A Bird Escaped

Ps 124:7-8

 

Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;* 

The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the name of the Lord ,

Who made heaven and earth.

NKJV

 

Over recent years, my job has morphed into something overwhelmingly stressful.    To be honest, there were times that my nerves were so frayed I wondered if I would escape the situation with my sanity.

For the rest of today's devotion, please visit me at Laced with Grace, where I am spending the day: www.lacedwithgrace.com. 

Eternal Love

 

    

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;   bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

NKJV

   

Love never fails. This is so encouraging to know!  God's love never fails me. He is always perfect in love and his heart toward me is always love.   It gives me great confidence to trust in His love.  When I fail,  when I fall short, I do not have to fear that God will just be done with me. 

 

God's  love is total and just and righteous.  But it does not preclude judgment  if  we choose the path of sin.  Love and judgment coexist side by side.  His love purchased our salvation.  But it does not change the fact that He requires  holiness.

 

There is a time when the gift of tongues, knowledge or prophecy will no longer be needed.  When we are at rest with God in heaven, we will no longer have need of those things.  But there will never be a time, neither here nor in eternity, that we will not need love.  His love will carry  us through eternity without end.  If that is true (and it is! ) shouldn't we do all we can to perfect our love?

 

Thank you,  Father, for your love.  Help me to grow in love, walk in love, and relate to others with Your love.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

The Balance of Love

 

    

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;   bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

NKJV

    

 

This  portion of the passage is  getting down to the nitty-gritty.  Love is strong and able to withstand a load. It makes me think of one of those paper towel commercials where they wet the towel and then put a piece of fruit on it, to show it is strong enough to withstand damage and a load and not break.   That is the case with true love.  When we love  someone we can bear up a whole lot, without breaking.  

 

True love also believes the best in the other person and for the other person.  Love is not suspicious or paranoid.  It is  not stingy  or selfish.  When we love someone, we believe that they have the best intentions and a good heart.  In addition, we can believe in prayer for their needs to be met.  The believing component is based in God's love- but that does not mean we are foolish and cannot see what is  obvious.  Love does not negate wisdom and discernment, it just filters out pettiness and paranoia!

 

Love also has hope contained within it.  We can hope for the best for someone we have the God-kind of love for. We are able to stretch our faith to cover their need.  We have an eager expectation of good for someone we love, rather than dashing their hopes and nay-saying over their lives.  Ultimately, when we walk in true love, we are able to share in God's feelings toward that person, selflessly wanting what is best for them.  There is no competition in that.  Instead, we  are their number-one fan and advocate.

 

Love endures all things.  Even when we believe the best, and they act the worst, love enables us to stay faithfully by their side.  Love is not wimpy, weak, or short lived.  True love is strong, stout and bold.  When they hurt our feelings, we choose to let it go.  When their weaknesses are exposed, we choose not to see.   When forgiveness is needed, we extend it freely.  When they are following our advice, or ignoring all of it,  love enables us to steadfastly support them.

Love is a beautiful, strong, and divine act.  The different facets outlined in these passages are beautiful and poetic.   They are ideals that we should strive for. To keep this message in balance, though, we have to apply it alongside the totality of the Word of God.  So we can be loving and yet discerning.  We can be loving and still confront sin.  We can walk in love and protect ourselves and the weaker ones involved in a situation.  Love does  not mean being a door mat or presenting ourselves to be used.  Jesus walked in absolute love and absolute wisdom.  He knew when to trust himself to someone and when not to.   Ask the Lord to reveal what love, in practice, would look like in your life and current situations.

Dear God, help me to walk in love and in wisdom.  Jesus, show me how you lived out love on this earth.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

True Joy

 

    

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

 

NKJV    

 

As a parent, I have tried to stress the truth to my boys that real friends want what is best for you.  True friends, do not encourage you to get into sin, or enjoy you being in sin.  Rather, true friends urge you to walk in keeping with truth. Friends do not encourage you to get into trouble.

The saying that "misery loves company" is true.  A good number of people who are living an unhappy and miserable life encourage other people to join them.  Why?   Because we do not like to be alone in our mess.  If somebody else is doing it, we feel less condemned about our choices.  Less empty and alone.

Love tells the truth to a friend, even when the truth hurts.  Love does not condone self-destructive paths  and urges friends to take care of themselves.  Love requires us to be honest when we see a person begin a string of wrong choices.  It does not take any special moral fiber to tell someone what they want to hear.  But a strong and loving person will tell you what you need to hear.

Real love is based in truth.  It is built upon truth and sustained by truth.  Lies and love do not mix!

Are there area in a relationship where you are feeling the need to lie to sustain the relationship?  Begin to seek the Lord today about how you can bring the relationship into truth and real love.

Dear God, help me to be a person of truth in all relationships.  Help me to urge people around  me to remain in truth rather than inquity.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

 

Love Continued

 

    

1 Cor 13:1-3

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  

 

NKJV

 

These verses are like 3-4 little mini sermons per verse.  They are packed with such rich food-for-thought, that it is hard to digest it all  in one quick reading.  But as we dwell on the various thoughts, it becomes easier to absorb and apply.

"Love does not behave rudely."  In some ways this part is ironic.  Because oftentimes we are most likely to behave unseemly around those that we love the most and are closest to.  Why?  Because we know that they will love us regardless.  But that is not us showing love to them.  Rather, it is us presuming upon their love.  In truth, the people we love the most should be the very ones that we try the hardest to honor and respect.

"Love does not seek its own."  That is a mouthful.  When was the last time you were listening to someone else just waiting for a second to take the conversation back?  How many times do we befriend those that can get us somewhere in life and  rebuff those that have nothing to offer? This should not be!  Love sees the inherent value in each person and seeks to give and serve, rather than take and exploit.

"Love is not provoked."  Some people just seem to have a chip on their shoulder.  It does not take anything to set them off.  We should not have a shortfuse, rather we must be hard to anger and offend.  I  firmly believe that this comes  more naturally to some personality types.  But regardless of our natural tendency, love (God's love in us) should produce the same fruit in all of us.

"Love thinks no evil."  When we are walking in love we are not assuming the worst about people, nor are we plotting ways to harm others.  Love is about building people up and encouraging them.  Love is inherently good and will not breed any evil intent.

I urge you to pray over these verses and give yourself a "love check-up."  How are you measuring up? I personally have some improving to do!

Dear God, help me to embrace and embody these characteristics of love that you outline. Forgive me for falling so short of the mark.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

The Job Description of Love

 

    

1 Cor 13:1-3

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

 

Love suffers long.  That doesn't sound very romantic, does it? The idea of suffering is difficult to embrace.  But being longsuffering...wow!  And yet, it is the very hallmark of love.  Love puts up with stuff- weaknesses, shortcomings, personality, flaws..all of it!  But love does  not just endure patiently.  It goes to the next phase and continues to be kind.  Thoughtful.  Caring.  Giving. These are all adjectives used to describe real love.  It is a tall order, but one we can fill, in God's power.

Not only that, but love does not envy.  When our friends get something we have been wanting badly, but are unable to get, real love rejoices with them. It does not wish for what another has- not relationships, good looks, wealth, a good  job,  even spiritual gifting- none of that is cause for envy.  We have to crucify those feelings and rejoice when our loved ones rejoice.  Anything else is not love and can grow into many other negative emotions.

"Love does not parade itself."   Don't you just love it? That passage gives me a mental picture of someone strutting about and drawing attention to themselves. This is not love.  Love makes a big deal about the other person, not about ourselves.  Love lets the other person be the center of attention.  Love lets someone else get the credit.

Love is not proud, arrogant, or boastful.  It is not puffed up with a sense of self-righteousness or entitlement.  Love is not angry or pouty.  Love is  not prickly or easily offended.

Are you starting to get a picture of the nobility of love?  It is such a "high road" lifestyle.  This type of love is an emotion-turned-action.  It is nothing like an ooey-gooey feeling.  It is not for wimps nor the faint of heart.  Real love is for those willing to suffer to bless someone else.

 

Dear God, I fall short of walking in your definition of  love.  I pray that you help me to grow in these  areas.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Giving All, Giving Nothing

 

    

1 Cor 13:1-3

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,* but have not love, it profits me nothing.

NKJV

 

Some things in life are hard on our flesh.  This is true even of spiritual things.  Verse three is a bitter pill to swallow!  The very idea that we could  completely empty ourselves of worldly treasures to help the poor, but get no return on it, is hard to understand.  But the next part is even more alien to our way of thinking- we can even die a martyr's death, but if we do it without love, it is meaningless!

How can these things even be true? They can, and they are. The Bible is nothing but a factual account of truth.  That goes to show us the high premium that the Lord places on love.  We can  do EVERYTHING  right, but if our heart is not right, we are not right!  God alone can cleanse the impurities from our heart.  He alone can rightly judge our intentions.  He alone gets to set the standard by which we are judged.

Many a good man or woman has sought to purchase salvation with good deeds.  Many have given money to a good cause to assuage guilt.  Many have volunteered their time to been seen as a generous benefactor.  All of that is meaningless!  There is no meaning, no context to life- without the essential requirement of love.  God is love.  He is synonymous with it.  If we are to be Godly, we must be loving.  Good deeds born of love have a huge impact in the lives of others and will be rewarded by our Heavenly Father.

Dear God, I need you to infuse me with your love.  Cleanse my motives and establish my works.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

Love: The Difference-Maker

 

   

    

1 Cor 13:1-2

 

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

NKJV

 

Throughout the ages, people  have been enamored by the "showier" gifts of the Spirit.  It is quite amazing when a person you do not know  speaks directly to your heart about a situation that you have been praying about for years and offers assurance that God has taken  care of it.  It is astounding when a person operates in a strong faith  gift and you seen signs and wonders  performed before your very eyes.  These gifts are a testimony to the awesome, supernatural, miracle-working power of the Holy Spirit.  They do still (and should!) accompany the preaching of the Word of God. The Lord has ordained it to be so, in order to be a sign to the unbeliever of His existence and power.

 

People who are able to reveal the mysteries of the word of God  to us are such a gift!  They are able to explain the complicated passages with grace and ease,  leaving us saying, "Ah.... that's what that means!"  Others operate in a strong "Word of Knowledge" gift and are able to tell us things that they have no earthly way of knowing. These people "read our mail" and prove to us that God sees us and loves us.  Many times I have been encouraged by this gift as someone  would lean over in the altar and tell me just what I needed to hear- something the Lord had been saying to me for a while, but was confirmed through the gift of knowledge.

 

All of these gifts are good and proper and add a beautiful dimension to worship and to our Christian walk.  But today' verse says, even if you can do all of this, if God's love is not in you... you are nothing!  God is not impressed with our spiritual gifts- He is the One who hands out gifts!  What impresses Him is when we know Him enough, when we share His heart, and we walk around in this  world loving as He does!  That impresses God.  That kind of testimony wins others to Jesus.  A lifestyle of God-breathed love preaches constantly in every arena of life.  The miracles of Jesus made a huge impact on this world.  But the thing that forever changed the course of history was His love!  When we can demonstrate His love in our home, on the job, at the ball field and in the grocery store, we are fulfilling our highest call- to love God and love people!

 

Dear Lord, help  me!  Help me to walk in your love, think in your love, speak in your love and act in your love.  Help me to be a walking testimony.    In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

 

Banging on the Keys

 

   

1 Cor 13:1

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

My five-year-old likes to "play" the piano and his guitar.  His skill set consists of the ability to bang at the keys with all of his might, or strum the guitar with such vengeance, you are sure he is  going to break every string.   Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the show.   Usually he adds  some singing, and a whole lot of "Oh, yeah, baby." But during his performance, I have to remind myself not to wince when  he attacks the piano.  Something inside of me,  just does not like hearing wrong keys hit. Especially so many- and all at one time!

 

That is exactly how we sound to God when we do not have love.  We may be zealous.  We may enjoy it. We may even be doing the right thing, but without love as our motive, we just do not ring true.  

 

Years ago I helped facilitate group therapy.  In one of my groups,  our audience was mothers who, because of abuse allegations, had lost their children.  To hear some of the mothers complain about having to jump through hoops to get their kids back made my blood boil.  Really?  Really??!  You mind taking a drug test to get your kid back?  You are inconvenienced to make the supervised visits with your children?  I would often  sit there and think, even a dog has care and regard for its offspring.  A dog will protect  their newborns even from their master.  If animals get it, how can human mothers not get it?

 

Just as incongruent is an unloving Christian.  Follow me here.  God is love.  He is in us.  We are in Him.  We have been  baptized into Christ. He dwells in our heart.  His Spirit guides us.  It just seems impossible that all of that could be true and us not have love.

 

Love, like any other fruit of the Spirit, is on the inside of a true Christian.  As we abide in the vine (Christ), we receive nurture and sustenance from the vine, and ultimately, we bear fruit.   The seedling of love must be cultivated.  We have to learn to walk in  love, while squelching selfishness.  It takes discipline to choose to show love when we are being attacked by someone.  But it is crucial that we develop this fruit.  If we do not, all the world will do in response to our witness is cringe at the incongruence between what we say and how we act.

 

Dear Lord, please forgive me when I fail to walk in love.  Develop love in my  life and enable me to deny selfishness.    In Jesus' Name.  Amen.