Category: Christian.

Day 10: No Sibling Rivalry in the Family of God
28 Day Love Challenge · Christian. · February · Love · Valentines

Day 10: No Sibling Rivalry in the Family of God

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Still on envy, but focusing more on our desire to have what other’s have.  Their possessions; their talents, their relationships, their everything. But Paul says love does not envy.

You know the story of the Prodigal Son.  Father has two boys.  One of the sons, decides he wants all of his inheritance before his father dies.  He takes the money and goes off to live a wild life.  The money runs out and the boy ends up working in a pig pen.  Eventually, he realizes that he would be better of as a slave in his father’s house than living the life he is living.

He heads home. The father sees him and runs to him.  The boy says he is sorry, but the father has already forgiven him.  He is putting good cloths on him, a ring and planning a party. He is so happy to have the son he thought was lost back home.

Let’s look at the other son.

Luke 15:25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

The elder son can not love the father or the brother.  Envy acts as a fertilizer for anger.  He can not love his brother because he is filled with so much rage.

Another example of envy in the bible and how it strips people of love is Cain and Able.  Take a look at Genesis 4.  Major sibling rivalry going on there.  Very little love.

Envy is the result of your taking your eye off the blessings God has given you, and loosing focus of His purpose for your life.   Envy centers your thoughts on self and not on others.  Love dies when our focus is on ourselves.

We see what Jesus had to say in a specific instance of envy between Peter and John.

John 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?

21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?

22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

Isn’t that really the answer to envy.  What is that to you?  Jesus is telling Peter what he will face in the future and Peter’s focus goes to what will John face.  Does it matter?

The path Christ laid out for me.  God designed me in the womb; God has a purpose for my life.  Just as Peter and John walked different paths and served different roles in the early church.  The church did not need two Peters or two Johns.  And the body of Christ needs me and it needs you to fill the roles God plans for us.  If God choses for another member of the church to have more talent, or money, or family, what is it to you.

Don’t let envy steal your love for others.  Follow Jesus.

Day 9: Why Can’t I Be God
28 Day Love Challenge · Christian. · February · Love · Valentines

Day 9: Why Can’t I Be God

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Love does not envy.

God created man and women.  He prepared the perfect home for them. They spent their days in a garden filled with life.  Lush grasses carpeted the ground.  Canopies of trees spread above providing a shelter from the sun.  Sweet fruit, berries and grains grew every where to feed the two.

In the evening, God came into the garden and walked with the couple.  He spent time with them.  They walked with God in a close relationship.

This is what our lives are suppose to be like.  Jesus gave two commands.  He said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.  When we abide in His love we are suddenly capable of keeping the second commandment to love others as ourself; to love as Christ loved us.

The serpent entered the garden.  i won’t go into my whole study of the serpent, but I will mention that the word that is interpreted serpent comes from a root word which is whisper like the snake charmers.  This serpent, our accuser, Satan seeks out Eve and tells her half truths and lies.

But look at Eve for a moment.

Genesis 3:3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which theLord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

Please be patient with me while I paraphrase the conversation.

God says do not eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or you will die.  You can have everything else.  After debating back and forth between Eve and Satan about just what God said, Satan tells her that God is keeping something great from her.  God just doesn’t want Eve to be all knowing like God.  God doesn’t want Eve to have everything.

So Eve looks at the fruit. It looks good to eat and Eve wants to know everything just like God.

And there we have it.  The cause of the first sin is envy.

That evening, God comes into the garden to walk with Adam and Eve.  They run and hide from HIm.  The close relationship has been broken.  God finds them, cloths them and then sets them out of the garden.  The envy of desiring what belongs to God, the envy of not being satisfied and content with who God made them resulted in sin.  The sin broke the relationship.

Jesus, our savior, mends that broken relationship.  He is one with God and invites us to be one with Him. He mends the breach.  But we must accept that what is God’s is God’s.  We are not all knowing and all powerful.  We must accept that at times we will not understand. What seems good to us maybe really bad for us.  Either God is Lord of our lives or we are Lord of our lives.

When we allow God to be God and do not try to replace Him with ourselves, we can once again walk with him in the cool of the evening.

When we are one with Christ, we can start to love others by allowing him to love through us.

Day 8: Weaving Together Kindness
28 Day Love Challenge · Christian. · February · Love · Valentines

Day 8: Weaving Together Kindness

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Next trait of Love.  Love is Kind
So what does it mean to be kind.  Let’s look at the dictionary.

ADJECTIVE:
kind·er, kind·est

  1. Of a friendly, generous, or warm-hearted nature.
  2. Showing sympathy or understanding; charitable: a kind word.
  3. Humane; considerate: kind to animals.
  4. Forbearing; tolerant: Our neighbor was very kind about the window we broke.
  5. Generous; liberal: kind words of praise.
  6. Agreeable; beneficial: a dry climate kind to asthmatics.

 

I’ve thought long and hard about the word kind.  Be kind.  We sort of know it when we see it. But when you try to define it, you use words that are only part of what you mean.

But when you look at the life of Christ you see how the parts weave together into a life of kindness. 

 
Showing sympathy or understanding

Mark 5:35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Considerate

Matthew 1413 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

Caring

Matthew 20:29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

 

Giving

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

 

 

Day 7: Anger, Caution: Use Only with Holy Spirit Supervision
28 Day Love Challenge · Christian. · February · Love · Valentines

Day 7: Anger, Caution: Use Only with Holy Spirit Supervision

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Anger means a strong feeling of displeasure or hostility 

Ephesians 4:26 be angry and do not sin; let not the sun go down upon your wrath,

27 neither give place to the devil;

28 whoso is stealing let him no more steal, but rather let him labour, working the thing that is good with the hands, that he may have to impart to him having need.

29 Let no corrupt word out of your mouth go forth, but what is good unto the needful building up, that it may give grace to the hearers;

30 and make not sorrowful the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed to a day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice,

32 and become one to another kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, according as also God in Christ did forgive you.

 Be angry and do not sin.  The verse tells us to deal with the issue immediately and to not sin while dealing with it.
So let’s look at the perfect life to decide about anger.
First Jesus and the Pharisees:

Mark 3:3 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

 Jesus felt strong displeasure at the attitude of these men.  They worried more about accusing Jesus than loving the man.  His displeasure at their attitude is described as anger.  He dealt with the anger immediately by explaining to them why they were wrong. He healed the man and reprimanded them.  He handled the situation immediately, but that does not mean people with ill intent won’t respond in a negative manner.
Another example:

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Here anger had a little more hostility involved.  These people harmed other people.  They were cheating and forcing people to buy items in order to worship God.  They were disgracing God’s temple.  Jesus ran them out.

I think, and this is just me thinking, that some times we may have to resort to strong action.  When we are called on to to protect someone.

Anger is not wrong, but as a person, I am not capable of knowing when to act or how to act without the direction of the Holy Spirit.  We need to slow down the minute anger arrives and ask God to guide us with His Spirit.  I personally am more likely to be angry for selfish reasons and to act in unchristian ways.  I even can find myself proud of the harm I cause when I act in anger.  No, I am not capable of responding properly when anger is involved.  I have to have guidance.

Anger needs to come with a big label.

Caution Pray before Acting and Handle only with Holy Spirit supervision.

Day 6: Slow to Anger–Pearl or Explosion?
28 Day Love Challenge · Christian. · February · Love · Valentines

Day 6: Slow to Anger–Pearl or Explosion?

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I read through the list of words associated with makrothymeō and the slow to anger hit a nerve.  I saw the words and knew I needed to explore this deeper.  

An intruder, so small you can only see it under a microscope,  invades the oyster and settles inside the shell.  The irritation causes a secretion.  The secretion builds layer after layer to form a beautiful pearl. The slow process of dealing with an irritation creates something beautiful and useful.

A different scenario.

Microscopic grain dust collects in the air.  The potential builds. Then an ignition source occurs and boom.  The dust explodes like a bomb.

People deal with anger in similar ways I think.

  1. The hot tempered ones who blow up over a situation.  They fire off with anger.  Words are said.  They pop off like a fire cracker.
  2. The slow boiling ones who collect all the wrongs until the moment when they explode as if a bomb detonated.
  3. They recognize the irritation, they take appropriate protective behaviors to reduce anger and the sources of pain.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you          Matthew 5:44

Ignoring the hurt is not the best method for “slow to anger”.  The pearl approach is the right approach.  Go to God.  Place the issue before the Lord.  Pray for the people who are causing you anger.  Focus on their well being.  You can not do that on your own.  Take the irritation to God where he can build a hard seal around it.  He will take the irritation and create something beautiful out of it.

Do not try this on your own.  When we collect the little irritations and do not deal with the hurt, an explosive environment builds just waiting for a source of ignition.

Journal

How do you handle anger?

List hurts that you have experienced. Take them to God. Pray sincerely for the person.  Ask God to take the pain.  Ask the Lord to resolve issues this person my have.  Ask Him to bless the person.  Seek His guidance in how to deal with the situation.  Ask him to create a pearl.

Tomorrow, when is anger the right response?

Day 5:Never Pray for Patience—–Wrong!
28 Day Love Challenge · Christian. · February · Love · Valentines

Day 5:Never Pray for Patience—–Wrong!

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Funny what you remember.  Years and years, and yes years ago a Sunday school teacher said never pray for patience.  This I remembered.  She said when you pray for patience God teaches you by placing trails in your life.

Yet Jesus commanded us to love and part of that love according to Paul is a greek word makrothymeō.   Strong’s Blue Letter Bible http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3114&t=KJV   states this word can have the following meanings:

to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart; to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles; to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others; to be mild and slow in avenging; to be long-suffering, slow to anger, slow to punish

Jesus is patient with us; he endured misfortune and troubles for us.  Jesus told us to love others as He loved us.  We must learn to be people of patience.

I think of Peter when I think of Jesus showing patience.  I love Peter because he so often got it wrong but Jesus never gave up on him.

Look at the incident of Peter walking on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

There is Peter walking on the water yet he gets afraid and starts sinking.  But Jesus doesn’t just let him sink or say fine swim for it.  No he stretched out his hand and caught him.
Again with Peter, look at how even though he claimed he would never betray Christ; on the night when Jesus is taken, Peter denies him three times.I think I would be inclined to give up on Peter. I would feel betrayed.  I would be angry.  I would feel justified and all righteous in my frustration with Peter.  I know I get that way with people who let me down in my life.  People who some how don’t live up to my standard of how a Christian should live.  But I am so grateful that Jesus doesn’t give up on me when I fall so short of who I am suppose to be in Him.
My Sunday school teacher was wrong.  We will face people letting us down, people hurting us, people acting in a manner they should not because that is just what people do.  Jesus commands us to love as He loved us.  We must ask Him to teach us how to be patient with people who fall short of our hopes for them.  Forgive the people who let us down.  If we love Jesus this is what He asks of us.

Journal

Write down a few examples of people who have let you down in the recent past:  people who have hurt you, betrayed you, or who have just disappointed you.  How did you react to these situations.  How do you think you should have reacted.

Activity

Watch for times when you can show patience.  When you feel yourself being disappointed or frustrated do not react.  Separate from the situation and place the situation on the altar before Jesus.  Ask Him how to show patience so that it provides a learning experience for the person involve.

 

Tomorrow lets deal with the slow to anger.

Day 4: Not Just Love But Agape
28 Day Love Challenge · Christian. · February · Love · Valentines

Day 4: Not Just Love But Agape

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When we say love we think of romantic love or the surface love we feel for friends. The Greeks used the word Agape for a special level of love.  The highest standard of love.  1 Corinthians 13 lays out just what is expected when we say Agape.

Paul discribes this loves by stating what Agape does not do and what Agape does.

1) Patient

2) Kind

3) Does not envy

4) Does not boast

5) Not proud

6) Does not dishonor others

7) Not self seeking

8) Not easily angered

9) Keeps no record of wrongs

10) Does not delight in evil

11) Rejoices in truth

12) Always protects

13) Always trusts

14) Always hopes

15) Always perseveres

Journal

On a scale of 1-5 where 1 equals “this is a problem for me” and 5 means “I can honestly say this describes me”  give a rating to each of the characteristics of Agape Love.

We will go over each one in detail later, but for today just think about the words in general.

Example Patience: 2   I lose my patience.  I try not to, but I get so frustrated.

12 Day of Christmas Eve of Epiphany
12 Days of Christmas · Christian. · Christmas · Christmas Traditions

12 Day of Christmas Eve of Epiphany

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Time for the tree to be cleared of all its treasures.

The red symbolic of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden; the white the salvation of Christ.

Take the star off of the top. Tomorrow we celebrate the wise men reaching the baby.  They followed a star.

Place the Angels back in a secure spot.  And think about the Angel’s Hymn

Put the stockings in a box.  But never forget the example of St Nicholas and his concern for the well being of others.  And if you have a plate for cookies think about St Lucia and the traditions associated with this woman’s saint day.

Place the nativity scene in its container wrapping each piece in tissue.  The shepherds who were in the fields watching over the lambs that would become the passover sacrifice.  These shepherds who were the ones to hear the Angels announce the Messiah was born. Carefully put away the wise men from the East who followed a star to find the King.  The stable where the Inn Keeper put the expectant family when there was no room for them anywhere else.  And the manger where animals had once ate, but that night so long ago the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was placed in as a baby.

Journal Exercise

Write all your favorite memories of this Christmas season