Love without words

 

"The elderly gentleman next door had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the old man crying, his neighbor's four year old son went into the old man's yard, climbed onto his lap and sat there. Later, when his mother asked him what he had said to the old gentleman, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him to cry!'"

Doesn't this anecdote just capture your spirit? Here is the innocence of a child with an unhindered heart of grace.

Job too knew friends like this (at first).

"Then they sat on the ground with him (Job) for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was." (Job 2:13)

Silence can be the wise choice of an understanding friend. Silence with loving company can salve the injured soul and caress a saddened spirit. There are times when advice or counsel are, at best, hollow, as the moment, the depth, the emotion can never be plumbed by words. Feelings can reach far deeper than words can ever dive.

Our Father in heaven too knows this. He was the first one to know it.

He too has sent His 'four year old' to sit with us. This is His Holy Spirit - our counselor and comforter (Jn 14:16).

When we feel as 'the elderly gentleman next door' did, His Holy Spirit sits on our lap, won't say a thing to us unless invited to, and even says our prayers that we can no longer form."In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Roms 8:26)

When words won't work for me, His Holy Spirit will.

Thou shalt not judge.

Psalm 9:8 “He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.” (NKJ)

…not lie.
…not steal.
…not commit adultery.
…not murder.

Sound familiar? They should. Christians ought to have the entire Ten Commandments committed to memory. As soon as we learn them, they become our creed. We live by them. Take a moment to take an inventory. Which commandments have you obeyed today? Now what about this:

Thou shalt not judge.

Hmm. Feeling uneasy? I am.

Sometimes in our eagerness to be “good little Christians” we judge those who do not appear to be as “good” as us. But who are we to judge? Has God appointed us with that task? No. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (NKJ)

Nowhere in the Bible will you find a ranking system for sin. However, don’t we rank sin anyway? For example, wouldn’t we say a murderer is worse than a liar? But you know what? God views all sin equally. A sin is a sin is a sin. Period. Case closed. So why is it we judge others based on their sins?

Now what about this:

Thou shalt love thy neighbor.

Feeling convicted? Yep, me too!

When we judge others, we show condemnation rather than God’s love. We treat others as if their sin defines them. “She’s a liar.” “He’s a murder.” “She’s an adulterer.” “They’re sinners,” you think. We’re all sinners! Ask yourself what sin you struggle with the most. Do you want your life to be defined by that? Do you want God to judge you for that sin as harshly as you judge others? I sure don’t. Jesus died for every single one of us. As Christians, covered by the blood of Jesus and saved by God’s grace, our focus should be on showing that love and grace to others rather than behaving as if we are better than they are. “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” Luke 6:35-38 (KJV)

How many people do we turn away from God with our hypocritical attitudes? How many people could we save if we were truly obedient? Think about that.

Dear Heavenly Father, I am a sinner. I have judged harshly and neglected to show Your amazing love to others. Please forgive me for being a stumbling block to those who would otherwise come to You. Thank You for forgiving me, despite my sins. I thank You, dear Lord, for offering Your grace, which allows me to come to You without condemnation. Continue to convict me so that I can be truly obedient to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God does not intend for any to be condemned. We are not condemned; we should not condemn others. If this week’s devotion has convicted you, seek God’s guidance. Repent, and God will forgive. Then take the grace God has offered you and share it with those around you.

Power Verses:
1 John 2:10 “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” (KJV)
1 John 4:11 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (KJV)
1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.” (NKJ)

Do you hear what I hear?

 

 

The next time you see a homeless, hungry person, please remember a message from Psalm 69:33— “The Lord hears the needy” — and then ask yourself if you are “hearing” the needy by providing food in some meaningful way.

 

And the next time you see a heartbroken widow who has just lost her best friend/spouse and a good portion of her financial support, remember to comfort her with the promise that “The Lord hears the needy” and with fervent prayers/generosity showing that you also “hear the needy.”

 

Also, don’t forget that when your own life situation grows filled with stress and loss and fear, “The Lord hears the needy.”

 

You and I both know that we should memorize scripture more than we do. I’m giving you today an extremely simple, easy-to-recall passage to memorize.

 

Psalm 69:33 — “The Lord hears the needy”

 

No, these five words do not comprise the entire verse. But if you weave them into your memory banks and into your everyday life, the fruit for your faith will be much more evident and many more people will be helped during the course of your life.

 

Please be willing to tell a discouraged person of this promise in Psalm 69:33.

 

For in hearing you share it — and in hearing you testify of its truth in your life — the discouraged person might understand that heavenly compassion is on the other side of their prayers to God.

 

Please, my friend, trust the promise of Psalm 69:33 in your own life.

 

Know for certain that prayer is essential in your time of need.

 

God promises to hear the overflow of your heart when stress and loss and fear are flowing against you.

 

As you have opportunity, pray not only for yourself in such times, but also for others in need.

 

God will certainly give heed to your prayers that are offered alongside of the needy person with whom you are praying.

 

You see, we fail God and people in stress if you see their needy state and don’t do something to help them, something even as simple as praying for them.

 

 

The "F" Word

The "F" word that I am talking about is forgiveness. This is the word. It is central to our relationship with God and our relationship with others. It is an easy word to say. It is easy to talk about. However, forgiveness, like we are called to, is not easy to do. But it is necessary.

When we forgive we are freed from the prison that unforgiving places us in. When we forgive others we are set free from the weight of carrying grudges and anger. When we forgive we are living in, and by, the grace that we have received from God.

My computer background has the saying "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner is you." Not forgiving others imprisons us. The person that is effected and hurt by our not forgiving-- is us. The person imprisoned and oppressed is us.

Thanks be to God that God loves us and forgives us. Thank God that he is a God of second chances, third chances, seventy times seven chances. And God invites us to live lives free of hurt and imprisonment of holding on to the wrongs down against us. God invites us to forgive. To be people of the second, third, forth, and seventy times seven chances. To set ourselves free. To live lives of radical grace. Saved by grace, living by grace, and extending grace.

Forgiveness isn't easy. It will take time. It will take prayer. It will take grace. Let go and let God.

The love of Jesus

  I am amazed and in awe when I think about the love of Jesus. Jesus' love is not like human love. Jesus love for me and for you is unlike any other love that we have and will ever experience. Jesus love for you and me compelled him to step down out of the comfort of heaven and enter into this world. Jesus love compelled him to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus love compelled him to dine with sinners, offer his forgiveness freely, heal the sick, touch the leper and be associated with people that others would have nothing to do with. Jesus love compelled him to take on sin and death. His love compelled him to lay down his life for all humanity. His love compelled him to reach out to the thief on the cross next to him.

The love of Jesus cried out "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." The love of Jesus cried out, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." The love of Jesus cries out, "fear not for I am with you." Jesus love is not a love that holds grudges or requires retribution. Jesus love does not require a love you in return. Jesus just loves you and me. And he said the way that others will know that we are his followers are by our love. By God's grace, as we follow Jesus, our love should become more like his. Our love for others, our forgiveness, our willingness to lay down our lives for others grows because that is what the love of Jesus does.

 

 

 

This is one of the most remarkable, and yet one of the most disturbing verses in the Bible. It is remarkable because it shows us that God loves us, and that He has passed His characteristics to us (Genesis 1:27). However, it is disturbing because it reminds us that we only love others, because God loved us. We only love God, because God first loved us.

In fact, I think it is fair to say, that we all fall short when it comes to love, especially loving God. We are told that love is patient, it is kind, it is not easily angered, and I think a lot of us look at these characteristics and pat ourselves on the back... but Paul continues to describe love by saying, "it is not self-seeking... Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth." (1 Corinthians 13:5-6)

When it comes to our lives, we have all put ourselves first, made our desires a priority over God; we have all broken the first commandment- the greatest commandment- by worshiping our desires before His Word (Exodus 20:3). We have all failed to rejoice in truth, and to condemn our evil desires... we have failed to remember that Love is not self-seeking.

And yet, despite this, despite our failure to love, God still loves us (Romans 5:8). He is willing to forgive us (Micah 7:18) so that we may have a deep, intimate relationship with Him.

As we get closer to Valentine's day, there is a lot of talk about what love is, and how to show it. We talk about buying candy and flowers for our sweethearts, or a nice romantic dinner... but somehow the founder of love, God, gets left out of the picture.

We focus so much on the love that we have with others, that we forget that true, perfect love which only comes from God. We forget what He has done for us, and how He has, and continues to show His love towards us.

Today, think about what you can give God for Valentine's Day... think about how you can show your love to God everyday... and ask yourself, when was the last time you said "I love you" to God.

Waiting on God

Waiting is hard for me. I read of Sarah waiting for Isaac, Anna waiting for the Messiah, and Elizabeth waiting for John, and I’m amazed. I mean, can you believe Sarah waited about thirty years for a baby? Thirty years?

I have a hard time waiting for my nails to dry!
But God’s Word is clear that we’re to wait, to be still, to remain in Him.

• Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14
• Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7a
• Remain in me, and I will remain in you. John 15:4a

We know we need to find time every day to be in the Word. Bible study, word studies, and Sunday school lessons are great ways to grow closer to the Lord, but in order to truly rest in Him, we must learn to wait.

And that’s the hard part. But it’s in the waiting that we hear God’s voice.
I have to admit, there are times I can’t hear God. I pray and pray and read His Word, and yet, I don’t hear a thing.

It’s not His fault.

I realize now the problem is not in His speaking, it’s in my listening. After all, I have my list of prayer requests–all good things, you understand, and most are for other people. I faithfully go down the list one by one, telling God what I’d like Him to do. And then it’s over. I’m off and running, cramming in all the important things I have to do that day.

And God is left alone. There He was, just about to tell me what He wanted me to know, but I didn’t have time to listen. He wanted to tell me to take the job or to turn down the volunteer position or to mentor the young teen at church. But I couldn’t hear Him . . . because I wasn’t there. Because I didn’t have time to wait on Him.

But His answer is in the waiting. It’s all in the being quiet and listening for His voice. God wants us to rest in Him. He wants to speak to our spirits and let us know He’s really there. He’s just waiting for us.

What are you waiting for? An answer? A healing? A speaking opportunity? Could you be like me? Could God be trying to tell you something, but you’re too busy to hear His voice? Oh, friends, this is a constant battle for me, and I know it is for many of you. Will you join me? Instead of just “spending” your time reading a quick devotion and running down your prayer requests, will you commit to sitting and waiting on Him? It won’t be easy. It’ll take focus and determination, especially when the days are long and the sleeps are short.

No agenda, no lists. Just us and God, relating to one another. I know we’ll be amazed at what He has to say when we’re quiet enough to hear His voice.

I know it will be worth the wait.