John 13:34-35, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Ouch! I wonder if that is how the world sees the church? Listening to some of our rhetoric and reading some of our Facebook posts, I would not be surprised. Like “peace,” the word “love” is another word that is overused and under-experienced. It is effortless to talk about and sing about love. Years ago Pepsi capitalized on a song that says, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” Perhaps the reason there is so little is that it costs so much.
Mother Teresa heard vows from 11 new members of her growing order, the Society of the Missionaries of Charity, and spoke briefly about this weekend to a crowd of about 700 people. "Love, to be real, must cost," said the frail and stooped Mother Teresa, 75, whose big voice belies her stature, "It must hurt. It must empty us of self."(From article written by Anne L. Meskey, “What’s the Big Deal About Love?,” Discipleship Journal 1994)
What does Mother Teresa mean when she says, “Love, to be real, must cost”?
Jesus told us to love one another “as I have loved you.” Take a moment and think about the extent Jesus went through to demonstrate His love for us. How can we love others the same way?
When have you experienced sacrificial love?
Who around you needs to experience God’s love?
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Scripture: Psalms 90:17, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us, and may He establish the work of our hands, yes establish the work of our hands.” Thought: In July of 2014, Esther and I drove our daughter, Kristi, to Cleveland, Tennessee to visit Lee University. Walking around campus, I noticed that every building had an engraved stone with the scripture reference, Psalms 90:17. We later discovered a bronze statue (pictured here) of a man sitting on a bench with his Bible opened to the same verse. In this verse, the writer is portrayed as a desperate soul who recognized his temporary presence in this world and wanted to leave a meaningful legacy. This became my theme verse for July and also the messages I would preach in August and September of that year. I have since quoted this verse in prayer more than any other. It is often said, “Favor is when people like you and you don’t know why,” and this is true to some extent. Favor unlocks doors you thought were closed and brings opportunities you would not have expected. Favor is not something we earn; it is freely placed upon us by the grace of God. It is a gift. However, like a blessing, we can put ourselves in a position of favor. Isaiah 66:2 says, “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” The second part of Psalms 90:17 speaks to our desire for lasting impact. The Life Application Bible notes, “Because our days are numbered, we want our work to count, to be effective and productive. We desire to see God’s eternal plan revealed now and for our work to reflect his permanence.” Significant changes are happening at Centerpointe Church as we dream of our future. Our prayer is similar to the psalmist: Lord, whatever we do, let it be for your honor and glory because this is the only way it will mean anything for the future generations. Reflection: In what ways have you experienced God’s favor? How do you know what God’s favor looks like? In what areas do you need God’s favor? Decision: Based on what you have read and what God is saying to you, what decisions do you need to make? Prayer:
Scripture:
Deuteronomy 28:1–8, “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.”
Thought:
Wow! I want to live in this kind of blessing. I want my children and grandchildren to experience the same. Furthermore, I desire our church to experience this kind of blessing. The good news for us is that God is a God waiting to pour out His benefits upon His people.
Almost all religions work to gain their gods’ favor and blessing through rules, idols, and beautiful architectural structures. Throughout the Buddhist and Hindu dominated world, people offer sacrifices to please their gods and obtain favor. While in India, I noticed that almost every home had some kind of altar on the lawn. When I enquired about them, I was told that fruit, vegetables, and gifts were left on the altar to please whatever god might be passing by, hoping that the god would leave behind a blessing. The foundation of their faith is based on their ability to satisfy.
God’s requirements are different and found in the first verse: “fully obey,” and “carefully follow.” At first glance, it sounds similar to other religions, but there is a distinct difference, just like healthy parents who want to bless their children. Children don’t try and make the parents want them; they know they are loved. However, the children’s obedience makes it a joy for the parents to be generous.
If we want to experience the blessings of God, we must follow Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is not a case for works-based theology; it is merely a statement of relational surrender. People who understand blessing have a different outlook on life than those who do not. They are more grateful because they believe God is viewing them with pleasure. Their view of God’s view is a joyful thought. A.W. Tozer once noted, “the most important thing about a person is what comes to mind when they think about God.“ (The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: HarperCollins, 1961). The God of the Bible does not wish to withhold from us; in fact, he takes joy in blessing us. When we look into his nature and character, we see someone who loves us and is passionate for us. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Reflection:
In what ways have you experienced God’s blessing?
What is meant by "relational surrender?" Why is it so difficult to believe that your Heavenly Father has wonderful things in store for your life?
In your opinion, how is obedience linked to blessing?
Decision:
Based on what you read, and what God is saying to you, what decisions do you need to make?
Prayer: Lord,
give us a different perspective when it comes to blessing. Help us to grasp how
much you love to bless us, and help us recognize your blessings in the smallest
of ways as well as the more obvious ones.
For further study, read the rest of Deuteronomy 28. What insight can we gain concerning obedience and blessing?
There is something powerful about a father’s blessing.
A child dancer will scan the
crowd for the affirming face of the parents. and a young athlete will look for
the parents presence when making a play on the field. A student makes their way
to podium to receive a diploma and looks toward where their parents are
sitting.More than the blue ribbon at a
science fair, more than a trophy or plaque, a child longs for their mom and
dad’s “great job!”
If blessing has anything to
do with approval, children long for their father’s blessing and will do almost
anything to get it.
I certainly know the feeling.
Growing up without a dad, I
longed for male role models in my life to affirm me. Fortunately for me, I was
surrounded by many uncles and men at church that filled that gap – as much as
they could.
An unblessed heart leaves
wounds. It leaves a deep longing. It searches out for ways to receive it, and
in the absence of it, a close substitute will do; even if it leaves unhealthy
and emotional scaring. You see it in girls that are attracted to the “father-type”
figure and boys obsessed with winning at all costs.
What is true in the natural
is also true in the spiritual. We long to hear those words, “well done.” We
want our heavenly father to be proud. We want to know we please him. We want
God‘s favor and blessing.
The Old Testament word for
“blessing” generally denotes a bestowal of good. To live under God’s blessing means to live in a condition
or state of being in God’s grace or favor.
In scripture, you can see the
desire for both human blessing and heavenly blessing. Jacob was desperate for
his father’s blessing, enough to deceive his dad into thinking that Jacob was
his older brother. Jacob later wrestled with God to gain a blessing, and when he
left that encounter, he had a permanent limp, but he also left with God’s
blessing. Jacob’s sons gathered around him on his deathbed in order to receive
his blessings. Jabez cried out to the God of
Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be
with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain”(1
Chronicles 4:10).
People then and now continue to strive for God’s favor and
blessing. For the Jews, a whole
sacrificial system was designed to please God and to receive His blessing and
favor. Other religions as well struggle to gain their gods favor and blessing
through rules, idols, and massive temples. All throughout the Buddhist and
Hindu dominated world, people offer sacrifices in order to please the many gods
and obtain their favor. While in India, I noticed that almost every home had
some sort of altar outside on the lawn. When I enquired about them I was told
that fruit, vegetables, and gifts were left on the altar to please whatever god
might be passing by, hoping that the god would leave a blessing.
We have a natural tendency
toward a merit-based theology. We think if we do the right things, say the
right words, pray the right prayers, God will somehow put us ahead of the line
for favors; therein lies the problem. We think God is withholding his love for
us until we are good enough to earn it, and if that is the case, how good do
you have to be? I mean, do you have to be Mother Theresa good? If that is the
case, we are all sunk.
So let’s address something
right up front: our view of God’s view. Unless we understand the nature and
character of God, we will never fully grasp the power of living under God’s
blessing. From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God set out to bless
us, even more than we want to be blessed by him. This is why our concept of God
is critical. A.W. Tozer once noted “the most important thing about a person is
what comes to mind when they think about God.“ (The Knowledge
of the Holy (New York: HarperCollins, 1961)
To embrace the blessings of
God, we must first embrace the concept of a loving Father. Most religions do
not understand this concept; instead of loving God, they fear Him. To many, God
is not a kind, benevolent Father, but a withholding and detached being. He is
random in His gifts, or unconcerned altogether. However, this is not the God of
scriptures. The God of the Bible does not wish to withhold from us; in fact, he
takes joy in blessing us. When we look into his nature and character, we see
someone who loves us and is passionate for us.
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares
the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future.” Why is it so difficult to believe that your Heavenly Father has
wonderful things in store for your life?
Just think about what God thinks about when He thinks of you:
You
are His treasured possession (Deuteronomy
7:6)
You
are the apple of His eye (Zechariah
2:7–8)
You
are joint heirs with Christ (Romans
8:16–17)
You
are a friend of Jesus (John 15:13-16)
You
are His people (Jeremiah 31:3)
You
are the sheep in His care (Psalm
100:1-5)
You
are His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:8-10)
You
are precious and honored (Isaiah
43:1-4)
You
are the reason He died and rose again (Romans
5:6-8)
Listen to the Apostle Paul’s prayer for us:
For this reason I kneel before
the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through
his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have
power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and
deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that
you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians
3:14-19).
Paul wants us to “grasp”, or
“comprehend”, or “to lay hold of effectively” God’s love for us. It
is more than mere knowledge or a feeling; Paul is praying that we might
understand it by experience. The
Greek word for surpass is literally "overthrown" and refers to that
which is thrown over when the container is already to full. We cannot define all the mysteries of the
ocean and fathom it’s vast expanse but we can stand in it and enjoy it.
We all know how you can feel
something you can't comprehend. A baby feels his mother's love. They sense how
deeply their mother loves them. There are times when they won't go to anyone
else but their own mother because they know their mother loves them. But what
does a baby understand about a mother's love? They can't comprehend it. But they
feel it. When we get this – everything else will make sense.
If this is true, then God’s
blessing is more about receiving than it is about achieving.
I pray almost every day that
God will bless me and extend his favor toward me, but my prayers are just words
in the wind if I don’t believe that he actually desires to answer them. Recently,
in Bible reading, I read again these words and was so encouraged. They are
words spoken to the tribe of Israel to Moses, and they are powerful.
“If
you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give
you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All
these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your
God:
You will be blessed
in the city and blessed in the country.
The fruit of your
womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your
livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
Your basket and
your kneading trough will be blessed.
You will be blessed
when you come in and blessed when you go out.
The LORD will grant
that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will
come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
The LORD will send
a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your
God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
The LORD will
establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the
commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on
earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear
you. The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the
young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to
your forefathers to give you.
The LORD will open
the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season
and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will
borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay
attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and
carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do
not turn aside from any of the commands I give you
today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.”
(Deuteronomy 28:1–14 NIV)
Let’s make this a daily reminder for us that God is for us and not
against us. He longs to bless His people and give them strength for today and
hope for tomorrow.
There is so much more to discuss, but for now, we have to retrain
our thoughts about God to understand that He absolutely loves us, demonstrated
that love through His son Jesus, and has deposited the Holy Spirit in our lives
to sustain us.
Click on the video. Close your eyes and receive from the Lord.
This is by far my favorite picture when I think about the passage from the text in Isaiah that says, "Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon thee, because they they trust in you" (26:3).
My daughter, Melanie, and I made this birdhouse years ago. It was built, not to take the winter snowstorms away, but to give the birds a place of shelter within the storm.
It reminds me that in life, no one is immune to storms, tears, troubles, or fears. But in the midst of the storm there is a promise of peace we can hold on to: presence of Jesus.
Jesus
brings peace right into the center of our hurt and frantic striving. He can cease the noise, calm the storm, and surround our hearts with a sense of peace. He is indeed the Prince of Peace. This Christmas, take time to be reminded of His promised peace. When we have peace with God, we can experience the peace of God.
Sunday, our Centerpointe kids reminded
us that Christmas is about God demonstrating His love for us through His son
Jesus. The key point was “God will never stop loving us.” I love the kid’s
services, they are fun and full of life.
We often talk about Christmas as the
time “when love came down.” We say God’s love entered the world as a baby. And
that is all true. But we would be mistaken if we didn’t take a longer view, a
view back in time to the beginning of the world. The history of our world, the
story of the Bible, is a love story from the first day of creation. It is the
story of God’s love for His people and His plan of redemption to bring us back
into relationship with Him.
God is not some distant uncle who
suddenly shows up with a gift nobody knows what to do with. Nor is He a cold
and miserly distant figure grudgingly offering us an occasional token. Yes,
love came crashing into that stable in Bethlehem. But Jesus’s birth was the
culmination of a long history of love. And His love for us today, this Advent
season, is not something new.
Psalm 139 tells all about how God knew
us intimately before we were born. And the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians: “For he chose us in him before the creation
of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In lovehepredestined us for adoption to sonship through
Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely
given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:4–6).
God’s love does not depend on us. It’s
not something we have to earn or perform for to maintain. It starts with God,
not us. God is love. It is His nature
and character. His love for us was there from the beginning of time and will
continue throughout eternity.
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It can be a mind-boggling concept to
grasp. But as we pursue the journey of love, let me encourage you to simply
accept that God’s love for us exists beyond the constraints of time, space, and
our limited understanding. It’s a love worth focusing on, meditating on, and
basking in during this season of preparation.
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