True Love

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

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. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 butwhen the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

– I Corinthians 13

The Wilderness of Winter

16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17     learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;

– Isaiah 1:16-19

I  read the following devotion today and thought it would be a great encouragement to share while in the midst of the “doldrums” (Mr. Befus’ word for the day J) of this long, cold winter.  The following is from The Daily Walk Bible, NLT:

“Have you ever spent the night in a wilderness? If so, you will have little trouble identifying with the complaints of the Israelites as they begin the march from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land.

The wilderness is a hostile place. By day the sun beats down mercilessly, and the temperature soars. (God knew this and provided a travelling umbrella—the cloud.) Food is scarce and water is virtually nonexistent in a wilderness—unless, of course, you are eating manna from the dew and drinking water from the rocks!

Do you see God’s hand of provision in the life of His nation? More important, do you see God’s hand of provision in your life? Repeatedly, the Israelites expressed grumbling instead of gratitude. Why not enjoy the blessing they missed by spending the next few minutes praising God for His daily provision?”

I was thinking about grumbling about the cold, about the snow, about how long winter is. Then God reminded me that He has provided shelter from the cold – my home. Complete with a comfortable bed, warm blankets, clean drinking water, hot showers. Complete with breakfast to fill my hunger. His abundant provision. The snow reminds me (daily) that although my sins are as scarlet, His blood covers me and makes me as white as snow (Isaiah 1:17-19). His extravagant provision. I often think the Israelites are so dumb for having missed God’s hand of provision. Will I be like the Israelites? Or will I express gratitude for His daily provision?

Something to think about. God bless you all today!

– Mrs. Schliesmann

Happiness for Sale

32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 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 20:32-35

Can money make you happy?

Short answer, “Yes…if you give your money away!”

Which is why Grand Rapids is one of the happiest places to live, placing second only to Salt Lake City in the philanthropy league table.

Harvard Professor Michael Norton wrote a book about this called Happy Money, the Science of Smarter Spending. In it he presents data to support his regular challenge to audiences: “If you think money doesn’t buy happiness, try giving some away.”

In the book, Norton and co-author Elizabeth Dunn explain the results of numerous experiments in which Canadian college students, poor Ugandans and Belgian pharmaceutical salesmen were given money to spend on themselves or others.

In every case, the persons who were told to give their money away were happier than the persons who were told to keep the money for themselves.

“Basically, everywhere in the world, giving is associated with being a happier person,” said Norton.

A few of their other findings:

• The most generous givers tend to be at both ends of the wealth spectrum.
• Poor people tend to be more generous the middle class.
• Giving to religious groups, even when compulsory, tends to make people happier,
• Giving to a person you know makes you more happy than giving anonymously.
• Money does not make the average U.S. citizen happier after they reach an income of $75,000 a year. From that point on, most persons claim they would need to triple their current income to be completely happy.

And if you want some bonus encouragements:

• Christians who tithe end up with better finances than those who don’t. Researchers compared tithers to non-tithers using nine financial health indicators, and found that tithers were better off in every category.
  
• Spending money on someone else makes you happier: When 46 students were given $20 to spend, the ones who spent the money on others were happier at the end of the day than the ones who spent the money on themselves. (Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage, 55)
  
• Spending money on shared experiences produces more happiness than selfish purchases: When researchers interviewed more than 150 people about their recent purchases, they found that money spent on activities—such as concerts and group dinners out—brought far more pleasure than material purchases like shoes, televisions, or expensive watches. (Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage, 55-56)
  
• Giving increases health and well being. Altruism produces social integration, an enhanced sense of meaning and purpose, and a more active lifestyle. It distracts from personal problems, reduces self-preoccupation, increases immune function, and decelerates aging. (Jessica Colman, Optimal Functioning: A Positive Psychology Handbook.)
  

All explanation, illustration, and confirmation of the most neglected beatitude that says:“It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35).

– David Murray
http://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/02/12/happiness-for-sale/

Proverbs 11 (ESV)

11 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but a just weight is his delight.
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
7 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,
and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead.
9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
12 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man of understanding remains silent.
13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,
but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.
16 A gracious woman gets honor,
and violent men get riches.
17 A man who is kind benefits himself,
but a cruel man hurts himself.
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,
but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
19 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but he who pursues evil will die.
20 Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord,
but those of blameless ways are his delight.
21 Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good;
the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
26 The people curse him who holds back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
27 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but evil comes to him who searches for it.
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.
31 If the righteous is repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!

The Absolute Truth

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

4 These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

– Genesis 2:1-17

1. WHICH FLAVOR ICE cream is best?

chocolate	butter pecan	vanilla
rocky road	strawberry	mint chocolate chip

 

2. Who was the greatest baseball player?

Babe Ruth	Whitey Ford	Ted Williams
Willie Mays	Henry Aaron	Leroy “Satchel” Paige

 

3. Which of these actions is wrong?

eating meat	kissing	singing
water-skiing	lying	sleeping

Now, those questions may seem pretty dumb to you. But I ask them for a reason.

Some people think there is no difference between questions #1 and #2 and question #3. But there is a huge difference.

The first question asks you to make a choice based on your taste. You may like chocolate ice cream, but your sister or friend may like vanilla ice cream best. So who’s right? Both of you, because it’s a matter of taste. Whether you’re talking about ice cream, favorite colors, or favorite songs, different people have different tastes.

The second question asks you to make a choice based on opinion. You may have an opinion about who was the greatest ballplayer ever, but someone else who is equally informed may have a different opinion.

But the third question is a different kind of question entirely, because it asks you to make a choice involving, not taste or opinion, but right and wrong. You see, some things are a matter of taste, some things are a matter of opinion, and others are true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Some things are absolute truths-that means they are true for all people, for all places, and for all time. Those things are true no matter what you like or don’t like; they’re true no matter what your opinion is; they’re true absolutely.

Now, there are some people today who claim that right and wrong are just a matter of taste or a matter of opinion. But God has already revealed to us in his Word what is absolutely right and what is absolutely wrong.

REFLECT: Some things are a matter of taste, some things are a matter of opinion, and others are true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Can you think of two actions or attitudes that belong to each category?

PRAY: “Thanks, God, for the way your Word makes the absolute truth absolutely clear.”

– Josh McDowell
http://www.josh.org/resources/daily-devotional/todays-youth-devotional/

The Lord is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

– Psalm 23:1-6

Jesus Answered

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:25-30

This is a singular way in which to commence a verse–“At that time Jesus answered.” If you will look at the context you will not perceive that any person had asked him a question, or that he was in conversation with any human being. Yet it is written, “Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father.” When a man answers, he answers a person who has been speaking to him. Who, then, had spoken to Christ? his Father. Yet there is no record of it; and this should teach us that Jesus had constant fellowship with his Father, and that God spake into his heart so often, so continually, that it was not a circumstance singular enough to be recorded. It was the habit and life of Jesus to talk with God. Even as Jesus was, in this world, so are we; let us therefore learn the lesson which this simple statement concerning him teaches us. May we likewise have silent fellowship with the Father, so that often we may answer him, and though the world wotteth not to whom we speak, may we be responding to that secret voice unheard of any other ear, which our own ear, opened by the Spirit of God, recognizes with joy. God has spoken to us, let us speak to God–either to set our seal that God is true and faithful to his promise, or to confess the sin of which the Spirit of God has convinced us, or to acknowledge the mercy which God’s providence has given, or to express assent to the great truths which God the Holy Ghost has opened to our understanding. What a privilege is intimate communion with the Father of our spirits! It is a secret hidden from the world, a joy with which even the nearest friend intermeddleth not. If we would hear the whispers of God’s love, our ear must be purged and fitted to listen to his voice. This very evening may our hearts be in such a state, that when God speaks to us, we, like Jesus, may be prepared at once to answer him.

– Charles Spurgeon
Morning and Evening

What Does it Mean to Fear the Lord?

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

– Psalm 34:4-14

We need to make some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of “fearing” God. These distinctions can be helpful, but they can also be a little dangerous.

When Luther struggled with that, he made this distinction, which has since become somewhat famous: He distinguished between what he called a servile fear and a filial fear. The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person. Or it’s the kind of fear that a slave would have at the hands of a malicious master who would come with the whip and torment the slave. Servile refers to a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner.

Luther distinguished between that and what he called filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. It refers to the fear that a child has for his father. In this regard, Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love.

I think this distinction is helpful because the basic meaning of fearing the Lord that we read about in Deuteronomy is also in the Wisdom Literature, where we’re told that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The focus here is on a sense of awe and respect for the majesty of God. That’s often lacking in contemporary evangelical Christianity. We get very flippant and cavalier with God, as if we had a casual relationship with the Father. We are invited to call him Abba, Father, and to have the personal intimacy promised to us, but still we’re not to be flippant with God. We’re always to maintain a healthy respect and adoration for him.

One last point: If we really have a healthy adoration for God, we still should have an element of the knowledge that God can be frightening. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). As sinful people, we have every reason to fear God’s judgment; it is part of our motivation to be reconciled with God.

– R.C. Sproul,
Tough Questions with RC Sproul

A Prayer for Stewarding Our Anger

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  Eph. 4:26-27

Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Eccl. 7:9

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20

You must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Col. 3:8

Dear Lord Jesus, these Scriptures are so convicting. Help me steward my anger. It’s always been a confusing, immobilizing, damaging emotion to me, because I’ve been on the destructive end of anger and rage. I remember the fear, the confusion, the shame, and the ambivalence I felt when I was the target of this important, but lethal emotion. I don’t wish such a crushing of the spirit on anyone.

But I’m just as quick to own the ways my anger has also harmed people I love. Though I don’t get loud and large, I can my passive aggressive anger has never resulted in anything good, anything I’m proud of. I praise you for your kindness, mercy and grace for me, Lord Jesus.

As I meditate on these Scriptures, I realize you’re not telling me never to be angry, but to be careful not to sin in my anger. Jesus, help me be angry at the right time, for the right reasons, in the right way. Give me fire in the face of injustice, but wisdom in executing an appropriate response.

Lord Jesus, only you can melt the icy tension in my heart—when I get provoked or don’t process things well. Only you can change my rigidity into playfulness. Only you can redirect the wasted energy of my anger into patience and loving-kindness. Only you can replace my idol of control with a greater worship of you and submission to your purposes.

Right now, Lord Jesus, I throw open every door and window of my heart. Come in and establish multiple footholds of mercy, grace, and compassion. I abandon myself to your beauty and bounty today. So very Amen I pray, in your peerless and priceless name.

– Scotty Smith
Heavenward

Simple Evangelism in the Church

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 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. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:31-35

Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Loving one another in the body of Christ has many benefits. Two that regularly come to mind are the glory it gives to God and the way it affects the church. However, one of the primary benefits of loving one another is what it declares before a watching world. One of our most potent instruments we have for effective evangelism is Christians loving each other well.  I am “living” proof.

As a freshman college student and self-declared atheist, I attended a campus Christian fellowship to fulfill a promise to a Christian friend. I only had the intention to go once. It was merely duty and upholding my word, nothing more. I went begrudgingly, but I went. My life was never the same.

I walked into a room full of Christians and was struck by what I observed. Here was a diverse group. They were from every walk of life. I remember scanning the room and labeling people in my mind, “There is a jock, over there is a geek, and walking in the door is a boy scout.” But what struck me was that they were together. They weren’t just together in the same room, they were together in every sense of the word. They were actually talking with each other and genuinely seemed happy to be together. There didn’t seem to be division. Even in my atheist mind, I knew what I was seeing: they loved one another.

I had no categories for this, so I kept returning to find out why they had love like this for one another. Over the course of a few months I found the answer, or more accurately stated, the answer found me.

One of the best evangelism programs you can start at your church is to pursue loving one another well. At some point they will have to hear the gospel proclaimed from your lips or the pulpit, but that “strange love” will set the table before them. People will know that you are His disciples, because it is a shocking love. It has a gravitational attraction, because it is a love that is foreign to this world. A love that the inquirer, if seeking an answer, will find comes from heaven.

– Jason Helopoulos
DeYoung, Restless and Reformed Blog