Loving Through Laying Down Our Lives

 In my Bible reading this morning 1 John 3:16 jumped out to me, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

We know Love, Agape, because of Jesus laying down His life for us.  I believe that this is more than just His dying on the cross.  Was He not laying down His whole life before the cross for us?  He was a King but was born in a stable and not a palace. He was God and yet He humbled Himself for our sakes. Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Kings have servants who wait on them but He instead was the one serving Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

So, if we know really know the love, agape, of Christ then we should be laying down our lives for each other as 1 John 3:16 says.  We should be living out these following verses, correct?

Romans 15:1-3 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”

Philippians 2:3-4 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

 

There is something about these verses that I have found.  They are impossible to live out in my own strength and with human love.  Human love and human effort will fail at this every time because it is based on emotion, is transactional and is selfish.  So, am I telling you that the Bible is tells us to do a bunch of stuff that there is no way for us to ever accomplish?  Yes and No.  

Yes, in that if we are trusting in ourselves and our power it is impossible BUT if we are truly living in Christ and have the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead living in us than it is totally possible and will be evident.

 

1 John 4:7-11 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

 

The love starts with God, comes from God to us and is to come out through us to others.  This becomes easier when we live the next two verses.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 5:24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 

If it is no longer I who live but Christ living in me then doesn’t it reason that His love for others would also be living in me?  We believe that miracles, healings, and signs and wonders still happen today by and through the power of God flowing through us.  Why then would we neglect the greatest miracle, sign and wonder the loving others by laying down our lives for them?  Loving not just with our words but also our deeds.  

I believe that the lost world around us needs to see something more than people being healed, a financial miracle or something another fantastic supernatural sign.  These are all good things but what the lost REALLY need to see is the Love of Jesus being manifested in our lives towards one another and them. When they see a sign, wonder, miracle or healing that it is not to build up man’s kingdom, to elevate a person’s ministry or church but that they see God’s might Love being poured out into their lives.  When it is truly the Love of the One and Only God that is dwelling in us and through us our motivations change and fear fades away.  We no longer are afraid to pray for people in public anywhere because the Love of Christ moves us to.  We are not worried about what people will think of us if we pray and nothing happens immediately because we pray out of His love and not to build up our reputations.  

 

The more I dive into the Love of God questions come.  Have I truly encountered the Love of God?  Have I allowed God’s Love to encounter me?  Are people encountering the Love of God through me?  

 

Lord people don’t need my life that is lived for me, by me and is all about me.  They need to see me as someone who is dead to myself, crucified with Christ and Christ and Christ’s Love flowing through me and out of me.  Lord that is what they need, and that is what I desire and want to desire.  No longer me but You in me.  

 

The Lesson of the Water Line

 The Lesson of the Water Line

 

We often blame God for not providing or blessing us because we are not seeing the desired results just like I blamed my well water pump for not providing the water pressure when I turned on the faucet.  The real problem was that I didn’t have a big enough main waterline and the second problem was that a clogged had developed in a small section of the metal water pipe I was using. Once I replaced the clogged section and the main waterline with a line 2/3 larger, I have water pressure greater than I ever hoped.  

God is infinite in His resources and power.  If what we desire is not flowing through us to produce the outflow/results we desire it isn’t God’s fault, there is either a clog or “water line” that is restricted the volume.  As I learned with my water line, it doesn’t matter how much pressure is moving the water if the channel for it to flow through doesn’t allow a sufficient volume to come through it won’t produce much.  

If we are lacking anything from God it would be best if we do a quick check on our “water lines” to see if there are any clogs or if our “lines” need to be replaced with a bigger size line. A tight-fisted man is unable to grab hold of more because he won’t let go of what little he has.

 

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you (this is the flow): good measure (this is the volume), pressed down (this is the pressure), shaken together, and running over (this is the water pressure when you turn on the faucet) will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure (volume) that you use, it will be measured (volume) back to you.” 

 

 

 

 

 

Purpose, Time and Season.

 Purpose, Time and Season.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

 

I know it the context of the Church the word season has become way over used in the last 10 years.  There was a preacher, about 5 years ago, that anytime he would get up to preach my children would make it a game to count how many times he would use the word season during his sermon.  

Having grown up farming seasons had a little different meaning for me.  Knowing the season and the proper time with in the season for doing things was very important for it dictated our income.  As the verse above states to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose.  

For a moment I want to look at this in reverse order.  Purpose, Time and Season. Purpose is what we are to be doing.  Time is exact when that purpose is to come into being and season is marking of the beginning and the end of everything regarding purpose. 

To help explain what I just said let us take the spring season for me back on the farm.  The main purpose, or the main thing we wanted to have accomplished by the end of spring, was to have the crops planted.  For this to happen there were other purpose that we had that had to be done in the right times to get to the main purpose.  The ground had to be made ready to plant and this involved several different activities that all had to be done in and at the right time.  For us this is, approximately, how things progressed.  First the ground needed to be thawed and then dry enough for us to work.  We then had to make sure that the equipment we needed was ready and in the right location to start its intended purpose.  Next the proper attachment was added to the tractor being used and then put into the field.  

The order would go as something like this, plowing, disking, harrowing and rolling and then planting.  We only ever had at most 2 tractors of our own and sometimes would borrow my grandfather’s tractor to be able to use 3 tractors at any one time.  This means that we would need to use 1 tractor for multiple jobs and this required changing of attachments throughout to accomplish the next purpose. As you see there was a lot of work involved and different purposes that had to be done at correct, and different, times with in the season to accomplish the main goal, or purpose, of having the crops planted.  

For those who don’t really know me or about this aspect of my life let me make one thing clear, I am not a farmer.  Being a farmer, to me, is more than working on a farm.  It takes a lot of knowledge and understanding and a whole lot of passion for it to be a farmer.  I am lacking in all three especially the passion part when it comes to farming.  I learned, and still remember some, things but not enough to ever be successful or to really know how to do it or when to do it correctly.  So, how did I help build a successful produce business from the age of 10-18?  I just did what my Dad told me to do and when he told me to do it.  While not totally ignorant, I did understand what season we were in, and after I was trained, how to do the different tasks, there was a lot I didn’t know.  While I did come to understand the order for each purpose, I didn’t know the precise start and end of seasons (our seasons), and I didn’t know the exact best times for each purpose to start. Honestly this never bothered nor concerned me because I had my Dad and he always knew and would tell me.  

In life I have come to learn, the hard way, that I need to do the same thing.  I need to listen to my heavenly Father to tell me the purposes, the time for each purpose and the start and end of each season that those times and purposes fall in to.  

 

Logos and Rhema-A lesson about verifying things for myself.

 Logos and Rhema-A lesson about verifying things for myself. 

 

I have heard for years that Logos was the written Word of God and that Rhema was the spoken Word of God. I believed this to be true but until a couple of weeks I had never looked up the definitions for myself.  I just took other people’s word for it. When I actually looked up the definitions for myself it was another lesson on why it is always important to verify thing for myself. 

 

Following definitions are from Strongs.

Logos-something said (including the thought); by implication, a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ):--account, cause, communication, × concerning, doctrine, fame, × have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say(-ing), shew, × speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.

 

Rhema-an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),; by implication, a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever:--+ evil, + nothing, saying, word.

 

Neither of these definitions mention anything about written.

 

I have been fortunate enough through my brief journey here to have come into contact with many different people who possess many different talents and abilities.  One of those is a man who God has gifted with languages.  Of the many languages he knows one of these is what we call New Testament Greek. He has studied the language and has taught it at college level.  So, I sent him an email to ask him for clarification and better explanation. He sent me the following.  He could of went into more detail but he kept it simple because he knows that my gifting is not languages.  I found it very helpful. 

 

As you already know, language is tricky.  Its usage changes over time.  There was a time when these words were never really associated with each other because they had a different emphasis.  At other periods of time they were used almost interchangeably.  Today the Charismatics put a great emphasis on rhema as a prophetic utterance.  This is not completely wrong but I wouldn’t handle it that way.

 

Logos is the Word.  It’s not a word.  It is the WORD.  It’s a proper name for the LORD Jesus Christ.  It is a definitive statement about something.  In Ancient Greek they thought of it this way.

 

Onoma - is the subject.

Rhema - is things said about the subject.

Logos - is the definitive statement about the subject or the heart of the discussion about the subject.  Logos is still used this way to this day.

 

For example:

 

Bios - life

Logos - the definitive statement or discussed about the subject.

Biology - the study of life

 

Soterios - salvation

Logos -    the definitive statement or discussed about the subject.

Soteriology - the study of salvation

 

etc.

 

Whenever you see -ology at the end of a word, it comes from Logos.

 

Some people say Rhema is partial knowledge.  I understand where they are coming from when they say that but it is also not a completely true statement.  Just think of rhema as talking points or something that was said.

 

**** Jhn 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, (rhema) hath one that judgeth him: the word (logos) that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

 

(Thank the Lord for putting people in my life who are talented in ways I am not. Who can use their talents to help me.) 

As I see it God’s Word (rhema and logos) is powerful.

 

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (rhema)of God;

 

Hebrews 4:12 For the word (logos) of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

 

When I was a kid, my Dad would give me instructions before he went to work.  Sometimes they were just verbal and other times they were written.  Thing is either way I was held accountable for those instructions.  Sometimes I would forget something.  When the instructions were verbal I had a small excuse because it is easy to forget something that someone tells you but when they were written I had no excuse because they were on paper to remind me. 

 

 

As I found out the definitions that I had been told for logos and rhema were not really correct.  I don’t believe that those who gave me those definitions were trying to deceive anyone.  I think it was more a case of ignorance and misunderstanding that was passed on and on by well-meaning people who just took other people’s definition as the truth, me among them.

Really it doesn’t matter how the Word of the Lord is communicated to us, be it written or verbal, if it is really the Word of God it is powerful, it is the truth and we will be blessed from it if we walk in it.  

 

Please don’t take my word for it. Verify it for yourself and take God’s Word for it. He is perfect and He never fails.

Fall Into The Lord

 Fall Into The Lord

 

This morning, I heard a sister in the Lord use this term.  She used it in describing her morning time with the Lord. 

In this context the falling is not from an accident or by happenstance but by intent. Like when you are tired and you just fall into the bed.  You do it on purpose, by choice. 

Many times, people speak of the reason that they married someone was that they just fell in love and then the next thing you hear they get divorced because they just fell out of love.  Sadly, many people treat the Lord and a relationship with Him the same way.  Without intention and based solely upon their emotions. 

God’s love is one that is not based upon emotion.  It may, and often does, stir up our emotions and an emotional response but it is not an emotion.  It is a choice.  God made and continues to make the choice to love us.  The love spoke of in 1 Corinthians 13 is not speaking of a love that is natural to humans or that originates from humans.  It is from God and literally is God. (1 John 4:8b God is love.)

To really understand that God’s love is a choice have you ever stopped and really looked at what God hates? Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

Now how many of these things have been in your life and have you done?  I guarantee you that everyone of us have at least lied. That means that everyone of us have participated in what God hates AND YET God STILL LOVED AND LOVES US.  Why?  If His love was just an emotion, how could He love us when we are doing, and being, what He hates?  His love is greater than an emotion or a feeling. He chooses to love us.( Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)

God didn’t start to love us once we stopped sinning, NO it was in the midst of our sinning, when we were at our worst, acting in the way that He most hated and when we offended His holiness the most that that He loved us and demonstrated His love for us. (1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.)

Take a look at 1 Corinthians 13 and read put in God everywhere it says love. 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not God, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not God, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not God, it profits me nothing.4 God suffers long and is kind; God does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 God never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.13 And now abide faith, hope, God, these three; but the greatest of these is God.

 

1 Corinthians 13 is not about our love but it is about God and HIS love for us, how He wants to pour HIS love out on us, through us and out of us to others.  That is why we need to keep falling into God.  We need to fall in and stay there.  Be totally enveloped, saturated in the very love of God for us so that we can love Him, love ourselves and love others with the one and only true love that there is.