I Love My Wife

Re:Verse reading–James 2:14-26 (day two) “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. vs. 23b

I love my wife. Over 17 years ago I stood in front of the church and declared to her and to God that I loved my wife. Now everyone knows that I love her, and that is the end of that.

…that’s not how it works. We both know that. My love for my wife is ever-growing. I express it to her in a thousand ways, and I still fail to sufficiently acknowledge how much she means to me. I tell her I love her, I send her a text at work. I will buy flowers, or gifts, or make the bed in the morning. Large gestures or small, they each speak to my love for my beloved.

Why then do we bristle when we read this passage from James. My love and commitment to Jesus is the greatest call on my life, so shouldn’t my life be marked by evidence of that love? Just as I want April to know that I cherish her, so, too, do I want Jesus to know that I am fully his. I long to be like Abraham and be considered a friend of God.

What’s the use?

Re:Verse reading–James 2:14-26 (day one)

“If a brother or sister is without clothing. . .and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary . . .what use is that?”–v 16

A question that a pragmatist would love.  A solid standard by which religion must always be evaluated.  What’s the use?

Ophelos is the Greek word.  It mean’t “advantage or profit or progress”.  Same word that Jesus used in Mark 8:36.  “What does it profit (opheleo) a man if he gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

So. . .(is your honest hat on?) If we bottom-lined your faith, would the world show a profit?  “I care not much for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.”–Abraham Lincoln.  OK, but what about your neighbor, your city, your church?   What useful thing will come to the world this week because you believe?

Free at last!

Re:Verse reading–2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (day seven)

“in great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.”–v 2

It was a supernatural outcome.  No question.  A grace (gift) from God.  An unthinkable equation unless the Spirit of God is present.  Affliction+joy+poverty=generosity?  Yes!

The Macedonians were in a difficult chapter.  But with every new hardship, they seemed freer from anxiety, more ready to serve Christ.  They wanted to help.  Begged for the privilege to do so.  It was amazing!

Paul had seen this miracle before.  Until a person knows the Spirit of God, he/she is captive to the world and its threats and dangers.  Ruled by fear. Obsessed with self.  Once a person is filled with the Spirit, he/she is set free from these earth-bound priority-prisons. Freedom comes!  And generosity!

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ “–Jesus (John 7:38)

 

Rich

Re:Verse reading–2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (day six)

2 Corinthians 8 teaches us very important lessons on giving. Have you ever given any thought as to why we don’t give? What keeps us from giving of our time, energy, and resources? It’s a worthwhile question. The Macedonians gave, not out of their abundance, but out of their poverty. In other words, they gave of what little they had not knowing where their next meal would come from. I don’t give like that. One, God has tremendously blessed my family; we are not poor. Two, we give regularly, but it is always out of excess; it never hurts to give.

Paul didn’t make that a requirement of course. He wasn’t expecting the Corinthians to unwisely put themselves in a financial bind, nor us, but I do think he wants us to see that whenever we give, we are always giving out of abundance. The Macedonians gave because they knew that although they were poor financially, they had been made rich in grace through Jesus, and therefore were eager to give of what they had to meet the needs of others.

You are rich! So give.

First, Then

Re:Verse reading–2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (day five)

A new chapter is coming to our home next week. We take our daughter to college. A flood of memories and emotions fill my heart and mind. She is ready!! She/We are nervous/excited (a healthy ratio). I’ve thought about advice I will give her.  Seems like a good moment for it.  As a minister’s kid, she has received more than her fair share already. I want her to see how the believers in Macedonia approached life and decisions. I want her to see the results. 2 Corinthians 8:5, “they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”

MB, give yourself to the Lord FIRST (daily/regularly), you will hear Him, know Him, and love Him. You will discover His will and THEN the path of decisions and choices becomes clearer. First Surrender, Then Service. You will do miraculous and amazing things for God’s Glory and the good of others!! Go Get’em!

Gift of Life

Re:Verse reading–2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (day four)

As I write this blog, it is Tuesday, August 8, 2017.  It is our 36th anniversary…also, our second granddaughter was born today.  Jordyn Nicole made her arrival just before noon.  It is amazing!  The gift of life is absolutely amazing.  Just to sit and look at her in your arms causes an overflow of joy and gratitude!  I cannot imagine after receiving this amazing gift of life, of offering it to save someone else’s life.  Yet, that is what God did for us.  Out of His great love for us and by His limitless generosity, He gave His only Son to die in our place.  What an amazing gift!  How could He have that much love for us?

Love causes us to want to give.  Paul is encouraging the church at Corinth to think of others and give out of their supply.  Generosity grows out of a loving heart…service to others grows out of a loving heart.  From God’s richest possession, He gave to our need.  How can we do any less?

Complete

Re:Verse reading–2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (day three)

“Now finish the work.”  The world suffers not nearly so much from the evil deeds that abound as from the good work that men leave unfinished.  Jesus warned us in a story he told not to become like the young man who told his father he would work in his father’s vineyard, then failed to make good on that promise.  A desire, a dream, a passion, an aspiration—none of those things by itself will bring an idea to fruition.  Jesus’s brother James taught us that action will complete design.  He warned that paying attention in Bible study is no substitute for letting the Bible affect the way you pay attention to actual people in your actual life.  What work have you left unfinished?  It’s not too late to get back to it.

Exceeding Expectations

Re:Verse reading–2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (day two)

…and this, not as we had expected, but they gave themselves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God. Vs 5

It is 2:40 AM and I have just arrived home from the U.K. after traveling with the Sanctuary Choir for 12 days. Many of you know that prior to that the Chapel Singers toured the Mid-west. It has truly been a month of missions, not only for the music ministry, but for our whole church. My prayer before every service project or concert was that we exceed the expectations of those we were serving. The people we were serving surely had reasonable expectations of what a group of young people could do, or what a church choir sounded like. What was most important to us was that we were there as Christ’s Ambassadors, like our text last week reminded us. Our prayer was that they would see the truth and love of Jesus in the way we served and sang. That they would be drawn toward him by the sweet savor of service. Nothing we did or said was to our benefit or glory. It is my prayer now that we live each day striving to exceed the expectations of those we serve.

Christian generosity

Re:Verse reading–2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (day one)

“There are many hearing me who now know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give.  To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart.”–Robert Murray McCheyne.

“And Zacchaeus said, ‘Look, Lord!  Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor’. . .Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house.’ “–Luke 19:8-9

“In a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their generosity.”–2 Corinthians 8:2

The Macedonian miracle is not unusual in Christian history.  It is, in fact, the norm!  God gives!  Joy comes!  Recipients become givers!

Generosity is a learned virtue.  A proof of new life.  For God so loved the world He GAVE. For the church so loved God that we GIVE in response.

He does not fail in His generosity.  We dare not fail in ours.

For Him

Re:Verse reading–2 Corinthians 5:11-21 (day seven)

It is a clear and happy memory from my childhood. Christmas morning. Gifts under a tree. On each brightly wrapped package a tag indicating the recipient. “FOR Don” or “FOR someone else”.

Each day of salvation life should have a similar feel. In gratitude and hope, my time and choices and goals should be marked with a tag that says, “FOR Jesus”. ” He died for all that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but FOR Him!”, says Paul in v 15.

For Christ-followers, our morning-by-morning privilege is to embrace a new ruling passion. Not safety or success or personal significance. Our new purpose is His kingdom, His will, His people, His glory, His approval. “Our ambition. . .is to be pleasing to Him”–v 9. Here is a gift, Lord, I hope you like it!

He died for me. I will live FOR Him!