I Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Thinking on God’s return for His church, today I instantly feel the tension in my shoulders subside. My chest becomes unclinched…I feel calmer. One day—and I hope very soon—there will be an end to what I know as the “Now”. All tears will be wiped away. There will be no more death. There will be no more pain. There will be no more heartache. No more trouble. No more anguish of mind. No more chaos. No more…a lot of things. And, I can not wait.
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We must take nothing for granted, folks. Instead we must have and show appreciation. We must stay wide-eyed in prayer continually. Jesus is soon to return.
Although we stay with an awareness of our surroundings, and we stay in an attitude of prayer, most of all we should not forget to put on the garment, the gift, of Love. Sometimes we fail to do that.
We should love one another as if life itself depended on it. For, you see, LOVE makes up for practically anything we have to face in this life.
It is so easy to love when it comes to our own….not so easy when it comes to others.
Yes, God does have a set of rules & a set of consequences. We must obey or pay. But out of ALL that He gave to us, He gave LOVE. Love does not make us a door-mat, love makes us more wise.
This promise scripture for today reminds me that I should not be quick to cause offense for myself or for someone else, making someone, or myself, to stumble; but that I should be quick to give love. God did not give us a gift of fear, of malice, of strife, of contention. No, that’s the devil—the enemy of our soul—that’s his work, but God gave love.
Love does not censure. It is an action which uplifts. Love does not condemn one to doom. Love does not denounce. (The definitions of these words [condemn, censure, denounce] bare weight and should be looked up and studied.)
And, although it hurts some circles to admit, those within that circle appreciatively drape a particular garment upon their person on a daily basis. The garment of Self-Righteousness. They look down their nose at others, feeling justified in their holiness. What they wear is a garment that is stifling, destructive.
But they have no idea.
Self-righteousness is the cloak, which tries its best to hide all the aformentioned "sins" of the fleshly nature. Fear, malice, strife, contention, critisizim, censureship, etc. (BUT, of course, ALL of these can, and at times, do stand alone also).
But…LOVE…now, Love…wow…this is an action which covers, protects, conceals. It is an action which bears God’s approval...and, well,...a lot of things.
And, the Bible tells us that in all our getting, if we don’t have this, we have nothing.
I Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
I Corinthians 13:2 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, and have not charity, I am nothing.
I Corinthians 13:4-8 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:
So I ask you today, Are you a true servant of God? Are the gifts which God gave unto you really serving others? Or, are your gifts hidden? Does your “sanctimonious cloak” hide /bury the talents that God would have you to share? Self-righteousness is a hindering garment.
How does the Lord view your behavior? Are you attending—caring for—the needs of others? Is your smile genuine, or a sickening sanctimonious one? Do you portray yourself to others as being pious, when you know deep within yourself—and God surely knows--that you are not? Does your “righteousness”exemplify a holier-than-thou attitude to others, or does you righteousness appeal to the hurting, the struggling, the lame, the weak? How DO you act when a fellow brother/sister stumbles...or hits their face in the dirt?
So, I humbly ask, Are you a good steward of the manifold GRACE of God? (A good steward in many and various forms of the unmerited favor of God.) Are you truly helping someone else, or are you hurting them even more? What really is your ministry?
Oh, I want to be a true saint of the Most-High! I want to be most pleasing to You, Jesus.. I really do. I want to lower myself—abase myself--so that You can put me where You most need me. I do not need men’s applause. I need Yours. I want to make my own altar, so that You do not have to make one for me. Breathe on me, Jesus. Power of God, You are welcome here. Come in and change what needs changed. I want to be more like You. Amen.
Song of the day: Love Was In The Room (by The Booth Brothers) If you've never heard these guys sing this song...you are missing out. I encourage you to look it up and listen to it. Hey, have a BLESSED DAY today and.....Show Love! :-)
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