God is So Much More than Love..... By Mike Nappa

 God is So Much More than Love

By Mike Nappa

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” ( 1 John 4:16)

I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately (big surprise). When that happens, I usually pass the night trying to pray through questions I have about faith and life, and lately I’ve been praying about love. You see, I have known great love, intimately, purposely, lavished on me with unwavering determination for 30 years, three months, and three days. Then, too soon, came the day when cancer took my wife’s body, set her spirit free, and left me behind sleepless and alone. Now, more than a year after hearing the hum of Amy’s last breath, I keep wondering why the pain of losing this love (at least here on this earth) has kept such a stranglehold on me for so long after she has died.

I’ve thought about it a lot, and read about love and the meanings of love. I’ve also studied the Greek terms for love, especially the Greek word agapē which is supposed to be the highest expression of love—a pure, selfless, unconditional thing. But as I meditate on the love I’ve experienced, examining how it shaped and reshaped me, even agapē seems not enough to explain it.

I know that Amy’s love for me was rooted in the truth that “God is love”—something the Apostle John taught us both ( 1 John 4:16). If that’s really true, then love encompasses more than just the highest expression of selflessness. Inherent in Christ’s personhood is every shade and texture and breath and aspect and heartbeat and death knell and meaning of whatever love is. This is probably why  1 Corinthians 13 describes love (and by extension God) with a laundry list of concepts: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…” This is also why, within each of us, the presence of God (who is love) naturally expresses itself in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” ( Galatians 5:22-23).

So if God is love, and God is all these things, then love is all these things, which makes it more than simply agapē. His love is not just the highest form of love, it is ALL of love—love that laughs, that rests, that waits and forgives and so much more.

Even love defined as all of love is not adequate to explain the kind of love I’ve experienced, both from Amy and from our Christ. And here’s why:

Language at its core is a collection of symbols that society agrees will represent reality. Our words for love are, at best then, tokens of meaning, not exact expressions of substance. We cram letters together and say “this is what those letters mean” but symbols alone can never fully communicate the truth of what they represent.

L-o-v-e is not just what we’ve all agreed that those letters should define. It is unfathomably, immeasurably, inexpressibly more. We know it instinctively, deep within the soul, but we can never adequately define or even understand it.

And so tonight, while I can’t sleep, I look at   1 John 4:16 (“God is love”) and no longer see just a definition of God or love or agapē to catalog and quote with casual indifference. Those three words, those simple alphabetical symbols have now become for me a moment of awe… a reason to worship… an unbreakable promise that the best is yet to come.

Love Makes Time for Others..... Denison Ministries

 Love Makes Time for Others

Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

James 2:26 tells us, “Faith apart from works is dead.” If we are going to experience the fullness of life offered to us through our faith we must be those who put our words into action. We must not profess to love God on Sundays and live as if he isn’t present, real, or good on Monday. May your faith come alive this week as you seek to be a doer of the word.

Scripture: “Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.” Luke 8:40-42

Devotional:

There’s a story in Luke 8:40-42, 49-56 that gives us insight into Jesus’s love for those in need. Luke writes,

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. . . While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Jesus made time for those in need. He wasn’t too busy to leave what he was doing, which happened to be ministering to a large group of people, to make time for a single girl. Jesus displayed the heart of the Father in going after the one. Throughout his ministry, Jesus consistently made time for people around him. Whether it was eating a meal with his disciples, going to the house of Zacchaeus, or spending time with little children, Jesus was there for those around him.

God is the same way with you and me today. Through the death of Jesus we have been given an opportunity to have conversation with God all day, every day. God’s desire is to make time for us. He counts our needs as important. Jesus’s ministry exemplified God’s heart to make time for his children.

This week as we are looking at what it means to not only be a hearer of God’s word but a doer,  let’s ask God how we could be more like Jesus. In what ways could you make time for those around you today? Will you choose to spend time with someone in need even if it doesn’t fit in your schedule? Will you put those around you above yourself? If you will choose to be a doer of God’s word today, you will experience the joy of not living just for your own goals and pursuits, but for the benefit of others around you. Spend some time with God in prayer today, and ask him to help you know when and how to make time for those around you in need.

Guided Prayer:

1. Reflect on Jesus’s heart to make time for those in need. Choose to make Jesus your example.

“While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, ‘Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.’ But Jesus on hearing this answered him, ‘Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well’ And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child.” Luke 8:49-51

2. Who needs you to make time for them? Ask God to bring someone to mind you can love well today.

3. How can you spend time with someone in need today? How could you make time to listen to, help, or simply be there for someone?

Love is powerful. It has the power to lead someone to Jesus, heal a wounded heart, and even help someone on the path to restored relationship with God. It’s worth your effort to make time for those around you today. Jesus never wasted a minute. He did everything in perfect accordance with the Father’s will. You won’t be missing out if you make time for someone today. Follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit as you seek to love others well.

Extended Reading: Luke 19

Responding to God's Love..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Responding to God's Love

Dr. Charles Stanley

John 3:16

God has to be true to Himself. People are foolish to entertain the hope that He will ignore justice and sacrifice holiness in order to allow unbelievers into heaven. Living a mostly moral life will not satisfy a righteous Judge.

As much as the Lord loves us and desires to save us from our sins, He cannot deny His holiness by accepting sin in His presence. The Father is pristine perfection--a holy Being who, by His very nature, must condemn all sin. Therefore, it is the height of egotism to think that God will bend both His law and His nature to welcome one whom still bears the stain of wrongdoing.

There is not one person who's good enough to enter heaven on his or her own merit. Every one of us needs Jesus. The stain of sin is washed clean only by the sacrifice of God's holy and blameless Son. Those who believe in Christ are forgiven their wrongs and cloaked in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21).

Let me make it very clear that trusting Jesus is far more than giving intellectual assent to His existence--that's something even the Devil acknowledges. A true believer enters into a relationship with the One who loves his soul enough to save him from eternal punishment.

Those who remain tightly wrapped in their mantle of sin cannot hope to sneak into heaven. God's holy nature demands perfection, and since we can't provide this for ourselves, the Lord has given it to all who believe in Him. He has exchanged our filthy rags for a cloak of righteousness (Zech. 3:4).

Turning to God for Comfort When You’re Ghosted..... SARAH GERINGER

 Turning to God for Comfort When You’re Ghosted

SARAH GERINGER

“What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.” Psalm 55:14 (NLT)

I remember getting “ghosted” by a friend before ghosting was a widespread cultural phenomenon.

According to Merriam-Webster, ghosting is “the act or practice of abruptly cutting off all contact with someone … usually without explanation.”

With every remembrance of the friend who cut me off, pain stabbed me in the heart over and over. We had shared meals, clothes, living spaces, holidays and faith. We had traveled across the country to visit one another. This wasn’t just any friendship — it was one of my best ones ever.

Then suddenly, without a known cause, my emails were not returned. My friend enacted a nuclear Facebook reboot, erasing all traces of the past, including our ties.

I didn’t know what to say or do. My emotions pulled me in so many directions — fear, sadness, desperation, anger, confusion and indignance. But my deepest hurt stemmed from abject rejection.

Then as I turned to my Bible for comfort one day, the words in Psalm 55 jumped off the page. I learned I wasn’t alone in getting ghosted by a close friend. David had also experienced this when a good friend turned against him.

David’s trust was shattered when his friend felt more like an enemy. He wrestled with the new truth of his friend’s betrayal. Perhaps the most painful part was the fact they had shared a bond of faith. David wistfully reminisced in Psalm 55:14: “What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.”

But David didn’t stay stuck in his pain of getting rejected. Instead, he poured out his pain in prayer, trusting that God cared about his feelings.

In Psalm 55, we can find a plan for how to deal with getting ghosted. Let’s look at David’s account to see what we can do with our own pain.

1. Go to God in prayer. David started his psalm with a request for God to listen. (Psalm 55:1-2) Going to God first will tether us to Him more than to our hurt.
2. Admit you feel overwhelmed. In Psalm 55:2, David said his heart was “overwhelmed” with his problems. Being ghosted produces a flood of feelings, yet God is our ever-present anchor.
3. Pour out all your feelings. David shared his unedited thoughts with God, though they were painful and strong. (Psalm 55:3-11) God is ready to handle the hot mess of our feelings when we get ghosted.
4. Reflect on your relationship. David talked to God about memories with his friend and recounted hurts related to the rejection, sharing both the good and the bad. (Psalm 55:12-14, 20-21) God wants to hear the full story of our rejection.
5. Give your burdens to God. After this painful outpouring, David surrendered all his feelings to God. He trusted God to hear him, care for him, protect him and rescue him. (Psalm 55:16-19, 22-23) We can trust God to do the same for us.

You may not be able to prevent getting ghosted or betrayed, but you can turn to God for comfort and help, like David did, if you face this situation. And friend, even more importantly … God wants you to turn to Him.

Our good God is waiting for us to reach out for His divine comfort. Let’s take Him up on that today.

Dear Jesus, You know how much getting ghosted hurts. Your friends deserted You in Your time of greatest distress, yet You turned to Your Father in prayer. Remind me to trust You with all my feelings if I get ghosted. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Prayer to Know How to Help..... By: Kristine Brown

 A Prayer to Know How to Help

By: Kristine Brown

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” -Proverbs 19:17 ESV

Catastrophic events. They happen halfway across the world and also close to home. Something like a hurricane or wildfire can affect thousands. When we hear about these types of events, our inclination is to reach out and be “the hands and feet of Jesus” by doing what we can to help those in need.

But there are also those devastating personal circumstances that may only affect a few. Every day, people we know could be blindsided by a catastrophic event of their own. Our family, church friends, coworkers, and neighbors. In their world, the magnitude measures that of a tornado or tsunami, yet no one will see it on the news. We long to do something to help. But what? How do we help someone going through the worst experience of their life?

When Jesus walked on this earth, He made clear our commission to help the poor. Our church model today follows His example with outreach programs that give food, clothing, and shelter to those in need.

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17 ESV

But Jesus also shared a valuable truth about who we are called to help. Because some catastrophic events leave us poor in basic necessities like a home or food to eat, but others will leave us poor in spirit.

Matthew 5:3 records Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When God tugs at our hearts and we feel compelled to help, we need to first decide how. Is there a physical need or an emotional one? Can I help by giving of my finances, my time, or just being there? God will guide us as we offer support to those suffering around us.

Maybe you know someone in a difficult situation today. Someone who needs help, but you aren’t sure where to start. Let’s reach out to the Lord through this prayer as we determine how to help someone in need. Then, we will be ready to reach out to others.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I understand that we will all experience those times in life that leave us devastated. Thank you for teaching us through your son Jesus how to help others going through tough times. Give me a heart to serve and a willingness to obey. Show me Your ways, Lord.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed looking at the needs around me. I want to help but don’t know where to start. I pray for wisdom and discernment as I reach out to others. Whether poor in provision or poor in spirit, You have provided ways I can help. Lead me as I use what you’ve given me to be the hands and feet of Jesus in my community.

With all the tragedies in the world, it’s easy to overlook the needs right around me. Direct me to those people in my own family, church, and neighborhood who need the love of Jesus right now. Show me how to be a friend to someone who needs that today. And when I’m in need, thank you for sending someone into my life to offer support and care.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Month of Love..... by Shawn McEvoy

 The Month of Love

by Shawn McEvoy

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church - a love marked by giving, not getting. - Ephesians 5:25, The Message

For once in my marriage, I really did something right.

My wife's name is Valerie - Val for short - so she's always held Valentine's Day in even higher esteem than most women. Not only that, but her birthday is March 15, so she's always believed (with a smile, of course) that February 14 through March 15 equals "The Month of Love" equals "it's all about her" for one-twelfth of the year.

One year, I decided to agree. Each morning for 31 days when she woke up, there was a small hand-made red envelope (amazing what useful skills one can learn watching children's programming) stuck on some wall of our house. Written in sparkly marker (chicks dig the sparklies) on the outside of the envelope was one of her top character qualities. Inside the envelope was a Bible memory verse related to that quality. Embedded in the memory verse was a clue to where a small hidden gift could be found in or around our home.

I just thought this could be a nice little way to tell her I love her. Boy was I short-sighted. I could have bought her the Taj Mahal and she wouldn't have appreciated it more, been more thoroughly impressed. "He went to Jared"? No way. He went to PBS and Hobby Lobby with a detour to Wal-Mart. But already Val is considering how to pass this story down to our grandchildren. She says I will never top myself. And she was saying these things before she even knew about the surprise at the end, where all the envelopes could be arranged so that the first letter of each character quality would spell out the grand prize: that she had her choice of a new wardrobe, upgraded wedding ring, or vacation, any of which would be shopped for together, 'cause she's big on that. Even so, she never took me up on the grand prize. I can't say I wasn't a little bit disappointed, but she was definitely exercising the wisdom of foresight. And anyway, to her, the biggest gift had already been received.

Valerie thinks this took me ages to dream up and hours to prepare, but it took me about 10 minutes per day, plus a weekly trip to the store to stock up on a few minor gifts. But the outcome net me - if not crowns in Heaven - at least major returns in this life. Anytime a group of gals gathers together and asks each other, "What the best gift you've ever received?" that ends up being a fun day. Several times during the Month of Love itself I was told to take an evening to myself and go see a movie. And I learned something I thought I already knew - diamonds aren't a girl's best friend. Her husband is, if he even shows a rhinestone's-worth of interest in her.

Not every wife speaks the same "Love Language." I know some who truly would have preferred a simple one-time big purchase, while others would be thrilled to see him voluntarily wash dishes and dust shelves. But this I can be fairly sure in saying about wives: what all of them really want is a husband that makes an effort to understand them and speak their language, whatever it is, without being told. Yeah, I know, and all one has to do to make millions in the majors is hit a curveball. But unlike the major leagues, in marriage, most of the time, simply making the effort is appreciated.

Intersecting Faith & Life: If you haven't already, read The Five Love Languages with your spouse. Once you learn what says, "I love you" to him or her, come up with a special way of saying so.

Further Reading

Hebrews 13:4