Friday, 15 February 2013

The Power of LOVE

Congratulations to our "Words of Love" winners! We had dozens of husbands and wives submit "love notes" expressing their love and appreciation to their spouse, such as....

 "My Dearest Honey Bunny, After 23 plus years the thing that has floated to the top of our life and love for on another is that we are nothing without God, our Lord Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit. As I have grown in my faith I have grown closer to you. Thank you for not giving up on me and loving me when I am un-loveable. I am looking so forward to what the Lord has for us in the year to come. I love you and I'm grateful God picked you for me. Your wife, Cindy"

 "Terry I love you for the man you are and for the man you will be for all our tomorrows to come. Not only did you love me enough to take me as your wife but you have loved my two children just as if they were your very own."

 "My wife has a natural beauty about her that is hard to come by. She is just as beautiful in the morning when she wakes up as the day I saw her walking down the aisle to me. She is such a sweet and loving wife and mother. I love you April!!"

 Our Grand Prize Winners were Dustin Raney (1st), Terri Shields (2nd), and Preasha Smith (3rd). Big thanks to our promotion sponsors Tera Lane Salon, The Empowerment Center for Leadership and Mentoring (Ministry of Martin Houston), and The Locker Room. 
Next Step Devotion

 Love holds an incomparable power. Every human being is born with an innate desire to feel loved, even before they can fully express through words what love is or means. Babies and children crave the physical touch and attention of parents or caregivers. As children grow into teens, and that first love strolls through their life, a potentially unhealthy obsession with this desire for love can develop. Adults certainly yearn to feel loved, although this may take the form of a desire for appreciation, admiration, or acceptance. We even desire to express love to others, although we may not understand fully how to use our words or actions to do so.

 Our relationship with love characterizes our memories and can form the framework for how we view the world. You may find that those who did not experience the love of their parents, especially fathers, as a child have a difficult time trusting or expressing love to others. Those who have experienced abuse or felt neglected as a child may have a hard time understanding how a God in heaven could ever care for them. Abused or neglected children may even resist physical touch or kind speech for long lengths of time. For those who have not experienced love in God's pure design, it can be difficult to understand a God who is identified fully as love. If love has been measured according to performance, rather than given unconditionally, a person may feel that God loves only when they are "good," and choose to reject God entirely.

 I wanted to take a slightly difference approach to our devotion this week. Each of our interviews this week offered some incredible encouragement and wisdom when it comes to the power of God's love in our lives. But as we discussed in our interview with Pat Schatzline Jr. about his book Why is God So Mad at Me?, there is such a widespread misunderstanding of what love is across our culture. As a result, there is a widespread misunderstanding of who God is. This can lead to a misunderstanding of who we are called and equipped to be as we live through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (2 Peter 1:3)

 1 Corinthians 13 is commonly known as the "Love Chapter." We journeyed through this chapter in our interview this week with Pastor Jay Clark. There is a little exercise that I'd like to take each of us through. 1 John 4:8 reveals to us that "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." So, when you read this chapter you can literally replace the word "love" each time with the word "God" and gain a pure glimpse into the nature and character of the living God. Let's try it together:

 1 Corinthians 4-8a - "God (love) is patient, God (love) is kind. God (love) does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud. God (it) is not rude, God (it) is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, God (it) keeps no record of wrongs. God (Love) does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God (It) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God (Love) never fails."

 Now I know what you're thinking, "Are you sure about all of this? I mean, hasn't God lost His patience with us before and wiped out the earth?" or  "It seems a little self-seeking to me to create an entire world just to worship Himself!" You may be thinking, "If God doesn't delight in evil, then why does He allow evil to occur? It certainly feels like God failed me when He allowed ____ to happen to me..."

 God says nothing in His infallible word that contradicts itself. Let's look at some scriptures that support this comprehensive passage on God's character, hopefully bringing peace and affirmation to your heart about the God you can trust to love you purely and fully. 

 GOD IS PATIENT 
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

 GOD IS KIND
Ephesians 1:7 - He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

 GOD DOES NOT BOAST /  IS NOT PROUD
Philippians 2:7 - Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. 

 GOD IS NOT SELF-SEEKING
Matthew 20:28 - For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

 GOD IS NOT EASILY ANGERED
Psalm 103:8 - The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 

 GOD KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS
Hebrews 8:12 - And I will forgive their wickedness and I will never again remember their sins.

 GOD DOES NOT REJOICE IN EVIL
Psalm 5:5 - Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil.

 GOD ALWAYS PROTECTS
Psalm 121:7-8 - The Lord keeps you from all harm, and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forevermore. 

 GOD NEVER FAILS
Psalm 136:1-2 - Praise the Lord! He is good. God's love never fails. Praise the God of all gods! God's love never fails. 
So you see, God is the PERFECT and POWERFUL expression of LOVE. No one can compare to the love that God freely offers to each of us as His children. How powerful is it to know that God is always patient and kind with you, came to serve and save you, forgives you completely, is slow to get angry with you, always protects you, and never fails you? This is the kind of love that we all long for and often only dream that we could experience through another. While we can (and should) experience this kind of love in our marriages, friendships, and churches, the reality is that we are human and none of us can fully measure to the extent of God's love, because HE IS LOVE.

 When we understand these characteristics of God's love, we understand that we can fully trust Him with our hearts and lives. Perhaps today you are struggling to know or trust God's love because of the way you have been hurt by someone that you love or loved. I invite you today to read through 1 Corinthians 13, reading it as if it is a personal love letter to you written by God Himself. He desires for you to know and accept the transforming love of His grace and mercy. This love is more powerful than any love you could ever hope to experience in this life. "Take the next a step" of faith. God's loving arms are there to catch you and keep you from now forevermore!
Interview Recap


Key Scriptures

Matthew 5:43-44 - You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Romans 12:9-10 - Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

1 Corinthians 13:13 -  Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Romans 5:8 -  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 - Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave.Love flashes like fire,the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.


Blessings,
Melissa Rogers
Moody Radio South

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