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Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Permanence of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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Do you want to be the G.O.A.T. (The Greatest Of All Time)?

In sports, people are identified as the “GOAT”, or the greatest of all time.  Quarterback Tom Brady falls into that discussion along with basketball’s Michael Jordan.

We can have fun with our friends debating who in our arenas of interest deserve the designation as “The GOAT.”  It’s a pretty hard designation to achieve and perhaps also to designate because objective statistics may not be the only way to determine if someone is the greatest.

But do you want to be the GOAT?

To be the GOAT, you have be great.  To be great, you have to do what is great!

So what is that?

When Jesus was asked the question, “What is the greatest commandment?”  37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So greatness comes when we are attached to THE Greatest!  Worked by God’s Spirit, our hearts are led to “fear, love and trust in God above all things.”  The result?  We are able to love God with all our being.  We love because he first loved us.

The Apostle Paul recognized the connection between greatness and love.  Of all that exists on this world is love.  He wrote,  “Now these three remain, “Faith, hope, and love” but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Why would love be the greatest?  At the center of our faith is the love God has for us that led him to send his Son Jesus to this world.  Without God’s love, there is no object to our faith…so one might say, “Love is greater than faith because faith needs love to exist.”

God’s love is the reason we have hope.  Without God’s love for us in Christ through whom he secures and promises and gives eternal life, we have no hope.  So love is greater than hope.

So if we want to be great before God, we simply respond as the Spirit enables us to love God with all our being.

If we want to be great with others, LOVE.  Remember love never loses.  If “to love” is our default and with God’s help we are walking in the way of love, you can never lose when you love.

1 Corinthians 13:7-8 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. 

People may not respond to your love with gratitude or appreciation, but when our default is to love, remember love will always prevail…even if the person doesn’t recognize it.

Always remember, “We love because he first loved us.”  Without the greatness of God’s love we will never be able to express that love to others.  And yet, when we express that love to others, we are simply being reflecting the great love God has for us.  

Be the GOAT! Love God and love people!

Apply: What gets in the way of consistently loving people in you workplace, at school or in your neighborhood?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being the greatest of all time and making us great by empowering us to love you and love others!  AMEN.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Permanence of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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Winning streaks are pretty impressive.  When teams don’t just put a few wins together, but play for a long period of time or over a period of seasons and continue to win…that is impressive. 

This website has the top 25 sports winning streaks.  https://www.stadiumtalk.com/s/greatest-winning-streaks-sports-history-aafb0511490a4dbe

Included are a 112 match streak by women’s beach volleyball players, Misti May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh; or a NCAA football record 55 consecutive wins by Mount Union Football; or USA basketball teams impressive 78 straight wins in international play.

There were a few fighters that had undefeated records, most notable was Rocky Marciano who retired with a 49-0 record.

What stood out to me was that every streak came to an end.  Even if one retired before they were defeated, if they continued to fight in the ring eventually they would lose.

There are a lot of impressive athletes and teams who have put together impressive win streaks.  Perhaps you have played on one.  It’s fun to win, and who wouldn’t want to be part of a winning team.

But can something always win and never lose?  No matter who the opponent is?

Love can.

While these players and teams often achieved the highest prize in their sport, eventually someone else will be crowned the champion.  To be the permanent champion you’d have to play and play and play and play and never quit…and never lose.

Love is the permanent champion.

The Apostle Paul understood that love never loses…God’s love never loses.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Human love gives up.  Our ability to show love falters.  People’s reaction to love is not always positive.  So it seems like love loses.  

But even though it may seem like love loses, there is nothing in heaven or earth that can cause God’s love to cease to exist or be shown.  God’s love is permanent…because NOTHING can defeat it!

Apply: What changes when you consider the people and situations you are engaging with and choose to lead with God’s love instead of a different approach?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your permanent, victorious love that always wins…no matter who the opponent is.  Help me to always play on the winning team with your love as the main strength against any opponent.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Permanence of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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Is love permanent?

Around us we hear people use the phrase, “Fall in love…fall out of love.”

Relationships go south and individuals say, “We just don’t love each other anymore.”

One day you love pizza, the next you despise it.

Love seems so temporary…so fleeting.

Can you really count on love?  Is love something that will last?  

To make the claim that “love is permanent” probably is met with a bit of hesitation and skepticism.  Even things that are called permanent aren’t always permanent.  Permanent marker can be removed with the proper cleaning solution.  A hair “perm” has to be redone ever 6-8 weeks.

So, what makes something permanent?

An online dictionary puts this forward as a definition of “Permanent”:

1.     Lasting or remaining without essential change.
2.     Not expected to change in status, condition, or place.
3.     Continuing in the same state, or without any change that destroys form or character; remaining unaltered or unremoved; abiding; durable; fixed; stable; lasting.

So does love meet these qualifications?

Human love…not so much.  But God’s love?  

1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  One of the essential qualities of God is love.  Not simply an emotional feeling toward people, but a self-sacrificing, willing to do all for people, type of love.  To say that God’s love is fleeting or temporary opens the possibility that God doesn’t exist.  If love ceases to exist, then God does as well.  

But love lasts.  It does not change…God’s love that is.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God doesn’t change.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  To “not change” is an essential quality of being permanent.  God fits that quality.

So if God is love and God doesn’t change, then we can say of God’s love: “It is permanent.”  

People throughout Scripture have recognized the permanent, enduring, eternal nature of God’s love.  One of many examples is in 1 Chronicles 16:34, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Forever.

That’s permanent.

Apply: Why is human love often temporary?  What leads you to love at times and at other times to withdraw love?

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see and appreciate the enduring, permanent nature of your eternal love for me.  AMEN.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Difficulty of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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We live in a disposable society.

Over 2 billion tons of waste are generated worldwide on an annual basis.  Statistically the more you earn, the more you throw away.  Only 9% of plastic is effectively recycled.

It used to be cheaper to repair an appliance, now it’s cheaper at times to throw the one away and get a new one.  Things that could be repaired are tossed for lack of time, desire or know how to fix it.

This devotion isn’t about the environment, but the reality is we throw a lot away because it’s use is limited and the ability or desire to reuse it is not great.  

Is it the same true with love?

Do we treat love as a disposable commodity?

When we desire to get something from someone we express love, but when we’ve gotten what we want, we simply stop loving?

When love seems to be broken in our marriages or relationships, do we give up trying to fix what is broken or feel like we don’t know how or nothing will work so we dispose of the one person to try to find another one that works?

When we try to love and we don’t get the response we want, is it easy to simply dismiss love and let it go to the “landfill” not to be used again.

I think so.

We treat love like a disposable commodity because we see love from the wrong perspective.

Our sinful nature desires to use love for our personal gain.  If we can get something by loving someone, great.  If we can’t?  Stop loving. 

Our sinful nature loves to give up loving when it seems hard or difficult.  Instead of learning different ways to love, we simply give up on love and let it go, hoping another try with someone else will work better.

How many relationships and opportunities sit in the “landfill of love” because we have treated love as a temporary and selfish commodity?

All too many.

Love is not a disposable commodity.  Our use of love can be, but love is an eternal reality emanating from the heart of an eternal God that does not give up or stop loving, even when we dismiss or spurn his love.

If love is going to be a permanent reality rather than a short-lived experience, we must tap into the eternal, permanent reality of God’s love for us.  Only with his love pouring into our souls will we be able to love, work to love, continue to love when we feel like giving up.

Love is not temporary.  Love is permanent.

1 Corinthians 13:7-8 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. 

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

Apply: How have you treated love as a disposable commodity?  What changes when you view love through the lens of God’s permanent love?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me with an everlasting love, not a temporary, disposable love.  AMEN

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Difficulty of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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Good morning.  My apologies for missing a post yesterday.  I was focused on preparing for Ash Wednesday worship and forgot to post a devotion for Thursday morning.  As a trade, here is the link to the Ash Wednesday worship.  Enjoy listening to a message on Jonah 3 as the people of Nineveh heard the word of the Lord and repented and in response the Lord relented from the destruction he threatened.  There are some wonderful parallels to Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent.

CLICK HERE for the Ash Wednesday video.

 

To wrap up the week, let’s just acknowledge that love is difficult especially when others are being difficult.

Even when we look to our Savior Jesus and marvel at his love for us, we have our sinful nature that is constantly encouraging us not to love those around us, especially those that have wronged us or hurt us.

So what is the answer?

When love is difficult I must look back to the love of Jesus and draw on how he has loved me.  

When love is difficult I must look inside and realize the spiritual battle I am waging.

But here’s also a few things I have found help to love when it is difficult.  Granted, not all of these will work in every situation, but perhaps you will find one or two helpful to help you love, even when it is difficult.

1. Be curious.  We naturally respond to what we see and hear.  We respond through our perceptions, our experiences, and our templates.  This means that sometimes we don’t interpret the actions of another person accurately.  So instead of allowing a reaction that is unloving, suspend that reaction and instead ask a question to better understand the other person.  This does not negate that what happened potentially was wrong and hurtful.  Often times “hurt people, hurt people.”  Actions against someone often come from a place of hurt. (I am not a professional, but here’s some that have worked…please share your questions that help diffuse a situation.)
   1. What you did came across as very hurtful, help me understand what is going on for you since you don’t usually respond that way?
   2. You seem really worked up, frustrated, angry.  Is there something I can help with?  Do you want to talk about it?
2. Be first. This is very hard.  But someone has to break the pattern of lack of love, by loving.  Especially in a marriage where you have pledged to spend life together, be the first to back down.  Be the first to apologize (whether it is 99% your fault or 1% your fault).  Be the first to lower the tone.  Realize that your spouse is a loved child of God and you get to be the love of Jesus to him or her.
3. Be cautious. Loving others doesn’t mean to put yourself, unnecessarily, in harm’s way.  It is not always easy to discern what the loving thing to do is.  When your default is to love, pray for discernment as to how to love in a way that truly will be a blessing to the other person, not just enabling a behavior or addiction that is harmful.
4. Put the best construction on things.  Especially in the family of believers, trust that a brother or sister, while they may have a different perspective and they may not have acted in a very loving way, has the love of Jesus and his kingdom in mind.  It’s not always easy, but see the best first rather than defaulting to the worst.
5. Decide to love.  Before a situation occurs, make it, with God’s help, your default to love the people around you.  The temptation is to hate or hurt back, ask God to always default to love back.

I’m sure there are more.  The more you ponder how Jesus has loved you, the more ways we find to love the difficult.  Always default to Jesus’ love!

Ephesians 5:1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Apply: What ways have you found to love even when it is difficult?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me.  Help me to love others, even when I find it difficult.  AMEN.