Actions vs Words

1 John 3:17-24
19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

In case we didn’t already get it when Jesus told us and again when Paul and then Peter said it, John hits us with it one more time. Love one another. No, really. If I want to feel the love of God and I mean filled up with it, I MUST show love. “Not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

I’m not perfect at this by any stretch of the imagination. I am getting better at it, I think. But not through me just being a “good person.” Oh no. As I have spent more time in God’s Word, with other believers like yourself  and in prayer, more time not focused inward on myself, I have felt a pull to show God’s love that is welling up in me to the world.(Transformation)

In today’s world, let’s be honest, words are cheap… people judge us by our actions.  The Apostle John tells us that our words do not show love… but it is by our actions. What are we doing today to share the love of God with those around us?
Remember Romans 8:1
There is no NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!
We are free – no longer bound by sin or guilt. And even when we FEEL guilty and when we condemn OURSELVES – God is greater than our hearts! We are free in Christ! Completely free…
What LOVE and TRUTH that has been given to us that we may go out and  share with All we come into contact with on a daily bases-of what the Lord Jesus has done for US!
Be ready for a battle –I asked myself- why do you think he gave us a breastplate, a sword, a helmet, and a belt?  Did I think I wouldn’t have to use them? News flash, to myself,  life is NOT a bed of roses… well maybe, if you account for the fact that the roses have MILLIONS of painful thorns.

Knowing our identity in Christ will change the way that we accuse and condemn yourselves.

First of all, I need to love the Father.  Express our love to our God.  Be grateful.  Show your love by the way you live, the decisions that you make, the thoughts that you allow to linger in your mind.(Romans 12:1-2)
Learn the nature and character of God.  God is good.  He is easy to love when you know Him.(See JN 17:3)

 

Isaiah 65:24  – Before they call,  I will answer.

This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa .

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).

We also had no special feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)..

‘And it is our last hot water bottle!’ she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa
it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles.

They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

‘All right,’ I said, ‘put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.’

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth , prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. ‘Please, God’ she prayed, ‘Send us a hot water bottle today It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.’

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, ‘And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?’

As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say ‘ Amen ?’ I just did not believe that God could do this.

Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.

Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas – that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the…..could it really be?

I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.

I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, ‘If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!’

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!

Looking up at me, she asked, ‘Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?’

‘Of course,’ I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.

And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child – five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it ‘that afternoon.’

‘Before they call, I will answer.’ (Isaiah 65:24)

When you receive this, say the prayer. That’s all I ask. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want – but do

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let’s continue praying for one another.

This awesome prayer takes less than a minute.

Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal our love and release to them Your courage.. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. I ask You to do these things in Jesus ‘ name. Amen

P. S. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both. Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ would do.

‘Before they call, I will answer.’ (Isaiah 65:24) – I believe this is true in our lives, Amen.

Back to the basics
If you were to look at the basics of a house you will see that they are really all the same.

1 John 3:1-24
Reference:  v.11  This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

Explore:  In our area in which we live there have been thousands of new homes built in the last few years.  Some of the houses are double storey where others are single; some have brick facades where others are rendered; some have five bedrooms where others only have two; and some of the houses have a veranda out the front where others don’t even have eaves.
When you drive around you can see the many variations of all the different houses.
But if you were to look at the basics of a house you will see that they are really all the same.  They all have a concrete slab, they  have a wooden frame, they  have a shingled  roof and they are all designed to give people shelter.
Strip away all the detail and they really aren’t all that different from each other.

Application:  As we go through life we experience many different ways in how we can express our faith.  Some people go on mission trips while others cook meals for their neighbours; some people write notes of encouragement while others volunteer at the local school,church,missions,food shelf,senior homes,hospitals etc. .
There are so many various ways we can express our faith but when it comes down to it, it’s all about love.
That’s what we have been instructed to do from the very beginning, as John says.  When Jesus came and told people to love each other He wasn’t bringing in something new, He was just reminding us about what God has been telling us from the start.
We are often so concerned about other people’s expression of worship that we forget that our real focus should be on how WE Love each other.
No matter which denomination or expression we are a part of EVERY follower of God is commanded to love one another.

Prayer:  Lord, we can often get so caught up in the details.  Help us to put love as our first priority.  Amen.

How do you see others expressing their faith through love?
What can we do to put our focus back on love?
Have a great week!
1John3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

 

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!
Nehemiah 8:9-10
Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The People started crying when God’s law was read to them. Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levities who taught the people told them this was a special day for the Lord their God. They were told not to be sad or cry. Nehemiah told them to share their food and drink with those who had none. Again, he told them not to be sad. This was a special day for the Lord. The Lord would make them happy and strong. All the people cried when the heard the words of the law. The were reading the Scriptures. As the Scriptures were explained the people came under conviction. They realized how far they had failed in keeping the Scripture. The Scripture brought conviction to their hearts. When they realized how they had failed God, they began to cry when they heard the Scriptures. But Nehemiah told them not to weep because this was the day they renewed the covenant with God. They were to rejoice because they were coming back to God. They were to share among one another. It was a time of restoration. The people felt sad because they were aware of their own sin. However, they could walk in joy because God was doing a great work.

I know that when the darkness starts to creep in, when satan tries to throw an attack my way, or simply tries to steal my joy – that:
I can stand my ground. I have scripture to throw back his way – and constantly remind him that he has already been defeated and has no place in my life.(1JN 4:4)
I have all the weapons(Eph. 6)  that I need to fight this spiritual battle.

Without the word of God and the brothers and sisters in Christ, that I have come to know, I would be at a loss. In all trials and tribulations – and Jesus told us that there would be – I try to remember this “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!”

Take heart – Do not grow weary – God sees you and He knows our needs – He will always provide!
Most of all remember – THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!

 

 

Posted in