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1 Corinthians 12-13 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 12:1-13:13.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11).

I’ve often read this and talked about putting away the childish thing in this passage. However, today the other side of this passage struck me. What must I embrace in order to put on manhood? Love. “The greatest of these is love.” No wonder Peter caps off the list of Christian growth in II Peter 1:5-8 with love.

That’s right. The #1 way to be a man is to love. No, not to have sex. That’s what the world says. God’s way for manhood is to love. To see people as people, not objects of lust. To know they have hopes and dreams, fears and doubts, failures and victories. Then to seek their best and help them accomplish those things. To freely sacrifice self for others, not to gain anything from them or because of a sense of obligation, but simply because their good is our goal.

That’s what Jesus did for us by growing to the cross. He was a real man. I need to follow in His glorious footsteps.

Grow up! Be a man! Love!

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click the following link to add your input: Click Here.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

I Peter 3-4 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is 1 Peter 3:1-4:19.

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and  a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (I Peter 3:8-9).

How many of my own conflicts could be resolved if I would simply follow this instruction? If I sought harmony rather than vindication, if I tried to grasp what the other was feeling rather than vent my feelings, if I viewed my brethren as friends rather than enemies, if I offered compassion rather than vengeance, if I humbled myself rather than lifting myself up, and if I honored others even when they put me down rather than speaking in kind, then I’m guessing most of the conflicts I have had would just go away. And then I would know peace.

Instead, I often push that responsibility off on others. They are the ones that need to straighten up. Before I seek harmony, strive for sympathy, bestow friendship, offer compassion, and humble myself, I explain my demands. Here is what you must do before I will strive for these things. Guess what happens. The conflict just gets worse.

Here is the sad part. I don’t want conflict. I want peace. I want joy. Why can’t we all just get along? The problem is not that I want conflict. The problem is I want peace on my terms. I want peace on the basis that I come out looking like a rose, never once having to admit any of my own faults or ever trying to understand what the other person has endured from me. So, I keep pressing on trying to get peace by forcing others to be subject to me. But what I’m learning is that just doesn’t work. Maybe I should try God’s way and maybe that would get me a little more peace. What do you think?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Romans 5-6 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Romans 5:1-6:23.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die–but God shows his love for us in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

If God did this for me, shouldn’t I do it for others?

What about my spouse? Too often I get mad at my wife and start to dwell in resentment and bitterness. I think if she would just get her act together, everything would be okay. I pray that God will fix her so I can love her. I expect her to grovel, beg, and earn her way to my good graces. But that isn’t good graces is it? You know what I’ve found? When I get in that place, my marriage doesn’t get any better. I need to offer her the same grace, at the same time, that God offered me. The 3 times I need to offer grace to her are while she is still 1) weak, 2) ungodly, and 3) sinful. After all, don’t I want her to do the same for me?

What about my brethren? Too often I get mad at a brother or sister and start to dwell in resentment and bitterness. They have committed some sin against me. They’ve hurt me. They’ve betrayed me. They’ve violated a boundary. I get in a huff. I think if they would just get their act together, everything would be okay. I pray that God will fix them so I can love them. I pray that God will make them apologize and grovel and some how earn their way back into my good graces. But that isn’t good graces is it? You know what I’ve found? When I get in that place, my relationships with brethren don’t get any better. I need to offer them the same grace, at the same time, that God offered me. The 3 times I need to offer them grace are while they are still 1) weak, 2) ungodly, and 3) sinful. After all, don’t I want them to do the same for me?

What about my co-workers? What about my neighbors? What about my parents? What about my children? What about…?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is 1 John 4:1-5:21.

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

God has provided me a litmus test. I know that He works everything out for good for those who love Him. How do I know if I love Him? This text says I look to the way I relate to His children around me.

If I hate people, I don’t love God. I simply cannot. But beyond that, if I view the brethren around me as folks who are here for my benefit, to use, abuse, dominate, then I don’t love them. And I don’t love God. If I am constantly working to prove I am better than all those people around me, then I don’t love them. And I don’t love God. If I view others as my servants, put here for my good pleasure, to stand on, walk on, and simply see what I can get from them, I don’t love them. And I don’t love God.

I need to take a good long look at how I really view the brethren I have seen. It will help me understand how I view my God whom I have not seen. That will show me where I still need work and God’s grace.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 John 2:1-3:24.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1).

What more needs to be said? God has called me His son. Considering all I’ve done wrong, all the mistakes and sins, all the weaknesses, all the rebellion, He still looks at me and says I’m His child. He loves me.

Today, I’m going to lean on that love in order to love Him in return. Why would I do otherwise?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Matthew 21:1-22:46.

“And he said to them, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39).

This is all I have to do today. Love God. Love my neighbor. No doubt, to understand this love I need to get into God’s word and learn how. But when I boil it down to brass tacks, this is what I need to do today. Everything else is unnecessary. I don’t have to buy things. I don’t have to go places. I don’t have to accomplish tasks. I just need to give myself to God and pursue the actions of love.

If I keep it this simple, I can probably do better at it.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4:18.

“…and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).

Here is the struggle. I want to love others, but they have hurt me. I want to love others, but they do wrong. I want to love others, but the fact is most of us are so unlovable. What do we do about that? We recognize that the kind of love we need to have for each other is the kind of love God has for us. We recognize that the strength for that kind of love can only come from the One who already has that kind of love.

If I am filled with God’s love, then His love will spill out into my relationship with others. I need to pray that God will fill me with His love today. I need to pray that God will strengthen me to love as He does today. And notice why. This text says it is through loving others God’s way that my heart is established as blameless in holiness. My heart is not established a blameless in holiness simply because I can declare and follow a pattern regarding the work of the church. My heart is established when the love of God flows from my life toward others just as He has loved me.

That is a tall order. It can only be done by the strength of God.

Father, grant me the strength to love today. Let me love others as you have loved me. Fill me with your love and love others through me. Thank you for your love. I love you.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 9:1-10:48.

“And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean’” (Acts 10:28).

I should not call any person common of unclean. It doesn’t matter if they are black or white, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, employee or employer, upper or lower class, southern or northern, Democrat or Republican, whatever or whatever else.

It doesn’t matter if their hair is painted green, if their pants are hanging low, if they have tattooes or nose rings. It doesn’t matter what they have done. They may have been idolaters, coveters, adulterers, or homosexuals.

Peter’s statement is not saying the person is holy. They need to be in Christ for that. The point is I must not believe that somehow I’m so good and someone else so bad that he can defile me by simply being near me. The point is I must not look down on anyone as if they cannot be saved by the blood of Jesus. I must not look down on anyone as if they need to be saved more than I do. I must not look down on anyone as if they are so bad I must not share the freeing message of Jesus with them.

I am so glad Peter learned this lesson, since I am a Gentile and not Jewish. I would be upset if anyone viewed me as common or unclean. I must not do the same for others.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:20.

Today, Paul said I need to be like a nursing mother. In I Thessalonians 2:7-8, Paul said, “But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

I am much more attuned to 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God…” I think I get the being like a father who coaches, teaches, tells and even directs. But being like a nursing mother, gentle, affectionate, sharing not only the gospel but sharing myself? That is not something I’m really up on. That sounds kind of girly.

I don’t have a tendency to want to share myself with others. I want to tell them what to do and send them on their way. But watch a mother with her nursing child. It is a slice out of the day. It is a burden. It is tiring. Yet, for love of the child a mother nurses her infant, accepting the burden, the sacrifice, the labor, giving herself to the child, not just giving direction and then shooing away.

If I will walk in the footsteps of Paul as a teacher, I will learn that my job is not merely that of the father, exhorting and directing, but also that of the mother, caring, nurturing, sacrificing, sharing.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?