September 30 Thought for the day....unity, being considerate, defining love

Hopefully, if you have been following along, you see that love is a gift that is best when given away. It is always seeking, hoping and believing for the best in others. We all want love, but when it comes to that perfect kind of love we crave we can be our own worst enemy settling for a counterfeit rather than the real thing

Love is....not rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 1 Corinthians 13:5

Love doesn't demand its own way. That doesn't mean you always acquiesce, but you want the other person's best. The best definition of this is "not puffed up, filled with pride." Our love for others should never be so full of itself that our love never thinks too much of itself or believe that we are better than others. When people are full of pride it causes division very easily and quickly in any relationship and the Father's heart is unity, not uniformity but that we, all being different, fit together perfectly like a puzzle to make something beautiful. In other words, love does not behave pridefully, snooty, arrogantly, superior, snobbish or clanish. What is funny is people who often accuse others of this are frequently this way themselves. The Father's heart is that we value everyone for their uniqueness created especially in a way that blesses us and honors God.

Love is not irritable. How often do people get under your skin? The translation for this phrase is; being tactless, thoughtless, inconsiderate, discourteous. Someone who is unkind, insensitive, and uncaring...this is a little more than our version of irritable, isn't it? It short we would say this person is acting "ugly." God's love is considerate of others, thoughtful and caring. We can all have a bad day and act this way. However, on the whole, we need to become more considerate and sensitive to others.

God's goal for the way He loves us is to bring out the best in us, helping us to become who we were meant to be. As we love this way, we grow in strength and maturity. Everything God gives us and has called us to is founded on love because He is love. As we understand His love better, we can flow in more power and a greater anointing because we understand His love.

September 27 Thought for the day....are you rude?

When I started writing regarding real love, I mentioned that as Paul was writing 1 Corinthians 13, he was dealing with "hyper-spiritual" people who had gifts but very little love. These people were like noisy chatter and were so irritating that they could make you angry because of their lack of love. I think that is what Paul is digging into here when he says this...

Love is...."not rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged." 1 Corinthians 13:5

When Paul is talking about the word "rude," he is referring to a person who is always talking about themselves, endlessly promoting or exaggerating their own virtues. The person who is like this tends to exaggerate so much that it often crosses over to lying. This characteristic enjoys talking about themselves and is often referred to as a "windbag." Most people, when you know a person who is this way you often want to go the other way when you see them coming. An individual in this mindset is so self-consumed that they don't even seem to notice the hard work of others around them.

Often people boast or exaggerate endlessly because they have some hidden agenda, they want others to see them as more than what they are, or they want some kind of special status in the eyes of others. They may also simply be insecure and are trying to mask their insecurity by boasting.

God's kind of love, the love we should have toward each other, is strong. It is so strong that it doesn't need to boast. In fact, it wants to see the accomplishments of others promoted. It seeks to build others up to make them feel valued and secure. God's love is always others-focused.

It is always OK to be proud of what the Lord has accomplished through you and to share it with others. The motivation should be, giving God honor and glory. Titles don't make the person, character does. If your actions reflect a grace of God, a talent, skill or anointing in your life then you don't need self-promotion for people to know who you are, they will see it in you and through your life.

September 26 Thought for the day.....loving and serving for others success

We will continue talking about God's love for us and the love we should have for each other. Just as a reminder, it is a love that never quits. It keeps pushing through to see the result even if it doesn't see or sense any return. We love just because He first loved us

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 1 Corinthians 13:4

Yesterday we talked about the type of love that restrains anger, being patient. Today I want us to look at being kind and not jealous.

When the Holy Spirit is speaking to us about God's nature and our challenge to love as "kind," He is saying that love is adaptable and compliant to the needs of others. When this type of love is working in your life, you don't demand that people be just like you. Instead, "kind" is the willingness to serve and adapt to meet the needs of others. When you are considering this you need to ask in all of my relationships, do I demand that people become just like me or to I work hard to work with people where they are to help them become the best they can be.

You are not a doormat; instead, you recognize your strengths and humble yourself to find the strengths and gifts in others to help them fulfill their destiny. Kindness is serving from strength looking to help others become their best.

Love is not "jealous." Jealous here could be translated envious, meaning a person who is radically consumed with their own desires and own plans. It is the direct opposite of this type of love which is not selfish, self-absorbed, or self-centered. This kind of love doesn't think of itself first but is always looking outward. Look at your own relationships at home, at church, at work and ask, "Am I committed to the success and blessing of others or is it only my own desires that I want to succeed?"Are you caught in only your own self-interest? We are a Body, a family, and when we look to help make the best for others, we are also blessing ourselves.

How does your life reflect these traits? If you are, then praise God for what He is accomplishing in you already. If not, don't waste time beating yourself up, ask the Lord to help you make the changes necessary to be who God has called you to be all along!

September 25... Thought for the day...are you patient?

So much time, thought, writing, so many movies, books, and songs talk about love you think every one of us would have a complete handle on what it means. The wounds of our past, broken relationships, mistreatment, abuse, and neglect have so skewed our understand that I felt it important to talk about how the Holy Spirit defines love which is the basis of the way the church and especially the gifts of the Spirit should flow through a church.

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud" 1 Corinthians 13:4

What is love? The word Paul uses here is the highest form of love. In fact, in the entire New Testament, this word is used only to define God's love and the type of love that should flow from every believer's heart. The basis of this type of love is one that gives and gives and gives even if it is not responded to, reciprocated, thanked or acknowledged it keeps loving regardless of the recipient's response or lack of response. This is the highest level of love. It is the purest, noblest, form of love there is!

God has designed these verses to reveal a reflection to each of us. This is the type of love we are called to have always. If you are not living this yet, don't worry, the Holy Spirit has you reading this so you can see how to do it and pray to make it happen in your life.

Love is patient! The word translated patient means "restrain anger." It is the idea that you are willing to wait for someone to come around, to hear what you have to say or to understand what you are trying to teach. The word lived out in a person's life means they do not give in, they don't back out, they keep on going until they eventually understand what the Holy Spirit is doing. A person with this kind of love is like a never-ending flow of cooling water to keep refreshing even if the person will not be refreshed. This river does not come from a person but through a person from God.

When this type of love is poured out, it may take time, but it changes people. It is human nature to give up, to toss up your hands and say, "I'm done, " but God doesn't give up. How many times did Israel turn their backs on God, yet he still loved. How many times have you turned your back on God yet He still loves. God is patient, and as a person filled with His Spirit, we need to reflect that patience too.

Maybe you feel as if God has given up on you, He hasn't. God never will. Perhaps you are in an impossible situation trying to love someone that is just unlovable. You can't do it on your own, but He can pour His great love into you, so you are no longer on your own, but He is filling you to overflowing, so you have enough for you and the people in your life.

God loves you...let Him!

September 24 Thought for the day...maturity and love

In all my years of ministry and the 100+ countries, I have traveled through I have learned one very important thing about God. God is love. While that might not be a world-shaking discovery, the practical application of God's love in the world is missing. Paul talks about that 1 Corinthians 13:1

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."

There was a problem with the church in Corinth. Many people flowing in the gifts of the Spirit were being very "super-spiritual." The problem came when they put the "flowing" in the gifts ahead of the love of God!

"Noisy Gong" this doesn't give us the full explanation in English. It means something that continuously reverberates. Paul is talking about people who are like a nonstop clanging noise, a person who talked incessantly. He is referring to people who seem to flow in the gifts of the Spirit. However, their actions do not reflect God's love. They are all about them, not about the people around them or reaching the world for Christ.

"Clanging cymbal" refers to the clashing of cymbals the way the nation of Israel did as they prepared for war. Paul was referring to people who are so irritating that they make you want to get into a fight with them. We need to understand that Paul was referring to spirit-filled people. They loved the Lord were filled with His Spirit but were not fully mature.

God pours out His Spirit on all kinds of people who love Jesus. Maturity doesn't seem to be one of the qualities that are necessary for in-filling of the Holy Spirit, just like it is not necessary for salvation. When people are caught up in the gifts and forget that love is the measure of the gifts, they become either a non-stop talker or someone that is so irritating that you want to punch them.

The challenge for us is that if a person is this irritating to us, why are they that irritating? We need to check the love we are walking in, as well to make sure we are as mature as what we need to be. Paul writes about this in the middle of his explanation of the gifts of the Spirit. Our effectiveness in flowing in the gifts is only as powerful as the love we walk in. Over the next few days, we will be exploring this chapter a little more.

September 23 Thought for the day...a message for real idiots

Have you ever been called an idiot, imbecile, or stupid? Have you ever been looked at as being overly naive or ignorant? Chances are if you have given any time sharing your faith with those who consider themselves superior in our culture, you have either been called these things or have been considered to be naive by others.  If you have, you are among a powerful group of people.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 1 Corinthians 1:26, 27

Have you ever felt ill-equipped to share the Gospel with others? Have you ever felt less valuable than others? Have you ever felt God has a great plan for everyone but me? If any of that is true, then this is the scripture for you.

The word "foolish" means to be dull, dense, or slow. This word was used to make fun of people and to degrade them. How often because of our beliefs, we are considered imbeciles, morans, or idiots. The world cannot grasp its own limitations, and the pride of people in the world is too large to recognize that they are in need of a savior. When we believe, foolishly in the world's eyes, that there is a God in heaven, that He created all things, and that He is in control, we seem idiotic to a world that can't believe in anything they can not see, feel, or quantify. We "put to shame," which means to confound, frustrate, embarrass, confuse, or leave them scratching their heads, every wise person. We walk in love and freedom because of Jesus, and these too are hard to see, feel, and quantify!

The "wise" Paul is talking about means the naturally brilliant, the illuminated, the sharp. Most of the early church were the lower classes, less cultured, and uneducated. It wasn't that they weren't brilliant people they simply had never been taught. They had more than enough sense to recognize their need for a savior and brilliant enough to realize everything had to come from somewhere. In fact, their believing actually made the "foolish" of this world intellectually superior because they knew and believed the truth, allowing the weak to put to shame the wise.

That being the case who are the real idiots? Is it those who are considered weak by the world's standards but recognized their need of a savior or those who are considered wise, but reject God?

Jesus said we would know the truth, and the truth would set us free. If you know the truth, you can set others free as well!

By the way, if you struggle with being able to defend what you believe I did a sermon series entitled "Please don't ask me" a series dealing with the questions Christians fear most. If you are interested in hearing them they can be found here: http://christiancenter.us/category/sermons/ You can scroll through to find the topics that most interest you.

September 20 Thought for the day...lessons from a snake

Most people I know don't like snakes. I am not overly fond of them myself, but I know if a snake is around, that means there is a food source such as mice or rats. I would rather have the snake than the mice or rats. Jesus said an odd thing about snakes that we need to understand.

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16

How in the world is a snake wise? The word translated wise here means careful, discerning, prudent, intelligent. The word translated serpent means any type of snake. That seems to be pretty clear. How is a snake wise, and how does it apply to our walk as Christians? God is always moving us into new areas of maturity, challenging us to grow and trust Him in new things. As Jesus is talking about each of us launching into what is new to us, how does a snake handle new territory?

Please remember it was Jesus who brought up the example of a snake, not me. When a snake moves into new territory, it does so unannouncedly it does not make a big splash. They were created camouflaged, and in many ways, they use that to remain hidden. When God is bringing us into something new, it is wise to watch and observe rather than announcing the grand and glorious thing God is doing through us. A man's or woman's gifts make room for them. We don't need to be concerned about our promotion; God will open the door at the right time.

When a snake moves into new territory, it looks for a place of shelter, places to hide, and ample food supply. When God is calling us into a new thing, we always need to know where is our shelter? Where can we have our retreat with the Lord? When I am being stretched, I need to understand who I can count on to stand with me, who are the people I can trust that will keep me in prayer, being a shelter over me. I also need to know what are the scriptures I can stand on in my new adventure, my food source, that I need to keep me strong.

There is a whole world that needs each of us to be who God has called us to be. We can not remain where we are, doing the same things over and over, and expect new and fresh results. We need to grow and change. We need to move into new territories, and we must do it with wisdom. I'm not thrilled with being compared to a snake, but God created them too, and we can learn from anything if we trust the one who created everything.