Love Suffers Long

This weeks Bible study

1 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV)

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV)

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

long–suffering

adjective  long–suf·fer·ing \-ˌsə-f(ə-)riŋ, –ˈsə-\

Simple Definition of long–suffering

·    : suffering for a long time without complaining : very patient during difficult times

Full Definition of long–suffering

1.  :  patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship

patient

adjective  pa·tient \ˈpā-shənt\

Simple Definition of patient

·    : able to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or when dealing with problems or difficult people

·    : done in a careful way over a long period of time without hurrying

 

Full Definition of patient

1.  1:  bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint

2.  2:  manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain

3.  3:  not hasty or impetuous

4.  4:  steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity

5.  5a :  able or willing to bear —used with ofb :  susceptible, admitting <patient of one interpretation>

patiently

 adverb

forbearance

noun  for·bear·ance \fȯr-ˈber-ən(t)s, fər-\

Simple Definition of forbearance

·    : the quality of someone who is patient and able to deal with a difficult person or situation without becoming angry

Can you suffer without complaining?

Are you able to remain calm when you are being assaulted, verbally or physically?

How do you deal with difficult people or situations?

Are you patient?

To be honest I have failed miserably at all of these. I complain, get defensive when under attack, difficult people irritate me and my thoughts are not pleasant or loving towards them, and no I am not a patient person by nature. I used to have a joke saying, ‘It is a good thing I am not a doctor because I have no patience’. Am I working on these things? Yes, and through God’s grace changes have been made in me.

Holy Week Reflection: Freedom in Christ

The Daddy Blitz

(I contributed the following to the QUIET COLUMN on 3/22/16. I encourage you to check out the Blog)

Do you ever get anxious about sin in your life? Have you ever fretted over a sin, worried that if you got hit by a bus you might not make it into Heaven because you had not confessed before God and asked for forgiveness? Do you ever remorse over your sinful heart and wonder whether you are good enough to make it into Heaven? Do you look at fellow believers and either judge them for their sin or become anxious for them because they have not repented?

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So This is What Sin Looks Like

The Daddy Blitz

One movie I can never pass by when flipping through the channels on television is A Few Good Men. In the movie, Tom Cruise played a military lawyer, named Daniel Kaffee, who defended two U.S. Marines charged with killing a fellow Marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Kaffee was essentially a used car salesman lawyer, who exclusively negotiated plea bargains, to the extent he had never seen the inside of a courtroom. Because higher ups did not want a trial, Kaffee was chosen over more qualified lawyers to take the case. After a dramatic courtroom scene, Kaffee turned around while exiting and remarked, “So this is what a courtroom looks like.”

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A Table Long and Wide

Good challenge.

Comfort & Challenge

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 96; 147:1-11, Hosea 3:1-5, Acts 21:15-26, Luke 5:27-39

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Inclusiveness is a challenging concept. When we say people are welcome in our community, do we mean we welcome them as they are, or that we invite them to become more like us? Each community has fundamental values that are central to its identity, so we can usually assume those values appeal to people who wish to join. However, new arrivals frequently challenge customs and traditions, and most communities work harder to maintain them than to discover if they are, in fact, essential. Because communities of faith are voluntary, inclusivity presents a particular challenge, as those who are uncomfortable with it are free to depart to form or join more comfortable (that is, homogeneous) groups, and leaders don’t like to lose members.

When Paul returned to Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians elders welcomed…

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When I Was A Child

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV)

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.

Growing up does not mean growing apart. We mature as we learn and grow. We can grow to produce good fruits that give life, or we can grow weeds that choke out life. As we grow in love we grow closer to God and to each other. For His love lifts us above the concerns of this world. Does it mean I have no work to do? No! I must tend to my plants if I want to see them grow. They need to be watered and to get the right amount of light. Just like I need to nourish my body as well as my spirit. The love of Jesus is my sustenance. His love grows inside of  me. He teaches me, and leads me on the right path. He causes me to grow even when it hurts and I must leave things behind that I once cherished. I am no longer a child. At the same time I have not yet reached the goal. I still have a lot more to learn. Yet I am willing and seeking His guidance daily. Submitting myself to do His will. Each day I grow, and each day I mature.

Love Your Pastor

Love and pray for your Pastor and their families.

See, there's this thing called biology...

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.-Hebrews 13:17

It’s a commandment, we’re mandated to love our Pastors and to even love other people’s Pastors, too. I don’t know how you do that, pour some encouragement over them, bring them chocolate….

Don’t grieve them, don’t make their job harder? I have this funny image of a pastor passing through the pearly gates and giving an account, holding his head in his hands, Oh Lord, so sorry, that one, that one was just……so thick headed. 

“…that they may do it with joy!” That is also one way that we can honor our parents too, even our bad parents. I spoke to a woman who told me sadly, “I…

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Why did you accept Christ as your Savior?

Thought provoking question.

For His Glory

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She Rides The Wave

myheadintheclouds

Art by Julie Sheppard / Acrylic

She rides the wave

The waves don’t crush her

She does not drown

She rides the wave

and arrives safely on the shore

It is so easy to be crushed by the problems you face in this world. Life can be overwhelming. You can feel like you are drowning and that you can’t catch a break. Look at the ocean, and watch the waves. Some of those waves can cause fear to one and exhilaration to another. The one who who focuses on their fears and worries sees the wave and thinks this is it, I am going to drown. The other sees the wave as an opportunity to experience life and sees joy. So they ride the wave. Life is filled with problems each day. It is how you look at those problems that helps you deal with them. You can let them defeat you…

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Prayer Request for Blogger Vincent S Artale Jr’s Heart Surgery on Thursday

prayers please

The Domain for Truth

I appreciated many of you a few weeks ago praying for Vincent S. Artale JR concerning his heart attack.  He is pretty active on WordPress and many of you know him from his reblogging of your posts!

This upcoming Thursday he will be having another surgery.  It will be a stent surgery.  Pray for the Lord to be gracious to his health.  Pray for wisdom for the surgical team and nursing staff.

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How to love the unlovely

Real life....

I learned in Blogging 101, when you write an epistle in response to someone else’s post, Julie Sheppard’s in this case, (to join her discussion, click here to read it), it is best to write a post in your own blog! So that is what I am doing. I have actually shared this story a number of times, so I might as well tell the whole story here!

But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. And…

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