Maybe it's the engineer in me... but I think it is interesting to break the love described in 1st Corinthians 13 down into columns.
Love is:
Kind
Suffers long
Rejoices in the truth
Bears all things
Believes all things
Hopes all things
Endures all things
Love is/does not:
Envy
Parade itself
Puff itself up
Behave rudely
Seek its own
Provoked
Think evil
Rejoice in iniquity
Fail
If you were asked to describe love, would those be the things you chose to mention?
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
True Love
Greater love has no man than this
Than he lay down his life for his friend
Not just a day, or the instant of death
But the whole thing, from beginning to end
Love is a lifetime... that is a fact.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
How Does God Judge a Man?
What is the scriptural model given to us for how God judges the heart of man? In Proverbs we read:
As in water face reflects face,
so a man's heart reveals the man.
Proverbs 27:19
So we should be looking to the heart of man to reveal his character. But how do we know what is in the heart?
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:33-37
We know what is in the heart by the words that a man speaks and the actions that he takes. Those words and actions are like seeds being planted. These seeds that the man plants will grow in his own life and in the relationships that he has and eventually will bear fruit. What kind of fruit will good seed bear?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galations 5:22-26
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control... theses are the fruit that will be present in the life of a godly man and will not be present in the life of an ungodly man. (Interesting side note: the fruit contains seeds that will result in future good fruit). The following are verses that describe the different fruits:
Love
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
1st Corinthians 13:4-8
Joy
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Peace
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:6-7
Longsuffering
But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
Psalm 86:15
Goodness
Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
Exodus 33:19
Faithfulness
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
Lamentations 3:22-24
Gentleness
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:29
Self-Control
For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
Titus 1:7-9
So,
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23
As in water face reflects face,
so a man's heart reveals the man.
Proverbs 27:19
So we should be looking to the heart of man to reveal his character. But how do we know what is in the heart?
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:33-37
We know what is in the heart by the words that a man speaks and the actions that he takes. Those words and actions are like seeds being planted. These seeds that the man plants will grow in his own life and in the relationships that he has and eventually will bear fruit. What kind of fruit will good seed bear?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galations 5:22-26
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control... theses are the fruit that will be present in the life of a godly man and will not be present in the life of an ungodly man. (Interesting side note: the fruit contains seeds that will result in future good fruit). The following are verses that describe the different fruits:
Love
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
1st Corinthians 13:4-8
Joy
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Peace
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:6-7
Longsuffering
But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
Psalm 86:15
Goodness
Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
Exodus 33:19
Faithfulness
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
Lamentations 3:22-24
Gentleness
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:29
Self-Control
For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
Titus 1:7-9
So,
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23
Thursday, October 11, 2012
David - A Man After God's Own Heart
In these verses we see that David is totally dependent on God for the protection of his soul. David describes his soul as being silent and as waiting for God. If my understanding is correct, Psalm 62 was written during the time that Absalom (David's son) was trying to take over the kingdom. So, in the face of great emotional turmoil, David writes that he is resolved to have a silent soul and trust in the salvation of the Lord.
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| Wait on the Lord |
I only have a few minutes to write today. I have to try to squeeze my writing into my lunch breaks. :P Oh well! At least I get a little time.
In Acts 13:22 David is called a man after God's own heart. Since I chose that phrase for the name of this blog, I think I should do a short study on who David was and why he was honored with that title.
David was the son of Jesse and the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth. As a boy, David served his father, family, and God as a shepherd. We aren't told that much about the time David spent as a shepherd, but we do know that he killed a lion and a bear, learned to play the harp, and that he developed a character that cause God to have Samuel anoint him as the king to follow Saul. Over the next several posts I am going to point out aspects of David's character that I believe distinguish him as a man after God's heart.
A Calm Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun
Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.
Psalm 62:1-2
My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
Psalm 62:5-7
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
I've been meditating on the life of Peter recently. Peter is a really interesting character in scripture. He is very bold and willing to express his opinions, and at the same time he is the disciple that seems to see Jesus best for who He is (The Christ, the Son of the living God). Peter sees the power of Christ many times while he is a disciple. He witnesses water turned to wine, the feeding of the 5000, the transfiguration, and the calming of a storm on the Sea of Galilee. He also got to watch the Lord every day to see the daily kindness and sacrifice of his Saviour. To me, the daily sacrifice of our Lord was the most powerful evidence that Peter saw to identify Jesus as the Christ. In John 13:12-17 it says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."
Christ instructed his disciples that their love needed to be "as I have loved you." In other words, it needed to be a daily sacrificing of their own wishes and desires for one another.
We know that Peter truly believed that Jesus was the Christ. Peter literally says the words in Matthew 16:16, but he also demonstrates them in Matthew 14:22-33. This is the passage that describes the disciple's trying to cross the Sea of Galilee (I think it was the Sea of Galilee... It doesn't say). Peter sees the Lord walking on the water and asks the Lord to command him to walk on the water. He realized that it was safer to be with his saviour (even when it defied the laws of physics) than it was to be in his sinking boat.
So how does Peter go from being a man that is willing to defy physics to be with the Lord, to denying that he even knows the Lord?
We read about it first in John 13:36-38. The scene is directly after the Lord's Supper. "36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."
Jesus actually warns Peter that he will fail in his love. The actual occasion of Peter's denial is written in Mark 14:66-72. "Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” But he denied it again.And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.”Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept."Can you imagine how Peter must have felt after he remembered Christ's words? He denied Jesus, the man he believed to be the Son of God. Not only did Peter deny Jesus, but his denial was immediately followed by the death of Christ. There was absolutely no way for Peter to restore the relationship.
Thankfully we serve a gracious risen saviour. Jesus rose from the dead and He chose to restore the relationship. We read about it in John 21:15-17 "So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah,[b] do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah,[c] do you love Me?”He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah,[d] do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep."
Peter denied Jesus three times and three times Jesus lets him state his love. And with that statement of love, Peter receives the same instruction from the Lord that he had been given earlier: to act out his love in sacrifice for his fellow man.
We serve a gracious God who gave his life, both in life and in death, for us. Our God loves us and is not willing that any of us should be separated from His love. Only through the sacrificial love of Christ can our broken relationship be restored.
I wrote the following poem to try to describe how I imagine Peter must have felt after he denied Christ and broke that relationship.
Walking on the Sea
My soul is at sea
Battered down
Lost and hurt
Anchor gone
Sails are torn
No landmarks to see
Wind is sound
Lost and hurt
Cargo gone
Rudder scorns
I would dream of rest
But my boat
Sinks an inch
Muscles burn
Hope is lost
About to give up
Still afloat
Sink an inch
Tables turn
Count the cost
Cry out to my God
Save my soul
Let me rest
Make me whole
Hopeless hope
Then I see a Spirit
Walking in the stormImpossible to think it
My saviour heard my cry
Don't think I believe
Scared enough to die
"Be not afraid"
The voice says
"It is I"
Lord, if it really is you
Command that I should come
"Come" says my Lord
I know that it is Him
But can I, like Peter
Take a single step
Trust that I'm forgiven
Leave my sinking ship
I see the wind around me
I'm scared and I don't know
Save me Lord, I'm drowning
I'm walking on the sea
Monday, June 11, 2012
Chosen
Lines slowly spread
Out the edge of my eyes
Slow forming canyons
With wisdom their prize
Rivers in time
Inevitably growing
Carving a history
Inexorably flowing
A light to my soul
A window if willing
To gaze past the lines
Where years have been spilling
Beauty and suffering
Both interwoven
No thought of escape
For Love I have chosen
Out the edge of my eyes
Slow forming canyons
With wisdom their prize
Rivers in time
Inevitably growing
Carving a history
Inexorably flowing
A light to my soul
A window if willing
To gaze past the lines
Where years have been spilling
Beauty and suffering
Both interwoven
No thought of escape
For Love I have chosen
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
What is Love?
This then, the basic human question that we seek to know. What is this thing called love? How do we make it grow?
This week I have been reading 1st Corinthians 13 during my personal devotions. The following is a scattered and brief collection of the thoughts that God has given to me.
The chapter begins by telling us what love is not.
Verse 1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
So love is not words. Love is not the communication between the lovers, no matter how beautiful and perfect that communication is in the moment.
Verse 2: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Love is not a quality or ability. Great personal abilities, like prophecy, knowledge, understanding, and even faith, don't mean anything without love.
Verse 3: And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love is not an action. Giving away all you have... even dying for someone... can be done without love. And without love, it means nothing.
So we have learned what love is not. Love is not words, love is not a personal quality, and love is not an action... even the most sacrificial of actions.
(Interesting side note: Who is it that has the tongue of men and of angels? And who has the gift of prophecy, all understanding and knowledge, and the faith to move mountains? And who gave all that he had and then died? The Lord Jesus is the answer, of course. So what the first three verses of 1st Corinthians 13 are telling us is that if the Lord had come to earth and lived and died, without love, it wouldn't have meant anything.)
So, what is love? In John 15:13-14 it says: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
(Another interesting side note: This love is only possible between believers in Christ. Verse 14 clearly says that this love is for those who follow the Lord's commands.)
Is God saying that love is the action of dying for your friends? Kind of. But it is so much more than that.
Verses 4-8: Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
This is what Jesus meant when he said that we must lay down our lives for our friends. It is not instant death that we are called to, rather it is constant, daily bearing the burdens of those that God has given us while at the same time keeping the state of heart described in verses 4-8.
Mark 9:35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
We are called to be servants, to be greatest we must become the least of all. This is a very hard kind of love because it does not result in a hero's adulation in this world. Real love looks humble and boring. It looks like Jesus washing the feet of twelve dirty men when it wasn't his job. (John 13:1-20) It looks like Ruth serving her mother-in-law Naomi for many years. It looks like Jesus letting his disciples sleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, even though he was at his time of greatest need for support. Love is not saying the right things. Love is not knowing, understanding, and believing the right things. Love is not doing hard things.
Love is having God's perfect image living in you, governing your words, character, and actions.
Love is, simply, love... and Love is hard... But love never fails.
Random thoughts about love that I may weave into analysis later:
Another aspect of love is that it is not something you can do by yourself. In Mathew 22:37-40 it says: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
True love is only possible in a relationship with God and with God's people. We are supposed to love with all our heart, soul, and mind. This complete love is only possible in and through Christ.
Side Note: The love of husband and wife is meant to be an image of the love of God. Thus, it is essential that both understand what the Love of God looks like and imitate that love in their relationship with each other.
This week I have been reading 1st Corinthians 13 during my personal devotions. The following is a scattered and brief collection of the thoughts that God has given to me.
The chapter begins by telling us what love is not.
Verse 1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
So love is not words. Love is not the communication between the lovers, no matter how beautiful and perfect that communication is in the moment.
Verse 2: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Love is not a quality or ability. Great personal abilities, like prophecy, knowledge, understanding, and even faith, don't mean anything without love.
Verse 3: And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love is not an action. Giving away all you have... even dying for someone... can be done without love. And without love, it means nothing.
So we have learned what love is not. Love is not words, love is not a personal quality, and love is not an action... even the most sacrificial of actions.
(Interesting side note: Who is it that has the tongue of men and of angels? And who has the gift of prophecy, all understanding and knowledge, and the faith to move mountains? And who gave all that he had and then died? The Lord Jesus is the answer, of course. So what the first three verses of 1st Corinthians 13 are telling us is that if the Lord had come to earth and lived and died, without love, it wouldn't have meant anything.)
So, what is love? In John 15:13-14 it says: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
(Another interesting side note: This love is only possible between believers in Christ. Verse 14 clearly says that this love is for those who follow the Lord's commands.)
Is God saying that love is the action of dying for your friends? Kind of. But it is so much more than that.
Verses 4-8: Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
This is what Jesus meant when he said that we must lay down our lives for our friends. It is not instant death that we are called to, rather it is constant, daily bearing the burdens of those that God has given us while at the same time keeping the state of heart described in verses 4-8.
Mark 9:35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
We are called to be servants, to be greatest we must become the least of all. This is a very hard kind of love because it does not result in a hero's adulation in this world. Real love looks humble and boring. It looks like Jesus washing the feet of twelve dirty men when it wasn't his job. (John 13:1-20) It looks like Ruth serving her mother-in-law Naomi for many years. It looks like Jesus letting his disciples sleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, even though he was at his time of greatest need for support. Love is not saying the right things. Love is not knowing, understanding, and believing the right things. Love is not doing hard things.
Love is having God's perfect image living in you, governing your words, character, and actions.
Love is, simply, love... and Love is hard... But love never fails.
Random thoughts about love that I may weave into analysis later:
Another aspect of love is that it is not something you can do by yourself. In Mathew 22:37-40 it says: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
True love is only possible in a relationship with God and with God's people. We are supposed to love with all our heart, soul, and mind. This complete love is only possible in and through Christ.
Side Note: The love of husband and wife is meant to be an image of the love of God. Thus, it is essential that both understand what the Love of God looks like and imitate that love in their relationship with each other.
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