Today’s Devotional |
Today's Devotional
- Memory Verse
- He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ (John 1:41).
Andrew was a finder.
We have no record of any of Andrew’s sermons. But we know that he found his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus. And Peter’s powerful preaching brought three thousand to Christ on the day of Pentecost. Certainly Andrew will share in the rewards of that great harvest.
When five thousand were hungry, Andrew found a lad with five barley loaves and two small fishes with which the Lord fed the multitude. Faced with the problem of feeding that huge crowd, Philip began to fret and figure how they could get money enough to buy each one a crust of bread. Not Andrew. He set out to find a solution. And his search produced a boy with a lunch that Jesus could use.
Some fret about problems and others find solutions.
All churches need more finders. When the finders are at work all church problems are solved. Bringing people to Jesus turns the coldest church into a place of warmth and joy. Bringing people to Jesus puts new life in any congregation. Bringing people to Jesus encourages pastors.
Pastors often move because their people won’t.
Andrew found his brother. He began looking for a convert right at home. The mission field is all about us. The field is the world. Jesus said the reapers in His harvest receive wages — rewards. You don’t lose by giving time to serving Christ. Here especially, finders are keepers.
Find someone for Jesus today!
Daily Devotionals
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God…”
Psalm 42:1, 2
“Soul Food” is a daily devotional written by Dr. Jack Van Impe that brings God’s Word to life.
“The Tender Touch” is a weekly devotional from the heart of Dr. Rexella Van Impe.
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- Soul Food
- Tender Touch
- Memory Verse
- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
The Gospel is easy to understand. The difficult work in man’s salvation was done at the cross by the Lord Jesus. Any sinner can believe and be saved. And we are all sinners (Romans 3:23).
A good example of the power of the simple Gospel was given by missionary George Green. Here is his story:
“When I first went out to my mission field in Africa, the boat carried me up a wide, beautiful river flowing through the jungle, and as the sun set and the night came on, I listened with much misgiving to the roll of the war drums. They continued far into the night. The captain of the boat was uneasy and tried to dissuade me from going ashore the next morning, and I admit I was trembling with fear, But I found that ‘the Lord standeth within the shadows keeping watch above His own.’ After years of delightful labor I left the jungle on the same boat. As it came down the river, thousands of these same natives gathered on the shores near their villages to say farewell. As the boat came into sight, they broke into song, but not a war song. They were singing the hymn that is a favorite of most of them, ‘All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.’”
The Gospel that reaches the heart of one who has never heard of the Saviour can surely change those who have lived in this good land where Bible preaching is so available. Nearly anyone we meet has witnessed the power of God in some life and that is a powerful influence in preparing hearts to receive the Gospel.
Share John 3:16 with someone you meet.
The simple Gospel still changes lives today!
- Memory Verse
- But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).
The disciples longed to know all about the times and the seasons. They wanted the key of prophetic fulfillment. Instead, they were given a task... a responsibility... a work to do. They were to be witnesses for Christ; in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
There was one difference between that day and ours: they were to wait and then witness. The promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit was to be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost and they were to begin their witnessing following that great miracle. We are to wait and witness. We do not await the coming of the Holy Spirit for He indwells every believer at the moment he is born again... but we await the coming of the Saviour who will evaluate our service at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The coming of the Holy Spirit would launch an era of witnessing. The disciples would be empowered by His presence within and Jerusalem would be shaken by their witnessing. The coming of the Saviour will end our opportunity for witnessing, for at His coming we shall be taken to heaven to be with Him.
The formula for witnessing given by Jesus has not changed. They were to begin where they were... Jerusalem ...and their area of responsibility encompassed the entire world. We are to begin where we are... in our own communities... our own cities and reach out to the world.
How are you doing in your “Jerusalem?”
- Memory Verse
- And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:32).
Two discouraged disciples were retreating — going home. They had trusted that Christ was the One who would redeem Israel, but the Crucifixion had brought them to despair.
Emmaus was their destination and somewhere along that road the Saviour came and walked with them. Miraculously, the eyes of the Emmaus disciples were held by God so that they were unable to recognize Jesus. As might be expected, He asked them why they were sad. After they had told Him all about their burden, He opened the Scriptures to them and taught them about himself. What a Bible lesson that must have been! Remembering those moments, they said later that their hearts had burned within them as they listened to Him.
Burning hearts are needed today.
Who has not witnessed the fire of new converts or of those newly committed to the Saviour? Their love for Christ and others has sometimes ignited entire congregations that had become cool and complacent. With warmth and zeal, those newly born have often led mature but mechanical members of the body of Christ back to the experience of fervent love and power.
Dwight L. Moody prayed, “Lord, make me not only warm, but red hot!”
David Dawson wrote: “Fire warms! And who of us does not like to feel the warm glow among God’s people?”
Ask God to give you a burning heart. You may set your church afire. And every community needs to witness that blessed glow!
- Memory Verse
- But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you (Mark 16:7).
Peter had not intended to become a backslider. Boldly he had proclaimed his loyalty, even being willing to stand alone. But there is a difference between determination and daily living. Dedication is only tested in the fire of experience. It is one thing to talk about ability to overcome temptation and quite another to prove it when doing battle with the tempter.
After his three denials of Christ, Peter went out and wept bitterly. The gospels are silent about his actions during the Crucifixion and some have thought he fled the scene, but in his first epistle he states that he was a witness of the sufferings of Christ (see 1 Peter 5: 1). What a sad picture he presents as he watches the Lord’s sufferings through his tears!
Interestingly, in the instruction given to the women who came to the tomb after the Resurrection, Peter is the only disciple that is named. The message of the Resurrection must go to brokenhearted Peter. By that time, he may have doubted that he could be considered one of the disciples, so the Lord made sure that he knew that he was invited to the coming meeting with them. Though he had failed, His Lord loved him.
You may live with doubts and regrets. Perhaps you had great hopes of serving Christ but temptation came and you yielded. Now you think the Lord is through with you. Remember Peter. Like the denying disciple, you are the special object of God’s love!
- Memory Verse
- And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God (John 20:28).
“Doubting Thomas,” we call him. And with reason. He simply would not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. There was no mistaking his opinion of the first Resurrection report: “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).
We aren’t told why Thomas missed the first meeting with the disciples after the Resurrection when Jesus appeared. Perhaps he had a good excuse for not attending the gathering called by the risen Christ. One thing is sure: missing that meeting made him a doubter and established his reputation through the centuries. He would always be known as “Doubting Thomas.”
There is, however, another side to the story. Thomas had left all to follow Christ. He went with the Lord through some pretty difficult days. To the best of our knowledge, he experienced approximately one week of doubt in his entire Christian experience. There may have been more doubting days than that for Thomas but we have no scriptural authority for saying so.
At the second appearance of Christ to the disciples, Thomas was present. When confronted with his faithless statement, he surrendered completely and cried, “My Lord and my God.” From that time on it seems sure that Thomas was an outstanding Christian and that he died as a martyr in India where, because of preaching the Gospel, he was thrust through with a spear. We label Thomas because of one weak week.
Sadly, we often treat other Christians the same way!
- Memory Verse
- But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).
One hundred years ago, a very wealthy woman who had been opposed to the doctrine of the Resurrection died. Before her death she gave orders that her grave should be covered with a slab of granite; that around it should be placed square blocks of stone, and that the corners should be fastened to each other and to the granite slab by heavy iron clamps. Upon the covering, this inscription was to be placed: “THIS BURIAL PLACE PURCHASED TO ALL ETERNITY MUST NEVER BE OPENED.”
The doubting lady had gone to great trouble to secure herself against an event in which she professed not to believe. However, time mocked her.
Not long after her death, a tiny birch tree seed sprouted and the root found its way between the side stone and the upper slab and grew there. Slowly, but steadily, it forced its way until the iron clamps were torn apart. Finally the granite lid was raised and made to rest upon the trunk of the large and flourishing birch tree.
Nearly two thousand years ago, another grave was sealed. The authority of the Roman Empire was enlisted to see that it should never be opened. It was the grave of Jesus.
Three days later, the stone that had been placed at the entrance of the tomb was rolled away. Christ arose! Death could not hold Him: “Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it” (Acts 2:24).
What good news to tell to doubting people!
- Memory Verse
- But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept (1 Corinthians 15:20).
In the Resurrection, God has given us three great guarantees.
The Resurrection guarantees the Saviour. When the critics of Christ called for some proof of His deity, He told them there would be but one sign given: THE RESURRECTION. “Destroy this temple, He said, and in three days I will raise it up” ( John 2:19). After the Resurrection, the disciples remembered that statement and its fulfillment fired their faith and sent them out to carry His message to the world.
The Resurrection guarantees salvation. Many years ago, two English lawyers, skeptics, set out to destroy Christianity. Their names were Gilbert West and Lord Littleton. They agreed that two Christian teachings must be disproved if they were to succeed: the resurrection of Christ and the conversion of Paul. West assumed the task of getting rid of the Resurrection and Littleton tackled the conversion of Paul. Their plan was for each to research his subject for one year. At the end of that time, they would come together and prepare to present their findings to the world. “When they met, one year later, both were Christians, each confessing to his conversion as a result of his own research!”
The resurrection of Christ guarantees our similar resurrection. On that first Easter, Mary wept because the tomb was empty, but that very fact signaled the emptying of the graves of all believers at the return of Christ. And that’s what Easter is all about!
In my daily Bible reading, I've been noticing
how much is mentioned about the hands
of our Lord. Again and again the Gospels
relate how He reached out to people in their
need and hurt and sorrow. And when He
touched them, they were never the same
again.
His hands healed the sick
After He began His earthly ministry, great
multitudes thronged about Him wherever He
went. Those who were sick, blind, and
lame -- even those marked for death with the
curse of leprosy -- came to Him seeking to be
healed and made whole.
When the hands of Jesus touched them,
pain and suffering ceased, diseases and
infirmities were cured, and lives shattered and
ruined by sickness were restored.
His hands fed the multitude
It was the hands of Jesus that fed the
multitudes who followed Him out into the desert
place to hear His words. When evening came,
Christ's disciples urged Him to send the
people away. But Jesus saw their hunger and
weariness and, in compassion, desired to
minister to them.
Taking a few small loaves and fishes --
barely enough for one small boy's lunch -- the
Lord blessed the food. Then His hands began
to break and divide the bread and fish into
portions which He gave to His disciples to
serve.
We're told that 5,000 men were fed that
day, not counting the women and children.
And when everybody had eaten all they
wanted, there were twelve baskets full of
leftovers! The hands of Jesus not only provided
enough...but plenty to spare.
His hands blessed the children
Loving children as I do, my heart is
touched to read the biblical account of how
the hands of Jesus blessed and comforted the
little children. He specifically told His disciples
not to prevent them from coming to Him.
And in my mind's eye, I can see the Lord
sitting down and opening His arms to them. As
they eagerly jostled about, perhaps He lifted a
toddler into His lap, shook hands with an older
lad, touched the cheek of a shy little girl. And
as His gentle hands patted little shoulders and
smoothed tousled hair, the Lord blessed these
little ones. Somehow I think they probably
never forgot that day when the hands of Jesus
touched them.
The hands of the Master
No doubt the hands of Jesus were strong
and powerful. Growing up around Joseph's
carpenter shop, He probably learned to hold
and use various tools to shape and assemble
wood into useful items. His hands knew how
to work.
It was those strong hands that later would
grasp a whip as an indignant Jesus drove the
callous money changers out of the holy halls of
the Temple. Those hands were instruments of
righteousness and justice.
It was those hands that reached out to lift
and save impetuous Peter who, after walking
on the water toward Jesus, took his eyes off
the Lord and began to sink.
There are so many other references to the
hands of Jesus that we could talk about. But
the single most important mention of Christ's
hands is when they were nailed to the cross.
A very dear, life-long friend gave me a
beautiful wall plaque, which I have hanging in
my kitchen. It says:
| I asked Jesus, "How much do You love me?"
"This much," He answered, and He stretched out His arms and died. |
Greater love hath no man than this, said
Jesus, that a man lay down his life for his
friends (John 15:13).
And who is Jesus' friend? The deeply
spiritual and very religious? The learned and
respectable? The proud traditionalists?
No, our Lord said that He was called a
friend of...sinners! (Luke 7:34).
The Apostle Paul reminds us that Christ
died for the ungodly...in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6,8).
It is strangely and beautifully significant
that the first person to benefit from Christ's
sacrifice at Calvary was a thief on the cross
next to His! Think of it -- the first person to
whom the Lord stretched out His nail-pierced
hands was someone totally unworthy of His
love.
Love-scarred hands
Some time ago my husband, Jack, and I
were guests at a Christian fellowship dinner in
another city. During the meal I got acquainted
and talked with a dear little mother who sat
next to me. After a while, with tears streaming
down her cheeks, she leaned over and
whispered the sad story of a wayward daughter
who had run away from home, mounted up
many debts, and fallen to the very depths of
sin, even into a life of prostitution.
"I pray for her every day," she said, "and
every time I hear from her I beg her to come
home. My husband doesn't make a lot of
money, so I got a job to help pay off the debts
our daughter made. I'm doing everything I
know how to do to help her. Please pray with
me."
When I reached out to take hold of this
precious mother's hands to comfort her, they
were rough and calloused, scarred by long
hours of hard work, week after month after
year. Those hands were scarred by love...by a
mother's selfless sacrifice and desperate desire
to reach and save her wayward daughter.
As I held those hands and prayed, I was
reminded of Christ's nail-scarred hands that
also were pierced for that lost daughter...and
for every lost sinner in the whole world. They
were scarred for me...and for you!
Just as the hands of our Lord ministered to
men and women, boys and girls, wherever He
went during His time on earth, so we today
can feel the touch of His hands in our daily
lives. His power is still available to us today.
In our times of pain and suffering, He is
still the Great Physician who lays His hands
upon us and restores our bodies. Whether our
healing comes through medication, the skill of
a surgeon, or by the power of faith alone, we
know that He is the source of all healing.
When we are hungry and experiencing a
lack of supply -- when we're empty physically,
emotionally, and spiritually -- Christ's hands
will bless and multiply the smallest things we
have to offer Him and make it sufficient to
meet our need...with plenty to spare.
When we've tried and failed -- when like
Peter, we're sinking into the depths of trials
and tribulations, with no hope in sight -- He
will come to us, walking on the waters of our
stormy sea. His hand will save us, lift us up,
and lead us safely to the solid rock!
The challenge of Easter
I love Spring! There's something special
about seeing the sun light up winter's gray
skies, and nature stir the grass and trees into
new life. Surely it is no coincidence that we
celebrate Easter in the springtime.
Each Easter we are reminded that Christ
died for us -- but He rose again! Without
Easter, we might be tempted to forget that it
is through the outstretched arms and
nail-pierced hands of Jesus that we have life
eternal. Had it not been for His sacrifice on
Calvary and His bodily resurrection, there
would be no everlasting life.
As we look around us and see all of nature
coming back to life anew, let us be reminded
of Christ's great love for us.
But let us also be challenged to reach out
in His love into every man's world with a
helping hand. Let us emulate our Lord's great
example and use the resurrection power that
flows through us to minister to the needs of
those around us.
Never forget that for many people in the
world, their first glimpse of Christ may be in
you...the only hands that will touch them in
love, that will comfort, lift, and bless them,
may be your hands.
Reach out whenever you can, wherever
you can, to whomever you can. However
unlovely or unworthy the person you find may
be, remember that Christ's sacrifice is
sufficient...and that He loves that individual just as
much as He loves you.
Do not be afraid to stretch forth your hand
to anybody. For you minister, not in your own
strength and ability, but in His love. So when
you reach out, it will not be just your hand that
touches them, but the hand of God through
you!
I love the beautiful gospel chorus that cries
out --
Oh, to be His hand extended,
Reaching out to the oppressed,
Let me touch Him, let me touch Jesus,
So that others may know and be blessed.
Look around you today and find someone
who is hurting or needy, someone who is in
trouble. Ask God to guide you to someone
who needs Jesus.
When you find them, don't hesitate or
delay. Go to them with a smile filled with the
light of His love and simply say...
"Give me your hand."
During the war in the Persian Gulf, when
Iraq's Saddam Hussein was aggressively defying
the whole world and turning a deaf ear to
any voice of reason, many people were
confused and dismayed.
Even facing the mightiest air force and
army in the world, this madman refused to
back down. Instead, he provoked even further
outrage by launching Scud missiles toward the
peaceful neighborhoods of Israel and into
Saudi Arabia.
"This is getting totally out of control," I
heard one man say, shaking his head in frustration.
And a news commentator noted that after
40 years of East-West confrontation, just when
the danger of the "cold war" finally seemed to
be going away, the Persian Gulf exploded.
I think most of us often feel that we have
very little control over what is happening in
our world today.
Scientists warn that the ozone layer high in
our atmosphere is being destroyed and the
earth may soon become uninhabitable. In the
meantime, our waste disposal systems can't
handle all the trash and garbage our huge
cities are piling up. Is our world out of control?
Economists tell us that most Americans
work almost five months of the year just to
pay their taxes, yet our federal deficit
continues to soar...totally out of control.
Medical experts report that disease and
suffering is still uncontrollable. New kinds of
cancer are being found almost every year, and
there is still no cure. AIDS, the modern
plague, continues to take its deadly toll among
increasing millions. In some parts of the
world, entire populations are at risk.
Police officials admit they are losing the
battle against crime in this country and the
world. Murder, rape, robbery, and senseless
violence make a mockery of our systems of
so-called law and order. People don't feel safe
going out on the streets -- or even inside their
own houses. Crime is out of control.
World political leaders have to acknowledge
that after two major wars, hundreds of
regional conflicts, and decades of work by an
international organization dedicated to
maintaining world harmony, we have not changed
human nature or materially improved relationships
between nations. The world's political
turmoil seems more out of control than ever.
Is our world out of control?
At the very beginning of the war in the
Persian Gulf, Jack and I were on national
television with Paul and Jan Crouch. Much of the
program was spent in prayer for our country,
especially for the men and women on duty
with our military forces. As Jan was praying,
she said, "Oh, God, send a legion of angels to
protect our troops!"
Instantly it went through my mind --
"They're already gone, Jan, because God says
He knows what things we have need of before
we ask Him, and that when we call on Him,
He will answer" (see Matthew 6:8; Psalm 91:15).
When it was my turn to lead in prayer, I
asked the Lord to send His angels to protect
the families our troops had left behind. I
called on the Holy Spirit to comfort the little
girls who had to go to bed each night without
their mommies or daddies, and to strengthen
the little boys who had to be the man of the
house with dad away. And I had the comfort
of knowing that even before I called out to
Him, God was ready to answer.
"I am in control!"
Later, on the airplane flying home, I spent
the travel time in prayer. And the Holy Spirit
dealt with me in such a wonderful way. Again
and again I sensed the voice of the Lord
saying to me, "Rexella, I am in control! I have
not left you ignorant -- I've told you what's
going to happen. Don't worry -- I'm in control."
I began to realize that because of God's
foreknowledge of what is going to happen, we
must be ever vigilant in our prayer life to be in
His perfect will. God provides answers for
our prayers beforehand, according to His
foreknowledge. When you pray, He already has
the answer for your prayers -- it's been ready
since the dawn of creation, waiting for you to ask!
God's plan is working out
When circumstances seem totally
unreasonable and unmanageable, the hand of God is
at work behind the scenes. When everything
in the whole world appears to be chaos from
man's point of view, God can see the pieces of
the puzzle falling into place according to His
plan. He is in control. The Word of God is
very plain about what will happen in this
world. No matter what man does, God will
still have His way.
Has He not spoken it? Shall He not bring
it to pass?
How exciting to realize that you and I can
be used of God to help bring about the fulfillment
of His plan on the earth. When we see
the world seemingly out of control, we have a
powerful weapon at our disposal to bring
about change and order! It's the weapon of
loving, compassionate prayer!
God knows what is needed before we pray,
and He's already prepared the answer. So if
He can depend on you and me to ask, He's
already prepared to take control of the situation.
Why we must pray
I believe if we fail to pray and ask God to
send the answer for a particular situation, it
may not be dispatched. There is great truth in
the old song that says:
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
Does it seem out of control? Is the confusion,
strife, trouble, and pain more than you can
handle alone? Try prayer!
When you cry out to Him, God will give
you peace -- a peace that is greater than just
a temporary lull in the fighting, or a shaky,
uncertain cessation of hostilities. He'll give
you a peace that will surround you even in the
midst of trouble.
Jesus said, My peace I give unto you: not
as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not
your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid
(John 14:27).
Is the world out of control? As far as man
is concerned -- yes! But not for God. He's in control!
I pray that God will open our spiritual eyes
today and let us see the "long" view. And as
the fog of doubt and confusion rolls away,
we'll be able to see the glorious truth
expressed so well in the simple eloquence of the
old Negro spiritual that says:
HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN
HIS HANDS!
One of the nicest things about holiday
seasons is being with our family and friends --
having the privilege of sharing worship, food,
and fellowship with those we love. Oh, how
Jack and I cherish those blessed times with
special people and, in particular, with one
another.
Even when circumstances make it
impossible to be together, we can get in touch by
telephone or through the mail. We talk by
phone with friends and loved ones all across
the country...sometimes overseas.
We especially enjoy reading the many
beautiful cards we receive from those special,
thoughtful people who take time to express
their love.
The other day I was going through some
personal items I've saved over the last few
years -- news items and inspirational thoughts
clipped from newspapers and magazines,
cards and notes from family and friends...and
a very special collection of love letters from
my husband.
Jack and I have worked together in the
ministry over the years and haven't had to be
apartvery often. But on those occasions when
I couldn't travel with him to a crusade or
speaking engagement, he wrote me the most
beautiful letters.
A wonderful reminder!
I'd read those letters over and over,
hanging on every word. How wonderful to be
reminded that he loved me, missed me, and was
looking forward to having me with him again
soon!
I cherished every one of those wonderful
love letters. I still do. Over the years I've
gone back and read them again many times,
especially when I was feeling lonely, insecure,
or discouraged. And each time my husband's
loving words would lift my spirits and give
me new strength.
Needless to say, although I cleaned out
some of the accumulated "clutter" the other
day, I kept those letters!
As much as I treasure my husband's letters
to me, there's another love letter that is even
more precious to me. It's the greatest love
letter of all -- God's Holy Word.
God sent this letter special delivery to
me...to you...and to every single person in the
world. It's all about love -- what love is, how
God loves us, and the great love gift He has
given us.
For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved (John 3:16,17).
Sadly, too often this greatest love letter of
all has been laid aside, unopened. The people
who most need to know that God loves them
haven't even read His letter.
Read God's letter
Some of those who have read it or heard
about it at one time or another have forgotten
its wonderful message. They need to go back
and read God's love letter again. I can testify
from personal experience that it is just as
meaningful the second, third -- twentieth --
time you read it as it was the first time.
You see, we need to be reminded daily that
we are loved. We need to see anew how
valuable we are to God -- that His love and mercy
to us are new every morning.
What an unspeakable thrill to know that
God loves us. We must hear it, relish it, think
about it, enjoy it. We need to claim the blessing
of salvation and His divine provision for
our every need. We need to claim the blessing
of knowing that He is preparing a place for us
so that we can be with Him one day, face to face.
We should read and reread God's love
letter to us because we need to be reminded of
the wonderful gift of His love which we have received.
Give thanks...and share
In these last days we must make a special
effort to express our appreciation for this great
gift of love. Then we must enter anew into the
spirit of love by doubling our efforts to share
the old, old story of God's great love with others.
Don't wait -- start immediately! Right now
-- today -- get out your "Love Letter" from
God, your Bible, and discover -- and share --
how much you are loved.
A little boy asked his mother one day,
"How can God love everybody? Is He magic?"
He couldn't understand how anyone -- not
even God -- could love everyone. After all,
there are so many of us, and some of us are
so unlovable. To a child's way of thinking it
would take nothing short of magic to be that
loving.
You and I know that God is much more
than magic. He's our all-powerful heavenly
Father! In John 13:34,35, Jesus said to His
disciples, A new commandment I give unto
you, That ye love one another; as I have loved
you, that ye also love one another. By this
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if
ye have love one to another.
Jesus knew how unlovable people can be.
He knew how unappreciative, unkind, thoughtless,
selfish, quick to judge and criticize, and
very mean we humans can act. Even within
that intimate circle of the twelve disciples,
there was envy, jealousy, and even murder.
And these were the men upon whom Jesus
was counting. The spread of the gospel
depended upon the disciples showing love to
each other and to others. So to these men,
only a few short hours before His crucifixion,
Jesus gave the supreme command, "Love one
another." And it should be our number one
priority today.
But that's just it. We don't love one another
as we should. In fact, a good many of us
Christians are downright unloving much of the
time. So how do we get the love of God in
our lives?
Where do we begin?
The place to begin is with the people
around us -- those in our homes, in our places of
work, in our friendships, and in our churches.
Someone has said we need "an observable
love and openness." I like that. Love isn't
love until it begins at home.
I heard of a woman whose husband was
very outgoing, charming, and loving to everyone
outside his home. But, often, to his family
he was moody and irritable. He wasn't
always outgoing, charming, and loving to
them. In fact, his moodiness and his venting
his anger and frustrations on his wife and children
were destroying the love within his
home.
One day in an effort to help him see what
he was doing, his wife asked, "Honey, why
don't you save some of your charm for us?"
That took courage, but it helped.
Of course, we all need a place where we
can let some steam off, let our hair down, and
kick our shoes off and relax with those who
will understand and not misjudge us. But
there must be a balance whereby we also
remember to show our love. Continual unloving
mistreatment of those dearest to us will drive
them away. I've heard such sad stories
through the years of how people's hearts have
become hard and cold because the love they
once had for each other had not been nurtured.
Our example is Jesus. I'm sure He didn't
always find it easy to show love. The Bible
tells us that Jesus was tempted in all points as
we are (see Hebrews 2:18). When the
selfrighteous Pharisees tried to trip Jesus up, it
would have been easy for Him to withhold His
love from those who were cruel, arrogant, and
unjust. But Jesus never yielded to that
temptation. He showed love in the most impossible
of human situations. Jesus was love in action.
He demonstrated His compassion over and
over again in His dealings with those who
desperately needed help, healing, and forgiveness.
Let love be your aim
The Apostle Paul gave the Corinthian
Christians a goal that should be foremost in
our minds as well. He said, "Let love be your
aim" (see 1 Corinthians 14:1). Those words
were preceded by the great love chapter in the
Bible, 1 Corinthians 13. Those verses are so
familiar to everyone, but perhaps their familiarity
has dimmed their meaning. Let's look at
them.
Though I speak with the tongues of men
and of angels, and have not charity [love], I
am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling
cymbal.
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, and have not
[love],
I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed
the poor, and though I give my body to be
burned, and have not
[love], it profiteth me
nothing.
[Love] suffereth long, and is kind; [love]
envieth not; [love] vaunteth not itself, is not
puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh
no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in
the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things.
[Love] never faileth: but whether there be
prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be
tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge, it shall vanish away.
And now abideth faith, hope,
[love], these
three; but the greatest of these is [love]
(1 Corinthians 13:1-8,13).
What a beautiful description of love! This
chapter describes love in three ways -- what it
is, what it isn't, and what it does.
Love is:
- very patient and kind
- enduring, without weakening
- able to bear up under anything
- ready to believe the best of others
- loyal no matter the cost
- a growing thing -- growing out of God's love for and in us.
Love is not:
- jealous or envious
- boastful or proud (inflated or puffed up with pride)
- conceited and arrogant
- touchy, fretful, or resentful
- rude and haughty
- possessive
- irritable or easily provoked
- selfish and self-seeking
- glad about injustice.
Love does:
- rejoice in the truth
- not hold grudges
- hardly notice when others do it wrong
- not demand its own way
- hope all things
- stand its ground in defending someone it loves
- not fail -- does not fade out, become obsolete, or come to an end.
How loving are you?
Do you want to measure your "love
level"? Here's an exercise that really works. Try
substituting "I" in place of the word love in 1
Corinthians 13. Does it read right? Is that an
accurate description of you? Can you honestly
say, "I am very patient and kind. I am not
easily provoked. I do not hold grudges?
The Bible has so much to say about love.
Here are some other verses to help us
understand the nature of real love. First John 4:8
says, He that loveth not knoweth not God; for
God is love. That verse says God is love.
That is His nature. He is a heavenly Father
who has divine compassion. And if we are
His children, we must love, too -- and not just
those who love us, but even the unlovable.
Jesus said, Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you; that ye may be the children of
your Father which is in heaven...For if ye love
them which love you, what reward have ye? do
not even the publicans the same?...Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:44-46,48).
One day a so-called expert on Moses' law
came to Jesus to test Him. He asked, "Master,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Notice Jesus' reply: "You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your strength, and
with all your mind; and your neighbor as
yourself."
The man, wanting to justify his lack of
love for some people, asked, "And who is my
neighbor?" (Luke 10:25-29).
You see, he was so much like us. He
wanted to love the lovable, those who were
easy to love. But Jesus said we are to love
without discrimination, the way He loves us.
It's never too late
Perhaps you feel you've been so unloving
in the past, that there is no way you can
salvage your relationships. It's never too late
with the help of the Lord. It may take time,
but God can do a work of healing in your
heart so that you genuinely love others. His
Word to you is simply this: Commit thy way
unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall
bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5).
I want you to know that Jack and I love
you. Our prayer is that you will learn to speak
the truth in love and fully grow up in Christ
(see Ephesians 4:15) so that the world will
know that you, too, are one of Christ's disciples.