Learning to Love

The Bible tells us over and over again that love is the key to living a Christian life.  The apostle John tells us:

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  1 John 4:8

Peter says:

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins”  1 Peter 4:8

In his letter to the Corinthians Paul warns:

“If I have all prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”  1 Corinthians 13:2

We are called, in strong words, to love others, not only those who are agreeable or those who love us, but even our enemies;  even those who persecute us. (Luke 6:27).  It is the mark of being a Christian (1 Peter 1:22).  So why aren’t we doing it?  Why aren’t we at least trying to do it?  Love should be the goal of the process of sanctification.  Here’s how Francis Paget, an English theologian puts it:

“This is the great business and meaning of our life on earth:  that we should more and more yield up our hearts to God’s great grace of love;  that we should let it enter ever more fully and freely into us, so that it may even fill our whole heart and life.  We must day by day be driving back, in His strength, that sin that doth so easily beset us, and the selfishness that sin has fastened in our hearts;  and then His love will day by day increase in us.  Prayer will win and keep it;  work will strengthen and exercise it;  the Bible will teach us how to know and prize it, how to praise God for it;  the Holy Eucharist will ever renew and quicken its power in our hearts.  And so (blessed be God!) love and joy and peace will grow in us, beyond all that we can ask or think;  and He will forgive us for love’s sake, all the failures, all the faults in whatever work He has given us to do;  and will bring us at last into the fulness of that life which even here He has suffered us to know;  into that one Eternal Home, where love is perfect, and unwearied and unending;  and where nothing ever can part us from one another or from Him.”

Pray, read the Bible, receive the sacraments.  Learn to love.

For more posts on love see:

Little Children, Love One Another

Charity = Love

All the Loves

 

Not Volunteers

So you belong to a church and you “volunteer” your services there?  If this is your reasoning, according to my devotional today, you are dead wrong.  You might say this is an example of stinkin’ thinkin’ (see previous posts Stinkin’ Thinkin’ and Even More Stinkin’ Thinkin’).  The church is not our club, and we are not volunteers.  According to the apostle, Peter,

“… you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”  1 Peter 2:9

The point is, if you are a Christian, you have been called.  God chose you because you have certain gifts and talents that are necessary for the growth and well-being of His body, the church.  Our arm or leg or brain does not “volunteer” to do its job — it does so automatically because that is what is was designed to do.  You fit into God’s plan, and your piece is important.

According the author of my devotional, here are some differences between those who are called and those who volunteer (this is my paraphrase of the information).

• A volunteer sees his or her service as an obligation they have undertaken.  The called are honored, and eager to be used by God
• A volunteer will often become offended and quit if corrected.  The called are hungry to learn and grow and will accept godly advice.
• A volunteer will also complain and sometimes quit if things become hard.  The called accept sacrifice and persevere in order to reach a goal.
• A volunteer puts in as much effort as they can “afford” or “can fit into their schedule.”  The called give their all.
• A volunteer avoids situations that require change.  The called are ready to be transformed.
• A volunteer may be envious or intimidated by the gifts of others.  The called are secure and able to admire and celebrate the abilities others.

Now, we all have different seasons in our lives.  We may be called to do one task when we are young, another when we have small children and something completely different as we age.  We also need to spend time in prayer, allowing God to help us discern our particular calling at any given time. The point is, we are always called and we are always needed.  It’s not a choice.  As Charles Foucauld (1858-1916) said,

“Once I believed there was a God I saw no other course than to serve him.”

For a review of the devotional I’ve been using, you can go to this post:

The Insanity of Sacrifice by Nik Ripken — Book Review

 

Love One Another

The most frequently repeated “one another” is to love.  In 1 Peter 4:8, the apostle says:

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

When we love someone, most of the other “one anothers” fall into place as a consequence.  Because we love, we are able to forgive and have compassion on our loved ones’ faults.   When we love, we automatically want to pray for that person, encourage them and build them up.  When we love, we are patient and kind.  We greet the person we love with a kiss or hug.  We are willing to sacrifice our own needs for someone we love.

Often we assume love is an emotion that comes and goes and cannot be controlled.  However, we can decide to love.  Even when we don’t feel loving, we can teach ourselves to behave lovingly.  And guess what?  Love begats love.  When we act in a loving way, the feeling often follows;  and when we behave in a loving way we find we receive loving responses back

Take small steps of love, it’s not so hard.  Take an interest in those around you;  compliment them when they do something well;  help them out when you can;  console them when they’re feeling sad; pray for them.  The rewards will be great both today and eternally.

How Have I Served?

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10-11

The end of the year is a good time to look back and not only reflect on how I have served others this year, but to make a plan for the coming year.  The verse above tells us that as faithful workers for God, serving is our responsibility …. but how seriously do we actually take it?

Sure, I serve others, but rather haphazardly.  I wait for someone to ask, for a group at church to choose a ministry or for a donation request to arrive in the mail.  I have to admit I rarely sit down and ask myself, “What goals do I have for serving others?” and “How will I reach those goals?”

My “Prevent Diabetes” class has taught me that I can accomplish more than I thought when I have a clear goal and a plan.  Our plan for service should include using the specific, individual gifts which God has given.  I can’t do everything, so I need to concentrate on those things that I do best.

I don’t have the answers yet, because this thought has just now occurred to me.  It’s something I’ll be praying about, and I’m hoping this post will encourage others to do the same.  Look for more on this topic in January as I wrestle with myself and God.  One thing that will definitely be on my list is this blog, which uses both my passion for writing, and (hopefully) my spiritual gifts of wisdom and encouragement.  Have we served you this year, readers?  I’d love to hear some responses.

Saints and Sinners

“No great saint lived without errors.”

Martin Luther

You can’t be a student of the Bible without realizing the truth of this quote.  Think back at some of the people we consider heroes of the Bible.  Abraham lied and told the Pharaoh Sarah was his sister.  Jacob was a deceiver;  David committed adultery and murder; Joseph boasted; Martha was self righteous; Peter denied Christ.  I’m not sure where we got the idea that “saint” meant “perfect.”

As Martha said in her post at the beginning of the month, we don’t have to live up to some impossibly high standard of Christian behavior to be a saint;  as believers, we are all saints — and we are all sinners.  In fact, the Lutheran definition of saint is just this :  forgiven sinner.  Our sainthood does not depend upon our works, it is completely and simply God’s grace.  In fact, Martin Luther is quoted as saying “sin boldly” — although he doesn’t mean we should be proud of our sinful status, or seek to sin more.  Here is the original quote in a letter he wrote to Philip Melanchthon:

“If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2 Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. It suffices that through God’s glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.”

In other words, our relationship with Christ is the crucial element:  we are saved saints because of His mercy and sacrifice, not our behavior.  And all God’s children said:  thanks be to God!

 

What are the Spiritual Gifts?

This probably should have been one of my first posts, so I apologize, while reminding my friends and all readers that I have never been a linear thinker.  If you would like to know exactly what the spiritual gifts are, and where they are listed in the Bible, this will help you out.  You can look up the passages and do more research on your own if you’re so inclined.

It might be worthwhile to note (and I did mention this is a previous post) that most Lutherans believe that certain gifts have “ceased.”  Since we have the complete Holy Scriptures, we no longer need prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues and interpretation of tongues.  These gifts were given in order to speak forth or authenticate God’s Word and his messengers.

Romans 12

1. Encouragement

2. Giving

3. Leadership

4. Mercy

5. Prophecy

6. Service

7. Teaching

1 Corinthians 12

1. Administration

2. Discernment

3. Healing

4. Interpretation of Tongues

5. Tongues

6. Prophecy

7. Wisdom

8. Apostle

9. Faith

10. Helps

11. Knowledge

12. Miracles

13. Teaching

Ephesians 4

1. Apostle

2. Pastor

3. Teaching

4. Evangelism

5. Prophecy

1 Peter 4

1. Serving

2. Teaching

 

The World, The Flesh and … oh yes, THE DEVIL

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

In our environment, we are constantly barraged with sinful desires promoted by our culture, and our own unholy thoughts and deeds.  However, these aren’t the only enemies — the verse above from 1 Peter tells us that we are under spiritual attack from another source–the devil.  It’s unfashionable to believe in Satan these days;  admit it in a group and you may find yourself the but of jokes and snide remarks.  Unfortunately ignoring an unpleasant reality doesn’t make it go away. In fact, the devil is quite happy to have you disbelieve in his existence — it makes you an easier target because your guard is down!

Right now I’m convinced that our Fanning the Flame team is under demonic attack.  The roof of my life has (almost literally fallen in)!  Others are under stress due to relationships, financial problems, work issues, and grief.  Of course, these sorts of things happen every day, but why are so many happening to members of the same small group all at once?  Probably not a coincidence.

It’s simple.  The devil wants to distract us from the good work we are trying to do for St. Paul’s.  As my husband is fond of saying, he doesn’t need to bother with unbelievers — he already has them in his clutches.  The kind of pressure many of us are undergoing makes us irritable and quick to anger.  It disrupts our unity. It makes us anxious.  It causes us to feel disappointed, doubting and even depressed.  It encourages us to dwell on the negative.

There is, of course a Scriptural defense which is detailed in Ephesians 6:10-18:

Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD’s people.

The team is preparing for an event called “Armourbearer Sunday.”  I’m not sure what it’s about, but I have a suspicion it may help us deal with the powers of darkness around us.  Stay tuned for more in September …..

 

 

Who Follows You?

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives ,when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 1 Peter 3:1-2

Maybe you think you are not a leader.  You are not usually the one in charge of a project;  you have never been the president of an organization;  you prefer to work behind the scenes.  However, according to the Via de Cristo talk on leaders, we are all leaders because we all influence somebody.  The people we influence most are those within our own family.

The verses above, from 1 Peter, give us a picture of how this might be done.  It sounds contradictory, doesn’t it?  Lead by submission?  How could that work?  I like to think of the Biblical concept of “submission” as putting another person first. Submission isn’t being a door mat, accepting abuse, or losing every disagreement.  It is about caring for someone deeply enough to put their needs ahead of your own.  The Bible actually tells us to do this, not just with our spouse, but with others in our family, our congregation and even the world. This kind of behavior often makes people sit up and take notice.  It earns their trust.  It makes them willing to listen to what you have to say.  It can make them want to emulate you out of gratitude and respect.

Did you know what the biggest factor in determining whether a child continues to attend to church when they grow up is?   It’s whether their father attended church.  Do you know the most frequently cited influence on a person’s faith life?  The answer is “my mother.”  Do you know why most people attend a church for the first time?  Because a friend invited them. Make no mistake, people are watching you every day–the people at work, your spouse, your children, your friends, your neighbors, even the cashier at the grocery store.  Do you use your influence for good?  Do they see a life of “purity and reverence?”  You are somebody’s leader;  think about that responsibility and take it seriously.

T.E.A.M.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”  1 Peter 4:10

You’ve probably heard this before:  T.E.A.M = Together everyone accomplishes more.  It’s true in the church as well as in business.  The laity of the church, along with the Pastor are a team.  Often the Bible speaks of the church as a “body.”  We have different gifts and different functions.  We do our best work when all the parts are working together.  If one body part isn’t doing its’ job, the whole body suffers.

I’ve had some of my best life experiences working with others in the church.  Years ago, I wrote original Vacation Bible School programs for my church.  It wasn’t a solo effort.  I did the curriculum, but my sister, who is artistically creative, suggested crafts;  a member who loved to sing chose and led the music; a preschool teacher gave us suggestions about which things would work well with different age groups;  a great organizer became the director.  We did this for about five years, and when I see one of those ladies today they often mention what fun we had pulling it all together!  I could never have done it all on my own.

This blog is another example.  Although my blogging friends tease me about being the obsessive blogger, Michele was the driving force in getting the blog set up and going;  Paula made it pretty and added some features we didn’t know how to do;  Beth Ann started me thinking about posting songs and music … and so on.  It is a true group effort and I just love it when God mixes with us in a way that creates something none of us imagined we could do.

The best thing about T.E.A.M efforts?  As Peter says in the quote above, they are a way to pass God’s grace on to others.  Isn’t that what the church is all about?  So, my advice is, dream big, and then find some others who will dream along with you.  Pray, work, and let God use you in amazing ways.

He loves you and so do I!

 

Your Calling

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Ephesians 4:1

I hear quite a few people speak about their church as if they are merely consumers, making a choice about what is best for them.  They belong to a church for reasons like these:

• I love the Pastor
• It has a great youth program for my kids
• The music is fantastic
• My friends go there

I’ve also heard people reject a church because:

• I don’t feel uplifted
• I’m not being fed spiritually
• I don’t like someone who is a member
• I prefer a different kind of music

Now I am not saying there is anything wrong with loving your Pastor, the music, the programs or the people in your church.  There is something wrong with making a choice that’s all about you.  I personally believe that the lay people of the congregation are called to be there every bit as much as the Pastor.  We’re part of the body of Christ.  We all have gifts and talents to build up the body.  We’re all needed.  We are to be worthy of that calling.

That means our choice of a congregation should be based, in great part, on where God is calling us to serve.  It means once we have accepted our call, we need to be humble and bear with others even when we don’t agree with them.  It means we don’t change congregations just because we liked the old Pastor better;  we don’t get mad and leave in a snit.  We settle in, we become family and we work together.

“Look careful then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Ephesians 4:15-17

You’ve been called.  Are you blooming where you are planted?  Are you walking in a worthy manner?  Are you God’s servant in the place He has placed you?  Or are you just a religious consumer?