Hunger For Him

/in

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” — Matt5:6
People who hunger for approval from others or even fame and fortune will never be satisfied. But those who hunger and thirst for the good things God has, shall be filled. Notice which comes first; it is appetite then satisfaction.
Psalm 37:4 explains one ought to “delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” That promise, however, has no effect if our hearts are empty of desire. Therefore, a lack of desire or appetite leads to receiving little or nothing from God.
Start stimulating your hunger and thirst for God and his rule in your life. For when we are passionate for those, we can be filled.

God's Plan and Purpose

/in

God has a purpose and plan for every child of His: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plan to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11). He knows this plan from even before we were conceived—in fact even before the foundation of the world: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4).
If we make our plans apart from the Creator of the Universe, these plans will always be “less than,” or even completely opposite of what God truly wanted for us. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). It’s very important to communicate and listen to Him as He always wants the very best for us.

"Speaking the Truth in Love"

/in

“If I have the gift of prophecy . . . but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2).
Love is an indispensable ingredient in the learning process.
I have the privilege of spending time each week with hundreds of young people who attend The Master’s College. As I observe their progress, I see the impact godly teachers have had on their lives, and I’m convinced that students learn best when they know their teachers genuinely care about them.
Isn’t that true in any relationship? Don’t you respond more readily to those who love you and have your best interests at heart? That’s certainly true in ministry. Think of the pastors and teachers who have meant the most to you over the years. They’re probably the ones who have loved and ministered to you in special ways.
Whether it’s a pastor, teacher, family member, or friend, whoever speaks to people on behalf of God must do so with genuine love and concern. That’s the positive side of Paul’s negative statement in 1 Corinthians 13:2. Jeremiah was such a man. He loved the people of Israel deeply and was grieved at their apostasy and impending judgment. “Oh, that my head were waters,” he said, “and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jer. 9:1). That’s the spirit of a loving prophet, and typical of Jeremiah’s lament over his people’s sin.
Loveless preaching and teaching misrepresent God’s character and hinder the gospel; loving proclamation is winsome and effective. That doesn’t mean all who hear you will respond positively—quite the contrary. The people of Judah didn’t listen to Jeremiah so they incurred severe judgment. Similarly, some to whom you speak will politely reject what you say; others will react with hostility. But those who respond in faith will appreciate your loving concern for their spiritual well-being. (John MacArthur)

"Languages Without Love"

/in

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1).
Love distinguishes true communication from useless chatter and meaningless noises.
Paul begins his discourse on love by stating the futility of languages without love. The Corinthians were enamored with the showy spiritual gifts, apparently to the neglect of those they deemed less spectacular (see 1 Cor. 12:12-31). One of the gifts they prized most highly was tongues, which was the Spirit-given ability to declare God’s truth in a language unknown to the speaker but known to others who heard.
Tongues were a sign to provoke unbelieving Jewish people to consider the gospel (1 Cor. 14:21-22). Its first occurrence was on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit enabled those assembled in the upper room to proclaim the mighty deeds of God in the native languages of the Jews gathered in Jerusalem at the time (Acts 2:4-11).
The “tongues of angels” Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 13:1 isn’t the gift of tongues, as some suppose. He was simply using an exaggeration to emphasize his point, saying in effect, “If I had the ability to communicate with angels, it wouldn’t do any good without love.”
In Paul’s day, the worship of Cybele and Dionysus, two pagan gods, incorporated speaking in ecstatic languages accompanied by blaring trumpets, smashing gongs, and clanging cymbals. I believe Paul was drawing from that well-known practice to say that whenever Christians attempt to minister apart from the Spirit and His love, it’s no different than a pagan rite. It may look and sound like the real thing, but it’s meaningless and useless for any spiritual benefit.
You should take advantage of every opportunity to minister your spiritual gifts to others. But as you do, be sure it’s with love, in the energy of the Spirit, and in accordance with God’s Word. Then you’ll have a maximum impact as Christ uses your efforts for His glory.

"The Source of True Love"

/in

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God. . . . We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:7, 19).
True love cannot be generated on the human level. It’s a gift from God.
Scripture often makes seemingly impossible demands of us. For example, Jesus said, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). That’s easy to say, but how is it possible? Our natural tendency is to love our friends and hate our enemies. But Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (vv. 46-47).
Israel viewed tax-gatherers as traitors, and Gentiles as spiritual outcasts. Yet even traitors and outcasts show love and kindness to those who reciprocate. Jesus calls us to a much higher standard of love—one that is impartial, like God demonstrates when He “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (v. 45). As we see from God Himself, it extends even to those who aren’t worthy: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
Despite generations of rebellion and slander against His holy will and name, God sacrificed His beloved Son, thereby providing the means by which sinners can be saved. Out of love, Jesus willingly endured the pain and shame of the cross and paid the price of our redemption. Now that’s divine love in action!
God commands you to love as He loves: impartially and sacrificially. That may sound impossible on the human level but remember that God never requires you to do anything He hasn’t already enabled you to do. At the moment of your salvation, the Holy Spirit took up residence within you and began producing the fruit of love (Gal. 5:22). You don’t have to muster it up on your own. All you have to do is invite the Spirit to take control, allowing Him to govern your thoughts and actions. As you do, His precious fruit will be multiplied in your life.

"A Hymn of Love"

/in

“I show you a still more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31).
Without love, spiritual gifts are meaningless.
First Corinthians 13 has been called the hymn of love, a lyrical interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes set to music. It’s a beautiful portion of Scripture that comes as a breath of fresh air in a book dealing with one problem after another.
This chapter has often been isolated from its context, but its real power lies in the balance and correction it gives to the rest of the book. The Corinthians, like all Christians, had been gifted by God at the moment of salvation to benefit the church in a special way. But many were abusing their gifts, seeking prominence for themselves rather than ministering to one another. So in chapter 12 Paul discusses the concept of spiritual gifts, in chapter 14 their proper use, and in chapter 13 the need to minister them in love.
Like many Christians today, the Corinthians forgot that spiritual gifts can operate effectively only in a person who is truly spiritual. They had the gifts of the Spirit but they weren’t displaying the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), the first of which is love.
In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul begins, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” Love must be the motive and driving force behind everything we do!
How has God gifted you for ministry? Are you ministering your gifts in love?

Choose The Narrow Path

/in

In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says to “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
It is clear that taking the wider and easy route is the popular choice. If we can avoid as many bumps in the road as possible, we believe our journey will be more pleasurable and hence more fulfilling.
However, this passage tells us that when we take this less popular path, the path where we need to step out in faith and squeeze through the uncomfortable tightness of the narrow gate, our feet are then placed on the pathway to eternal life.

Redwood Tree

/in ,

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” — Eph4:16

Redwood trees do not grow like pines or oaks with individual root systems. Rather, their root systems, while relatively shallow, are completely interconnected. The trees themselves are all outgrowths of a parent tree, and they grow around the parent in a complete circle. This has placed a key role in their survival in being able to hold one another up with the merged roots. No known wind can topple them. Virtually no disease can kill them. They thrive in fires. They are knit together inextricably and bound together in the longest living family on record.

That is Paul’s definition for the church.  We may look separate and individual but in our roots we are one – each an outgrowth of Christ our Head.

Father, thank you that we as the church are a living and dynamic extension of you and your work. Strengthen your church today.

Reconstruction Required prt2

/in

Continuing our look at Haggai – the Lord expressed to Haggai His displeasure of the people’s neglect of His Temple. “…my house, remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.” (Haggai 1:9).
God spoke and the people recognized this. Similarly, within our spiritual lives, God may be displeased of our neglect. Whereby we are focused on everything else but Him. When He speaks, are we listening or are we ignoring? It is important for us to recognize and so, be listening to the voice of God.
Lord, bring conviction to my life by the Power of your Holy Spirit. May I recognize your voice as you speak to me about the areas that need reconstruction.