Our Remembered Gift Of Love (Matthew 26:6-13)

Our Remembered Gift Of Love 

"The smell of perfumed body powder filled the hospital room. A smile dissolved the worried look on my mother's face. "Is it one of my birthday presents?" she asked. "Yes" I answered, and reminded her of her 90th birthday. A nurse interrupted our conversation. "This is the best smelling room in the hospital" she said. Glancing at the body powder, she added; "Expensive stuff - to be used sparingly" "No, not sparingly - lavishly," I responded, fighting back the tears. I knew that this act of kindness might be the last I would do for my mother. The look of love and appreciation on my mother's face expressed all the confirmation I needed. Mother agreed with me. When I read the story of the woman who poured perfume on Jesus' head, I remember my mother, and the perfumed body powder. I know that God approves, when we love lavishly."
(By Norma P. Marroquin)

In Matthew 26:13 Jesus says of the woman(who in John 12:1-8 is a reference to Mary) who poured the expensive oil on Him, that: "wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." Someone has written that "Love is not love, if it nicely calculates the costs. If it gives its all, and its only regret is that it has not still more to give." I don't believe that there are very few times when the gift of love has not been remembered.

To give of ourselves 100% in love and sacrifice, will not be taken lightly, especially by our Lord Jesus Christ. He will never forget. And gifts of love in time and good deeds, will not be forgotten as well. If there is one thing that I have found to be true, it is the fact that people want to be cared about. They appreciate it when you take the time to show that you care. "They won't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Let's love lavishly, and be blessed abundantly! (GP)

The Law Of Love

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:43-45)

 Whoever said, "You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy," was way out of line. The Pharisees taught that one should love those near and dear to them (Leviticus 19:18), but that Israel's enemies should be hated. It is a natural tendency to want revenge when we are harmed and hurt.

But here in out text, Jesus puts forth the "Law of Love", which goes against the the grain of worldly thought. And the question comes,
"How can we, "bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, pray for those who spitefully use us, and persecute us?" We become like a dog, when we are hurt, we are likely to bite, and sink our teeth of revenge in deep.

The "Law of Love" was displayed on the path of love, our Savior took, when He went to Calvary, and paid for our sins. And in the midst of such extreme pain and agony, these words echo through time: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34).

Satan always wants it to be a fight. And the result of such battles is destruction. But love is about forgiveness, resolution, and reconciliation, which leads to peace. The low road is hate, and the high road is love. Taking the high road of love, is putting aside past hurt, in order to embrace future happiness. And according to Jesus, acts of love are not optional, but they are "law" GP 

"Don't you know that love is all? 
Love is where we all begin. 
And when we knock on heaven's door, 
only love will let us in." 
(A line from a song recorded by Air Supply - Christmas album - 1987 Arista Records)
(Songwriters: Jon Anderson)
(Love Is All lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc)

 Photo: sspiehs3 / 43 images - CCO Creative Commons - Free for commercial use - No attribution required - www.pixabay.com

Love Never Fails

 

"Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8) 

Cindy Hess Kasper writes: "One evening my friend showed me one of the three decorative plaques that would be apart of a wall arrangement in her living room. "See, I've already got love" she said, holding up a plaque with the word written on it. "Faith and hope are on order." 

So love comes first, I thought, faith and hope soon follow."  

(Our Daily Bread 10/10/2015) 

This gift of love, is the greatest virtue in the world. The apostle Paul makes it very clear in 1 Corinthians 13, that without love, we will accomplish nothing. The gift of prophesy will fail, the gift of tongues will cease, and the gift of knowledge will vanish away. But enveloping and exhibiting the gift of love, is the key to developing maturity and being productive, in the kingdom of God. 

Love never fails. Whoever loves, is always faithful, reliable, and steadfast. One who loves, can be counted upon continually. Even in the face of opposition, hurt, and harm, love is there. And that is the test of love. It is easy to love those who are lovable; but with those who are not, it can be a challenge. In our society today, love is lacking in so many ways. But when love is shown, it helps to encourage faith, and hope. Love is the foundation that will help support unity instead of division, which is so prevalent today. 

To have a love that never fails, will take a commitment to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. How He loved people, is the way we should love people. His focus, was always on others. He came into this world to make a difference for man-kind; and indeed He did. How can our love make a difference in the lives of people; even in the lives of those who are not lovable? 

His love never failed, and neither should ours! GP 

 Photo: sabinevanerp/276 images/Pixabay License/Free for commercial use/No attribution required/www.pixabay.com

The Garment Of Love

"But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection." (Colossians 3:14) 

Lately, before I go out in the mornings, I check the thermometer, to see how cool it is out. Right now, it is consistently becoming jacket weather. And it won't be long, and it will be winter coat weather.

 In my Christian walk, I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit to put on the most important spiritual garment there is. And that is the "garment of love." I am guilty, and many are, for wearing garments of selfishness, and severe criticism.

Instead of having the mind of Christ, and thinking about how I should love others, I constantly thought about how my needs were never getting met, and how badly people were treating me.

If we have the mind of Christ, we are to meet the negative attitudes and actions that people display, by wearing the "garment of love". We are to meet hostility and criticism with patience, forgiveness, and love.

The cold weather during the winter months can be brutal to endure. But we endure it, by wearing the right clothing. The warm "garment of love" will help us to endure the cold negative environment we walk in.

Love can be compared to the heat a wood stove gives off, on a very cold day. Love has such a productive and permeating effect, that it can powerfully change cold negative attitudes and actions.

Read v.12, and take love and tie all of those attributes together. You will be surprised at what this spiritual wardrobe will be able to accomplish! GP

 Photo: Brigitte Tohm / 137 photos - CCO License - Free for personal and commercial use - No attribution required - www.pexels.com

Love & Long Suffering

"Love suffers long, and is kind.."
 (1 Corinthians 13:4)

During the month of February, we focus on the subject of "LOVE"

It's easy to love those who love us back. No matter if it is family, friends, co-workers, those who we come in contact with at social events. It's easy to love the lovable. But what about those who are not so lovable? Not so easy!

Here is where the fruit of the Spirit "Long-suffering" comes in. (Galatians 5:22b) Another word that we can relate to "long suffering" is "patience." How patient are we with those who hurt us in some way?
Do we lose our tempers, do we avoid any contact with them because we don't want to experience their negative attitudes towards us?

If we are to love as Jesus loved, then we must suffer-long with people. The scribes and pharisees, challenged this virtue with Jesus.
And some of the words that Jesus shared with them, were hard words.
(Matthew 23)

Just because there are times, when we may have to be blunt, and say what must be said, does not mean that we don't love. Love is found in correction, as much as it is found in encouragement. Like a tree branch in the wind, we must learn to bend at times, in our relationships.

But who knows, what our patient love will accomplish; when in spite of what we must say, and do, We may cause the change that is necessary. We may cause the people we love to come to an understanding of God's will for their lives. That's what "long-suffering" can accomplish! GP

 Peterbb / 9 images - CCO Public Domain - Free for commercial use - No attribution required - www.pixabay.com

Enough Is Enough!

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 
(1 John 4:11) 

So far in 2016, I have seen more hate and violence, than I have love and concern for others. To say that evil is present in our socieity is an understatement. I know that there are exceptions, where love and the concern for others is seen as well. But it is very few, and far between.

It is evident that evil prevails, and it's time to turn things around. Now is the time for the church to stand up and say, "enough is enough." As John wrote in his letter (in our text) When we look around, we see the many blessings of God. To be able to be in a nation that has the freedoms and opportunities that we have, is beyond compare, to what we find in other cultures. This nation is a gift of God. It is a gift of love. And to know that God sent His Son to give us the greatest freedom of all,(freedom from sin) is the ultimate blessing.

John said, "If God loved us, we ought to love one another" Why can't we enjoy these wonderful gifts together? Why are we letting Satan take away what God wants us to have? Of all the gifts of God, love is the greatest. And love is a building virtue, not a destructive one.
It's time to love, as God loves. And we need to do it before it's too late! GP

 Photo ID 323830 © Denis Pepin | Dreamstime.com

Where Is The Love?

"If someone says, "I love God" and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" 
 (1 John 4:20)

 How can there be hate in the church? If we as Christians are to be like Christ, how can hate be apart of our Christian character? And yet it does.

When someone disagrees with us, or does not do the things we expect, we exhibit attitudes of hatred towards that person. We choose to not talk to them, to give them the cold shoulder, to not have anything to do with them.
Is this what we are taught By Christ in the Scriptures?

In our text, John asks a very good question, concerning our profession of love. How can we say we love God, when we have hateful, spiteful feelings, toward our brothers and sisters in Christ? If there is no love in us, how can we love God?

 Instead of really working on our relationships, and having them be the best that they can be, we find ourselves working very hurriedly to send subtle signals, that we don't want anything to do with those, who have disappointed us, in some way. It is in the disagreements, and the disappointments, where love is tested most of all. It's easy to love, when things are going smooth. When people really get under our skin, that's when it is hard to love, but yet very necessary.

So if Jesus were to ask you: "Where is the love?" What would your answer be?

Photo by Stuart Miles. Published on 04 November 2013 Stock photo - Image ID: 100215123 www.freedigitalphotos.net

The Motivation of Love

"Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love." 
(Revelation 2:4)

 What motivates you to live for, and serve the Lord? There have been a lot of different reasons why people have involved themselves in the work of the church. Many of them have been for selfish reasons.

When I hear of congregations closing their doors, I ask myself:
"What was the motivation for that?" Could it be that we are loving ourselves more, and being selfish? Couldn't be!

The church in Ephesus was a busy church, but not a productive church. They were not growing spiritually, even though they may have been growing in number.

It begins with our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Do we love Him as He loves us? Do we love the things He loves, and the principles and practices that He taught?

If we love the Lord Jesus, with all of our heart and being, there is no way that a church would close it's doors, and stop being the witness it needs to be in the community.

We would put on the mind of Christ, and humble ourselves, and strive to work together to build the kingdom of God where we are.

If you love someone deeply, you will sacrifice all, for that person.
In all that we do for Jesus, is it backed up by a deep, sincere, committed love for Him? GP

 Photo by bplanet. Published on 10 February 2015 Stock photo - Image ID: 100310336
www.freedigitalphotos.net

The Bond Of Perfection

"But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." (Colossians 3:14) 

I like what Warren Wiersbe writes in his devotional commentary entitled: "With The Word" ["God wants you to wear the graceclothes (found in vv.12-13) not the graveclothes! If your focus is on things heavenly, you will obey God in things on earth, especially in your relationships with others."

 It's like we are balls that are bouncing off each other. We expect others to pay attention to us, to care about us, to wear all of the graceclothes mentioned in Colossians 3:12-13, and people expect us to do the same.

The word that Paul uses for love (which is the virtue that binds all the other virtues together as one) is "Agape" love. This is an unconditional love. Which means that, even if others do not pay attention to us, or show their graceclothes to us, this does not give us the excuse to not show our graceclothes to them.

We need to have the attitude of Christ, that everyone is important. He is the Good Shepherd, that cares for all His sheep. If one is lost,
He goes after it until He finds it, and brings it home (Luke 15:1-7)

Selfishness is a spiritual weed that is not easily uprooted, but not impossible. But when we wear the graceclothes, and bind them together with love, it will choke out this weed, and make it hard for it, to get its roots into our relationships again.

 So let's put on the bond of perfection. The powerful unconditional "Agape" love. GP

 Photo ID 49747861 © Skypixel | Dreamstime.com

What Love Is To Us

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. "You are My friends, if you do whatever I command you." (John 15:13) 

What did love mean to Jesus? He was all about love. Going to the cross of Calvary and dying for the sins of the world, is evidence of that.

 There is a strong selfishness that takes away our desire to love others, and to be willing, if necessary to lay down our lives, for family and friends.

The love for ourselves is stronger. If people do not do as we say, or do not satisfy some inner need in our heart, we write them off. You are not the best person for me, so I will search for those, who are the best for me.

I remember telling couples that I counseled for marriage: "It's not just finding the right person that is important, but it's being the right person." Love is not just a virtue we use when we feel it is right for us, but love is an expression of our nature.

As John says "Love is of God" (1 John 4:7a) It is who He is. And even though at times, He must be just, that does not take away the fact, that He is love, and no matter who it is, or what the circumstance, He wants to provide His best, for those who will reach out to Him in faith.

So let's not love just when it is convenient for us, or when it suits our purpose, but let's let love, be the expression of our relationship with God, and our desire to be like Him, in every relationship we have. GP

Photo by photostock. Published on 24 June 2011 Stock photo - Image ID: 10046842
www.freedigitalphotos.net

Walk In Love

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.(Ephesians 4:31-5:2) We need to be careful that in the midst of our disagreements that our love doesn't get trampled in the uproar of frustration. Love must be in the forefront of our confrontations, not lagging behind, or lost in the heat of the struggle. Little children truly set the example in this, as they can have a confrontation, but a short time later, forget and let go of the issue, and begin playing with their playmates again. Adults will hold on to the anger, the bitterness, the hurt, and vow to never speak again to the ones that they had a disagreement with for a lifetime. No we don't, and never will, agree on everything. But the one thing we need to always agree on, is that no matter what the disagreements are, we are going to act like Jesus Christ, and demonstrate love at all times. That is the answer to a peaceful society. Have we learned the lesson? I think not! GP Photo by Stuart Miles. Published on 08 October 2013
www.freedigitalphotos.net