God's Will - Love

How can we know what God's will is for our lives? We can't know all of His ways. And yet we can glean insight to it by the guidelines in the Word.  For example in Proverbs 3:5-6 we are taught not to trust in our own understanding but to acknowledge Him in all of our ways. In other words praying for wisdom.

Then we can understand God's will by the motivation of our heart. Love is the first test.

In Galatians 5:22-23
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The Apostle Paul gives us a complete definition of what love really is.

I Corinthians 13:4-8;13 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Anger: A Passionate Killer

For the life of me I can't think of one person I love that I haven't been angry with at some time or other. Love is a passionate emotion. So is anger.

 It has been said that there is a fine line between love and hate. Anger left unchecked can progress to hatred. Which is definitely a work of the flesh.

What makes us angry anyway? Is it because we disagree? Our feelings were hurt? Someone hurt a loved one? Or is it simply because we believe we are right and like a dog with a bone we won't let the issue go.

 Anger is a killer and left unchecked by the Holy Spirit through prayer always kills something.  It can kill our relationship with God. Its not because God stops loving us, but rather because sin separates us from Him.  Anger kills our joy and our peace. Anger  kills relationships.  It is true sometimes we must agree to disagree  but that shouldn't kill or destroy a relationship. Jesus said that we are to forgive our brothers not seven times but seventy times seven. He also said that in order for us to be forgiven we must forgive.



Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.


 *Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Making Room

The longer we walk with Christ the more apt we are to expect more "Christ-like" behavior from our fellow believers. The truth of the matter is that we are all at different levels in our spiritual walk. Some learn quickly out of a zeal for the Word, while others may not yet have that zeal.  It doesn't mean they won't get it, it just may take some folks longer.

As seasoned, believers we need to be tender and forgiving, speaking the truth in love. After all who wants to learn from a person who tries to pound information into them?  Who wants to be wants to be around someone who is condescending?

Jesus said that it was the mark of a disciple to love one another. And even though some of our family members do not yet know Christ how will they ever even want to if they do not see the love of God demonstrated in our home and observe what they may see or hear about in the church, the body of Christ?

We see in the new testament that so and so was saved and their household. Certainly those early believer's  lives were changed so radically the others in the house hold desired that joy, and peace.

 We should ask ourselves are we living our lives in such a way that our unsaved loved ones can truly see a difference? If not, why not? Perhaps we are having a form of godliness but not walking in the power of it.

Prayer: Father please help me to be more like You. Though I am not perfect and I stumble many times,  let me quickly repent and let my unsaved loved ones see the impact of the Holy Spirit in my life.



Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

 

Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.

 

John 4:29  “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

John 4:39And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”

Rest

It is important to take time to rest.  We have so many demands and activities that we find ourselves exhausted. But if we will spend some quiet time with the Lord we will truly find ourselves rested and refreshed.



He said in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 14:23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

Genesis 2:2

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Almost

We use the word almost a lot. But what do we really mean?

We can be almost  our destination, but not quiet there yet. We can be  almost finished with something but not yet done.

Most of the time the word almost is okay but sometimes it just isn't. One can't be almost pregnant. Neither can one be almost saved. We either are or we are not. Even during the time of contemplating salvation through Christ, and being almost persuaded we are not yet saved. Its important to realize that. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. And drink we must to be a follower of Christ. 




John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

The Divine Filter

No matter what happens in life it is important to realize that it everything is filtered through the fingers of God. What we do can be in His perfect will or His permissive will. The circumstances can also depend on the decisions of other people in our lives, those who make foolish decisions and those who make wise decisions. But no matter what the case is, the events in our lives are ultimately filtered through the fingers of the Father. And He is good all the time!

Psalms 37:4 Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope.