Three in the morning and I’m still awake
So I picked up a pen and a page
And I started writing just what I’d say
If we were face to face
I’d tell you just what you mean to me
I’d tell you these simple truths
Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope
You’re going to do great things, I already know
God’s got His hand on you so don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget, but don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say
Last time we spoke, you said you were hurting
And I felt your pain in my heart
I want to tell you that I keep on praying
Love will find you where you are
I know cause I’ve already been there
So please hear these simple truths
From one simple life to another
I will say come find peace in the Father
Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope
You’re going to do great things, I already know
God’s got His hand on you so don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget, but don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray, thank God for each day
His love will find a way
These are the words I would say.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Love and the Law
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;
love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked,
does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
God’s amazing love for us at the cross provides both the example and the power for us to love others. Love is a choice which separates Christians from the world. Love is the correct motivator of the Law. Without love, whatever we do will be meaningless.
Joshua Harris in his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, says that “God’s amazing love for us at the cross provides both the example and the power for us to love others.” We, as Christians, are to be imitators of Christ and therefore strive to love each other as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. “Even to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) THIS is love! Christ exhibited perfect love for us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ dies for us.” (Romans 5:8) “Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and do what’s best in his or her interest. To care for him or her even when there’s nothing in it for us; to want that person’s purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her.” This talks about how a relationship between a two individuals should not be about ‘what can satisfy my desires’ but ‘how can I serve the other person as best as I can?’ Any relationship whether a boy and a girl, a friendship, or even someone you don’t know or like should be characterized with a self-sacrificing love.
Love is a choice which separates Christians from the world. C. S. Lewis says that in order to love someone you don’t have to necessarily like them. Love is a choice, not a feeling. Every day we chose to wake up or hit the snooze button, be cheerful or temperamental, be diligent or be lazy; love is the same way. We can either choose to love someone or choose to ignore them. Love is what should characterize Christians, but often we don’t look much different then the world. Yes, we might not drink as much, have sex outside of marriage, and do drugs, or cuss, but how else are we different? John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Love is what should separate us from the world. Love is what should motivate our entire lives. We may be persecuted for not going with the crowd or befriending an outcast, but the trials we go through on earth are nothing compared to the glory we will receive in Heaven.
Love is the correct motivator of the Law. Every commandment that you obey should be done out of love. In fact, every law can be made positive and related to love:
1. I am the LORD thy God you shall have no other Gods before me. The first commandment is directed towards realizing who God is and what he’s done; this should cause you to love him. 2. You shall worship God’s name alone. The second commandment commands us to worship God alone for he is the one, true God and is worthy of our praise and worship. 3. You shall use Gods name with honor and respect for he is holy. This commandment requires that we treat God’s name with respect for it describes a holy and majestic God and we should treat it as such. 4. Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy. We should honor God with our time and the Sabbath day is set aside for that purpose although we should set aside our other activities each day to spend time with him. 5. Honor your father and mother. We are commanded to honor our parents and treat them with love and respect. 6. Love your neighbor and look out for his well being. 7. Honor thy neighbor and his wife’s relationship and do not jeopardize your own by coveting. 8. Try as best as you can to enhance your neighbors well being materially. 9. Seek to maintain your neighbor’s good reputation. 10. Appreciate and be thankful for what you have. The previous five commandments focus on our neighbors well being and our contentment with our own situation. We are to look out for our neighbor as we look out for our self. Every commandment ties into loving one another. The summary of these commandments are: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 37-39)
Without love, whatever we do will be meaningless. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” We are nothing without love. If, while we are witnessing, we do not have love, those who hear us will not be won over. They will hear just an annoying noise telling them of how stupid and sinful they are. But, if they hear us speaking with love, we will catch their interest and make them realize that something in their life is missing and they will want what we have. If we sacrifice ourselves but do not have love, it means nothing. It’s only a sacrifice if we do it to serve others not ourselves. We could sacrifice ourselves out of pride so that others would see how “holy” we are, but it means nothing outside of love. Same with helping the poor, if we give to the poor not out of love but to have others respect and admire you then it is nothing and means nothing. If we follow the commandments but do not have love, it means nothing. It will not bring honor to God because he is not glorified through his people simply “going through the motions.”
Love is a powerful instrument. With it, God saved us from our sin and with it we are marked as Christians, and with it we correctly follow the law, and without it everything we do will be meaningless. Love will always remain. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Faith and hope will not last forever because there will be no need for them in Heaven. There will be no need for Faith when we are in the presence of God and will see him face to face. There will be no need for hope when what we’ve hoped for is staring us in the face and we are complete. But love unlike faith and hope will last forever. Love will continue on in Heaven and will perhaps be even greater then on earth because we will finally see the God who taught us to love and who loved us so perfectly. That is why love is the greatest of them all because our Heavenly Father himself exhibits it for us. God has no need for faith and hope because it is he we have faith and hope in.
love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked,
does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
God’s amazing love for us at the cross provides both the example and the power for us to love others. Love is a choice which separates Christians from the world. Love is the correct motivator of the Law. Without love, whatever we do will be meaningless.
Joshua Harris in his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, says that “God’s amazing love for us at the cross provides both the example and the power for us to love others.” We, as Christians, are to be imitators of Christ and therefore strive to love each other as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. “Even to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) THIS is love! Christ exhibited perfect love for us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ dies for us.” (Romans 5:8) “Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and do what’s best in his or her interest. To care for him or her even when there’s nothing in it for us; to want that person’s purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her.” This talks about how a relationship between a two individuals should not be about ‘what can satisfy my desires’ but ‘how can I serve the other person as best as I can?’ Any relationship whether a boy and a girl, a friendship, or even someone you don’t know or like should be characterized with a self-sacrificing love.
Love is a choice which separates Christians from the world. C. S. Lewis says that in order to love someone you don’t have to necessarily like them. Love is a choice, not a feeling. Every day we chose to wake up or hit the snooze button, be cheerful or temperamental, be diligent or be lazy; love is the same way. We can either choose to love someone or choose to ignore them. Love is what should characterize Christians, but often we don’t look much different then the world. Yes, we might not drink as much, have sex outside of marriage, and do drugs, or cuss, but how else are we different? John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Love is what should separate us from the world. Love is what should motivate our entire lives. We may be persecuted for not going with the crowd or befriending an outcast, but the trials we go through on earth are nothing compared to the glory we will receive in Heaven.
Love is the correct motivator of the Law. Every commandment that you obey should be done out of love. In fact, every law can be made positive and related to love:
1. I am the LORD thy God you shall have no other Gods before me. The first commandment is directed towards realizing who God is and what he’s done; this should cause you to love him. 2. You shall worship God’s name alone. The second commandment commands us to worship God alone for he is the one, true God and is worthy of our praise and worship. 3. You shall use Gods name with honor and respect for he is holy. This commandment requires that we treat God’s name with respect for it describes a holy and majestic God and we should treat it as such. 4. Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy. We should honor God with our time and the Sabbath day is set aside for that purpose although we should set aside our other activities each day to spend time with him. 5. Honor your father and mother. We are commanded to honor our parents and treat them with love and respect. 6. Love your neighbor and look out for his well being. 7. Honor thy neighbor and his wife’s relationship and do not jeopardize your own by coveting. 8. Try as best as you can to enhance your neighbors well being materially. 9. Seek to maintain your neighbor’s good reputation. 10. Appreciate and be thankful for what you have. The previous five commandments focus on our neighbors well being and our contentment with our own situation. We are to look out for our neighbor as we look out for our self. Every commandment ties into loving one another. The summary of these commandments are: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 37-39)
Without love, whatever we do will be meaningless. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” We are nothing without love. If, while we are witnessing, we do not have love, those who hear us will not be won over. They will hear just an annoying noise telling them of how stupid and sinful they are. But, if they hear us speaking with love, we will catch their interest and make them realize that something in their life is missing and they will want what we have. If we sacrifice ourselves but do not have love, it means nothing. It’s only a sacrifice if we do it to serve others not ourselves. We could sacrifice ourselves out of pride so that others would see how “holy” we are, but it means nothing outside of love. Same with helping the poor, if we give to the poor not out of love but to have others respect and admire you then it is nothing and means nothing. If we follow the commandments but do not have love, it means nothing. It will not bring honor to God because he is not glorified through his people simply “going through the motions.”
Love is a powerful instrument. With it, God saved us from our sin and with it we are marked as Christians, and with it we correctly follow the law, and without it everything we do will be meaningless. Love will always remain. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Faith and hope will not last forever because there will be no need for them in Heaven. There will be no need for Faith when we are in the presence of God and will see him face to face. There will be no need for hope when what we’ve hoped for is staring us in the face and we are complete. But love unlike faith and hope will last forever. Love will continue on in Heaven and will perhaps be even greater then on earth because we will finally see the God who taught us to love and who loved us so perfectly. That is why love is the greatest of them all because our Heavenly Father himself exhibits it for us. God has no need for faith and hope because it is he we have faith and hope in.
Great God lyrics
Before Time,
Before space,
Before the universe,
Before life,
Before breathe,
and before the earth.
You are outside all that we know
No mind can contain, no hand can hold.
Great God, greater than us all
forgive us we have made you small.
God open our eyes to see.
Great God greater than us all
Let your people stand in awe.
God we will rise up and say.
Great God (woah, wo-oh)
Great God (woah, wo-oh)
Before kings,
Before dreams,
Before history.
You’re a mystery.
You are outside all that we know.
No mind can contain, no hand can hold.
Great God, greater than us all
forgive us we have made you small.
God open our eyes to see.
Great God greater than us all
Let your people stand in awe.
God we will rise up and say.
Great God (woah, wo-oh)
Great God (woah, wo-oh)
You have been
And will be,
Your majesty is what we need see,
Our restless hearts are satisfied
The glorious universe will have us saying
Great God, Great God.
Before space,
Before the universe,
Before life,
Before breathe,
and before the earth.
You are outside all that we know
No mind can contain, no hand can hold.
Great God, greater than us all
forgive us we have made you small.
God open our eyes to see.
Great God greater than us all
Let your people stand in awe.
God we will rise up and say.
Great God (woah, wo-oh)
Great God (woah, wo-oh)
Before kings,
Before dreams,
Before history.
You’re a mystery.
You are outside all that we know.
No mind can contain, no hand can hold.
Great God, greater than us all
forgive us we have made you small.
God open our eyes to see.
Great God greater than us all
Let your people stand in awe.
God we will rise up and say.
Great God (woah, wo-oh)
Great God (woah, wo-oh)
You have been
And will be,
Your majesty is what we need see,
Our restless hearts are satisfied
The glorious universe will have us saying
Great God, Great God.
Impending Doom: by Alex Volberding
For we live in a fallen nation,
Seeking our lusts with adoration.
No wonder our great country falls apart
From God our maker we chose to depart.
But Christ who was raised from the tomb
Will save us from impending doom.
Seeking our lusts with adoration.
No wonder our great country falls apart
From God our maker we chose to depart.
But Christ who was raised from the tomb
Will save us from impending doom.
Created: by Alex Volberding
Our minds defy it
Our wills deny it
Ourselves imply it
Christ died for it.
We say in our hearts there is no God
But all he requires is our laud.
What selfish fools are we
And full of folly be.
Sadly even when our blessed Creator appears
Perhaps me might worship and shed some tears,
but when his spirit from our bodies leave;
we return to our sinful lives with ease.
But through his amazing grace
He gives us power to face
Him, and make our love to him an obligation
For by his saving grace we are his creation.
Our wills deny it
Ourselves imply it
Christ died for it.
We say in our hearts there is no God
But all he requires is our laud.
What selfish fools are we
And full of folly be.
Sadly even when our blessed Creator appears
Perhaps me might worship and shed some tears,
but when his spirit from our bodies leave;
we return to our sinful lives with ease.
But through his amazing grace
He gives us power to face
Him, and make our love to him an obligation
For by his saving grace we are his creation.
Comfort Verses
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
“we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
“we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Biblical Future Husband
Biblically, my future husband should be a Christian, he should be loving, and should be the leader in the home.
The Bible makes it clear that we, as Christians, are not to marry unbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” We are not to even partner with them, much less marry them. My future husband must not only be a Christian by name but his actions and words must underline what he claims to be. He must fervently seek to understand and know God more so that he may, in turn, point me to truth. His love for God should come first in everything, even before me, but not to the point where he neglects his God-given duty to love and lead me.
The role of the husband is to love their wives. Ephesians 5:28 says, “Husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.” But this kind of love must not start until after marriage. Society today encourages this sacred love to those not married and it has ruined our culture. Ephesians 5:3 says, “For this reason a man shall leave his Father and Mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” The command is to leave (and be married) and then cleave, not the opposite. Before marriage, there should be boundaries set in order to preserve each others purity before marriage. The relationship before marriage should be above reproach so that other may not questions what we do. We must wait until our wedding day to fully give our hearts up to one another, not before. But once we are married, it is the duty of the husband to love his wife. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” His love should be self-sacrificing and a picture of what Christ’s love for the church looks like.
Finally, the husband must be the leader of the home. He is to lead his wife spiritually and be stronger then she is in the faith so that he may point her toward knowledge. As women we must learn submission. When we are married, we are to submit to our husbands and refrain from dominating. Ephesians 5:22 says,
“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”
However, God purposefully created men differently from women and women should be treated as such. This also means that before marriage we as young ladies should set our standards high for men. Ladies themselves determine how a guy will treat them. If young ladies set their standards high, men will treat them with respect, but if they do not, they will be treated however the man chooses. Colossians 3:18 says, “Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord,” it also says, “Husbands love your wives and do not be embittered against them.” My husband must treat me with respect, not abusing his authority.
The relationship between a man and woman is sacred and worth protecting. In order to preserve this relationship, the man must be a Christian, must know how to love his wife, and must lead his wife in the faith so that together their love may grow stronger and more beautiful.
The Bible makes it clear that we, as Christians, are not to marry unbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” We are not to even partner with them, much less marry them. My future husband must not only be a Christian by name but his actions and words must underline what he claims to be. He must fervently seek to understand and know God more so that he may, in turn, point me to truth. His love for God should come first in everything, even before me, but not to the point where he neglects his God-given duty to love and lead me.
The role of the husband is to love their wives. Ephesians 5:28 says, “Husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.” But this kind of love must not start until after marriage. Society today encourages this sacred love to those not married and it has ruined our culture. Ephesians 5:3 says, “For this reason a man shall leave his Father and Mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” The command is to leave (and be married) and then cleave, not the opposite. Before marriage, there should be boundaries set in order to preserve each others purity before marriage. The relationship before marriage should be above reproach so that other may not questions what we do. We must wait until our wedding day to fully give our hearts up to one another, not before. But once we are married, it is the duty of the husband to love his wife. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” His love should be self-sacrificing and a picture of what Christ’s love for the church looks like.
Finally, the husband must be the leader of the home. He is to lead his wife spiritually and be stronger then she is in the faith so that he may point her toward knowledge. As women we must learn submission. When we are married, we are to submit to our husbands and refrain from dominating. Ephesians 5:22 says,
“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”
However, God purposefully created men differently from women and women should be treated as such. This also means that before marriage we as young ladies should set our standards high for men. Ladies themselves determine how a guy will treat them. If young ladies set their standards high, men will treat them with respect, but if they do not, they will be treated however the man chooses. Colossians 3:18 says, “Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord,” it also says, “Husbands love your wives and do not be embittered against them.” My husband must treat me with respect, not abusing his authority.
The relationship between a man and woman is sacred and worth protecting. In order to preserve this relationship, the man must be a Christian, must know how to love his wife, and must lead his wife in the faith so that together their love may grow stronger and more beautiful.
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