Do you Feel or Do you Love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things; love never fails”

What is love? Is it the feeling I have within my body that causes my heart to race 100 miles per minute, is it the fact that I cannot stop thinking about this person or is it this pain I have in my stomach every time I see this person.  Emotions will take us in so many different directions and cause us to do many different things.  Many times we directly associate love with emotions, although they are at times similar, they couldn’t be more different.  Emotions will keep you doing what you feel like doing, on the other end genuine love will keep you doing what you need to be doing.  Emotions meets the feel, Love meets the need.  Many of us are so in tuned with the feels, we completely miss the need.  We can sit for an entire day knowing we have something to do, and do absolutely nothing because I don’t feel like doing.  Today is simple, reevaluate yourself, are you doing what you feel like doing or are you doing what needs to be done.  Our feelings will fade and change with conditions, but love will keep us on track and being consistent. Align yourself up with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a and really experience the power of love.  Ask yourself the question, do I love or do I feel?

Transform Your Life

... let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think... Romans 12:2 (NLT)

What if you were given a chance to change your life?  What if you were given an opportunity to become who God created you to be, but have yet to become?  Would you take that chance – that opportunity?  Would you allow the necessary changes to take place in order to be transformed?

To be transformed is like undergoing metamorphosis.  Most of us understand metamorphosis, especially as it relates to a caterpillar.  It is interesting to note that a caterpillar is born to fly, but as a caterpillar, it cannot.  It is only after the transformation into either a butterfly or a moth that it becomes what it was created to be – a flying creation.  Similarly, in order for you to become who God created you to be, you must undergo a transformation.

Like the caterpillar wraps itself in its silk cocoon in order to be changed, you must wrap your thoughts in faith and the Word of God in order to be transformed.  When your thoughts line up with Word of God, inevitably and remarkable you will then start to be transformed into a new person.

Today, transform your life.  Cast down any thoughts based on fear, anger or perversion.  Decided, however to fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8), and become who you were always born to be.

A Way Out

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV),

In a society where people are propelled onward by the concept of more, more and still more, excess rules.  The temptation to eat one more cookie, buy one more CD; watch one more movie is strong.  The temptation to flirt anonymously over the Internet, to take an extra half-hour for lunch, to sleep in when you promised to help your neighbor or co-worker set up for a big event.  Giving in to temptation often wins out over more prudent choices.

Temptations are all around you.  Sometimes they're easy to ignore, but usually they attract like magnets.  Paul made a bold statement, quoted above, about temptation in his first letter to the Corinthian church.  He said that God always gives a way out of temptations.  Notice that he didn't say God would erase temptation from your life.  Sometimes you will experience it at the buffet line and other times you will meet it in the particular striking profile of a friendly coworker.

The first step to overcoming temptation is to recognize it.  Do you feel compelled to do something you are not sure is a good idea?  That is the tug of temptation.  Temptation often comes disguised as a shortcut.  It promises an easier path to a desired result, but conveniently forgets to mention that the path is figuratively littered with broken glass, potholes, and land mines.

The second step is to listen to your conscience.  When you feel that you are being tempted, the hesitation you sense is a warning.  It's an opportunity to uncover the lie that informs temptation.  It's an opportunity to evade being taken in.

Whenever you feel temptation's tug, pray.  Ask God for wisdom.  Ask God for strength to face the temptation.  God promised not to set any temptation before you that you can't handle.  God will give you the strength you need to handle temptation.

Who's at your door?

Genesis 4:6-7 (NKJV)

So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it?”

I can remember when I was younger, I absolutely loved to have company, as soon as I would see someone pulling up at the house or hear doorbell ring, and I was standing by for company to come in.  We were very restricted and I knew whenever someone would come, it would open the opportunity for us to be able to do something.  Depending who was outside the door, determined if we were able to go outside and play.  If it was someone my parents didn’t agree with, we couldn’t go.  When some people would come around, my parents would even go as far as to telling us not to go to the door.  As a child I didn’t understand why we couldn’t play with certain people, however as I grew older, I began to understand all company isn’t good company.  Cain and Able both gave God an offering, with Cain’s offering God was displeased and as a result Cain grew angry.  In response to Cain’s anger God gave Cain a bit of advice (Genesis 4:7), but what stood out the most for me was the “c” portion of the verse, God said “sin lies at the door. And its desires is for you, but you should rule over it.”

                Bad company will all ways appear and in its appearance, it desires pull us from wherever we are, to rest where it is.  At the door of Cain’s heart was the spirit of anger, and instead of Cain listening to the voice of God telling him how to overcome its sinful desire, he kept company with it, ultimately resulting in him killing his younger brother.  There are many different desires that seek to influence us to oppose God, but even though those desire are present, God declares we have the authority within us to rule over those desires.  Today I challenge you to stand on the authority you have over all sinful desires and declare you will rule over it, it will not rule over you and watch and see how much stronger you grow in the spirit.  

Pursue Your Passion

 

God does not want us to be shy with His gifts, but bold and loving and sensible (2 Timothy 1:7 The Message)

 

 

Are you a man or woman of passion? Do you embrace life with your whole heart?  Do you love God with all your being? or do you hold back, lukewarm and afraid to fully commit yourself to the adventure of living?  Have you ventured out past your own community to embrace the beauty of the area in which you live?  For example, there are many who only live on one side of town.  Guests come from out of town and tour more than those that live there on a daily basis. 

 

Appreciate life itself.  Enjoy the details of God's creation.  Rejoice in the small things as well as the large.  Look around you and see how amazing and wondrous life is.  Seek out new experiences.  Live your life and never let it become a boring routine.  Always be open to learning something new.  Be active, not passive.  Don't let the parade of life pass you by.  Join in.  Don't sit back and complain.  Get up out of your seat and play.

 

Cultivate and create beauty as well as enjoying it.  Reach out to others.  Get to know people who are different than you.  Appreciate and enjoy the differences.  Really listen when you are in a conversation.  Give each person your full attention.  Be encouraging.  Through these small acts of kindness and adventure you may discover your passion.

 

Never be afraid to be passionate about your faith.  Love God with your whole heart, mind, body, and spirit.  He will be your never failing source of passion and zest for life.

 



It’s Not About Us

It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering.  What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.  1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT)

One sign that the flesh is at work is when we start to think more highly of people than we ought – when we think God’s purpose cannot be fulfilling unless specific people are doing the fulfilling.  You may have seen this happening in your own church.  When people don’t show up to service because their favorite minister isn’t preaching.  Or when one dance group isn’t supportive of another because they weren’t given the same opportunity to minister.  In our scripture today – Paul is reminding us that it’s not about us.  And if we want to grow beyond where we are today – we have to come to this realization.

Paul talks about two types of Christians – the carnal Christian and the Spiritual Christian.  Those who are carnal will always look to people and never grow beyond the limitations that are inherently in us.  Those who are spiritual look to God and grow beyond any expectation we could have ever imagined.

Today let us set our focus on God and not on those who are simply fulfilling what God has called them to do.  Let us start to grow beyond ourselves by first understanding that it’s not about us – but it’s all about God.

Who's the BOSS

Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls. - Proverbs 25:28 

After reflecting on this scripture, I’m reminded of a story. A family bought a luxury car, which the father loved. One day at a gas station the parents left their 3 year old son in the car, securing the doors.  While alone in the car, the child found a marker and began writing on the car. Upon returning, the enraged father, started hitting the child in his hands with great force, repeating “you’re going to learn your lesson.”  He beat his son to the point he had to take him to the hospital.

At the hospital, the parents were notified by the doctor, their son’s hands had been crippled and required amputation. Finding his father in the room in tears, the three year old looked up laughing and said “Hi Daddy, I learned my lesson, can I have my hands back.”

Your story may not be as graphic or extreme, but this story shows how the simplest thing can escalate into something of great magnitude and consequence.  Often times it may be as simple as not doing something we should be doing, because we don’t feel like it.  An inability to control our emotions will render us vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks with no way of defending ourselves, consequently resulting in our destruction.  Today I challenge you to reflect on your life and ask yourself the question, who is in control, me or my emotions?