone else uncomfortable?  It is like reading a list of my most glaring faults.  I strive to live and love this way, but, mostly, I fall exceedingly short.

My Life Application Study Bible has this note for the above passage:

“God’s kind of love is directed outward towards others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return.”

Look at it like this…

{Love} is patient/long-suffering  {Love} is NOT envious
{Love} is kind                                       {Love} is NOT jealous
{Love} bears all things                      {Love} is NOT proud
{Love} believes the best                   {Love} is NOT rude
{Love} does not celebrate evil     {Love} is NOT self-seeking
{Love} rejoices when truth wins   {Love} is NOT irritable
{Love} never gives up
{Love} does not keep score
{Love} is always hopeful
{Love} is enduring
{Love} never fails

Utterly unselfish love, possible only with God’s help

Whew!!!  That’s a tall order.  Try reading that passage with your name in place of {Love}.  (Did anyone besides me just say OUCH?!?) I am not all those things yet…but I can continue to work towards them. What I need to remember is that is not important how many times I fail, but how many times I get back up. Perseverance is key. Hebrews 12:1b (NIV) encourages us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us….” James 1:4 tells us we must “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” God will always be there to help if I am willing to persevere and ask Him for help. The neat thing—God has already provided us with everything we need. Paul reminds us of this in Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP):

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence).

We have been given the Holy Spirit Who can strengthen these characteristics in us and bring them to light in our lives!

By this all people will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.
John 13:35 HCSB

The measure of Christian maturity is how we display love. We are nothing if we don’t have love. I want to be more than that. What I desire most is to display love as Christ did.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Father, help me persevere. I want to love as You love. Let my natural desires fade away as I seek to show love outwardly toward others…not considering myself. It is only possible with Your guidance and the Holy Spirit working in me. In Jesus’ name I ask this – Amen, So Be It!

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