What's Love Got to do With It

What's love got to do with it!

Everything!

Unlike the Tina Turner song,

love is more than an "old fashioned notion".

We were created to love by God, Who is love.

1 John 4:7-10 (NLT)

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, 

for love comes from God.

Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, 

for God is love.  9 God showed how much he loved 

us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that

 we might have eternal life through him.

10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us

and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

So much of the time we put conditions on love.

We base love on a feeling or emotion.

God's love is unconditional.

It doesn't matter what we do or say, He will always love us.

The Bible has three words for love;

agape, phileo, and eros.

Eros is the type of love between husband and wife.

Phileo is the most common and generally means to love, to like,

treat affectionately and be friendly.

Phileo is the kind of love we share with family and friends.

Agape love is the highest form of love and often the hardest to attain.

It is a selfless love.

C. S. Lewis explained agape as "a selfless love, 

a love that was passionately

committed to the well being of the other".

This is the love God has for us.

It is this love which enabled Jesus to leave heaven

and sacrifice Himself for us.

It is this love that still saves and heals us.

God is committed to loving us unconditionally even 

when we turn our backs on Him.

Let God love you today.

1Corinthians 13:7
Love bears all things. believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Do Yourself a Favor

As we hold on to grudges

and resentment,

they have a way of gaining control over our lives.

They also grow out of proportion.

Resentment can materialize in many ways;

physically and emotionally making us sick.

It can cut off communication and isolate us

from family and friends.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 

The Message

Don't be quick to fly off the handle.

Anger boomerangs.

Psalm 37:8

NLT

Stop being angry.

Turn from your rage.

Do not lose your temper-

it only leads to harm.

Do yourself a favor!

Forgive!

Let go of anger, bitterness and unforgiveness.

Do this for yourself.

It may seem impossible, but nothing is impossible for God.

Ephesians 4:31-32

NLT

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander,

as well as all types of evil behavior.

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

God demonstrated His great love for toward us by sending Christ

to die for us even while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8

Put away all your anger, resentment and bitterness

and love one another just as God did for us.

Just Waiting for the Parade!

A victory parade is held to celebrate victory over the enemy army. 

The US did it with the allies after WW1 and 11.

In ancient times the parade was led by the victors followed by the spoils of war.

Next came the leader of the defeated army,

then the captives,

and finally the victorious army.

The army held this procession to make a public spectacle of the captives.

The Bible lets us know Jesus has already won the battle.

He accomplished this at the cross.

Jesus took our captivity captive. 

Ephesian 4:8

Therefore He says:

"When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

and gave gifts to men.

He has freed us from the destruction of sin.

"Having disarmed principalities and powers"

and 

"He made a public spectacle of them".

Colossians 

2:15

Jesus now leads us in a victory parade of triumph.

2 Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be to God Who always leads us in triumph in Christ,

and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

The battle has been won.

The parade has stared.

Don't sit on the side of the road watching.

Join the parade

and be victorious in Christ.

Follow the Prompt

Every day has its routine.

For most of us it has become automatic.

We get up, dress, go to work, come home, go to bed 

and then start all over again the next day.

It is our routine.

But how often to we stop to listen to the prompting 

of the Holy Spirit?

He is quietly speaking to us.

Other times He is loud, yet we choose not to hear.

We choose to listen to our flesh and ignore the quiet, 

inner knowings and promptings.

Matthew 26:41

......but the flesh is weak

The little inner knowings the Holy Spirit gives us are His way

of leading and guiding us into all truth.

John 16:13

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come,

He will guide you into all truth;

for He will not speak on His own authority,

but whatever He hears He will speak'

and He will tell you things to come.

To hear Him more clearly,

read the Bible, study, 

and 

LISTEN.

The Holy Spirit shows us the heart of God.

Cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit,

make it personal.

The more we build on the relationship, the clearer we will hear.

Extravagant!

God's love is extravagant and intimate.

He loves us in a very personal way.

Jeremiah 1:5

He knows us before we were ever formed.

Matthew 10:30 GW

Every hair on your head has been counted.

God takes exquisite care of His children.

Our lives are valuable to Him.

Matthew 6:26

As He takes care of the birds in the air,

how much more will God care for us!

John 14:2

Though we may have troubles in this world, 

God has prepared mansions for our eternity.

John 15:13

No greater love exists than the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

His greatest show of love........JESUS!!!!

His love is extravagant..!

You Already Have it!

What?

I already have it!

YES!

Through adoption by God, you already have it.

Power, authority and freedom from fear.

As an adopted child of God we are adopted into the family of God

and become joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,

but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out

"Abba Father".

As an adopted child of God,

we have been given the same rights as the Son

and have been given a new name, a new identity in Christ.

Most importantly, through adoption, we

have been given power and authority to overcome

"all the power of the enemy," (Luke 10:19)

Jesus had authority over everything; to cast out demons,

heal the sick and over disease.

Matthew 28:18, Mark 1:27, Luke 7:7

As joint heirs with Christ, we inherit eternal life,

the authority to speak over our lives in His Name

and receive all that Christ possesses.

Every person is from God, but not all have been

adopted as sons of God.

To receive your inheritance you must receive Jesus

as your Lord and Savior.

Then all that He has is yours!

Willing

Jesus once told a leper "I am willing".

Matthew 8:3

Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.

"I am willing," He said.

"Be clean!"

Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Lepers were outcasts of society.

They lived separately and no one touched them.

Yet Jesus was willing to reach out, touch the man and heal him.

Jesus was willing to heal a blind man on the Sabbath.

John 9

He was willing to speak with the woman at the well.

Even though she was a Samaritan and Jewish people were not to

have any contact with them.  Yet Jesus was willing.

John 4:4-21

Jesus was willing to sit with thieves, beggars, tax collectors and sinners.

Jesus was willing to hang on a cross. 

How many of us are willing to follow in Jesus's example?

How many of us will love the unlovable, talk to the homeless,

forgive those who have sinned against us, or help

those who are in need.

I am willing!

Are you?

There is No Formula

Formula's exist in math and science to find answers.

There are formula's which make up atoms and molecules.

These are constants.

You may know someone with a "get rich quick" formula, 

or how to lose weight.

Unfortunately, what works in life for one person 

may not work in another's.

These are ephemeral and untrustworthy.

The same is true with Christians.

What works for one may not work for another.

There is no magic formula which will work for all to 

live victorious, happy, and healthy.

Someone may pray two hours every morning and night.

Go to church three to five times a week and

knows where all the scriptures are.

They appear blessed, highly favored, and grace filled.

Consequently, you try to follow their formula for praying

and after five or ten minutes you run out of things to pray about.

You know the verse but not the book or chapter.

Work prevents you from getting to church more than once a week.

So you try another formula and it doesn't work either

and you wonder why.

God doesn't fit in a formula or a box.

God leads each one of us in a different way

and He gives the grace to follow it.

Don't look for a formula.

There isn't one.

Listen to God, He is showing the way.

2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, 

My strength is made perfect in weakness".......

A Measure of Faith

Everyone has faith in something.

We have faith the sun will rise and set daily.

Faith the floor will be there as we set our feet upon it.

These are constants.

The faith put in jobs, cars, friends, family and ourselves is not.

This type of faith can fail.

But when we come to Christ we are given a "measure of faith".

Romans 12:3

For I say, through the grace given to me,

to everyone who is among you, 

not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,

but to think soberly,

as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

An everlasting faith in God, Who will never fail.

It is a gift that grows.

Every Christian is given the same amount of faith

and every time we tap into faith by

leaning on, trusting in, and obeying God faith magnifies.

II Thessalonians 1:3

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren,

as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly,

and the love of of everyone of you all abound toward each other....

The power source of faith is the word of God.

Just as water is a power source for electricity.

Without water--no power.

Without God's word--little faith.

Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

The more of God's word the greater the faith.

Faith is planted in our spirit and as we water it with the Word

it flourishes and is nurtured by the Holy Spirit.

Water your measure of faith today with the Word of God.

Rest

Open the door and enter in.

There is rest and comfort within.

The key to the door is faith.  Faith in God.

Psalm 62:1 NIV

Truly my soul finds rest in God;

my salvation comes from him.

It is more than a Saturday afternoon at the park.

It is not a quick nap. 

These are only temporary.

God gives a lasting, spiritual, and eternal rest.

Rest which can be accessed every moment of every day.

Matthew 11:28 NLT

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary

and carry heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.

The Good Shephard

Psalm 135:5

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;

Sing praises to His Name, for it is pleasant.

The Lord is good.  He is tenderhearted.

His mercies are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:23

They are new every morning

Great is your faithfulness

He will watch our coming and going.

It is the Lord Who cares for us.

Psalm 121:8

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your 

coming in from this time forth,

and even forevermore.

Even through the night He is with us. As we sleep and rest,

the Lord does not.  He remains vigilant, ever watchful.

We can trust in Him to be with us and give us

sweet sleep.

Psalm 121:3-4

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Proverbs 3:24

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

Just Waiting For The Parade

A victory parade is held to celebrate victory over the enemy.

The United States did it with the allies after WWI and II.

In ancient times the parade was lead by the conquerors

followed by the spoils of war.

Next came the leader of the defeated army

and the captives

and finally, the victorious army.

The defeating army held this procession to make a 

public spectacle of the captives.

The Bible lets us know Jesus has already won the battle.

He accomplished this on the cross.

Jesus took our captivity captive.  Ephesians 4:8

Colossians 2:15

He has freed us from the destruction of sin.

Having disarmed principalities

and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,

triumphing over them in it.

Jesus now leads us in victory.

2 Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be to God who always leads us

in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the

fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

The battle has been won.

The parade is getting ready to start.

Don't sit on the sidelines watching.

Join the victorious in Christ!

You Already Have It!

You already have it.

What?

I already have it?

YES!

You already have power and authority which is given

through adoption by God into His family.

Once saved, we are adopted and become joint heirs with Christ.

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,

but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,

"Abba Father".

As an adopted child of God, we have been given

the same rights as the Son.

We have been given a new name and a new identity in Christ.

Most importantly through adoption,

we have been given power and authority to overcome

"all the power of the enemy", Luke 10:19

Jesus had:

authority over everything, Matt 28:18

authority to cast out demons, Mark 1:27

authority to heal the sick, Luke 7:7

As joint heirs with Him, we inherit all that He is.

Every person is from God, but not all have been adopted into the family.

To receive your inheritance you must be adopted into 

God's family by receiving Jesus 

as Lord and Savior. 

Then all that He has is yours!

A Treasure Map by Max Lucado

In the beginning there was the Word.

The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

"The Bible has been banned, burned, scoffed, and ridiculed.

Scholars have mocked it as foolish.

Kings have branded it as illegal.

A thousand times over it the grave has been dug,

and the dirge has begun, but somehow

the Bible never stays in the grave.

Not only has it survived, it has thrived.

It is the single most popular book in all of history. 

It has been the best-selling book in the world for years!

There is no way on earth to explain it.

Which perhaps is the only explanation.

The answer?

The Bible's durability is not found on earth;

it is found in heaven.

For millions who have tested its claims 

and claimed its promises there is but one answer---

the Bible is God's book and God's voice...

The purpose of the Bible is to proclaim God's plan

and passion to save his children.

That is the reason this book has endured through the centuries...

It is the treasure map that leads us to God's highest treasure,

eternal life."

Writing by Max Lucado

"Grace for the Moment"

Take Thoughts Captive

Our thoughts can determine what kind of day we will have.

The effects of negative thinking are both

emotional and physical.

Negative thinking can cause anger, anxiety, depression,

lack of energy and illness.

On the other hand, the effects of positive thinking

lead to peace, joy, happiness, increased

energy and improved health.

The Message Bible tells us in 

2 Corinthians 10:5

that we are to, "use our powerful God tools

for smashing warped philosophies, tearing

down barriers erected against the truth of God,

fitting every loose thought and emotion

and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ"

It is our responsibility to take every negative thought

captive and set our mind 

"on things above". Colossians 3:2

Set your mind today on Christ!

Down and Out

Down and out is not what you think.

It is not a lack of money or resources.

It is not a hard luck situation.

Rather it is receiving down from God

and then sending it out to touch the lives of others.

God's grace, mercy, and love.

1 Corinthians 1:3-4 AMP

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of sympathy

(pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source]

of every comfort (consolation and encouragement)

Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us

in every trouble (calamity and affliction)

so that we may also be able to comfort

(console and encourage)

those who are in any kind of trouble or distress,

with comfort (consolation and encouragement)

with which we ourselves are comforted

(consoled and encouraged) by God.

God pours down on us His love until

we are overflowing.

Send out the overflow.

Be a blessing to others just as you are blessed.