II Timothy 2:15 -- "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
Galatians 6:9 -- "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Thank you once again for taking the time to read the message for the week. I am grateful to the Lord for allowing me to have this ministry.
We are in the midst of a series of messages where we are examining what a life lived in love looks like. We are asking the question, how does a person filled with God's love act out in the world?
Over the course of the last couple of weeks, we've looked at the great chapter on love I Corinthians 13. Today, I want us to focus in on another two characteristics that will be reflected in the life of a person who is living a life of love. In I Corinthians 13:5 Paul states that love is not easily angered and it does not keep a record of wrongs.
Jesus had something to teach us about anger in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said that if someone was angry with their brother, they were in danger of judgment. In another place in the Bible we are told not to let the Sun go down on our wrath/anger.
A person who is filled with love for others will live in such a way that he or she is not easily offended or worked up so to speak. I have to admit that this isn't always an easy thing for me. Especially when I was younger, I had sort of a bad temper. If you made me mad, you would definitely know about it. Thankfully, over the years, I've done better in this regard.
I believe that if we love others we will not want our own way all the time. We will be less selfish. When we are not acting in a selfish way, it is much easier to not get angry with others. At least I've found this to be true in my own life.
Anger is something that everyone needs to get control of. It leads us to other sins. I know that when I let anger get the best of me, it leads me to say nasty things that hurt other people's feelings. This is definitely not acting a Christ-like manner.
As I grow closer to the Lord each day, I am becoming less easily upset. I am trying to do better with this everyday.
Now, what does it mean that love does not keep a record of wrongs done? This means that we forgive and forget. We don't hold things against someone for years and years. True love forgives and tries to put things in the past. When we aren't living in a loving way, we remember the bad things people did to us, and then we bring them up at certain times to either hurt someone or make them feel bad.
The greatest example of love not keeping a record of wrongs that I had in my life was from my friend Toby. I remember that one time I got really upset with him for something that I later found out he didn't have any control of. I told him I was very sorry and that I would never get mad at him again for any reason. Almost immediately, he forgot all about, and we went back to being the best of friends as always.
When we are living in the love of Jesus, we forgive the wrongs done, and then we put them in the past. That is the way that the Lord treats us. He removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west, and He remembers them against us no more.
Living a life of love is not easy. We have to work each day as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to become more and more like Jesus. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please remember in prayer those affected by the hurricanes here in the US. Pray that people will get the assistance and help that they need.
Remember to keep praying for peace. Ukraine, Israel, the Middle East and Sudan all need our prayers right now.
Pray for an end to the disease outbreaks. M pox is still going, and I heard a report that Marburg virus is ongoing in parts of Africa.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Bahrain and Morocco. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Please pray for me. I am feeling some better, but I am still not that well. Thank you.
Next week, we will continue with our series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.
Before I post the verses, I would like us all to pray for those who are still being held hostage in Gaza. It was one year ago when all of this started. Please pray that the hostages will be released. Pray that peace can come to Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and the Middle East.
Psalm 119:76 -- "Let Your steadfast love comfort me according to Your promise to Your servant."
Psalm 121:1-2 -- "I lift up my eyes to the hills, From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth."
I thank the Lord for another opportunity to post the message, and I thank you for taking the time to read the message this week. I hope you are all having a good week.
Once again, we are studying the characteristics of a life that is filled with love for the Lord and others. We are examining what a life lived out looks like when it is lived in love.
For today's message, I want to us to continue to look at some of the characteristics of love as related to us by the Apostle Paul in his great chapter on love I Corinthians 13. In verse 5, it states in the NIV version that, "it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking." Some other versions translate this part a little bit differently. Many versions state that love is not rude. Let's look into all three of these.
First off, let's take the NIV translation of love does not dishonor others. A person that is living a life of love does not go about seeking to make other people look bad. In fact, I would say that a truly loving person would try to do whatever he or she could do in order to make a person appear in the best light possible. What I mean by this is that we should not in any way go about trying to tear people down. Instead, a loving person should try to build people up.
Let me try to give an example of this. When I was young, I went to a school operated by the church my parents attended. The atmosphere was very oppressive. One was always being told how terrible they were. On the other hand, when I went to a religious college a few years later, the opposite attitude was on display. There, the professors were always trying to build you up and make you feel that you could be successful. I think that a person with a loving heart wants to help and encourage people and not try to take away their dignity.
I think that love does not dishonor others has another application. Often, when people fall into a particular sin, churches and religious people can often make them feel more terrible about themselves than they already feel. Wouldn't it be better if in love we tried to encourage people to be their best and always remind them that Jesus loves them?
Now, as I mentioned, some Bible translations translate this a little different. Instead of the NIVs does not dishonor others, they say love is not rude. Being rude in my mind is different than dishonoring someone. So, let us look into this. Being rude means acting with bad manners. A person acting in love would be a person wanting to act in such a way that they were mannerly and pleasant. A loving person is someone that other people want to be around. A rude person doesn't care about anyone else's feelings. That is the opposite of love. Love cares about others and their feelings.
Our text for today also tells us that love is not self-seeking. How true this is. Love seeks the best for other people. Love is sacrificial.
When I was young, a minister once told me that the best way to live the Christian life is to put Jesus first in all things. Then we are to think of others and helping them with their needs. After this, comes us. A loving person doesn't have to meet their needs at the expense of someone else.
Just to sum things up. A person acting in love behaves in a way the encourages and helps others. They are not acting in the world just to get what they want when they want it. Living in love manifests itself in encouraging others and reminding them that Jesus cares about them. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I am feeling some better. I am still looking for a better job. Please keep me in your prayers.
Please pray for those affected by the terrible storms here in the US. Pray that they get the help needed. Also, there was flooding in parts of Mexico. They need our prayers as well.
The situation in the Middle East is very tense right now. Pray for peace. Make this a very important part of your prayers this week. Continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and Sudan.
Pray for an end to the m pox outbreak.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Kosovo and Kazakhstan. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.
Romans 5:8 -- "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
I John 4:8 -- "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
It is once again time for the Weekend Sermon. Thanks again for taking time to read the message. I hope and pray that all of you are well.
Today, we will continue with our series in which we are analyzing the characteristics of a life lived in love. Since love is at the heart of the Christian faith, we need to know what love in action in our lives will look like. As we learned earlier, Paul told us that we can do many things in our lives, but if we don't have love, it is all for nothing.
Last week, we started examining some of the characteristics of love as found in the great chapter on love I Corinthians 13. We saw that love is patient and love is kind. Continuing with verse four, we are told that, "It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." Let's look into these aspects of a life of love today.
First of all, love does not envy. A person acts in an envious manner when they are dissatisfied with what they have in relation to what someone else has. For instance, envy can occur when we see that our friends and acquaintances all have nicer cars than we do. We have a perfectly good car, but we want a nice car like theirs. On top of that, we feel a certain amount of resentment, because they have something we don't, and we feel that we are just as good as they are.
Those who are living a life of love do not live in such a way that they are resentful of others because they have nice things. Those who live in love are thankful and grateful for the things that they have received from the Lord.
I believe that there is another aspect to this as well. A person who is living in love and is growing in their love for the Lord realizes what is truly important. Envy has to do with wanting the things that are passing away. It is a worldly centered desire. Those who are following the loving example of Jesus know that He has told us not to be concerned with laying up treasures on earth. Instead, we are to lay up treasures in Heaven. We are to be concerned with eternal values and not so much with material things.
What does it mean that love does not boast? The way that I view this is that a loving person does not go around bragging about themselves and always telling people about how much they have. They don't lord it over people so to speak. They aren't out trying to make themselves feel good about themselves by making other people feel bad about themselves.
Spiritual speaking, a person living in the love of Jesus knows that there isn't really anything to boast about except to boast about the Lord. All that we have has come to us by the grace of the Lord Jesus. We are nothing and we have nothing apart from His goodness, mercy and kindness.
Now, what does it mean that love is not proud? I think that it means that people who truly live in the love of the Lord follow the humility of Jesus. Being humble like the Lord Jesus is the opposite of a prideful lifestyle. Jesus exemplified humility in that He said that He has come to serve and not to be served. He came to help others and to do good. He has called us to go into this world filled with His love and help others as well. We are to be compassionate as He was compassionate. We are to serve and work to make this world a better place until He comes back.
Jesus is our ultimate example of love in action. Learn from Him. When we look to Jesus and follow Him, we will be people of love. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I went to the doctor this week, and I am on some new treatments. Please pray that these will work and that I will get to feeling better. I thank you for your prayers. Also, please pray that I can find a new job soon. I need to find something that, unlike my current job, does not require a lot of physicality. I am hoping to finding a writing job.
Here in the US right now, a lot of people have and are experience problems due to a powerful hurricane. Please pray that those who need help will get the help that they need.
We need to keep praying for peace. The situation in the Middle East is not good. We need to pray for peace in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. We also need to remember the hostages. Pray for their release. Keep praying for peace in Ukraine and Sudan.
Pray for an end to the mpox outbreak.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for those in the nations of Maldives and Turkey. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.
Psalm 103:2-3 -- "Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits -- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases."
Philippians 4:19 -- "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus."
