More Than Words

This may be a secular love song but listening to the words I was inspired and was able to hear God telling me that He wants more than our words. We may talk the talk but are we walking the walk. Our works do not create faith but if we have faith and truly love God our actions prove this. If you speak a foreign language does that make you that language’s nationality? I took French in high school but that did not make me French, it just meant that I learned how to read and speak the language.

Thanks to Jesus we have been adopted into God’s family. His sacrifice redeemed us. He did more than say I love you and you are forgiven. He proved it by laying down His own life to pay the price for sins He was not guilty of. He walked this earth not to condemn us but to show us love.

How we live are lives says more about us and our relationship with Him, than the words that come out of our mouths. We say I love you, as easily as we say I love chocolate or pizza. We have watered down our relationship with worldly attitudes and do not even realize it. How we live each day matters, and what we value tells others where our hearts desires are. Scripture tells us that if we love the Lord that He will give us the desires of our heart, but what we do not read is that if you love the Lord the desires of your heart will change to what He desires us to have. Even Jesus when speaking to our Father said, “not will but Thine be done”. When you give you life to God, you are to submitt to His will, to do as He instructs. Our ways are not His, and His ways are not ours. Neither are our thoughts His. Frank Sinatra said he did it his way, but a life with Jesus means we give up our own way. We give Him more than lip service. We give Him our entire lives. We live, eat and breathe His Word. Every action speaks louder than even screaming at the top of our lungs. More than words should be how we live everyday for Him.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Colassions 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James 2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Message on love/God Our Husband

God Our Husband

The first commandment is there is only One God and that we are to worship only Him. The second tells us that we are not to make any idols or worship them, and it continues to tell us that He is a jealous God. Now how can God be a jealous God, since God is love. In 1 Corinthians 13, we are told that love is not jealous.  So the question how can God be jealous, since He is love? These scriptures seem to be contradicting each other. How can both be true?

Think about marriage. As a husband or wife would you not become jealous if your spouse were look for love or pleasure  in another? I believe we all become jealous when the object of our love seeks love and attention from outside of your relationship. This jealousy does not mean that you do not love your spouse, but that because you are hurt and betrayed. There has become a separation in your relationship even if your husband or wife has not acted upon their desires, the mere thought is an act of adultery. Jesus taught us that if we even look at another with lust in our eyes we have committed the sin of adultery. Now God is called our husband and our maker, how do you think He feels when we turn to the world and seek after our selfish desires. We have betrayed Him and committed an act of adultery, by going after what we want without concern of the pain and damage we have caused.

Look at the life of Hosea. God has him marry a prostitute, knowing that she will not be faithful. Hosea could have refused God, but he chose to obey even though his marriage would cause him pain and shame. Yet just like God loved us so much that He gave His only Son to pay the price for our sins. When Hosea’s wife needed to be redeemed, Hosea paid the price and took her back home, forgiving her and loving her in spite of her actions. This is the love of God our husband.

How man of us are that committed that we would not only forgive the other but pay the pirce for their betrayal. Love and forgiveness are the gift God gives to us. Just as a husband and wife become one, when we enter into a relationship with Jesus we become one with Him. Since Jesus is one with the Father, and is also called our Groom. We are one with Jesus, and one with God, and His Spirit then comes to live in us. We become new. We are no longer who we  were before receiving Him as our Lord and Savior. He takes away our stony hearts, and gives us a new heart of flesh.

Becoming one with Him, no longer being double minded, and tossed about by the ways of the world. We become firmly rooted in His Love, His Truth and His way. One with Christ, One with God, and One with His Holy Spirit. We continue to learn who He is as we grow closer to Him. In learning who He is we learn how lto love, because we learn who love is. For with the new heart comes His love that now pulses through our body, and not only our body but His body as we learn to live in His love.

Scriptures to read

Exodus 20:1-6&14

1Corinthians 13

Deuteronomy 6:4-6

John 3:16

2Peter 3:9

What does it mean to you, to take up your cross daily?

Luke 9:21-27   And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

In this scripture we see that Jesus was about to take up His own cross, and that He was going to suffer. He was telling His disciples of this personally. They did not have to read it in a book, but they heard it with their own ears coming straight out of the mouth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. We know they heard what He spoke, but did they understand what He was saying? He did not just tell them that He was going to suffer but that those that choose to follow Him would also have to take up their own cross.

Today you can go into a church or home and see some beautifully decorated cross. The cross Christ would be crucified on was far from beautiful. It was used not to just kill the one hung on it but to cause great suffering. You will read in James how we are to count it all joy when we face various trials and tribulations. Jesus told us that we would be hated and suffer not because of ourselves but because the world hated Him and he is in us. So we have been given authority but at the same time this authority does not promise that we would not suffer.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

John 15:17-19 This is My command to you: Love one another. 18If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.…

Romans 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”

Acts 14:22  strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

We endure any trial or suffering and take up our cross not for our own sake but for the sake of the lives we can bring Jesus to. I know my personal life has had it’s fill of suffering and pain, but I have not suffered alone. Jesus has been with me through it all. How can I know this? I would not have made it this far without Him. What is more important is that those who have been able to see Him working in my life through the times of trials. This is my witness, it is not what I have done but what He does for me every day, and that He can be seen in my life. His love never fails me. I may hurt and have difficulties to put it in a nutshell, which in comparison to all that God has done for me really is the size of that nutshell. The life in this world is temporary, but our life with Him is eternal. So no matter what storms may rage I choose to take up my cross and trust in the One whom I choose to follow and know that He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The pains a woman endures during labor lasts for a moment, but the joy and love she has when her child is placed in her arms is forever. The pain of taking up your cross is temporary but the love of the One who you have chosen to follow is forever.

Notes on message of love/Colossians 3:14

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

In Ephesians chapter 6 we are taught to put on God’s Holy armor daily. Here we are taught to put on love. To be clothed in love is to be covered in love. Since there is no one who is with out sin, and love covers a multitude of sins, this instruction is one we should all follow. This love we are clothed in is His Love, and since He is Love we are clothed in Him. The world then sees Him when we allow ourselves to be covered with His Love. This clothing is not made by the hands of man but a gift from God. His Love, His Glory, and His Grace to list a few of the attributes of The True Living God, who is Love. So just as you get dressed in His armor put on your clothes, put on His Love.

Digital Camera

This is the Love that unites the body and works together for our good. Working together for the purpose of serving Christ and spreading the Gospel of Jesus the Son of God, our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. The One who laid down His life to save us from our sins. Paying the price to redeem us from death. His blood cleansing us from our sins and iniquities. Making us one with Him.

Notes on message of love/John 3:16

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Read these words and see the love of God. It tells us clearly of His sacrifice and His love. It does not speak of of hatred or punishment. It speaks of love and everlasting life to those who believe.

The life of His Son to pay the price for our sins. Loving us before we knew Him or believed in Him. In today’s terms you could say we were prepaid for. A gift waiting for us to recieve. scripture goes on to tell us that ‘God is not slow as we count slowness, but patient not wanting any to perish but that all would come to repentance.'(2Peter 3:9)

Showing His love to be long suffering(1Corinthians 13). He is still waiting for us to turn to Him. He could so easily have started over, especially after that time and again man has chosen to rebel against Him and choose the way of the world. He has given to us more time and mercy than we deserve, and it is His love that covers a multitude of sins.(1Peter 4:8)

January 18,2021 / Thoughts

I have been thinking a lot lately about Mary the mother of Jesus. I have been working on a message on God’s love and how differently we love. I can’t imagine what it is like for a parent who has lost a child. I know many who have and I can be sympathetic to their pain by I do not personally know exactly what their pain feels like. Mary was there as her son Hung on a cross. The pain she felt I can not describe to you, but the helpless feeling that she could not stop her child from suffering had to be unbearable. To only be able to be there and not be able to comfort her child, yet hearing Him tell John that ‘This is your mother and tell her this is your son’, that even as He was about to die He was making provision for her care. She knew He loved her. Then being one in the group of women to first see Him after He rose from the grave, the joy she must have felt. I wonder what happened to her after this. I find no mention of her past this part. How did she live, what was her life like? To be the one woman who God chose to be the mother of His Son? The bond she shared with her son, the love she had, is something I want to have. To be that close to Him. Even though she was his mother, He was her Savior. He is Savior to us all who recieve Him. I want to love Him and have the connection she had. Well that is my thoughts for today.

Song/Light of the world

Jesus is the Light

Praying to keep my eyes focused on Jesus.

Jesus may my eyes be continually focused on you, and let Your Light shine upon me and direct my path as I walk through this world. Fill me with your love, peace and truth. May Your love flow through me and touch every life I come in contact with. Let me a be a blessing and not a curse. I pray to be your vessel of light. Amen.

John 8:12 ESV Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Notes on message on love /Jan 6, 2021

1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.(ESV)

We are only capable of love because God loved us first. Without God there is no love. Desire, affection, and passion are often used to describe love, but when you read 1 Corinthians 13 these words are not found in what God says love is. Those are only feelings, and they change with the wind and the waves. They are not stable, and you cannot build on them. They can make you feel good, but then they fade and can turn into pain. Pain turns into resentment, bitterness and hate, which then turn into actions that hurt others and the damage continues.

So then how can we love, if our knowledge of love is from the world and not God? My answer is that we can’t. Just because we call something love, does not make it love. we have all heard of knock off designs. They look like the original but they cost less. Just because someone put a label on it saying it was an original but they got you a deal so it cost less. Ye it is nothing more than an imitation of the real thing. Yet you got a deal right? It barely cost you half of the cost of the real thing, but you have a poor quality imitation of the real thing. God’s love number one is real, and number two it cost Him everything. Yet there are a lot of imposters in the world all around us. They say and do things in the name of God but they do not have His love, and these are the ones Jesus tells them to go/depart(Matthew 7:23/Luke13:27) His love when it gets deep down in you like a seed planted in good soil. It grows and produces His fruit. You can see the changes in a person who has the Love of God in them. Love changes a person. It may look like the change starts on the outward appearance, but it is on the inside where the real change begins.

Questions:

Will you allow God today to plant His love in you?

Will you allow His love to grow in you? Will you allow His love to change you?

Will you allow His love to be seen?

Notes for a message on love Dec. 15, 2020

I have been asked to help prepare a sermon on love. Normally I would keep my notes on any lesson that I was going to teach on to myself and then present the lesson when it was finished in the classroom. Since I am not a pastor/preacher and do not feel called to this position feel lead to share my personal notes and hope for feedback from those who are. I do feel called to be an armor bearer, a support to the leadership role of the pastor. So being asked to help in preparing a sermon can be a task that I can be requested of, and I am happy to do. I also know the accountability I have in doing this is important and do not want to present any wrong thoughts or teachings. So I will share my notes here and welcome any insight or corrections any of you who are pastors and would like to share your insights. My notes here will not list all of the scriptures I was given on this subject because that list is extensive, but would love to hear any scriptures you may suggest as well. These are just notes and not the message but I hope they speak to you.

Today’s notes:

The purpose of this is for the pastor to take the teachings taught by teachers on the subject of God’s love and transform them into a message that not only penetrates the mind, but transforms the heart with the Love Of God, and with His Word, Who is Jesus Christ, The Word made flesh.
Comparison – God is Love, Jesus His Son is that love made flesh – Teachings and knowledge of God is in our minds, We know God is love but that knowledge has only been stored in our minds. (remember that even the demons knew who Jesus is, and they had to obey Him when He cast them out of the demon possesed man. They Knew Him, but they did not love Him. Matthew 8:28-34, Luke 8:26-37)
So my question to myself is this, ‘How do I take the lessons/teachings I have learned, and taught into a message/sermon that can penetrate and transform the hearts of the listener of this message?It is not my teachings, or even the lessons that I have learned but it is what His Word has taught me, and how He has been transforming me through His love and His Word that needs to be expressed. For I am only the clay and He is the Potter. He is taking this lump of mud and transforming me into His creation, not something the world has made on some assembly line, but a work of a true craftsman. Remember, while Jesus was on this earth, he was also known as a carpenter, before people came to know him as The Messiah.

The Moon / Thoughts on being a Christian

Photography by Julie Sheppard

With all the sleepless nights I have had, I have spent many nights looking up into the night sky praying to God and thinking of many things. One thought that I have had is the comparison to the light reflected from the moon and Christians. The moon is not the source of light. It reflects the light of the sun. It has many phases from full to not visible, and it can even eclipse the sun. We who have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior are called Christians. We are not the source of light, Jesus is The Light. His light shines through us. Some of us shine like a full moon, and others are like the different phases of the moon.

His light can shine through us in the darkest of night or even during the day.

Then there are people and things in this world that try to eclipse His Light. God created the sun and the moon and all the stars in the sky. The moon does not think or have choices in where it will be in the sky, but we do. We make choices every day. We decide if we go to work, go to school, go shopping, sleep in, etc… We choose to repent and follow Jesus. We choose to love or hate. We make so many choices, and our choices can reflect His light if our actions and choices reflect His love. We can be a vessel filled with His Love and Light giving to others what He has given to us.