If you count your life as forfeit, then you are worried about losing a filthy rag. You have found life! And that life remains forever and will not ever be forfeited because it is indeed from me.
Confidence based in self is pride; confidence based in all else is sin. Confidence based in me, the truth, is a rock that will never fail and will never be wrong.
19 November 2007
Love Conquers All
I asked the Lord as I saw today the martyrs being killed - How can you allow such a thing and not protect those who are in your Name? I do protect them, He declared. Then He showed me, Love conquers all. He overcame the world on the cross through His love for those who persecuted Him. Anything else He would've done - not died, come off the cross, rebuked them, fought back - wouldn't have been done in Love. Only by His divine Love for them did He die - and only by that Love did He live again. And it is that act of Love by which He overcame the world. So when His martyrs die their Love through Him in allowing the things to be done to them is their way of partaking in His overcoming. Anything less would not be love. But to stand and allow the world to have their way is to love them to the fullest, just as He did for us.
And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.
I Corinthians 12:31-13:8 NRSV
I asked the Lord as I saw today the martyrs being killed - How can you allow such a thing and not protect those who are in your Name? I do protect them, He declared. Then He showed me, Love conquers all. He overcame the world on the cross through His love for those who persecuted Him. Anything else He would've done - not died, come off the cross, rebuked them, fought back - wouldn't have been done in Love. Only by His divine Love for them did He die - and only by that Love did He live again. And it is that act of Love by which He overcame the world. So when His martyrs die their Love through Him in allowing the things to be done to them is their way of partaking in His overcoming. Anything less would not be love. But to stand and allow the world to have their way is to love them to the fullest, just as He did for us.
And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.
I Corinthians 12:31-13:8 NRSV
17 October 2007
If one day you were approached by someone who said that from now on he would take care of all of your needs -clothes, food, house payments, vehicle repairs, etc. - how would you react? There wouldn't be thing that you would ever need. You would never have another need for a single penny; nothing would be lacking.
And then, on top of this, this person says that they're going to give you a million dollars to be given away in increments of 10,000. You keep none of it; there's no need for you to. You aren't lacking for anything and never will again. You would never need this money. So, who would you give it to?
I'd probably first go to my family and give them each the sum allotted. And then to my friends. Next my acquaintances, and then,.... who? Probably those that I would just meet and have a few minutes to be friendly with. The stipulation is that the money has to be given away personally, and it has to be done. You'd have to look hard to continue choosing who to give it to.
What would the reaction of others be - especially the strangers - when you just suddenly offer them $10,000? How would you lead up to it? How would you convince them it's a good thing that's free with no strings attached? How would you go about it?
This analogy came to mind the other day while thinking of evangelism of our faith. Do we really believe it's a good thing worth giving away? Are we really sure we already have enough for ourselves that we're not afraid to give more away?
I think that's what's intended with giving out of the abundance of what we have in Christ. For many years I wondered what exactly Peter had that he knew he could give away when he said, "Silver and gold I have not, but what I have I give you." He was giving from his abundance.
And then, on top of this, this person says that they're going to give you a million dollars to be given away in increments of 10,000. You keep none of it; there's no need for you to. You aren't lacking for anything and never will again. You would never need this money. So, who would you give it to?
I'd probably first go to my family and give them each the sum allotted. And then to my friends. Next my acquaintances, and then,.... who? Probably those that I would just meet and have a few minutes to be friendly with. The stipulation is that the money has to be given away personally, and it has to be done. You'd have to look hard to continue choosing who to give it to.
What would the reaction of others be - especially the strangers - when you just suddenly offer them $10,000? How would you lead up to it? How would you convince them it's a good thing that's free with no strings attached? How would you go about it?
This analogy came to mind the other day while thinking of evangelism of our faith. Do we really believe it's a good thing worth giving away? Are we really sure we already have enough for ourselves that we're not afraid to give more away?
I think that's what's intended with giving out of the abundance of what we have in Christ. For many years I wondered what exactly Peter had that he knew he could give away when he said, "Silver and gold I have not, but what I have I give you." He was giving from his abundance.
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