According to Grudem, he writes God's love means that God eternally gives of himself to others. I can't think of an addition to add to this or rewording of this definition. "God eternally gives of himself to others."
As we look further into God's love and how we should imitate his love, most of us normally find similar points like "God is love", "Christ love for sinners", "We must love God", "We must imitate God's love to others", etc. But my mind recently started evolving around how exactly do we love others? I start with verses like "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." But how do we show love to others? How do we daily bring love to one another?
After talking with other guys about this...We've concluded showing love to one another is bringing Christ to one another. Bring them Christ. If God is the root, foundation, and definition, of love then we must then be deliverers of Christ. My best thoughts on how do we show love by bring Christ is to point people to Christ. Our pain and our emotions are so unstable, and the best gift we could give to someone is to point them to Christ for his answers and deliverance. Love, peace, and joy are found in Christ.
So many times people tend to fix small problems, which is the wrong approach because the small problem is happening since there is a bigger issue. Why waste timing trying to fix the small issue when a bigger issue can be fixed by pointing others to Christ?
What love is greater than this?
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
House Church
Wow, house church was incredible. I attended a college ministry bible study last night that turned into a prime example of house church. Total of only 15/20 folks with a handful of married couples and 2 babies. Words to the worship songs were up on the living room TV as a husband played his acoustic guitar. Some of us close friends while some of us were just meeting for the first time, but the atmosphere was right for a great night in the Word. Before we started, a spectacular dinner was spread across the dining room table for those to go around and fill their plates. This wasn't a meal prepared out of necessity but merely from the love and hospitality from the host.
After songs the powerful study on Gethsemane and the wrath of God was unpacked and delivered. If you don't understand Gethsemane then you don't fully understand the true meaning of the Cross. The pure and perfect Savior was dropped to his knees as he carried the burden of all our sins.
The night ended with each of us going around the room and serving the Lord's Supper to each other.
This is house church. This night was a demonstration of how remarkable a family can come together and dive-in to God's Word. I really wish you could have been there.
After songs the powerful study on Gethsemane and the wrath of God was unpacked and delivered. If you don't understand Gethsemane then you don't fully understand the true meaning of the Cross. The pure and perfect Savior was dropped to his knees as he carried the burden of all our sins.
The night ended with each of us going around the room and serving the Lord's Supper to each other.
This is house church. This night was a demonstration of how remarkable a family can come together and dive-in to God's Word. I really wish you could have been there.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
God's Love
I'm not a big viewer of "Jon and Kate plus 8", but the whole situation surrounding their divorce is very sad. I'm shocked to see the media continuing to roll on this situation, which is very personal to the whole family. Many questions arise...Does this change peoples view on divorce? How does their divorce impact viewers opinions on marriage? Are you crying for kids, wife, and/or husband?
I don't know the couples past, but I hope many people can see the peace in having a relationship built on Christ. I believe truly understanding God's love permeates any human misunderstanding. Ourselves focused on Christ will reveal a life in humility counting others more significant than yourself(phil. 2:3). Serving and honoring each other in any relationship is key, but the mega-media is pumping a "me-first" attitude into our hearts. God hates divorce, but we will make major decisions based on selfish instinct and not God's desires.
It's very sad to see Kate's face as she says they are getting a divorce. Losing relationships kill people, but I'm so thankful we can all have a continued, loving, relationship with God! Amen.
I don't know the couples past, but I hope many people can see the peace in having a relationship built on Christ. I believe truly understanding God's love permeates any human misunderstanding. Ourselves focused on Christ will reveal a life in humility counting others more significant than yourself(phil. 2:3). Serving and honoring each other in any relationship is key, but the mega-media is pumping a "me-first" attitude into our hearts. God hates divorce, but we will make major decisions based on selfish instinct and not God's desires.
It's very sad to see Kate's face as she says they are getting a divorce. Losing relationships kill people, but I'm so thankful we can all have a continued, loving, relationship with God! Amen.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Be A Minister
Praise God for church! I love the opportunity to join with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to worship Him through song and scripture. It's a very warm and accepted peace to be a part of a church body.
My thoughts today hinge mainly on myself, but I can see others beside me with the same fault. We enter in the sanctuary greeting others we know. We sit down and worship. We stand up and leave. All along the way we socialize with those we know, but today my heart stood still for someone I saw sitting alone.
How can myself and others walk in and out of a church without talking to those alone? As members, we can't wait for a minister to walk around the church or stand at the front door to greet everyone. We must all be ministers to visitors and those not connected with the body of believers.
Maybe this post is just a personal motivator, but I think this is a major issue in large churches.
My thoughts today hinge mainly on myself, but I can see others beside me with the same fault. We enter in the sanctuary greeting others we know. We sit down and worship. We stand up and leave. All along the way we socialize with those we know, but today my heart stood still for someone I saw sitting alone.
How can myself and others walk in and out of a church without talking to those alone? As members, we can't wait for a minister to walk around the church or stand at the front door to greet everyone. We must all be ministers to visitors and those not connected with the body of believers.
Maybe this post is just a personal motivator, but I think this is a major issue in large churches.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Confession
I have a confession to make.
The past few years of my life have been incredible. I've been able to grow and learn so much in the word of God since my freshman year in college, but, even though I grow and continue to learn, I still feel like I'm unable to disciple.
I feel like I'm not yet filled with enough wisdom and knowledge to adequately disciple someone younger than me. It's so much easier to chase after a gospel-centered minister to be discipled by rather than discipling someone younger. Do you ever feel like you want to become more holy? Knowing we will never be as holy as God, what is our "top" of being holy? In other words, will we ever truly attain our goal of holiness?
My confession is this: I've avoided discipling others because I continually feel unholy.
If I was God watching me continue to avoid leading others in discipleship I would be crying. He is probably telling me he has given me enough. He has led me where I need to be to carry-out his duties and his callings. He won't lead me into anything I can't handle, and I have faith he will continue to strengthen me in knowledge and wisdom in the future. I must stop waiting to become "something" while I am really nothing without Christ (galations 6:3). He is where I should place full dependance and foundational truth. Without Him I am nothing, but with Him I can do all things.
God wants to Advance the gospel and he is waiting for me to be a part of this.
The past few years of my life have been incredible. I've been able to grow and learn so much in the word of God since my freshman year in college, but, even though I grow and continue to learn, I still feel like I'm unable to disciple.
I feel like I'm not yet filled with enough wisdom and knowledge to adequately disciple someone younger than me. It's so much easier to chase after a gospel-centered minister to be discipled by rather than discipling someone younger. Do you ever feel like you want to become more holy? Knowing we will never be as holy as God, what is our "top" of being holy? In other words, will we ever truly attain our goal of holiness?
My confession is this: I've avoided discipling others because I continually feel unholy.
If I was God watching me continue to avoid leading others in discipleship I would be crying. He is probably telling me he has given me enough. He has led me where I need to be to carry-out his duties and his callings. He won't lead me into anything I can't handle, and I have faith he will continue to strengthen me in knowledge and wisdom in the future. I must stop waiting to become "something" while I am really nothing without Christ (galations 6:3). He is where I should place full dependance and foundational truth. Without Him I am nothing, but with Him I can do all things.
God wants to Advance the gospel and he is waiting for me to be a part of this.
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