Category: I Corinthians

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World Changing Love

Yesterday on our drive home I was thinking of how blessed I am! I often take time to meditate on the blessings the Lord has given me.

Family, friends, health, joy, peace, confidence…blessed!

One verse kept coming to the forefront of my mind – really it was just a phrase from a verse- “Faith worketh by Love”.

“We are waiting for the hope of being made right with God. This will come through the Holy Spirit and by faith. 6 If we belong to Jesus Christ, it means nothing to have or not to have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. But faith working through love is important.” Galatians 5:5-6 NLT

I’ve heard message after message on being built up in faith and how it is impossible to please God without faith and those messages are true but if they are separated from the key element of love – God’s love for us, our love for God and our fellowman -those words are in vain.

If I don’t have a firm understanding of how much the heavenly Father loves me I won’t be able to trust Him, or put my faith in His word. In the natural, we put our faith in friends and family because we know they love us and wouldn’t do anything to knowingly hurt us. Love is the basis for our faith.

God is LOVE! We can trust Him to keep His word.

“For the Lord is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. And He is faithful to all people and to all their children-to-come.” Psalm 100:4-5 NLV

This is the type of love and faithfulness we should be showing to those around us. When we have faith in God’s love for us we can share it with ours. Displaying a true love, genuine and unconditional, will draw our family and friends close. They will be secure in our presence; they will have faith in our words and actions.

And they will see Jesus in us!

“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13:35 CEV

We can change the world one person at a time by loving the way God does. Faith increases when love is present; hope is unwavering when love is present; the world is changed when love is present.

“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13 NLT

Happy Valentine’s Day – you’re a world changer!

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Strong and Healthy

Today I want to share a few more thoughts with you on being a part of the body of Christ…

Although, we are all the body of Christ, we do not all have the same function. Some are fingers, toes, arms, and legs but we are all necessary for the proper functioning of the body. We are all needed to make the body complete. By working in harmony, we bring glory to the One who has placed His name on this body.

“A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.” Romans 12:4-5 CEV

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” I Corinthians 12:27 NLT

If our little finger gets smashed or our arm gets broken the rest of our body works together to protect the part that’s hurting. When disease strikes, the blood cells work overtime to produce what it needs and then fights to remove the infection. In the physical body strife and stress weaken our immunity and make us susceptible to physical illness.

Sad to say, but the same thing happens in the body of Christ. Criticism, gossip, selfishness, greed, and pride are germs that infect the body of Christ and weaken our effectiveness. We need to protect and nurture the parts of this body, not amputate them, so that the message of Christ doesn’t lose its effectiveness.

We are mutually dependent on one another. I need you and you need me. We might not agree on everything but without each other neither of us will operate fully and the whole body will suffer.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT

If we pull away from each other, criticizing and condemning one another, we’ll be tossed around like a cork in the ocean. But when we receive good teaching we will grow to be more like Christ with each passing day. We’ll take on a maturity that brings glory to Him.

Let’s all work together to help the broken and hurting parts “so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Christ wants us all functioning together in love!

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New Identity

Have you ever wished you could go somewhere and start over? Go someplace where no one knows your past and its failures? A new identity offers a new start…

Let me tell you a story.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to help some friends prepare for a horse sale. The animals were delivered on a Sunday afternoon and were to be sold the following Saturday at an auction. Forty-three horses arrived but one in particular caught my eye. They were all frightened and unsettled from the fifteen-hundred-mile trip. Most were unfamiliar with human contact.

Up to this time, I had very little experience working with unbroke animals; in fact, I had none. On Tuesday morning, we began by bringing the yearlings out of their pens. This was the first time most of them had ever been on lead ropes or tied to a hitching rail. This one little colt was standing there shaking as I approached him; he was so scared.

I was a little nervous myself, so I began praying for him and myself. My prayers brought peace to both of us. I asked the Lord to help him understand that I wasn’t going to hurt him. As I brushed his coat and combed his mane and tail, he began to relax and his fear diminished.

Over the next few days, I worked with him and the other horses daily. There were six of us working those forty-three beauties but this one was my favorite. By the time sale day came he looked elegant. He was bathed and groomed that morning and ended up being the high price yearling of the sale.

He had a new identity and value.

As I watched him change and develop the Lord reminded me of the change that takes place in the life of a believer as we grow in Him. He’s ever changing us into His likeness. He wants us to look like Him, after all, we are called the Body of Christ.

Only God could take a sinful creature and completely birth us into someone new who becomes a part of the body of Christ. We are new, old things are dead.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” II Corinthians 5:17 CEV

When we become new creatures in Christ God takes one sinful person, covers our sins with the blood of Jesus and we begin a whole new life.

A new identity.

Jesus is the head and we are His body. When believers first started going out in the world and telling the Good News of Jesus, they were called Christians because they were behaving like “little Christ-like ones”. They were acting in the same way they had seen Christ act. They had a new identity.

“And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:10 ERV

When we come to Christ our past is removed, we become part of the body of Christ and our new identity is in Him. Don’t let your past rule your life – in Him everything is new!

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Made in Heaven

The last couple of days I have taken our morning thoughts from Ephesians, chapter 5. This is the Apostle Paul’s teaching on marriage. The marriage union is God’s idea; He wanted each of us to experience the joy of companionshipship and sacrifical love.

However, we find that Paul is using our earthly marriage as an example of the relationship that Christ desires to have with us.

A match made in heaven!

“In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares* for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.” Ephesians 5:28-30 NLT (*cherishes)

Christ loves for us is deeper than we can imagine!

It’s amazing when we realize that Jesus took on our sin to give us His righteousness. He made us completely new creatures; we are given a new life because He was willing to die for us.

“But if you join yourself to the Lord, you are one with Him in spirit.” I Corinthians 6:17 NLV

Cherish is a word that means to hold dear, to protect, to cling to. Jesus cherishes us, we are His wife. This truth can and will dispel every feeling of depression and inferiority that we encounter.

We are the chosen wife of Jesus Christ.

“As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” Verses 31-32 NLT

Marriage is a two-way street.

Jesus left His Father to come to earth and oversee all the marriage arrangements. His number one priority was to see that his new wife would be abundantly provided for in every area of her life. We, as His wife, give up any past attachments that would distract us and keep us from being completely committed to Him.

This is God’s plan concerning Christ and the church.

Jesus is our loving husband. He has done all to fill our lives with His love. He desires to provide the absolute best for us, He will overlook our short comings, and forgive us when we fail. He won’t remind us of our past but instead provides us with a glorious future. He sees us as His bride.

“Bride of the king, listen carefully to me. Forget your own people and your father’s family. 11 The king is your husband, so do what he desires…Your bride, my king, has inward beauty, and her wedding gown is woven with threads of gold. 14 Wearing the finest garments, she is brought to you, followed by her young friends, the bridesmaids. 15 Everyone is excited, as they follow you to the royal palace.”  Psalm 45:10-15 CEV

Christ came to earth to declare His love for us. He gave His all to provide us with a new and better life. His love is unconditional and eternal. Our part is to accept His proposal of new life and be joined to Him.

Truly, a match made in heaven!

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Did You Know?

I had a professor in college that loved to start class with questions. “Do you know”, “did you realize”, “do you understand” were some of his favorites. We knew to pay attention to what was about to be said because we were going to learn something.

The Apostle Paul is good at asking the same kind of questions.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” I Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT

The temple in the Old Testament, a beautiful building, was divided into three sections: the outside court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Everyone was allowed in the outer court. The Holy Place was reserved for the priests and then there was the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, where only the high priest went once a year to offer sacrifice for the sins of the nation of Israel. It was there that the glory of God dwelt. The power and glory of God was housed in the temple.

Something extremely exciting happened on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion; the veil which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in half from the top and to the floor. The glory of God was no longer confined to a specially designated room. God’s glory was released to all who received Him.

      “Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,” Matthew 27:50-51 NLT

When we follow Christ we are called the temple of the Holy Spirit. We have three worship areas also: spirit, soul, and body. Our spirit is the Holy of Holies where the fulness of God dwells. It is the part of us that is perfect and was created new when we received the gift of salvation.

“For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 NLT

      Our body is the outer court. The part that everyone can see. Our soul – our mind, will and emotions, is the Holy Place. It is here that we experience forgiveness and the peace that new life in Christ gives us. As we let God’s Word change our actions, our intents, and our desires our temple takes on God’s glory and likeness…

“For we work together with God. You are God’s field. You are God’s building also…16 Do you not know that you are a house of God and that the Holy Spirit lives in you? 17…God’s house is holy. You are the place where He lives.” I Corinthians 3:9-17 NLT

Do you know that you are God’s house? The Holy Spirit of God has chosen to live in us. He is the resident who makes our house special and furnishes us with the attributes of God’s character.

Did you know…

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Clearing Clutter

This morning when I got up and looked around the house I stopped to be thankful for my mother.

When I was a girl we lived in a trailer. My dad worked in road construction and we moved frequently. Our home moved with us. But there isn’t much room in a trailer and so everything had to have a place. I was allowed one junk drawer and when it was full I either had to throw out some of the old or I couldn’t keep anything new.

I learned to appreciate the qualities of tidiness and organization that were a natural part of Mom’s life and adopted them as my own. I have one friend who comes to visit and she always tells me, “I love coming to your house, it’s free of clutter. Always picked up and neat. It makes me feel comfortable and welcome like you were expecting me.”

The Apostle Paul said this in I Corinthians 14:40: “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

He was referring to the local gathering of believers in Corinth and the order of their service. He admonished them that it should be orderly so that those attending weren’t confused but gained benefit from the service.

He used the word “All” and every place I have researched the word all means all. I’m not trying to convict or condemn any who have cluttered homes. It’s a personal choice and I won’t judge you.

However, when it comes to cluttered minds, thoughts or actions that can be a detriment to us hearing God.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

It’s hard to “be still” with a thousand things on our mind. It’s important that we have our thoughts line up with God’s so that we can make wise and godly decisions.

In the very beginning the earth had no form and was void of life but God spoke the worlds into existence with His words and brought order and beauty. He removed the chaos. His Word will bring order and beauty to our lives as well.

I know how busy things can be at this time of year. Family, friends, food, festivities can lead to frazzled nerves and frustration. Take time to walk away from the clutter and the busyness. Clear the clutter. Be still.

The Father is waiting for you!

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Good & Healthy

How many of you are already planning your holiday baking and the menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals? Does the word “healthy” fit with those culinary delights? Or is your attitude more along the lines of indulgence and it’s only once a year?

I was going to use the “just this once” phrase but realized that has kind of been a pattern of late. Camping and cookies – just this once. Grandchildrens birthday cupcakes – just this once (three months in a row). Yes, I’ve let those just-this-once treats and snacks add some extra pounds that need to be removed.

So, this morning I’m going to talk about exercise for a bit. Not for you but for me. I need to put this out there and be accountable.

When we first realize that we “need” to exercise it’s never pleasant. Accepting that we are out of shape and not as healthy as we should be is the first step. So we decide to exercise.

The first few days we have a real commitment or at least that’s what we tell ourself. But then comes day seven or eight; and it becomes harder to stay committed to the goal. Our muscles hurt, we’re not seeing any results yet, we start making excuses and when we do that we are on your way to failure.

I know, I’ve failed many times.

Now think back to our childhood days – exercise wasn’t a bad word. In fact, it was called play. To be outside with our buddies playing ball, running through the yard playing tag or football. Going hiking to your favorite fishing spot or walking the mile to the swimming pool in the afternoon heat (my personal favorite). It was fun and we were in shape.

Of course you know this is going to have a spiritual correlation.

When we face trials and temptations it is an opportunity to exercise our faith. James tells us to count it joy because we will be developed and end up lacking nothing. Exercising our faith builds spiritual muscle.

“My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.” James 1:2-4 CEV

Facing trials is like building muscle. At first we see little victories but then to continue to develop a muscle we must increase the weight, the repetition or both.

In walking with the Lord, we’re never left to do this on our own. We have a great coach who is with us every step. Under His direction and inspiration we come out the winner.

“You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.” I Corinthians 10:13 CEV

Jesus knows what this is all about because He went through every temptation we experience while he was here on earth. Who better to coach us than someone whose been there, done that and emerged as the Champion of Champions!

“We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:14-16 ERV

Thank you Lord for coaching me through life and providing all the help I need to develop and finish as a winner! And thank you for giving me the power to resist that pecan pie and stay on track with my daily exercise!

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Thank God for Victory!

Last night I was talking with a friend about victory. We’ve been praying for each other and there are some situations that we have been praying over for a long time yet neither one of us is discouraged.

We know that God has given us the victory!

God’s faithfulness is not temporary or conditional. No, He is always faithful and worthy of our trust. Occasionally, we need to be reminded of that.

” But we thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 CEV

We give thanks to God, who gives us the victory over life’s situations. This victory is ours through our relationship with Christ Jesus. It may not always look like we are victorious but when we give Him thanks our Father gives us little glimpses into how He’s working.

Jesus didn’t look victorious when they laid him in the tomb. Peter didn’t look victorious when he was sinking on the sea of Galilee. Daniel didn’t look victorious when he was thrown into the lion’s den. Paul didn’t look victorious when he was stoned and left for dead.

Maybe your circumstances don’t appear very encouraging but God is working!

You still deal with the same situations at work, with your family, your health, your finances, your fears. But God is working. He has never lied, never broken a promise. When we come to Him with His word we aren’t being arrogant. We are being obedient.

“Rain and snow fall from the sky and don’t return until they have watered the ground.
Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat. 11 In the same way, my words leave my mouth,
 and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:10-11 ERV

These verses create a powerful image in my mind. Did you ever plant some seeds in a garden or flower bed? Maybe you were young and impatient. Your folks told you to leave them alone, they were growing under the soil where you couldn’t see. Then one day the sprout popped through the earth, still you were instructed to leave it alone and let it grow. It seemed like ages before it was fully developed. Seed – sprout – stalk – leaves – fruit – harvest.

Victory!

That’s how it is with God’s word. It is planted in prayer, watered and germinating where no one sees but it always succeeds where God sends it. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory.

Stand strong in doing the work that God has called you to do. Don’t give in to the voice of public opinion or pressure of your peers. You have victory in Christ Jesus so stand strong and give thanks!

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Making A Way

I recently had a conversation with a friend who said “I know God is going to work things out, I just don’t see how”. I have been there so many times…more times than I am comfortable with but each one of those situations has bolstered my faith when the next circumstance comes.

Knowing that God is in control and that He is working things out even/especially when we can’t see what’s going on is a great place of peace and comfort. He delivered Noah in the flood, David from Goliath, Daniel from the lions, Joseph in Egypt, Paul in prison, the thief on the cross and He won’t quit with us or those we love!

“Great blessings belong to those who are tempted and remain faithful! After they have proved their faith, God will give them the reward of eternal life. God promised this to all people who love him. 13 Whenever you feel tempted to do something bad, you should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. 14 You are tempted by the evil things you want. Your own desire leads you away and traps you. 15 Your desire grows inside you until it results in sin. Then the sin grows bigger and bigger and finally ends in death.16 My dear brothers and sisters, don’t be fooled about this. 17 Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.” James 1:12-18 ERV

Sometimes we get things backwards. Sometimes we say God is testing me or putting me through this trial to see what I’m made of. God doesn’t do that. When the trials, tests and temptations come they come from our own making or the influence of Satan in the world. God steps in to give us the strength to win the battle.

Noah had no idea how long he would be in the ark. David collected five stones for his sling; he didn’t know the first one would kill the giant. Joseph served thirteen years as a slave in Egypt before he was promoted. Paul was stoned, shipwrecked, beaten and imprisoned, but he said those were light afflictions and that God’s grace was sufficient in every situation.

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” I Corinthians 10:13 NLT

In Sunday’s worship service we sang the song “Way Maker”. The lyrics in that song that mean the most to me are these: “Even when I don’t see it, You’re working, Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working, You never stop, You never stop working, You never stop, You never stop working”.

God never stops working – He makes a way for us. God will lead us into victory. Thank Him for all the good and perfect gifts that He has provided.

“Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ…” II Corinthians 2:14

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Tempted to Complain?

I have to admit that there are times when I am tempted to complain but that hasn’t been the case for quite a while now. My life isn’t perfect; it has it’s up’s and down’s however, my God is perfect!

And He loves me!

As I was making the morning coffee my head filled with song by singer/songwriter Dottie Rambo:

He left the Splendor of Heaven
Knowing His destiny
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha
there to lay down His life for me.

if that isn’t love
the ocean is dry
there’s no stars in the sky
and the sparrow can’t fly
if that isn’t love
then Heavens a myth
there’s no feeling like this
if that isn’t love

Gratitude spills over into everything we do when we focus on the truth of God’s love. There is one reason and one reason only that Jesus left heaven and came to earth. That reason is His love for us!

Complaining causes us to lose focus of what is good. It can be a downward spiral. How many of you have heard these words?

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” I Corinthians 10:13 NLT

Paul was giving instruction to Christians about the example they had received from their fore fathers who had murmured and complained in the wilderness. They had seen all of God’s power when He delivered them from Egypt; crossing the Red Sea; living under the pillar of cloud by day; eating manna from heaven; drinking water from a rock and still they complained and rebelled.

So, now Paul is giving strong admonition to the Christians in Corinth. Don’t let the temptation to complain and murmur about your circumstances cause you to stray from the Lord. God is faithful and He will provide a way of escape. Don’t be confident in your own abilities because when you do, you will fall but be confident in Christ and what He has done for you.

This is a good word for today. How many times a day do we find ourselves complaining about something? How many times are we trusting in our own strength and not His?

We should remind ourselves of how the Lord has been faithful in the past. Remind ourselves that we are the reason He left heaven. This should keep us from complaining about the present or worrying over the future!

We have His promise that He will never leave us or abandon us. Now that’s love!

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