Growing In LOVE...just in time for Valentines Day!

"...but the greatest of these is LOVE."
    1 Corinthians 13:13

      Jesus gave us the definition of LOVE in 1 Corinthians 13, although not many of us could see ourselves in that definition. As believers, we are to seek to grow in love...not that we have obtained it as Paul said, but that we press forward in our upward call to LOVE as JESUS loved. This is not an easy task and becomes obvious when we insert our name in 1 Corinthians 13 in the place of the word LOVE. It's then, that we discover that we aren't really as loving as we thought. When Jesus is our standard of love we see love as it was intended to be...perfect, complete and lacking nothing. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we naturally grow in the area of LOVE also. We become more patient and kind, more humble and polite, more others minded and less us minded, more holy, more truthful, we have more faith, more hope and more endurance. Instead of inserting just my name...it would be more appropriate if I inserted my name and the word "more". Then, it would read; "Michelle is "more" patient and kind...and so on...understanding the fact that we're all under construction helps us to be patient with the work that God is doing in us...knowing that He has begun a good work in us and promises to see it though to the end. But, how is this accomplished...how do I grow more in the area LOVE? I want to love my spouse more, my kids more, my family more, my neighbors, and co-workers and others more, but I'm in this flesh and at war daily with it! How do I win, you might say?

There is hope! Praise God...there's hope! We don't have to settle for half- hearted love, complacent love or hypocritical love. We can have real genuine love...love that come straight from Jesus. But, it does cost. It's costs your pride, it costs your time, it costs your flesh...to love as Jesus loved requires death. For God demonstrated what real love truly looks like when He sent His only Son to the earth to die for us. Real love takes death. The more you die the better! Paul said  in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." The more we die to our flesh the less we recognize the old person and the more we look like a new creature in Christ. Because we have seen what real love looks like, we have a model that we are to strive for. As we die to our flesh and begin to abide in faith and hope, love is the natural byproduct. We are to live, dwell and remain in the Word, in prayer, in fellowship, and in service...and the more we live there in that place... the more we become like Jesus...who is the definition of love. Will we ever attain perfect love? No...not while we are here on earth, but we are to seek to be more like Jesus in the area of love while we are here...until we see Him face to face, then we will be perfected. Until then...we can remember a little acronym for
LOVE to better help us ...

L...less of me
O...others first
V...valentines
E...everyday

May the Lord fill us with His Spirit and empower us to love as He loved!

Unattractive Wrappings...the diamond within

   Have you ever been at a Christmas party where there is a white elephant gift exchange? Does anybody really know what one of those is anyway? Is it a joke gift, a used gift, or a gift under $10?  Regardless, when I chose a gift, I usually go for the one with the nicest wrapping. But, that’s not always a good indication of what’s inside. Often times it will be an old sock or a broken coffee mug.  But with the Lord, its often the other way around…ugly, detestable wrapping with a beautiful priceless gem on the inside.

This is the case with diamonds. They are found in the rough, meaning that they are unpolished and their beauty is unseen. They appear in their natural form as an ugly grey stone that most people would skip right over. They haven’t reached their full potential and only a skilled craftsman can see the beauty of the rough grey stone.  
I recently read about the discovery of the  most magnificent diamond in the history of the world. It was found in an African mine, and presented to the king of England to embellish his crown.  The King sent it to Amsterdam to be cut by an expert stonecutter. The expert took the stone of priceless value and cut a notch in it. Then he struck it one hard time with his hammer, and the majestic jewel fell into his hand, broken in two.

Most of us would look at this act as careless and foolish, but what we fail to see is that the expert studied and planned for days, even weeks how exactly with one blow of the hammer he would create not only one, but two magnificent stones. Only in the hands of a skilled professional could this be accomplished. The highly skilled stonecutter saw what others couldn’t see. He saw the full potential of the diamond. He saw that deep within the diamond were actually two priceless stones on not just one.

Likewise, the Lord alone can see our full potential. He sees a diamond in the rough and what's really on the inside. He allows a stinging blow to fall upon us. We feel the pain and agony of discomfort, we think; “this must be a mistake”, but it’s not. God allows discomfort and pain to form us into the most precious jewels in the world, for He is the most skilled stonecutter in the universe.  And one day, when He’s done with His chiseling and hammering,  we’ll be a beautiful jewel adorning the crown of the King of Kings. Hang in there if you are in the midst of some discomfort today...know that the Master Craftsman is making you into something only He can see, something very  beautiful...a refection of Himself. "I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord, "…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. Trust Him...He knows what He's doing!

                     

                                                                          

It's That TIme Again...an encouraging word on pruning

   Today is pruning day! I've been putting this off for almost a

 month now, and I can put it off no longer. If I want my rose bushes to be healthy and produce more flowers I need to prune them. The problem with this process is that it hurts and it's ugly. I often get poked through my gloves by the sharp thorns which sting and when I'm all done my rose bushes look naked...just stumps. Every year as I prune my roses I can't help but think of our lives as Believers and how our loving heavenly Father prunes us from time to time in order that we might bear even more fruit in our lives.

John 15 tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches. He is the vinedresser who takes care of His crop. He waters, fertilizes and yes, He cuts off what will no longer produce fruit, that we may bear even more fruit. This can be a painful process in a believer’s life and one that can either be received or rejected.  As our heavenly gardener, the Lord, certainly knows what to trim and what to leave. He is in control of the pruning. Even though this can be hard, uncomfortable, difficult, and down right painful, we must trust that the Lord knows what He’s doing. We must yield to the pruning process knowing that the fruit is greater then the pain of the pruning.

L.B. Cowman said; “Many of the richest blessings we have inherited are the fruit of sorrow or pain. We should never forget that redemption, the world’s greatest blessing, is the fruit of the world’s greatest sorrow. And whenever a time of deep pruning comes and the knife cuts deeply and the pain is severe, what an inexpressible comfort it is to know, My Father is the gardener.”

    

As I prune my roses of all their beauty...taking them down to just a bare stump, I think of my own life and how necessary it is for the Lord, my heavenly gardener, to rid me of certain things that may hinder my growth in Him. I realize that although pruning is painful at times, it’s most necessary in order to bear more fruit each year. I also realize that pruning is just as necessary as planting. In fact, it’s in the pruning stage that I’ve personally grown the most in my walk with the Lord. I can honestly say that I've learned to appreciate the process, even though I cannot say that I enjoy it.  I see that that there is even reason for the thorns that often prick me, as they are the things that protect the beautiful delicate roses from predators that are out to destroy them.

Someone once said; "There are many blessings we will never receive until we are ready to pay the price of pain, for often suffering is the way to reach them." When asked about the necessity of sorrow...Charles Spurgeon responded; “How would you like to be the one standing in heaven and be pointed out as the only saint who never experienced sorrow? Never! You would feel like a stranger in the midst of a sacred fellowship. Therefore may we be content to share in the battle, for we will soon wear a crown of reward and wave a palm branch of praise.” Be encouraged today if you are in a time of pruning that there is a divine gardener behind every cut. He is making sure that the cut is accomplishing what He set out for it to...that in the end we would become more like Him. Although the price of pruning may be great... the benefits are beautiful! Hang in there and watch as your life produces more and more fruit. "I am the true vine and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." John 15:1-2

What Is Success?

"Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24

  Everyone wants to be successful in life. Whether it's at your job, in school, as a wife or husband or as a parent...we all strive for success in something. In the world, success is defined much differently then with Believers. The world sees success through the eyes of money, power and prestige. While Jesus sees it through a life that follows His example of humility and servanthood.

Webster’s defines success as; “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. As Believers we should ask ourselves the question, what am I aiming for in life? Is it to get ahead, to be financially stable, or to be known by others? All of these are self related, which is contrary to what Jesus tells us to do...deny our SELF, pick up our Cross and follow Him. If we are truly doing these three things then we will have a life that looks similar to His....a life of being sensitive to others, a life of self- denial, a life of serving others, and a life of striving towards receiving an incorruptible crown.

Success to the Christian is found in the person of Jesus Christ….period, nothing added and nothing taken away! We are given His example in the scripture to follow not to just look at from a distance and admire, but to live out in and through our lives. Paul was a great example of one who didn’t follow at a distance…but dove in head first and made it his aim to follow Christ. In fact, Paul says in Romans 15:20; "I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation." Paul also exhorted the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 5:9; saying,

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” And finally to young Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:4…Paul exhorts him to …aim to please the One who enlisted him. If we like Paul, make it our aim to please Jesus then we will have success in life. The Key is to make it our aim.

I’m not a very good golfer…but I do know that it takes good aim to get that little ball into that little hole. I also know that to be successful in golf, as with any sport…you need to practice. You also need to concentrate, and be disciplined to learn the correct swing to become accurate and be consistent. One commentator said that golf experts can complicate the aiming process so much that they can become completely confused. Harvey Penick, one of the great golf teachers, put it very simply when he was once asked the secret of hitting the golf ball in the direction it should go…"Take dead aim." I like that!

As Believers we are to take "dead aim." We are to make it our aim to die... to our self, that is. Jesus affirmed this in Matthew 10:39 saying "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." It's through death that we have life…eternal life and life here on earth. Paul is saying that there are certain things that will help you to aim dead on, thus hitting the target, and getting a hole in one! If you do these things as a Christian…you will have success. Looking back at "these things" that guarantee success as a Christian...1. being sensitive to others 2. dying to self 3. serving others and 4. striving for a crown.

As we practice these four "things" we will soon discovery that our life is no longer about us...it's become all about Him and what pleases Him! I wish I could say that I have these areas mastered in my life, but I don't. I'm still working on them, just like you. Together we can press toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus! This is a high calling with great rewards!  Each of us who is determined to make His name known will receive a crown in glory. Paul says to strive to receive it! We already have heaven as Believers, but the crown is reserved for those that are busy about their fathers business. Make His business your business as you strive to receive your crown. The reason? We want something to throw down at the feet of Jesus when we get to heaven! Lord, strengthen us in our pursuit of YOU, and help us to make it our aim to please YOU!

First Steps

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me?" Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground." 
Genesis 14:15-16

   It's never easy taking the first step of faith. We often wait, hoping that we will have a nice straight smooth path to walk on. But that's not always the case. Most of the time the Lord requires that we first step out and then He confirms His will making each step known to us when it's needed, and not always when it's wanted. One thing that I've come to understand about the way the Lord works is that He doesn't open paths before we come to them, nor does He provide help before it's needed. He allows us to take the first step and  then He works miracles.

When my kids took their first steps it was something they worked up to. They started crawling, then creeping, then pulling  themselves up on the table, and finally taking baby steps one at at time. I was there cheering them on and holding my arms wide open in case they fell....which they did , plenty of times. But they got back up again and did it again and again until they mastered walking. I knew that my kids needed to learn to walk eventually and the only way this would be accomplished is by encouraging them to stand up and take their first step. Soon after, they were not only walking, but running!

Likewise,  It was when Moses in obedience stretched his hand over the Red Sea that it was parted and the impossible was accomplished as he stepped in on dry land. It was when Abraham stepped up to the call that God answered radically by providing a ram in the thicket. And it's when Joseph stepped out revealing who he was to his brothers that there was restoration with his family.

All three of these men exercised faith and obedience, therefore received a blessing. It takes obedience to receive the blessings of God. We often grow weary while we are waiting thinking that God has forgotten about us...that He somehow has grown deaf to our hearts cry. But oh how much He loves us. He loves us so much that He patiently waits to answer, to provide, to part, and to restore what's broken in His perfect timing. He does this that He may receive the most glory. Many times, He allows us to exhaust our resources, waiting until we come to the end of ourselves, and our backs are to the sea...that we step out of the way and allow Him to lead the way! It's then, that He leads us, provides for us and makes our path clear to us.

Has God asked you recently to take a step out or in or up? You will never know what you could have accomplished until you are willing to obey and take that first step. I wonder if Moses had never stretched out his hand and trusted God, or if Abraham had never believed God, or if Joseph stayed paralyzed in his fear....how their stories would have been so very different. We tend to forget that the same God that parted the Red Sea for Moses is available to part our circumstances and do a miracle. Do you believe in the God o Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Then trust Him to part the Sea for you...take that first step and watch your GOD work...I dare you to trust Him!

 " The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety." -George Mueller