What Does God’s Love Look Like?   

1 Corinthians 13:3
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

In this beautiful chapter Paul gives us a description of unconditional love. He shows us what the love of God looks like! As we go through the list below remember that we are looking at God and not at us! None of us can look at this chapter and say that’s me! But we should be careful also not to feel condemned because we fall short of the mark. See this as God intended for you to see it, as a Godly Purpose for your life!

Love Suffers Long Or Is Patient
This means Love has patience with imperfect people, which is everybody!

Love is Kind
This means Love Seeks Opportunities To Show Kindness to others.

Love Does Not Envy Or Is Not Jealous
This means Love Is Non-Possessive And Non-Competitive

Love Does Not Parade Itself Or Does Not Show Off
This means Love Does Not Need Personal Recognition. Its Motives Are Pure.

Love Is Not Puffed Up Or Is Not Arrogant
This means Love Does Not Think Itself Superior To Others

Love Does Not Seek Its Own Or Always Insisting On Its Rights
This means Love Is Unselfish And Does Not Demand Precedence

Love Is Not Provoked Or Is Not Irritable
This means Love Is Not Touchy, Sensitive Or Hostile

Love Thinks No Evil Or Assumes The Best
This means Love Does Not Keep An Account Of Wrongs

Love Does Not Rejoice In Iniquity Or Find Satisfaction In Failure
This means Love Does Not Like To See Others Suffer Or Fall

Love Rejoices In The Truth Or Is Fair And Objective
This means that Love Seeks The Truth Above Personal Gain

Love Bears All Things Or Holds Up Others
This means Love Can Keep A Secret Or Cover A Fault

Love Believes All Things Or Finds The Good In All
This means Love Is Not Paranoid And Suspicious. Love Believes The Best

Love Hopes All Things Or Love Never Gives Up
This means that Love See Hope When Others See Defeat

Love Endures All Things Or Is Loyal
This means that Love Remains Unto The End And Is Completely Unconditional

Village Of Unbelief

Mark 8:23
“So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.”

There was a reason Jesus took this man by the hand and led him away from his peers. He lived in a town called Bethsaida and Jesus said of this place,

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” Matthew 11:21

He was reminding them of the mighty miracles that had been done in their presence and still they did not believe! They loved the miracles but not the miracle worker! So Jesus led this man out of a place of unbelief. We absolutely must get out of the environment of unbelief that we often find ourselves in. Get in an atmosphere of faith and belief!

And when Jesus got him to where he wanted him to be He spit on him! Something like this cannot be accepted in a state of unbelief. People are too critical and unaccepting. But in a a place of belief all things become possible!  But Jesus wasn’t spitting on the man! He was spitting on the disease or on the blindness! Spitting was an insult in that culture just as it is today. Jesus was insulting the disease! In Luke 4 he rebuked the fever. He spoke to the fever! That means sickness can hear and that means sickness is sometimes a spirit! Thats why God’s word teaches us to speak to the mountain!

Sickness can hear but we can hear too. And sometimes in a place of unbelief we hear all the wrong things. That’s why God’s Word teaches us to be transformed or changed by renewing our minds, changing the way we think.
When Jesus came to heal Jarius daughter he was laughed to scorn when He told them she would live again. Jesus then told them all to leave the room! He commanded unbelief to get out! You too might be living in a village of unbelief and that means you need to change the atmosphere! Jesus wants to take you by the hand and lead you to a new place. A place of belief!

Stop! Look! And Listen!

“When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Exodus 3:4

Poor Moses! He was born for greatness. He had a great destiny as a leader. He was reared in the house of Pharoah. He had all the advantages of wealth and power. Educated and groomed  as a statesman and scholar. And yet he finds himself in the desert of Midian tending a handful of sheep. An awful sense of futility must have overwhelmed Moses.
And right at this moment of intense discouragement God shows up in the form of a burning bush that was not consumed. God called out to Moses from this bush. But when did God call him? When “he turned aside to see”! Not when he admired and wondered from a distance, but when he came close to examine a bush that would not burn up! That’s when God called him by name!
Maybe like Moses you find yourself in a spiritual desert. You feel like you started out ok but somewhere along the way things went terribly wrong. And now the word “Failure” stares you in the face. And you have to wonder, “Where is God in all of this? Has be abandoned me? Given up on me?” No he has not! Though he seems strangely quiet, He is there. He is there waiting. Waiting for you to seek Him out. We have become so busy we have not simply taken the time to consider  God. To include Him in our lives, our plans and our dreams.
And we must be careful that in seeking Him out we don’t get caught up in the hustle and bustle of spiritual pursuit. This is why there are many who attend church and attempt to serve God through many various methods yet still find themselves unfulfilled. And numbers of others just give up and quit in frustration. We are constantly challenged to do more, be more and give more! But through all the noise God says, “Be still and know that I am God!” Let God be God! To use a modern expression, “Just chill out!”
What God desires from us is a “Restful Availability”.  We can learn a lesson from that burning bush. It was just a bush. Nothing special! And yet under the power of God it became something extraordinary! It was not the bush but God IN the bush! It will never be you, but God IN you! Have you come to place where you present yourself for what you are – nothing – to be filled with what He is – everything!
So maybe it’s time to stop, look and listen. To stop and examine where you are. Take a look at God again and really see Him this time. And listen. And when you do, you will hear Him calling out your name!

The Chief Of Sinners
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” I Timothy 1:15

Let’s focus on the words in this passage, “Of whom I am chief”. The word “Chief” in the Greek text literally means, “Foremost” or “First”. Paul in writing to Timothy concerning the mission of Jesus to save sinners, says that of those sinners I am first, I am before all others. Paul declares when it comes to being a sinner I am in first place!
Now if we believe that the Bible is a divine record written by the inspiration of God through the Holy Spirit, we must conclude then that this is not just Paul’s estimate of himself, but this is the conclusion of God. So God is telling us in this passage, “I came to save sinners, and I have already saved the worst one”! And it is interesting that the person who is first among sinners was not a drunkard, a drug addict, or a prostitute, but was a self-righteous zealot who considered himself a defender of his faith!
Now many of you who have considered yourself the worst sinner who ever lived will have to give up the title. You are not the number one sinner! No matter how bad you have been there is at least one who was worse. No matter how far away you have gone there is one who traveled further. No matter how low you think yourself to be, there is one who is lower still.
So what does all of this mean for me? In the next verse Paul writes, “I obtained mercy to be a pattern to those who follow”. While Paul may have been foremost among sinners, he still however found that God’s Grace was able to lift him up. And Paul is our pattern! The blood that cleansed the vilest can cleanse me! The mercy the touched the hardest heart can touch me!  The love that loved the unlovable can love me! The grace that reached the lowest can reach me! There is no sinner beyond His reach. You may think you have gone too far but God has already reached past you and saved someone in worse shape! There is no excuse. Not one of us is beyond the loving arm of God.
There are some who resent the title of sinner at all. We want to believe that we are all OK. I’m Ok and you’re Ok!  But the fact remains that “all have sinned and fallen short of His glory”. We are not all OK. If we were all good than why the cross? Calvary is evidence that we needed a savior. The truth is we are all sinners. And sinners need a savior. And our Lord Jesus has proven He is up to the task of saving us by starting with the one in the worst condition!

The Blood On The Door
“But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast; that you may know how the Lord put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” Exodus 11:7

Look at those words, “The Lord put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.”  What was the difference? The Egyptians and Israelites were alike in many ways. They were people and people are pretty much the same everywhere. But there was one striking difference.
 God had commanded the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb upon the door post of their homes. And He said, “When I see the blood I will pass over you”. And when the judgment of the Lord went through the land, death visited the homes of the Egyptians and the homes of the Israelites were spared. Why did some die and others were saved? They were all just people. One group was not better than another. They were all sinners.  So what was the difference? The blood on the door!  God put a difference between them and oh what a difference! It was the blood that made the difference! It wasn’t that the Israelites were better than the Egyptians. It wasn’t that they lived better or somehow acted better.
And to think that Christians who have been redeemed by His precious blood would dare think they are somehow better than others. How easy it is to forget where you came from. How unpleasing it must be to our Lord for us to look down upon those who don’t believe as we do when not all that long ago we walked right where they are! We should never look upon our friends who have not yet accepted Jesus as our enemies. It should never be us against them! We must remember that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood”. Jesus died for all the world and He loves all people no matter how much we may be revolted by their lifestyle. By acting like spiritual snobs we run the risk of alienating the very people we have been called to love into the kingdom!
We must never forget that God “put the difference” between us and others. It was not our doing. God said “When I see the blood I will pass over you”. He did not say that when we act a certain way, or do a certain thing that He would cover us. He did not say when we understand the blood. He said “when I see the blood”. He must see it! I must have it on the door of my life. I must be under the blood and that is all. The eye of God has searched for the blood and rested there and that should be sufficient for all. Surely I can rest under what God has found to be satisfactory and know that I need add nothing to it. So the only difference between the believer and the non-believer is the blood of Jesus. Nothing more is needed and nothing less will do.

Sons Of God

Romans 8:15-17
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

H. A. Ironside, a former pastor of Moody Church, began preaching one night in the open air of Chicago, attracting a large and enthusiastic gathering. During his message a  man stepped out from the crowd and handed him a note. This particular man was a well-known agnostic, sowing skepticism and discord wherever the truth of Scripture was spoken, especially in relation to God being a personal God who seeks relationships with humans. That is why, with face full of pride and self-confidence, he approached Ironside with a letter. Pastor Ironside opened the note and read the words aloud: "I challenge you to a debate in the Hall of Science next Sunday afternoon." Then he turned to the agnostic and delivered this wise response:
I will come and debate with you the reality of the Christian life, if you will do one thing; you must agree to bring with you one person from your sphere of influence. One person who was discouraged and defeated by life, not knowing where to turn or what to believe, until that person came and heard you lecture your agnostic beliefs. And then that man, after listening to you, said in effect, ‘I believe what you are saying and will begin living in light of it.' Bring one person who, after hearing you speak, found peace of mind, victory over temptation, and a purpose for living.  Bring one and I will debate you; and will bring with me one hundred.

Upon hearing this, it was reported that the agnostic refused the offer and quickly turned away.
What a great reminder to us that the unanswerable argument for Christianity is, in fact, the Christian! Every religion requires faith to believe it, reason to defend it, and evidence to prove it; but this is where Christianity stands out above all the rest. Our primary evidence is not only found in the revelation of Scripture and the discoveries of science, but it is found inside us.
We are the living and breathing evidence of Christianity—the walking proof that God really does save lives, and that His Spirit changes them completely.  God's Spirit is actually inside us, giving us faith when we have none, and testifying in our spirits that we are part of His family.
He has made us Son of God and His spirit within us is the evidence of our sonship! Make no mistake about it—our God is not only alive, but He is alive and living in you!

Hitting A Brick Wall

We were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Are you currently facing hard times in your life? If so I want to encourage you from the Word of God and show you how to tackle these difficult circumstances and emerge victorious. The devil will try to convince you that you’re a failure, that your life is over, and that nothing good lies ahead for you; however, this simply isn’t true. These emotions are temporary and fleeting, and the enemy is trying to use them to hold you back and keep you from experiencing the abundant life that God wants you to enjoy.
Although we don’t like to admit it, we all occasionally have times in our lives when we hit a brick wall, so to speak. We don’t know what to say, what to do, where to turn, or even how to pray. Sometimes it seems as if we’ve hit a dead end and everything is finished, over, and done with. If you’ve ever been in a place like that, you know what a hard place this can be! These feelings usually arise when we think that we’ve failed, that people have misunderstood us, or that we’ve been unfairly judged. However, even when we’ve made serious mistakes, these setbacks are rarely as irreparable as they seem.

I know that these emotions feel very real in the moment. When others tell you that your situation is not as bad as you think or that you need to remember to be grateful for all the good in your life, it may even make you angry. Their comments may be right, but because you’re the one in the midst of the trial, you still feel hopeless. Somehow you’ve found yourself caught in a storm and you don’t know how to put one foot in front of the other to make your way out of it. You may feel like nothing you do pleases anyone, so you question why you should even try.
In truth, it doesn’t matter if the emotions you are experiencing stem from real personal failure or from circumstances outside of your control. It’s still your responsibility to get up, brush yourself off, and start moving forward again in your walk with God! Think about it — your entire faith is based on resurrection. The resurrection power of God is inside you, and it can lift you up above all the jumbled emotions and turmoil — into a better place than you’ve ever known in your life!

If we stick with our assigned tasks and keep moving forward — even if it’s one step at a time — we will always win! And after we’ve pressed beyond our struggles into victory, we’ll always be thankful we didn’t give up!
When I am facing challenges in my life, I always derive immense strength from Paul’s words in Second Corinthians 1:8 and 9, where he wrote, “…We were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead.” Paul wrote these verses when he felt trapped by crushing ordeals in his ministry, and his words tell me that he didn’t know if he would survive. How thankful I am that God didn’t hide the apostle’s difficult moments from us!
Paul’s words teach us what to do when we feel like we simply cannot make it any further in our own strength or that we’re no match for the challenges we’re facing. We simply must surrender to the resurrection power of God! That’s what the apostle Paul did when he found himself face to face with life-threatening situations. When Paul wrote, “…We had the sentence of death in ourselves…,” he was at one of those dead-end places that I’m talking about today. In fact, the situation he faced was so acute that he compared it to a sentence of death. That’s dramatic language!

But in spite of how bad things appeared, Paul didn’t die, nor did he fail at fulfilling the job God had given him to do. It may have looked like it was the end of the road for Paul, but it was really the beginning of a new supernatural flow of divine power into his life. That’s why he went on to say that through it all, he learned not to trust in himself, but in God who raises the dead.
Paul had been under intense pressure, but right in the midst of this horrible situation, God’s resurrection power was released inside Paul and he was rescued! Paul said it was so dramatic that it was almost as if he and his companions had been raised from the dead.
When you don’t know what else to do but turn to God, that’s usually when His resurrection power can begin to operate in you in the greatest way. You see, in God there’s no such thing as a hopeless situation. That dead-end place you may be facing right now can become a place of new beginnings!

Let me tell you, people all around you are struggling right now. The devil is telling them that they won’t make it. But they will make it if they choose to turn their focused gaze to Jesus, and you will too! Your victory may not come as you thought, but God is with you, and He will get you through whatever it is you’re facing if you’ll surrender to the Holy Spirit’s resurrection power inside you.
This is not the end for you! God has a marvelous plan for your life, and the devil simply doesn’t have the power to hijack what He has planned. Remember — if the devil has tried to tell you that you’re a failure, that life is over, and that nothing good lies ahead of you in the future, it’s not true! What you’re feeling will pass, and better days are ahead. Just determine to lay hold of the resurrection power of Christ in you, and let it lift you up above the storm into a brighter and better place!

Jesus, Where Are You?

“Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.” Mark 6:47-48

Have you ever walked through something so difficult, so terrifying, that you’ve caught yourself asking, “Jesus, where are You?”
Sometimes when life gets messy, it can feel like our Lord has gone missing.
I’m sure that’s how the disciples felt in an incident that happened right after the feeding of the 5,000. They got in a boat and quickly found themselves in rough waters, tossed by strong winds. They strained at the oars as the realities of life beat against them.
These were experienced fisherman who spent their life on the water so to be frightened for their lives the storm had to be bad! They were completely helpless and swallowed up by fear. They were in a mess!

I certainly can’t blame them for being afraid in that moment. Sometimes it’s hard not to be completely consumed by fear in the midst of our problems. Especially when we feel helpless and our circumstances look hopeless.
Oh, how thankful I am that even when our storms cause us to lose sight of hope, Jesus never loses sight of us.
While the disciples were in the boat straining, Jesus was on the mountainside praying. From His high vantage point, Jesus could see the middle of the lake where the disciples were.

“Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them” (Mark 6:47-48

Jesus saw them! I love that! HIs eye is ever searching for us! So He came right to where they were!
The same miracle worker who multiplied the fish and the loaves was now walking on the water near them, and they thought He was a ghost. They were terrified and then amazed, but they didn't understand, for the Scriptures say, “their hearts were hardened”
What I want us to notice, though, is Jesus’ response to the disciples who missed Him and who cried out in fear, not faith. The Scripture says immediately He spoke to them and said, “Don’t be afraid” (Mark 6:50. The word used here means “don’t resist Me.” And He climbed into the boat with them. He got right into the middle of their mess!

He’s saying the same thing to you and me. He’s not running from our mess!. He’s climbing in  to be right there with us. And with His presence comes peace.
In the middle of whatever hurts and heartbreaks are disrupting our peace, I pray we will see Him coming. We no longer have to cry out in fear; we can call out in faith. Calm and trusting. Anxious for nothing. Because we know. We know He sees us. We know He’s for us. We know He’s in control.

“…for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” 2 Timothy 1:12
The writer does not say “I know IN whom I have believed” but rather “I know WHOM I have believed.” There is a huge difference in meaning when the word “IN” is inserted. We have all believed in someone. We have believed in people we did not even know very well. And we have been greatly disappointed in people we believed in. You have probably heard someone say, “I believed in him or her. I thought I knew them.” There are people who will say “I believe IN Jesus”, but do not really know Him. But Paul says more than just “I believe IN Him”. He says, “I KNOW Him!” “I know whom I have believed!”
Nor does he say, “I know WHAT I believed.” This would be the response from so many of us.  It is so easy for us to express our convictions to each other through our favorite doctrines rather than profess our belief in a person. But doctrines and statements of faith mean nothing unless there is some power and life behind them. Our diversity of doctrines have often divided us, when we should be united in our belief of a person, the Lord Jesus. It is not required that you agree with me about every little point of Theology to be my brother. If we both know Jesus that is enough!
May we join with our brother Paul in saying, “I know whom I have believed!” I know that He is able! I know that He is willing! I know that He is loving! I know that He is Faithful! I know what He is and what He can do! I know He has an eye that never slumbers or sleeps. I know he has an arm that is never weary. I know He has a hand that is stretched out still.  I know He has a heart that beats with love and mercy! I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED!
And “He is able to keep!” There is much comfort and peace in those words! Paul says He is “Persuaded”. There is no doubt. He does not wonder, he knows!  Our God is able to hide us in His pavilion and to keep us safe in the shelter of His wings! Able to keep what? What I have “committed” to Him! What I have placed in His hands for safe keeping. We commit money and valuables to the banks and walk away knowing that it is in safe keeping. Why is it then we have such a hard time trusting the hands of our God? If I place it in His hands I can rest assured that it is all in safe keeping!
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty. Dominion and power, Both now and forever, Amen!” Jude 24-24

The title of this devotion is taken from the title of an old church hymn. The first verse of that hymn reads;
Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow!
What wondrous words! These words should fill us all with majestic peace. “Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” He has carried my sins and put them away forever.
This is an all important truth for the believing Christian in pursuit of perfect peace. I must know, by divine authority, that all of my sins have been put away forever. In order to silence the voice of the accuser. So that I might comprehend the meaning of the words, “There is therefore now no condemnation”. Just as the priest of the Old Covenant would lay their hands upon a spotless lamb in order to transfer the sins of the people upon the sacrificial lamb, so has our God laid His hands upon Jesus and placed upon Him the sins of the world. Your sins and my sins. Paid in full through His sacrifice. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”
This sounds all so wonderful but how can I know it to be true? My heart wants to know that this is so. Everything in me longs to know that I am forgiven, that all is well, that everything that stood against me has been removed. How do I know that Jesus paid for all of my sins? By the very same authority that tells me I’m a sinner in the first place! How do we even know that there is even such a thing as sin or evil? The Word of God! And everything that is within me tells me that this is so. My heart cries out like Paul to be delivered from this “body of death”. But that same authority that reveals to me my sinful condition also provides me with an eternal remedy! His Word tells me that yes I am indeed a sinner but that He has paid in full the price of that sin!
Jesus was the sacrifice through which God would satisfy the debt of sin. And if God has satisfied Himself through the death of Jesus on the cross then who am I to be unsatisfied?. We annul the work of the cross with our doubt and unbelief! The blood of Jesus either did all that God said it did or it did nothing. There is no middle ground here. And if His precious blood did all that God said it did then all of my sins have been removed!
I know by God’s Word that I am a sinner and my heart is wicked. I know that my sins are more in number than the hairs on my head. I know that they are as black as hell itself.  But I also know by that same Word that that even though my “sins were as scarlet they shall be white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be white like wool”. Jesus paid it ALL!

There are few things more thrilling than watching someone be rescued! The plot of a last minute rescue will never grow old in the movies. Audiences are always thrilled as they watch someone in peril with time running out be rescued by the hero at the last minute. Even when we know they will be rescued, (because they have to be back next week, same time, same channel!), we still find ourselves on the edge of our seats and breathing a sigh of relief when it’s all over!
The Word of God is full of accounts of people who have been rescued at the last minute! One of the most beautiful and powerful of these accounts is the story of Lot being rescued from Sodom. When we first think of Sodom and Gomorrah we immediately think of God’s anger and wrath, and that is because we have been conditioned to think of the negative side of this story. But there is  another side. God in His love and mercy came to rescue one of His own!
The Word of God says that Lot’s soul was vexed or tormented by the sins of Sodom. Well what was he doing in such a dreadful place to begin with? When his Uncle Abraham offered him his choice of land, his eyes fell upon the “well watered plains of Jordan”. The land was green and lush! He knew Sodom was close by, but still he could not resist the richness of the land. It was not long however before he found himself not just living in Sodom, but “sitting in the gate of the city”, which indicates he had a position of influence. So now Lot is trapped in a place he hates but is too weak to escape!
Because the city is so wicked God decides to destroy it.  But before destroying the city He sends two angels rescue Lot and his family. But when the angels plead with Lot to leave, he lingers. Not only is he in Sodom but Sodom is also in him! Time is running out! The judgment of God will soon fall! It’s time to leave, now! Then it happens! The rescue! The angels take them by the hand and pull them out of the city just before Sodom goes up in flames!
How could Lot have allowed himself to be in such a situation. But have we not all done the same thing. The picture of Lot trapped in Sodom and too weak to escape is certainly a picture of us in this present day world. We too chose the well watered plains of Jordan and cast our tents toward Sodom. We hated what we had become and yet did not know how to get out. We needed to be rescued! And then it happened! “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6  Jesus rescued us! In love and mercy He took us by the hand and pulled us out. Just in time Jesus came to the rescue!