Be Christ-Like.
“This
is my command:
Love each other.”
(John 15:17 NIV)
We commemorate on Easter Sunday the resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ. I asked myself what does it
take to be Christ-Like?
Christ emphasized the need that we love
each other. This must be our goal if
we want to be Christ-Like.
We will never become like Christ but must strive towards being
Christ-Like. Heide and I have
traveled many times to the
"If
you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? … But love your
enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything
back. Then your reward will be
great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the
ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful,
just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:32, 35-36 NIV)
1. - Love means Acceptance.
Acceptance
means to overcome differences.
These differences come in many forms.
People are different. They
have different opinions and come from different backgrounds.
Their heritage gives them a molded image.
When Paul came to
In later years Paul wrote a in his letter to the church in Roman and
reminded them to
“…
accept each other
just as Christ has accepted you;
then God will be glorified”.
(Romans 15:7 NLT)
Earlier Paul had talked in his
letter that all people are sinners. Are
some people better than others are? Certainly
not! We all fall under the curse of
sin. The following quote sounds
harsh. Take a moment and meditate on
it.
"No
one is good -- not even one.
No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God.
All have turned away from God;
all have gone wrong.
No one does good, not even one."
"Their
talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their speech is filled with lies."
"The poison of a deadly snake drips from their lips."
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
"They
are quick to commit murder.
Wherever they go, destruction and misery follow them.
They do not know what true peace is."
"They
have no fear of God to restrain them."
(Romans
3:10-18 NLT)
Let
us remind ourselves that
“… righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There
is no difference,
for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
(Romans
3:22-24 NIV)
Let us put aside our pity differences.
Let us accept each other as God has created us.
God loves each one of His children equally.
Let
us put aside rivalry and jealousy.
Let love shine in us.
Let us accept each brother and sister
with open arms.
2. - Love means Affection.
Affection
is a state of feeling. Doctors
call it a mental or emotional state. These
feelings can be good or bad; they can be warm or cold and influence our attitude
and behavior. I find an excellent
description what affection means to a Christian in Paul’s letter to the
Philippians.
“It is right
for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for
whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share
in God's grace with me. God can
testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And
this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and
depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be
pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of
God.” (Philippians
1:7-11 NIV)
We must not be afraid to show our feelings toward our brothers and
sisters in Christ. The Apostle Paul
was a great correspondent, expressed his joy, and commended the early churches
for their Christian fellowship. Where
needed he lectured on stewardship. Many
times we confuse affection and
affectation. Pretending to like
someone is an artificial behavior meant to impress others.
I want to share with you from Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
“ …
as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in
obedience to him. Let your roots
grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him, so you will grow in faith,
strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let
your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done. Don't
let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that
come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from
Christ. For in Christ the fullness
of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with
Christ. He is the Lord over every
ruler and authority in the universe.” (Colossians 2:6-10 NLT)
Let love shine in us.
We all have sinned
and disobeyed God’s Commandments.
By His grace, we are forgiven.
With open arms He embraces us.
Let Love and Affection guides us.
May we all become Christ-Like
and bring glory to God.
3. - Love means Care.
Heide
and I have the great privilege and joy to be part of the Love and Caring Ministry of the Langley Traditional Protestant
Worship service. What does it mean
to care?
As
GOD’s people,
we will do His work and build-up His Church, the Body of Christ.
(Inspired by Ephesians 4:12)
GOD, who called us into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is
faithful. (1 Corinthians 1: 9) We
must ensure that whatever we do, leads people into the fellowship of our Lord,
Jesus Christ. We must stay focused
on this.
All members of our congregation are invited to join The Love and Caring
Ministry. We share a single goal to
reach out and love our neighbors. We
believe that the Holy Spirit wants us to:
·
care
and display a spirit of love to all members of our congregation focusing on
those that are ill; sad; do not know GOD and are spiritually lost; hospitalized;
or unable to attend church services, but wish to.
·
send
or take cards, flowers or other small caring gifts to remind members of
Christ’s love for them and the love of the other members of our congregation.
·
visit
members in their homes, hospital or anywhere, to remind them of Christ’s love,
mercy, forgiveness, understanding, and compassion for the glory of GOD.
·
invite
others into fellowship with the Lord and to let the Holy Spirit guide their life
and thoughts.
·
help
our brothers and sisters to trust the Lord and increase their faith in our GOD.
·
encourage
further personal spiritual growth so that GOD can make Himself known to all.
Do
you have a Love and Caring Ministry?
·
Jesus
loves each and everyone of us.
·
Jesus
is the head of the Church and Chief Cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
·
The
Church is the body of Jesus.
·
All
parts function to unite the body for the glory of GOD.
·
The
body of Christ (the Church) must grow from the functioning of its parts
according to the Will of GOD.
·
Believers
are Saints of the Church and compose the body of the Church, who are filled with
the love of and for Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
·
Believers
serve Jesus according to His Will for the glory of God.
They are saved by the grace of GOD for they are His workmanship and are
His sons and daughters.
·
As
believers and members of the body, we must minister to our neighbors leading
them into fellowship with Jesus for the glory of GOD and growth of the Church
according to His Will.
The
sole mission of our Love and Caring Ministry is to:
·
Bring
glory to GOD and growth to His Body, the Church.
·
We
must do this according to His Will as stated
in the Holy Bible and guided by the Holy Spirit.
“Come,
let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for He is our God and we are the people
of His pasture, the flock under His care.”
(Psalm
95:6-7 NIV)
GOD,
”You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to You.
Hear my prayer, O LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.
In the day of my trouble I will call to You,
for You will answer me.
Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with Yours.
All the nations You have made
will come and worship before You, O Lord;
they will bring glory to Your name.
For You are great and do marvelous deeds;
You alone are God.”
(Psalm 86:5-10 NIV)
4.- Love means Compassion.
“The
Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
(James
5:11 NIV)
Compassion
is an urge to help Many
times Jesus showed His compassion and healed the sick and crippled that came to
Him. If we want to be Christ-Like we
must show compassion, have a desire to help and comfort those in need.
“… as God's chosen
people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
(Colossians 3:12 NIV)
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we find more help and support to
show our compassion. “If
you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from
His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
then
make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in
spirit and purpose”.
(Philippians
2:1-2 NIV)
Nothing explains it better than the story of the Lost
Son as told by Jesus. Here we
see a father seeing his son coming home in remorse.
The father is eager to help him. His
love is so great that he forgets what lies in the past.
"But
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with
compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed
him”. (Luke 15:20 NIV)
We live in a world today where compassion is used lightly and associated
with pity. We are proud of our
accomplishments and pity those that suffer from loneliness and despair.
Wickedness and corruption are widespread and similar as in the days of
Malachi. The name Malachi means messenger. I
believe it is a message from God that warns us even today to love
our neighbors and show compassion.
“You
have said, `It is futile to serve God. What
did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners
before the LORD Almighty? But now we
call the arrogant blessed. Certainly
the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.'
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name.
"They
will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my
treasured possession. I will spare
them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.”
(Malachi
3:14-17 NIV)
”Have
mercy on me, O God,
according to Your unfailing love;
according to Your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash
away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For
I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You are proved right when You speak
and justified when You judge.”
(Psalm
51:1-4 NIV)
5. - Love means Consideration.
Consideration
is the thoughtful or sympathetic regard for others.
This is a very powerful statement. What
does the word sympathetic mean? I
want to pick a few adjectives from the English Thesaurus: understanding,
kind, sensitive, supportive, approving, agreeing, friendly and pleasant.
The Apostle Peter lectures Christians to be considerate.
There is no better example and clarification for consideration than we
find in his letter. “Husbands,
in the same way be considerate
as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner
and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder
your prayers. Finally, all of you,
live in harmony with one another; be
sympathetic,
love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do
not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to
this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (1
Peter 3:7-9 NIV)
As we approach Mother’s Day this Sunday, a day set aside to honor our mothers
and wives, I remember an email that I received a while back.
I want to share it with you. If
you are a mother, I send it to you especially in honor of your role as mother.
Your consideration for the family well-being shows your love.
If you are a beloved husband or child, give this letter to your mother or
wife in appreciation for all she does.
WHY
I LOVE MY MOM
Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm
tired, and it's getting late. I
think I'll go to bed."
She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.
Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the
following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container,
put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the
next morning.
She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into
the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button.
She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on
the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.
She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.
She yawned, stretched, and headed for the bedroom.
She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some
cash for the field trip, and pulled a textbook out from hiding under the chair.
She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the
envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store.
She put both near her purse.
Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution
& age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her
nails.
Dad called out, "I
thought you were going to bed."
"I'm
on my way," she said.
She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made
sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.
She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and
TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief
conversation with the one up still doing homework.
In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day,
straightened up the shoe rack. She
added three things to her 6 most important things to do list.
She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.
About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed."
We
acknowledge God’s almighty power.
He is the ruler of the universe
and all things are according to His will.
We thank God for His blessings
that He bestows upon us each day.
We thank Him for the love of our mothers and wives.
They hold families together and nurture loved-ones.
Lord, we ask that You bless and strengthen all families.
May the institution of a Christian family prosper.
As we go through our daily routines let love
and consideration be part of it.
6. - Love means Empathy.
To understand the true meaning of the word empathy,
I want to share with you the German translation of
Einfühlung.
Einfühlung
means the
projection of one's own personality into the personality of another in order to
understand the person better; ability to share in another's emotions, thoughts,
or feelings. (Excerpted from
“When Job's three friends,
Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about
all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met
together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.
When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they
began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their
heads. Then they sat on the ground
with him for seven days and seven nights. No
one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”
(Job 2:11-13 NIV)
Job’s three friends loved him to the point where they wanted to be part
of his suffering. They wanted to
understand what Job was feeling and comfort him by being with him.
They gave up the comfort of their own home to be with their friend.
“Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can
comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from
God. For just as the sufferings of
Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If
we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it
is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same
sufferings we suffer. And our hope
for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so
also you share in our comfort.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-7 NIV)
If
you want to be Christ-Like,
you must adopt and abide by the scripture for your Christian Living.
“Keep
on loving each other as brothers.
Do not forget to entertain strangers,
for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who
are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
(Hebrews
13:1-3 NIV)
God
loves us and blesses us each day.
God watches over us and comforts us.
We thank Him for His goodness and grace.
We ask that He gives us the courage and endurance to comfort others with Empathy.
7. - Love means Forbearance.
Forbearance
means to me to do without or hold
back, refraining from enforcing something.
In many situations, we are inclined to respond in anger.
We have been hurt or are in danger; our pride has been insulted or a
questionable opportunity has presented itself, forbearance is a wise choice.
Forbearance is an important attribute of love, hold back unkindly
remarks.
“God
presented Him (Jesus)
as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He
did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the
sins committed beforehand unpunished-- He did it to demonstrate His justice at
the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have
faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26 NIV)
God has every right to punish us for our unrighteousness.
By His Grace and Love, He forgoes punishment for those who believe that
His Son Jesus Christ died on the Cross. The
blood of Christ washed us clean.
“… for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans
3:23-24 NIV)
All people are justly destined for eternal punishment. Faith
in His blood looks to Jesus Christ for His sacrificial death for
us.
“You
were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut
away. Then God made you alive with
Christ. He forgave all our sins. He
canceled the record that contained the charges against us.
He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross.”
(Colossians 2:13-14 NLT)
”You
must make allowance for each other's faults
and forgive the person who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love.
Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.
For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace.
And always be thankful”..
(Colossians 3:13-15 NLT)
God
is compassionate and gracious.
He is slow to anger, abounding in love.
He does not harbor anger
nor treats us as our sins deserve.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His love for us.
May Your love shine in us.
May we hold back judgment
and forgive those who have done us wrong.
8. - Love means Forgiveness.
Let us visualize for a moment. What
is forgiveness? Someone has done
you wrong. To show your love, you
take the guilt upon yourself. You
forgive and wash the slate clean. “This
is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins.” (Matthew 26:20 NIV)
If Jesus can forgive our sins, what wrong can there be that we cannot
forgive? Jesus forgave murderers and
thieves. He forgave prostitutes and
liars. He forgave you and me.
Can you do the same?
“…,
my brothers, I want you to know
that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins
is proclaimed to you.”
(Acts
13:38 NIV)
I
urge you to forgive -unconditionally-
those who have done you wrong.
Let me share with you God’s Word as written by the Apostle Paul to the
Colossians. “…
as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive
whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive
as the Lord forgave you. And over
all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body
you were called to peace. And be
thankful. Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and
as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to
God. And whatever you do, whether in
word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through him.”
(Colossians 3:12-17 NLT)
”You
must make allowance for each other's faults
and forgive the person who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love.
Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.
For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace.
And always be thankful”..
(Colossians 3:13-15 NLT)
Dear
GOD,
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.”
(Psalm
130 1:6 NIV)
9. - Love means Friendship.
As
I was meditating on the meaning of Friendship,
I realized that it is one of those universal words.
We assume that friends build friendship.
James, the brother of Jesus, speaks harsh when he cautions us: “You
adulterous people, don't you know that friendship
with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone
who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or
do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit He caused to live in
us envies intensely? But He gives us
more grace. That is why Scripture
says:
"God
opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Oswald Chambers states “Friendship means identity in thought and
heart and spirit. It is rare here on
earth. The discipline of life is to
enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Self-surrender is a difficult thing to do.
“…not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39 NIV)
While Jesus was among us in human form, he also struggled with
self-surrender. In His glory, He
overcame this struggle and took our sins upon Himself.
“It is
finished.” (John 19:30
NIV) I believe it was a joyful
expression to have completed what God the Father had given His Son to do.
Oswald Chamber calls it The
Fruitfulness of Friendship. (My
Utmost for His Highest 8/25)
“Our Lord is our example in the life of
self-sacrifice – ‘I delight to do Thy
will, O my God.’ He went on
with His sacrifice with exuberant joy. Have
I ever yielded in absolute submission to Jesus Christ?
If Jesus Christ is not the lodestar there is no benefit in the sacrifice;
but when the sacrifice is made with the eyes on Him, slowly and surely the
molding influence begins to tell.”
“He is
the one who invited you into this wonderful Friendship
with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(1
Corinthians 1:9 NLT)
The
Friendship we found in Jesus Christ
must be part of our Christian love.
Love
your brother, your sister, your neighbor
in thought and heart and spirit.
Friends always show their love.
What are brothers for if not to share troubles?
Proverbs 17:17
"A friend is
one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain
together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is
worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away."
Arabian Proverb
"A
friend in need is a friend indeed."
Latin Proverb
"To
have a friend, be a friend."
"There
are many types of ships.
There are wooden ships, plastic ships, and metal ships.
But the best and most important types of ships are friendships."
Old Irish Quote
"The only
unsinkable ship is FRIENDSHIP."
"A friend is
one who strengthens you with prayers,
blesses you with love and encourages you with hope."
"Friends in
Christ are friends forever"
"Those who
live in the Lord never see each other for the last time."
Dear GOD,
We
thank You for the Friendship
that You granted us.
We have sinned and neglected Your Commandments.
Humbly we come before You and ask for forgiveness.
May our journey here on earth bring glory to You.
May each day bring us opportunities
to form new friendships.
May the friendship that we form be sincere
and from our heart.
10. - Love means Generosity.
Each day we all find in our mailboxes numerous requests for a generous
contribution from charitable organizations and faith ministries.
These organizations rely heavily on our contributions and I am sure each
one of you contributes as the Spirit guides you.
I want to share with you a different form of generosity.
Giving your time and giving your love in fellowship.
We all are very busy in this hectic world and gladly share a portion of
our earnings. True Christian Love
means to me that I also give generously my time to Christ for His glory.
Make available time for Christian fellowship.
This is an excerpt from
(Copyright
(c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc.)
generosity: the quality of being magnanimity.
magnanimity: the quality or state of being magnanimous.
magnanimous: noble in mind; esp., generous
in overlooking injury or insult; rising above pettiness or meanness.
This gives a very different meaning to generosity.
Please take a moment and meditate what it means to you.
Love means
Generosity.
God’s
Generosity
“Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the
heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For
he chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in
His sight. In love He predestined us
to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure
and will-- to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in
the One He loves. In Him we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the
riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”
(Ephesians 1:3-8 NIV)
“Generosity” reminds me of a story titled Potato Chips. A child’s love is uncomplicated and simple. A child’s love comes from the heart. Please listen to your heart and love generously.
Potato
Chips
A little boy wanted
to meet God. He knew it was a long
trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips
and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting
in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The
boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase.
He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the
old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips.
She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.
Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he
offered her a root beer. Again, she
smiled at him. The boy was
delighted! They sat there all
afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up
to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran
back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She
gave him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his
mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face.
She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I had lunch with God."
But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what?
She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home.
Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked,
"Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
She replied! "I ate
potato chips in the park with God." However,
before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I
expected."
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a
listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which
have the potential to turn a life around. People
come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime!
Embrace all equally!
Have lunch with God....... bring chips.
Dear
GOD,
We
thank You for Generosity.
I ask
You to bless my Christian brothers and sisters.
Show them a new revelation of Your love and power.
I the Holy Spirit to speak to their hearts at this very moment. Where
there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt,
release a renewed confidence through Your grace.
Bless their homes and families.
11. - Love means Gentleness.
“…
as God's chosen people, holy and
dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive
whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues put on love,
which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you
were called to peace. And be
thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with
gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
(Colossians 3:12- NIV)
“Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near.”
(Philippians 4:5 NIV)
“… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
(Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)
“…
man of God, … pursue …gentleness.
Fight the good fight of the faith!”
(1 Timothy 6:11-12 NIV)
Dear
GOD,
We
acknowledge You as the Almighty God.
You bless us each day
and give us guidance to become like Christ.
We ask that You deal with us gently
when we are ignorant and go astray.
As one Body and one Spirit in Jesus Christ,
may our heart be gentle, be patient and be humble, bearing with one another in
love.
12. - Love means Interdependence.
Interdependence may sound like a complicated word.
It is not. Interdependence
describes the function of both the human body and the spiritual body in Christ.
Our human body cannot function properly without eyes, mouth, arms, feet
or any of the many other parts. The
same goes for our spiritual body in Christ, which is called church.
The church cannot function properly without a pastor, elders, ushers,
greeters, a choir or any of the other members performing vital functions.
Interdependency describes something that happens between individuals,
something that is shared among them.
To love someone requires at least one other person, unless you love
yourself. To love someone means that
you share with the other person something. There
is an interaction between two or more persons.
They must participate in an active or passive form.
To experience love, you must allow the other person to love you.
That is passive love. You
will experience great joy if you return the love you have received.
That is active love and means
interdependence.
When you feel God’s love in your heart, He will be pleased when you
acknowledge Him and love Him. There
will be great joy in heaven when you share His love with others. His
love brings joy and happiness. Think
how much joy it brings when a little child comes to the parents and says,
“Daddy or Mommy, I love you!” Your
Heavenly Father loves to hear from you.
"… he returned home to his father. While he was
still a long distance away, his father
saw him coming. Filled with love
and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
(Luke
15:19-21 NIV -in context)
Are you coming home?
I want to share with you a story told by Rev. Dr. Robert M. Bowman,
Presiding Bishop, United Catholic Church. The
title of his sermon was "Different Members, But One Body: A
Call To Interdependence."
The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians that a church
should function as a human body where no part is self-sufficient.
(1 Corinthians 12:12-30) Each
part contributes equally to the function of the body and is dependent upon the
body. They are truly interdependent.
There are parts of the body Paul does not discuss — elbows. Have
you ever considered what life would be like without them?
Rev. Bowman uses elbows to illustrate the difference between heaven and
hell.
A noted theologian died and went to the pearly gates, where St. Peter
welcomed him warmly. The theologian
said that he was anxious to enter heaven, but he said, "Before I go in,
there’s one thing I’m curious about. I
know once I enter heaven, there is no coming back out.
And as a theologian, I have often speculated on the essential difference
between heaven and hell. Before I go
in, could I have a glimpse of hell, just to satisfy my curiosity?"
"Of course," said St. Peter, "Your dedication to the Lord
has earned you that. Come, I’ll
show you myself."
So St. Peter took the theologian to a great banquet hall.
Washbasins and grooming supplies were located around the perimeter.
And in the center was a banquet table loaded with the finest in food and
drink. But the people milling around
the great hall were naked, dirty, unshaven, and emaciated.
They were clearly starving.
Shocked, the theologian asked, "What’s wrong with these people?
Why are they like this?” “
Easy," said St. Peter, "they have no elbows.
They can grab the food, but they cannot get it to their mouth.
Neither can they wash, dress themselves, cut or comb their hair, shave,
or scratch where it itches. Just try
to do any of those things without bending your arms."
"Horrible!" the theologian exclaimed.
"Now show me what heaven is like.”
Whereupon St. Peter whisked him to another banquet hall just like the
first. The facilities were the same,
the food was the same, even the decorations were the same.
But the people were gaily dressed, immaculately groomed, and obviously
well fed and happy. The sounds of
singing, conversation, and laughter filled the room.
"I see," said the theologian, "this incredible difference
in the people is because here in heaven they have elbows."
"No," said St. Peter, "they don’t have elbows here
either. There are no elbows in the
afterlife. The difference is that
here the people take care of each other. They
wash each other, dress each other, and feed each other.
And they scratch each other where it itches.
You don’t need elbows in heaven. The
people that come here have learned to accept their interdependence.
You have often heard it said that people can go to hell all by
themselves, but they never go to heaven alone, but as a community.
Now you know why."
The theologian thought about this, then said, "But why are there no
elbows in the afterlife?” "Ah,"
explained St. Peter, "elbows were never part of God’s master plan for
humanity. They were given to us
while on earth so we could survive the selfishness around us.
But we were supposed to outgrow it. We
were certainly given the example in our parents.
They washed us, clothed us, fed us. Babies
do not need elbows ... except for sucking their thumbs.
That is a little selfish indulgence we are allowed.
But we are supposed to outgrow it.