Blog Archives
Holiness Is
Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love. – {OFC 74.6}
Holiness is having Jesus within us, living His life through us. It is not living by every impulse that comes into our brain. It is not living in the moment, but living with an eye to the long term.
Nothing More Than Chemicals
I once had breakfast with an atheist who repeatedly insisted that there was no evidence for God—absolutely none. At one point during our meal he told me how much he loves his wife, and painfully recounted the details of her battle with disease. His wife was dying and he could do nothing. After all the intellectual arguments had run into a headstrong willful resistance, I asked him why he loved his wife. He stared at me. “Don’t you see her as a unique woman of intrinsic value to you?” I asked. “Yes,” he answered. “But how can she have such value,” I replied, “if all life is nothing more than chemicals?” Suddenly, the conversation took a turn. As we got up from
the table, he said, “You just keep doing what you’re doing in life. You are bringing back common sense into our heads.” – Ravi Zacharias “A Slice of Infinity” 3-14-12
Matthew 10:31 – Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
We Need Love, but We Crave Romance
We Need Love, but We Crave Romance.
Haha, super cute.
Those notes are totally my style. Even if I haven’t had an opportunity to do stuff like that yet.
The Six “C”crets of Lasting Love part 2
The above link contains the written document of the six “C”s. It follows the video I posted previously, but in more detail. The six “C”s in the document list principles of how to find a match. AKA, THE ONE.
Leave comments and let me know what you think!
All credit goes to Ty Gibson of Light Bearers Ministry for the document.
Attributes of Love
Here are some thoughts on love. I asked myself the question: why are each of these characteristics part of love? There are 16 characteristics listed, with eight being what love is, and eight being what love is not. This list is taken from the NKJV (different translations have slightly different lists).
Love suffers long
Love hopes for the best ending. It doesn’t believe things have to stay the way they are, but that they can change for the better. Love has the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18), and is willing to work for a better ending.
Love is kind
Love wants to be a blessing to others. It looks for ways to convey sympathy and care. Love has the best in mind for another person (Jer 29:11; Eph 4:32). Love likes to give.
Love does not envy
Love does not want to be around other people to use their things or to benefit itself by association. It is content. Love does not worry about protecting its own goods or relationships, because love is content that freedom, combined with love, provides the strongest ties. Love is content.
Love does not parade itself
Love does feel the need to self-promote. It is comfortable living in whatever state it is in (Phil 4:11). It trusts God to guide its life. It doesn’t advance itself at the expense of others.
Love is not puffed up
Love doesn’t feel the need to prove that it is better than anyone else (Rom 12:3). It is careful not to one-up others in conversation. On the contrary, love esteems others better than itself (Phil 2:3). Love is not self-centered, it is others-centered.
Love does not behave rudely
Love cares about how others feel. It doesn’t want to put off others. It doesn’t want to do anything that would create a barrier to a relationship through a deliberate or unintentional act. Love doesn’t want to be self-centered.
Love does not seek its own
Love is unselfish. It realizes that the greatest fulfillment and satisfaction in life comes from living for others. Love seeks to pursue the happiness of others above its own. It has the power to break selfish tailspins in relationships, because it operates by a higher set of rules.
Love is not provoked
Love does not need to react to protect itself or its reputation. It doesn’t act rashly. Love is deliberate. It acts intentionally. It is not just an emotion.
Love thinks no evil
Love’s mental processes are entirely filled with good things. There isn’t any room in there for sin to exist. There is a consistent and coordinated filling of the life with the things of God so that there isn’t any room left over.
Love does not rejoice in iniquity
Love cannot celebrate what is wrong, because sin always hurts someone. Sin doesn’t even like watching other people do what’s wrong even if it doesn’t do it itself, or even pretend doing it.
Love rejoices in the truth
Love holds tight to truth because it has the power to change lives. Truth builds trust, which enables deeper relationships. Truth is reliable Love enjoys things that are true, and thinks things that are true. Truth is mighty. It is one of the few elite concepts in the world worth dying for: love, honor, justice, and truth. Truth can change the world.
Love bears all things
Love is able to endure the faults of others, because it knows that they will pass. Love covers a multitude of sins (Prov 10:12). Love is willing to forgive and move forward. Forbearance strengthens relationships, or releases one from the mental bondage of a bad one.
Love believes all things
Love is an optimist and believes the best in people. Love doesn’t base its opinions on rumors of another person. It believes people act from good motives until proven otherwise, and understands that some people have bad days, but that those pass.
Love hopes all things
Love never gives up on anyone. Love always believes that there is a possibility for someone to turn their life around. Love has faith that when a committed relationship has a rough spot that it will come out ok on the other side.
Love endures all things
Love itself is more durable than the obstacles of life. Though troubles and difficulties come, love does not have to die. Love might remove itself a situation, but it does not come to an end. Love can look the hardest, most difficult challenge in the eye and still exist. Love is the most courageous thing in the world. In the end, love wins over all sins and troubles. In this way love conquers all.
Love never fails
Love is trustable and dependable. It never runs out. It is permanent. It is absolute. It is abundant. Love is… superlative.
Jesus in 1 Corinthians 13
As part of my sermon yesterday, I inserted Jesus into the descriptions of love in 1 Corinthians 13. It’s very fitting. In Christ is all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9), and God is love (1 John 4:). Jesus was born into this world to show us what God is like; the fullness and completeness of love. Read through the attributes of love (NKJV) with Jesus inserted for love and see how appropriate it is.
- Jesus suffers long
- Jesus is kind
- Jesus does not envy
- Jesus does not parade itself
- Jesus is not puffed up
- Jesus does not behave rudely
- Jesus does not seek its own
- Jesus is not provoked
- Jesus thinks no evil
- Jesus does not rejoice in iniquity
- Jesus rejoices in the truth
- Jesus bears all things
- Jesus believes all things
- Jesus hopes all things
- Jesus endures all things
- Jesus never fails
