Happy Valentine's Day

1 Corinthians 13 (NIV)

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

On Valentine’s Day isn’t it fun to dig through a bag of those little candy hearts that have the words printed on them? They say cute little things like “SWEET”, “CUTE”, “HUG ME” or “I LOVE YOU”.   As we think about love this Valentine’s Day let’s not focus on the love printed on the candy hearts but instead let’s take a look at three things Paul tells us about real Love found in our verses today.

1. REAL LOVE DOES THE RIGHT THINGS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS:

When I was younger I use to watch the TV show “Leave it to Beaver”. Do you remember the character Eddie Haskell? He’d act one way around grown-up and totally different around Wally and the Beaver! That’s called being two-faced or a hypocrite. Paul says real love does things from a pure motive and to do otherwise profits nothing! (Verses 1-3)

2. REAL LOVE HAS CERTAIN ATTRIBUTES:

Growing up in Michigan we’d say let’s go get a “coke” which could be anything cold and wet! Coke was a generic name for any kind of soda pop the local store had in stock! But the Coca-Cola company spends millions of $$$ to let us know that “Coke” is the real thing ®, “Coke is it!” Paul says real love has certain unmistakable qualities. (Verses 4-8a)

3. REAL LOVE STANDS THE TEST OF TIME:

Paul concludes this wonderful chapter on love in verse 13 by saying that in the end there are three essential things that will matter – FAITH, HOPE and LOVE and the greatest of these is real love! I want you to know that God’s love for us is a love that endures, He always stands ready to forgive and to pardon if we will only turn to Him is trust and repentance. He only asks that we love Him enough to obey His salvation plan. If you haven’t experienced the real love of God why not take that step today?  His love will never fade away.

Dear Lord, we thank You for showing Your love to us. We pray today that we would share that love with those me meet today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Off By One Number

Psalm 75:1, 9 (NIV)

1 We praise you, God,

    we praise you, for your Name is near;

    people tell of your wonderful deeds.

9 As for me, I will declare this forever;

    I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.

I read a story about a worship leader who was given the name and phone number of a prospect for his praise band. He called the person and immediately began telling the man of the need at church for a percussionist. The man indicated that he was interested in visiting the church and seeing the "set up". At the conclusion of the conversation  he said, "Well, John, I'll look forward to meeting you Sunday." To which the man replied, "My name is Todd, not John, but I'll still see you Sunday?"

By the hand of God, the worship leader had dialed one digit wrong in John's number. By the hand of God, Todd and his band of three entered church for the first time on Sunday. Looking rough around the edges, the young men marched to the front row, and began to observe that they were warmly greeted and genuinely accepted by the membership.

They found a place of belonging and love among God's people, and several weeks later committed their lives into Jesus' care. Their past lives had been spent making worldly music, but now as their transformation occurred through the Holy Spirit, they were led to new heights in making music God's way.

What a story they tell, all because God caused him to dial one "wrong" digit in a phone number.

In a world that is skeptical of "church" and "God", it is important that Christians "everywhere tell of [God's] mighty miracles". Do we live in active expectation that God will intervene miraculously in our lives and in the lives of those around us? We serve a living God!

Dear Lord, thank You for the opportunity to see You working through Your children to change lives for Your honor and glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Jesus Took A Bullet for Us

Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

Even though I walk

    through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

    for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

    they comfort me.

David sure knew what he was talking about. After all, hadn't he been pursued by Saul and later by his own son, Absalom? They had his destruction in mind, but their plans were foiled. God had indeed miraculously protected David from any harm.

On September 23, somewhere in the country of South Africa, a 15 year-old found herself in a very distressing moment. How would we have reacted if three robbers show up while we are dining in a nice restaurant and for unknown reasons, began firing indiscriminately?

That 15 year-old, although completely terrified, was left unharmed, thanks to her dad who immediately came to her rescue. He dragged her on the floor, and then he shielded her from those flying menaces with his own body.

Although she left the scene unharmed, her dad was shot, and he died shortly afterwards. He was literally his daughter’s hero. Even though his daughter had walked through the darkest valley possible, her dad had been with her and he had shielded her from any bodily harm.

When facing adversity, may we remember this powerful act of heroism, as we too are assured that when walking through any menacing valley, God, too, is with us. We have nothing to fear. Why worry when our Heavenly Father is on our side!

Dear Lord, we thank You that You are with us. We thank You that we truly have nothing to fear. Thank You that You are willing to take the bullet for us, just as You did on Golgotha. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God Will Show the Way if Our Eyes Are Open.

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Mary LaGrange, of Greenfield, Wisconsin was concerned when her brother George was admitted to the hospital to have laser surgery on his lower eye lid. Frank had had a previous surgery on that eye lid because of a bout with cancer, and the laser had removed a small portion of lid and his eye lashes. Now his eye was becoming irritated, and the doctor wanted to do the procedure again.

“George was not comfortable about having a second surgery,” says Mary, “so we prayed that someone would help him make the right decision.”

On the evening he was admitted, George was still pondering, when a doctor came into his room. “Are you George LaGrange?” the doctor asked.

“I am,” George responded.

“I’d like to take some pictures of your eye,” the man explained. “Just follow me,”

More pictures! George had never seen this physician before, and he still wasn’t convinced he was going to have the procedure. But he followed the doctor down the hospital hallway to a door at the end. The door didn’t open easily, and the doctor had to fiddle with the doorknob, as if he didn’t know how to use it. But there were the x-ray machines in the room, and the doctor set everything up, and took the pictures. “You know,” George said, as the session ended, “I’m not really sure I need this treatment.”

“Well, it’s up to you,” the doctor pointed out. “You can do it, but in my opinion, it’s really not necessary. The condition could very well clear up on its own.” “Really?” George was surprised. No one else had mentioned this possibility. When the doctor left, George returned to his pondering. By the time the nurse came in that morning, he had made his decision. “We had asked for someone to give us some advice,” says Mary, “and that’s what we received. George decided not to have the surgery, and he went home feeling very relieved.”

About a week later George stopped in at the hospital accounting department. He wanted to see if that last set of x-rays would be covered by his insurance. But a surprise awaited him. There was no record of any extra pictures taken. “Are you sure?” George asked. “Maybe they’re lost.” “What was the doctor’s name?” the woman asked.

George hadn’t noticed him wearing any identification. And there was no record of his visit to George either.

The bills never turned up---and George was never bothered by his eye condition again. “The whole experience was amazing,” Mary says. She won’t forget to ask for help the next time.

Are you trusting God in all the decision you have to make each and every day? Keep your eyes open to see what God has for you today.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would completely trust You in all things. We thank You for the way You work in our life when Our eyes are open to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Samuel Morse - "What hath God wrought!"

Numbers 23:23 (KJV)

Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought.

One day a friend of Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph, said to him, "Professor, when you were making your experiments, did you ever come to a place not knowing what to do next?"

"More than once," Morse replied, "and whenever I could not see my way clearly, I knelt down and prayed to God for light and understanding."

Then Morse added: "When flattering honors came to me from American and Europe on account of my invention, I never felt I deserved them. I had made a valuable application of electricity, not because I was superior to another man, but solely because God, who meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone, and was pleased to reveal it to me."

In May, 1844, the first message to be sent over the telegraph, dispatched by Morse himself between Washington and Baltimore, were the words: "What hath God wrought!"

Dear Lord, Help to kneel before you and as You for the guidance that we need. And then let us not forget to give You all the glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Remote or no Remote?

Psalm 119:59 (NLT)

I pondered the direction of my life,

    and I turned to follow your laws.

Has this happened to you? We were searching for the TV remote again this week. We looked in the sofa, under the chair, behind the end table... in the kitchen. We looked everywhere.

Every time we plan to watch something on TV at my house, we have to build in an extra half hour for the remote search. Show starts at 8:00 Central? If we don't want to miss the first half we have to start the hunt in Mountain Time. If the kids had the remote last, it's likely more like Pacific.

The TV remote doesn't have one of those pager buttons like the cordless phone. Why can't the remote simply sense that it's 10 feet or more from the TV, sprout some little mechanical legs and maneuver its way back toward the sofa? With little legs it might even be able to crawl out from the depths of the chair cushion.

Or maybe we could at least push some sort of pager that would make it send out little puffs of smoke. Yeah, smoke signals. That could work.

Of course, I guess we could use all the energy we spend searching for the remote to simply walk over to the TV and push the buttons on the set. No, that would be weird. It's just not our way. And you can't flick through 30 channels per second. Isn't it strange, though, that sometimes we'll take all the time looking for the remote instead of just getting up and pushing the buttons. Misdirected energies?

Spiritual misdirection happens when we stop looking to the Lord for true direction. It's something to think about. In fact, the psalmist thought about it in Psalm 119:59: "I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws." We learn here that when we see our lives headed in the wrong direction, it's not enough just to think about it. We need to turn. Turn and follow the Lord through his word. Verse 64 says, "O LORD, your unfailing love fills the earth; teach me your decrees" (NLT).

The only right direction is his direction--and to top it all off, we can know that his direction is forever and always the direction of amazing, unfailing love.

Dear Lord, help us put the remote down today and come directly to You. We thank You that You are always there and never lost. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Puzzle Pieces and God's Plan

Psalm 127:1 (NIV)

Unless the Lord builds the house,

    the builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

    the guards stand watch in vain.

I remember having trouble putting puzzles together. When I decided a certain piece should fit into a specific spot, there was no convincing me that I could be wrong. No matter how difficult it was to squeeze that piece in, I would push and pound on it saying, "It WILL fit!"

How often do we act that way when things don't "fit" in our lives? I’ve heard people say, "I'm going to do what I want, no matter what God wants." I wonder if they realize what they’re saying.

According to the Bible, plans that go against God's will don't prosper. "Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain." (Psalm 127:1)

We need to learn that we need to seek God's guidance before we make our plans. His plan is always better than our own. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Dear Lord, we pray that we would always seek Your will before we make our plans and that our plans would be Your plans for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.