God's Flow of Love Through You

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" - Acts 20:35

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. - Ephesians 4:28

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. - 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. - Matthew 10:8

All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.  - Proverbs 21:26

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. - Galatians 6:10

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you."  - Isaiah 35:4

Jesus’s Joy in Marriage

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor. (Ephesians 5:25–27)

The reason there is so much misery in marriage is not that husbands and wives seek their own pleasure, but that they do not seek it in the pleasure of their spouses. The biblical mandate to husbands and wives is to seek your own joy in the joy of your spouse.

There is scarcely a more hedonistic passage in the Bible than the one on marriage in Ephesians 5:25–30. Husbands are told to love their wives the way Christ loved the church.

How did he love the church? Verse 25 says he “gave himself up for her.” But why? Verse 26 says, “that he might sanctify” and cleanse her. But why did he want to do that? Verse 27 answers, “that he might present the church to himself in splendor!”

Ah! There it is! “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). What joy? The joy of marriage to his bride, the church. The joy of presenting the church to himself in blood-bought splendor.

Jesus does not intend to have a dirty and unholy wife. Therefore, he was willing to die to sanctify and cleanse his betrothed so he could present to himself a wife “in splendor.” He gained the desire of his heart by giving himself up in suffering for the good of his bride.

Then Paul applies this to husbands in verses 28–30: “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.”

Jesus had said to husbands and wives — and everyone else — “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Marriage is an extraordinary place of application. It is not merely “as” you love yourself. But you are loving yourself. When you love the person with whom God has made you one flesh, you are loving yourself. That is, your greatest joy is found in seeking the greatest joy of your spouse.

John Piper 

Will God bless you financially?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

His lord said unto him, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Matthew 25:21

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A man spoke to his pastor one day and said, “I don’t know what’s wrong, but God is not real to me anymore.” The wise pastor asked, “Is there any sin in your life?” In a moment of honesty the man responded, “Years ago I was tithing regularly to God, but one day I thought, 'God doesn’t need the money as much as I do,' so I stopped.”

The pastor said, “Will God say, ‘My child has disobeyed Me. He cannot trust Me with his resources, so I think I’ll bless him with even more financial resources.’ Will God do this?”

Absolutely not. If you’re not faithful with little, He won’t bless you with any more.

ACTION POINT:

Are you faithfully tithing your income to the work of the Lord? If not, it’s time to.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

CAPTIVATED AND COMPELLED BY LOVE

Love Made Known

1 John 3:21 - 24, ESV

Thank you Pastor David!

1 JOHN 3:10

“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Love in the family reflects the love of the Father.

The Church We Want to Be:

Captivated by God’s love for us

1 JOHN 3:1

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.”

The Church We Want to Be:

Compelled by God’s love for others

1 JOHN 3:11 – 24

“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our

lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.”

MATTHEW 22:39

“And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

JOHN 13:34

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

The Contrast We Need to See:

Hate . . .

• Originates with the devil

• Selfishly seeks [seeking] another’s harm

• The ultimate example (Cain): taking the life of another

MATTHEW 5:21 – 22

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”

1 JOHN 3:17

“If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”

Hate . . .

• The everyday effect [of hate is]: indifference that leads to inaction

• Is evidence of spiritual death

1 JOHN 3:13

“Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”

1 JOHN 3:14

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

Love . . .

• Originates with God

1 JOHN 4:7 – 8

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God . . . Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Love . . .

• Selflessly seeks another’s good

• The ultimate example (Christ): sacrificing your life for another

• The everyday effect [of love is]: compassion that leads to action

1 JOHN 3:18

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Love . . .

• Is evidence of spiritual life

1 JOHN 3:14

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.”

The Confidence We Now Have:

God enables us as His children to love like He loves.

God emboldens us as His children to pray for His purpose.

• We desire what God desires.

• We ask for whatever we desire.

The Confidence We Now Have:

God empowers us as His children to live by His spirit.

CHRISTIANITY IS A SUPERNATURAL LIFE . . . CHARACTERIZED BY SUPERNATURAL LOVE.

Lord They Will Be Done

Is my broken heart part of Your plan?

You are God not me!

You are listening to me for Your word says so!

Do really hear me? 

How will these pieces fit together in Your perfect plan?

Disasters, broken hearts, illnesses, broken relationships, lost income, and the countless other fiery trials.

Faith Lord, give us what we need.

Lead us Lord, even in our rebellion, Your plans will not be thwarted!  

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:11-13

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. - Jeremiah 33:3

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. - Daniel 9:3-5

The Purpose of Prosperity

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

There are three levels of how to live with material things: (1) you can steal to get them; (2) or you can work to get them; (3) or you can work to get in order to give.

Too many professing Christians live on level two. We glorify work over against stealing and mooching, and feel we have acted virtuously if we have spurned stealing and mooching, and given ourselves to an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That’s not a bad thing. Work is better than stealing and mooching. But that’s not what the apostle calls us to.

Almost all the forces of our culture urge us to live on level two: work to get. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three: work to get to give. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery — temporal and eternal suffering. Enough for us; abundance for others.

The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our times, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is in being deceived into thinking that a large salary must be accompanied by a lavish lifestyle.

God has made us to be conduits of his grace. The danger is in thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn’t. Copper will do. Copper can carry unbelievable riches to others. And in the very process of that giving we enjoy the greatest blessing (Acts 20:35).

John Piper 

The place in your life God doesn’t want

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What is an idol? Anything that keeps you from loving God, knowing God, serving God. Anything that comes between you and God. A man takes his own ideas and puts them into the work of his hands, and then he begins to worship it. What he is really worshiping is himself.

You may say, “Well, I’m not guilty of idolatry.” Let’s just see...is there anything that you love more than God? Anything you fear more than God? Anything you serve more than God? Anything you trust more than God? Am I getting hot?

You say, “Well, I give God a place in my life.” God doesn’t want a place in your life. Then, you say, “Well, I give God prominence in my life.” God despises prominence in your life. God demands preeminence in your life. He will take nothing less.

ACTION POINT:

Is there anyone or anything in your life that takes precedence over God? Confess it and repent of it. Now, put on the throne the rightful Master—the Lord Jesus!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers