1 Corinthians 13:1-3
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
Wow...basically the Apostle Paul is telling us that we could have all kinds of gifts/talents from the Holy Spirit, we could do all kinds of good works empowered by the Holy Spirit - but unless we have a heart of love, unless we carry out these great feats with a heart of love - then it not only amounts to nothing - but it is quite irritating (like listening to a gong or clanging...) - worth nothing, and in fact I am nothing....
I think this is enough to meditate on for now! Next time we will turn to the rest of the passage that describes exactly what Love looks like....
"Lord please forgive me (us) for the times that I minister/help/take action that is good, but without a spirit of love, compassion, and kindness - without the 'best interests' of the other in my heart. Lord, I (we) need You to fill me (us) with Your unconditional love - I (we) can't muster it up myself (ourselves) - You have to do that within. I (we) need Your help in receiving, continually the Love You have for me (us) so that I (we) can give Love to others. The measure of Love I (we) am/are able to receive from You, is the measure I (we) can give to others. Thank You Lord that You are able. Thank You for giving me (us) the desire to do/act all things out of Love. And not to just love others that love me (us), because that is not love, that is selfish motivation. But to love because You first loved me (us) and gave Yourself up for me (us). Thank You Lord."
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Increase My Faith Lord
Romans 1
We start today with the book of Romans. It is speculated from historical, extra-Biblical literature that Paul was released from his Roman prison after 2 years, never going before Caesar - perhaps the prosecutors didn't get their legal accusations together in a timely manner...whatever the case, he didn't 'rot in jail' nor was he executed at that point (Acts 28)!
Romans 1 is a powerful apologetic for how the world is without acknowledgment and Lordship of God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The state of our nation is reflected through the reading of Romans 1...not much 'new under the sun' - we could substitute 'anywhere' USA for Rome.
What struck me in the reading is the (saving) faith principle - the nature of faith (1:5, 12; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 2:12-15; Hebrews 10:4). It is a gift from God. Faith in Christ cannot be earned, it has to be given by God and has to be received by us, through the grace of God. Today as I have often done and will continue to do, I ask God to increase my faith...to increase, add to, enlarge, the gift of faith that He has given me. Romans 1:17, "...the righteous will live by faith". I want the Lord to add to the gift of faith He has given me and I've received, such that my life - that is really His Life through me (Galatians 2:20) - will be a greater and greater walk of faith. So that I will decreasingly walk based on what my eyes see, my ears hear, my hands perform, my feelings reveal...but that increasingly my eyes will be the eyes of FAITH, my ears would be the ears of FAITH, my hands would be the hands of FAITH, and my feelings would reveal FAITH. That God will be Glorified!
Would you join me today in asking the Lord to increase your faith? "Lord, increase faith within me."
We start today with the book of Romans. It is speculated from historical, extra-Biblical literature that Paul was released from his Roman prison after 2 years, never going before Caesar - perhaps the prosecutors didn't get their legal accusations together in a timely manner...whatever the case, he didn't 'rot in jail' nor was he executed at that point (Acts 28)!
Romans 1 is a powerful apologetic for how the world is without acknowledgment and Lordship of God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The state of our nation is reflected through the reading of Romans 1...not much 'new under the sun' - we could substitute 'anywhere' USA for Rome.
What struck me in the reading is the (saving) faith principle - the nature of faith (1:5, 12; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 2:12-15; Hebrews 10:4). It is a gift from God. Faith in Christ cannot be earned, it has to be given by God and has to be received by us, through the grace of God. Today as I have often done and will continue to do, I ask God to increase my faith...to increase, add to, enlarge, the gift of faith that He has given me. Romans 1:17, "...the righteous will live by faith". I want the Lord to add to the gift of faith He has given me and I've received, such that my life - that is really His Life through me (Galatians 2:20) - will be a greater and greater walk of faith. So that I will decreasingly walk based on what my eyes see, my ears hear, my hands perform, my feelings reveal...but that increasingly my eyes will be the eyes of FAITH, my ears would be the ears of FAITH, my hands would be the hands of FAITH, and my feelings would reveal FAITH. That God will be Glorified!
Would you join me today in asking the Lord to increase your faith? "Lord, increase faith within me."
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
In Your Image
Leviticus 8
Acts 12
Food for Life:
Leviticus 8
'So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses." During the ordination ceremony of Aaron and his sons (he and his descendants chosen by God to be the priests, and Aaron the high priest (who is now Jesus - Hebrews 7:26-28)), did EVERYTHING just as the Lord commanded. They were obedient to the tee...which as we see in reading Leviticus, was no small task!
Would it be today, that empowered by the Holy Spirit, we would be obedient to the tee. Not as a way of earning God's love, or position or favor with God, not to be self-satisfied or pleased with ourselves, not to lord it over others....but because God is worthy, and to honor the Lord because of who He is and what He has done for us...because of the lavish Love God has and does pour out over us - because He first loved us, we want to show our love for Him.
"Lord, we can't be obedient unless You move in and through us, empowering us to do so. Lord, we thank You for Your grace that covers us, even as a bird is covered with feathers, does Your Presence and Love cover us. Fill us with the desire to say 'yes Lord to Your will and to Your way.' "...everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Lord, You guide us through Your Word, and You speak through our conscious' - so that our conscious is clear and not filled with guilt, as we act upon the measure of faith in Jesus that You give us - for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others, that whoever will, will come. Thank You Lord."
Acts 12
Reading this chapter, I am in awe! In awe of the Lord! God sent His angel to release Peter from prison...as God's people prayed God's prayers on behalf of Peter, "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him" (12:5). I am also in awe that as Herod came to speak, the people "shouted, 'This is the voice of a god, not of a man. Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died" (12:22,23).
Wow - because when Herod was given glory, actually he was hailed as BEING god...the voice of god..."he did not give praise to God" he was killed. He was not killed because the people (ignorantly, with pride, filled with the devil...we are not given the reason why the people glorified Herod as god) credited him as the voice of god...he was killed because when the people did this, Herod did not give glory to God - Herod allowed them to hail him as god...
That is jarring, isn't it (to put it mildly)? I'm thinking about how easy it is as people, for us to credit to other people or ourselves, with whatever good comes from us. We are given the example of Herod (granted he was actually beheading Christians...no good in that...!) to make it clear that giving Glory to anyone but God, is a death report.
There are many reasons for this. The foremost is because God is the Only One worthy of Glory.
Another reason is because as people, it is so easy for us to be prideful and end up worshiping ourselves, the created, instead of the Creator (see Romans 1...and look around us and...within ourselves...).
Think about it - can you remember a time when the Lord did something through you or when you accomplished something great, wonderful, good, or awesome? Or when someone you know did? How easy is it to start feeling puffed up, or maybe even jealous of the other person and his/her accomplishment? If we stay with those thoughts, and if we were to follow them to their conclusion...well, ruin is sure to come. That is because we are limited and finite and at some point, in and of ourselves, we fail or fall. Proverbs says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (16:18).
This is reality, and the Lord reveals this to us for His Glory and for our good and for the good of others. This is how we are formed. We didn't form ourselves, we didn't give ourselves the gifts, abilities, and talents we possess (and each one of us DOES have at least one gifting, ability, and talent(!)) and we aren't responsible for the origination of 'good works' or their results. If we were, eventually, we would fail....
BUT GOD - God is the One who formed us (Psalm 139), God is the One who has deposited gifts, abilities, talents within us (Ephesians 2:10a) and God is the One who prepared the good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 10:b).
So, give God the Glory for who you are (wonderful and good :)), for the gifts, abilities, and talents you possess, and for the good works, the fruit that comes from you as you are connected to the Vine (John 15)!!!
Let's not be like Herod, who was silent in the face of others' enamoration (new word :)...enamoredness - of him...and he was struck down.
"Lord thank You that You have created us in Your Image; thank You that You have filled us with Your Spirit, thank You that You have deposited gifts, talents, abilities within us to be used for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others. Thank You Lord that 'every good and perfect gift comes down from You, the Father of lights in whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (James 1:17). Thank You that we can say 'thank you and praise God' whenever we are commended/complimented by others and when we are tempted to 'compliment' ourselves."
Bless You Lord! Thank You!
Acts 12
Food for Life:
Leviticus 8
'So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses." During the ordination ceremony of Aaron and his sons (he and his descendants chosen by God to be the priests, and Aaron the high priest (who is now Jesus - Hebrews 7:26-28)), did EVERYTHING just as the Lord commanded. They were obedient to the tee...which as we see in reading Leviticus, was no small task!
Would it be today, that empowered by the Holy Spirit, we would be obedient to the tee. Not as a way of earning God's love, or position or favor with God, not to be self-satisfied or pleased with ourselves, not to lord it over others....but because God is worthy, and to honor the Lord because of who He is and what He has done for us...because of the lavish Love God has and does pour out over us - because He first loved us, we want to show our love for Him.
"Lord, we can't be obedient unless You move in and through us, empowering us to do so. Lord, we thank You for Your grace that covers us, even as a bird is covered with feathers, does Your Presence and Love cover us. Fill us with the desire to say 'yes Lord to Your will and to Your way.' "...everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Lord, You guide us through Your Word, and You speak through our conscious' - so that our conscious is clear and not filled with guilt, as we act upon the measure of faith in Jesus that You give us - for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others, that whoever will, will come. Thank You Lord."
Acts 12
Reading this chapter, I am in awe! In awe of the Lord! God sent His angel to release Peter from prison...as God's people prayed God's prayers on behalf of Peter, "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him" (12:5). I am also in awe that as Herod came to speak, the people "shouted, 'This is the voice of a god, not of a man. Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died" (12:22,23).
Wow - because when Herod was given glory, actually he was hailed as BEING god...the voice of god..."he did not give praise to God" he was killed. He was not killed because the people (ignorantly, with pride, filled with the devil...we are not given the reason why the people glorified Herod as god) credited him as the voice of god...he was killed because when the people did this, Herod did not give glory to God - Herod allowed them to hail him as god...
That is jarring, isn't it (to put it mildly)? I'm thinking about how easy it is as people, for us to credit to other people or ourselves, with whatever good comes from us. We are given the example of Herod (granted he was actually beheading Christians...no good in that...!) to make it clear that giving Glory to anyone but God, is a death report.
There are many reasons for this. The foremost is because God is the Only One worthy of Glory.
Another reason is because as people, it is so easy for us to be prideful and end up worshiping ourselves, the created, instead of the Creator (see Romans 1...and look around us and...within ourselves...).
Think about it - can you remember a time when the Lord did something through you or when you accomplished something great, wonderful, good, or awesome? Or when someone you know did? How easy is it to start feeling puffed up, or maybe even jealous of the other person and his/her accomplishment? If we stay with those thoughts, and if we were to follow them to their conclusion...well, ruin is sure to come. That is because we are limited and finite and at some point, in and of ourselves, we fail or fall. Proverbs says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (16:18).
This is reality, and the Lord reveals this to us for His Glory and for our good and for the good of others. This is how we are formed. We didn't form ourselves, we didn't give ourselves the gifts, abilities, and talents we possess (and each one of us DOES have at least one gifting, ability, and talent(!)) and we aren't responsible for the origination of 'good works' or their results. If we were, eventually, we would fail....
BUT GOD - God is the One who formed us (Psalm 139), God is the One who has deposited gifts, abilities, talents within us (Ephesians 2:10a) and God is the One who prepared the good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 10:b).
So, give God the Glory for who you are (wonderful and good :)), for the gifts, abilities, and talents you possess, and for the good works, the fruit that comes from you as you are connected to the Vine (John 15)!!!
Let's not be like Herod, who was silent in the face of others' enamoration (new word :)...enamoredness - of him...and he was struck down.
"Lord thank You that You have created us in Your Image; thank You that You have filled us with Your Spirit, thank You that You have deposited gifts, talents, abilities within us to be used for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others. Thank You Lord that 'every good and perfect gift comes down from You, the Father of lights in whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (James 1:17). Thank You that we can say 'thank you and praise God' whenever we are commended/complimented by others and when we are tempted to 'compliment' ourselves."
Bless You Lord! Thank You!
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