Jeremiah 31:31
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:"
"We don't have to worry about Israel, but I am concerned about America."
Jan Markell
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Forgetting What Is Behind Pressing On Toward the Goal
Praise the Lord He has not left us without guidance and companionship. He provides other believers to come alongside encouraging us as they too, go through the same things in the same way.
When we have been reviled for speaking the truth, it would be good to meditate on these verses. In God's mercy He has provided much strength for us through His Word. He has told us what to expect when we care deeply about the principles of God and the working of the Holy Spirit.
We can expect to be maligned and denegraded continually, just when we think the nay-sayers have all left, in come the trolls, one by one attempting to undermine what God is doing. Remember they did it to Christ and they will do it to us.
Our deliverance is coming soon, the reunion of the saints that desired Christ to rule in their lives will be our constant companions in heaven where all will be judged and made right. I don't know about you, but I look forward to this day with great joy and anticipation.
Matthew 10:16-39
"16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues;
18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.
20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
22 You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!
26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.
28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it"
Join with me in rejoicing at what is to come for the Bride of Christ!!!! It will be so glorious, all that is going on now will pale in comparison, forgetting all that was behind enjoying all that is ahead.
When we have been reviled for speaking the truth, it would be good to meditate on these verses. In God's mercy He has provided much strength for us through His Word. He has told us what to expect when we care deeply about the principles of God and the working of the Holy Spirit.
We can expect to be maligned and denegraded continually, just when we think the nay-sayers have all left, in come the trolls, one by one attempting to undermine what God is doing. Remember they did it to Christ and they will do it to us.
Our deliverance is coming soon, the reunion of the saints that desired Christ to rule in their lives will be our constant companions in heaven where all will be judged and made right. I don't know about you, but I look forward to this day with great joy and anticipation.
Matthew 10:16-39
"16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues;
18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.
20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
22 You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!
26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.
28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it"
Join with me in rejoicing at what is to come for the Bride of Christ!!!! It will be so glorious, all that is going on now will pale in comparison, forgetting all that was behind enjoying all that is ahead.
Revelation 19:6-9
"6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.”
"6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.”
Pray for those who have not yet trusted Christ, mourn for those who will not listen.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Manipulative Anger Exposed!
Manipulative anger is a common method of making someone feel guilty for two reasons, one is to get their victim to think they were wrong, after all, someone got angry so someone must have made them angry, and two,to silence their victim for future discussion.
If we feel guilty for speaking our mind, we might stop speaking truth that they don't want to hear. These tactics work, just look at our culture, most people are frightened little rabbits, shaking in fear, to voice an opposing opinion or truth. Even avoiding at all costs any discussion about Christ or the Bible.
God's people are bold as lions, they are accused of many things to foster silence in them, but if we are led by the Holy Spirit of God, we are not intimidated by these fleshly manipulative outbursts of anger, they merely show us what is inside the perp.
The guilty person will blow up in anger or run away to hide when corrected.
Proverbs 28:1
"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."
Matthew 10:22
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
The person who was unaware of their sin but have a sense of righteousness, will be ashamed, desiring to be cleansed through confession of that sin and restoration with those they have offended, especially God.
Ephesians 5:20-28
"20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself"
A guilty person will avoid all contact with the things of God, embarrassed to speak of Him or engage in conversation about Him.
Jeremiah 8:12
"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD."
A humble contrite person will love discussing the things of the Lord.
Proverbs 29:23
"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit."
Psalm 51:17
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
Proverbs 8:11
"For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."
James 1:5
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
Which one do we want to be? The humble who loves God more than life itself, or the one who thinks they have all the answers and resists instruction and correction?
If we feel guilty for speaking our mind, we might stop speaking truth that they don't want to hear. These tactics work, just look at our culture, most people are frightened little rabbits, shaking in fear, to voice an opposing opinion or truth. Even avoiding at all costs any discussion about Christ or the Bible.
God's people are bold as lions, they are accused of many things to foster silence in them, but if we are led by the Holy Spirit of God, we are not intimidated by these fleshly manipulative outbursts of anger, they merely show us what is inside the perp.
The guilty person will blow up in anger or run away to hide when corrected.
Proverbs 28:1
"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."
Matthew 10:22
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
The person who was unaware of their sin but have a sense of righteousness, will be ashamed, desiring to be cleansed through confession of that sin and restoration with those they have offended, especially God.
Ephesians 5:20-28
"20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself"
A guilty person will avoid all contact with the things of God, embarrassed to speak of Him or engage in conversation about Him.
Jeremiah 8:12
"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD."
A humble contrite person will love discussing the things of the Lord.
Proverbs 29:23
"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit."
Psalm 51:17
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
Proverbs 8:11
"For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."
James 1:5
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
Which one do we want to be? The humble who loves God more than life itself, or the one who thinks they have all the answers and resists instruction and correction?
Whose Pulpit?
Question all that your church leaders say, God told us to do that. Even when Paul spoke, the Bereans went to the scriptures to see if what he was saying was true, they didn't just take his word for it.
Acts 17:10-11
10 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."
If you have a leader who will be happy to receive a challenge based on the Word, then you have a jewel. If you have a leader who refuses to discuss a challenge and says things like "my pulpit", then you have an arrogant man who should not be teaching and preaching until he learns humility.
Acts 17:10-11
10 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."
If you have a leader who will be happy to receive a challenge based on the Word, then you have a jewel. If you have a leader who refuses to discuss a challenge and says things like "my pulpit", then you have an arrogant man who should not be teaching and preaching until he learns humility.
You Don't Have To Join, You Are Already A Member!
Today I was listening to a young political pundit who became exasperated at his and other's attempts at changing the political climate of a particular university. It struck me that what he was saying, may be the answer to a question I have had from time to time, about individuals remaining in churches with the goal of changing the hearts in them.
Not only do I see it as an exercise in futility, but I also see it as this man saw the attempts to change politics on a college campuses, as he put it, "a fool’s errand."
Those who desire to seek God for all things, need to leave the organized churches that are refusing to obey God's Word and fellowship with likeminded others who have also left.
If someone accuses you of "sheep stealing", then you know their bent is fame and mammon. Since everyone who is born again of the Holy Spirit and is a member of the body of Christ, it makes no difference whether they leave or stay in any gathering, that they are seeking God is all that matters.
If someone feels led to remove themselves from a particular gathering, to join another gathering, then those they are staying should send them off with a blessing and a prayer. The fact that in most situations, those who have left because leadership would not obey the Word, are gossiped about, shunned and rejected, tells us that something other than Christ was their focus. Not to mention the immense pride involved in being offended that someone did not endorse the activities in that particular gathering. Often when believers leave over bad doctrine or no doctrine at all, those who stay are glad to see them go, but withhold the prayer and blessing.
When leadership will not obey the Word, then it is our responsibility to bring it to their attention. When they will not listen and you have followed all the steps mandated in the word to get them to see their error, and they will not repent, then it is time to leave.
Those who approach the brothers that are leaving, to intimidate, demean and manipulate them into guilt about their decision, are showing who they are in their spiritual walk, which is superficial, prideful and deceptive.
When I see that no one is listening, then it is time to shake the dust from your feet and move toward those who are obeying Christ. No one does this perfectly, and everyone is at a different spiritual level of growth, but everyone should be seeking Christ.
All of this falderal about church "membership", shows us that the purpose is to have something to chain people to, hold over their heads and prevent leaving, more manipulation to keep the money rolling in and bragging rights to entice others to join.
Formal church membership is akin to the rights of passage that Masons, Catholics and other fraternal organizations use to keep their members living in fear of leaving.
Church membership is a device of the world and not Biblically based.
There are many scriptures to support what has been said here, perhaps some of you can post them for me. At the very least, do your own study of these things and you will find that scriptures have been twisted to justify them, for the purpose of keeping people in bondage to human rules and traditions that Christ never mandated.
Some food for thought!
Not only do I see it as an exercise in futility, but I also see it as this man saw the attempts to change politics on a college campuses, as he put it, "a fool’s errand."
Those who desire to seek God for all things, need to leave the organized churches that are refusing to obey God's Word and fellowship with likeminded others who have also left.
If someone accuses you of "sheep stealing", then you know their bent is fame and mammon. Since everyone who is born again of the Holy Spirit and is a member of the body of Christ, it makes no difference whether they leave or stay in any gathering, that they are seeking God is all that matters.
If someone feels led to remove themselves from a particular gathering, to join another gathering, then those they are staying should send them off with a blessing and a prayer. The fact that in most situations, those who have left because leadership would not obey the Word, are gossiped about, shunned and rejected, tells us that something other than Christ was their focus. Not to mention the immense pride involved in being offended that someone did not endorse the activities in that particular gathering. Often when believers leave over bad doctrine or no doctrine at all, those who stay are glad to see them go, but withhold the prayer and blessing.
When leadership will not obey the Word, then it is our responsibility to bring it to their attention. When they will not listen and you have followed all the steps mandated in the word to get them to see their error, and they will not repent, then it is time to leave.
Those who approach the brothers that are leaving, to intimidate, demean and manipulate them into guilt about their decision, are showing who they are in their spiritual walk, which is superficial, prideful and deceptive.
When I see that no one is listening, then it is time to shake the dust from your feet and move toward those who are obeying Christ. No one does this perfectly, and everyone is at a different spiritual level of growth, but everyone should be seeking Christ.
All of this falderal about church "membership", shows us that the purpose is to have something to chain people to, hold over their heads and prevent leaving, more manipulation to keep the money rolling in and bragging rights to entice others to join.
Formal church membership is akin to the rights of passage that Masons, Catholics and other fraternal organizations use to keep their members living in fear of leaving.
Church membership is a device of the world and not Biblically based.
There are many scriptures to support what has been said here, perhaps some of you can post them for me. At the very least, do your own study of these things and you will find that scriptures have been twisted to justify them, for the purpose of keeping people in bondage to human rules and traditions that Christ never mandated.
Some food for thought!
Friday, January 2, 2015
They Will Accuse You
There have been times when I have tried to search my heart and my past to see what I may have done to foster hateful attitudes against me on the part of others. Guess what...I can't see anything that isn't normal human interaction, the same interaction others have, that no one is mad at them for.
I believe that when we are following hard after Christ, those in rebellion, interpret our words and actions differently than they do the same words and actions of those who are not born again. Often people interpret what we say and do in terms of their own attitude rather than what we meant by them. When we desire to clear things up they don't want to have the discussion, as though they have chosen to believe what they want to.
There is an automatic rejection of those who have been born again by those who are unsaved. They hate us, so their interpretation of all that we do will be twisted and skewed to make us look wrong.
Prejudice against the believer is monstrous in our world. The Devil has managed to twist the minds of those who are not saved, into deep anger, even without realizing they are doing it, they have formed their opinions of us based on their own hatred for God's principles.
Thank the Lord He warned us this would be the case. I have been chastised by believers for speaking truth, because someone got angry. The psychology of this thinking says that if someone got angry, then someone else "made them angry."
No one can make anyone else angry, we choose to be angry. We either have righteous anger or unrighteous anger. The anger of the unsaved person toward the believer is irrational at best. Because they have minds controlled by the flesh and the devil they cannot understand the ways of God. Nor do they have a desire to.
The only reason to write about this is to comfort those who may be questioning themselves thinking they may have done something wrong because the world acts as though they hate them.
Don't worry about figuring it out. If you have the Holy Spirit and He has given you peace about what you said or did, then you can leave it with Him, confident that if you do wrong in your words and actions, He will let you know. Learn how to discern between real guilt and false guilt, because the world will attempt to instil false guilt in you to silence you. If you have obeyed God, prayed about it and have peace, then dismiss any accusation against you by non-believers.
1 Peter 4:12-19
"12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?
19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."
I believe that when we are following hard after Christ, those in rebellion, interpret our words and actions differently than they do the same words and actions of those who are not born again. Often people interpret what we say and do in terms of their own attitude rather than what we meant by them. When we desire to clear things up they don't want to have the discussion, as though they have chosen to believe what they want to.
There is an automatic rejection of those who have been born again by those who are unsaved. They hate us, so their interpretation of all that we do will be twisted and skewed to make us look wrong.
Prejudice against the believer is monstrous in our world. The Devil has managed to twist the minds of those who are not saved, into deep anger, even without realizing they are doing it, they have formed their opinions of us based on their own hatred for God's principles.
Thank the Lord He warned us this would be the case. I have been chastised by believers for speaking truth, because someone got angry. The psychology of this thinking says that if someone got angry, then someone else "made them angry."
No one can make anyone else angry, we choose to be angry. We either have righteous anger or unrighteous anger. The anger of the unsaved person toward the believer is irrational at best. Because they have minds controlled by the flesh and the devil they cannot understand the ways of God. Nor do they have a desire to.
The only reason to write about this is to comfort those who may be questioning themselves thinking they may have done something wrong because the world acts as though they hate them.
Don't worry about figuring it out. If you have the Holy Spirit and He has given you peace about what you said or did, then you can leave it with Him, confident that if you do wrong in your words and actions, He will let you know. Learn how to discern between real guilt and false guilt, because the world will attempt to instil false guilt in you to silence you. If you have obeyed God, prayed about it and have peace, then dismiss any accusation against you by non-believers.
1 Peter 4:12-19
"12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?
19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."
The Real God Like Love
I heard a rabbi recently explain that the Hebrew word for love means two things:
1. an action word for giving and 2. an action word for withholding.
The American culture does not understand the second action of love. We have been taught to allow everyone to have whatever they want while believing anything they want, and that is love.
Unfortunately we have the society we have today, because we did not understand love, when to withhold and when to give. We also misunderstood love to be praising one another no matter what our choices.
We have also misunderstood love to be merely what we say to people, "love ya", without any action to prove it. Words are empty when not accompanied by God's kind of love in action.
Love is determining to give what is good for the person, not necessarily what they want.
Love is often a spanking to show the seriousness of sin in one's life. Love can be putting up with small offenses to heap hot coals of kindness. It can be giving someone what they don't need to show kindness, however it can also be withholding what they need so they will learn to work.
Love is telling the truth even if it hurts, to bring the sinning brother or sister back in line with God's principles.
Love never demeans in order to elevate self. Love is SELFLESS!
When we withhold the truth to make others feel good about themselves, we are really loving only our self, the motive is often to be liked rather than to honor God with truth. We feel bad when others are unhappy, but our motivation is often more about relieving the pressure of pain than what the pain can reveal, therefore cleansing.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When we feel convicted over sin, we feel bad, but the cleansing that comes from confessing with the desire for change, brings great joy. We rob others of the joy of cleansing and a changed life when we pretend there is no sin by dismissing it through our silence, or giving them excuses for their sin.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
"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.
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 remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love"
The key to all this, is being able to hear the Holy Spirit as to what is needed and when it is needed. God looks into the heart and can see the need of each person, but the best we have is a guess based on what our culture has taught us.
We must read the Word, know the heart of God and seek the Holy Spirit for each situation to know the right things to do. I no longer listen to the advice of most people in our culture when it comes to love, far too many people have been indoctrinated with the worldly psychological love, to know the heart of God, not to mention their ignorance of the Word of God to make good judgments or have discernment.
Christ knows, lets ask Him!
1. an action word for giving and 2. an action word for withholding.
The American culture does not understand the second action of love. We have been taught to allow everyone to have whatever they want while believing anything they want, and that is love.
Unfortunately we have the society we have today, because we did not understand love, when to withhold and when to give. We also misunderstood love to be praising one another no matter what our choices.
We have also misunderstood love to be merely what we say to people, "love ya", without any action to prove it. Words are empty when not accompanied by God's kind of love in action.
Love is determining to give what is good for the person, not necessarily what they want.
Love is often a spanking to show the seriousness of sin in one's life. Love can be putting up with small offenses to heap hot coals of kindness. It can be giving someone what they don't need to show kindness, however it can also be withholding what they need so they will learn to work.
Love is telling the truth even if it hurts, to bring the sinning brother or sister back in line with God's principles.
Love never demeans in order to elevate self. Love is SELFLESS!
When we withhold the truth to make others feel good about themselves, we are really loving only our self, the motive is often to be liked rather than to honor God with truth. We feel bad when others are unhappy, but our motivation is often more about relieving the pressure of pain than what the pain can reveal, therefore cleansing.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When we feel convicted over sin, we feel bad, but the cleansing that comes from confessing with the desire for change, brings great joy. We rob others of the joy of cleansing and a changed life when we pretend there is no sin by dismissing it through our silence, or giving them excuses for their sin.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
"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.
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 remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love"
The key to all this, is being able to hear the Holy Spirit as to what is needed and when it is needed. God looks into the heart and can see the need of each person, but the best we have is a guess based on what our culture has taught us.
We must read the Word, know the heart of God and seek the Holy Spirit for each situation to know the right things to do. I no longer listen to the advice of most people in our culture when it comes to love, far too many people have been indoctrinated with the worldly psychological love, to know the heart of God, not to mention their ignorance of the Word of God to make good judgments or have discernment.
Christ knows, lets ask Him!
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