A CALL FOR INTIMACY WITH GOD

                                     A CALL FOR INTIMACY WITH GOD (The Call of A Disciple- Part II) 

This past Monday I was at a pastor’s retreat. It was a group of over 50 pastors from all over New England, and some from the Midwest. The instructor stressed the need of us pastors becoming healthy Disciples of Christ. He quoted from a book titled, “The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual life.” By Henri Nouwen “Discipleship cannot be realized without discipline. Discipline in the spiritual life, however has nothing to do with the discipline of athletics, academic study, or job training, in which physical fitness is achieved, new knowledge is acquired, or a new skill is mastered.

The discipline of the Christian disciple is not to master anything, but rather to be mastered by the Spirit. The Christian discipline is the human effort to create the space in which the Spirit of Christ transform us into his image. For most of us it is very hard to spend a useless hour with God. It is hard precisely because facing God alone we also face our own inner chaos. We come in direct confrontation with our restlessness, anxieties, resentments, unresolved tensions, hidden animosities, and longstanding frustrations. Our spontaneous reaction to all this is to run away and get busy again, so that we at least can make ourselves believe that things are not as bad as they seem in our solitude.”[1]

The key in this quote is, “creating space” for the Holy Spirit to transform us into his image. We are too busy to slow down these days. An hour alone with God!! It is too much asking from us right? We think what a waste of time. Really! We love the adrenalin rush, so we fill our lives with activity, and we are driven. We perpetually live by the tyranny of the urgent.

But do we realize how important is to have the downward mobility and actually slow down so that we can be alone with God undisturbed cherishing his presence? The thought of it alone can be confronting to the modern day Christians. We are on an exciting journey of Understanding Christian Discipleship. Last week we looked at the call of disciples. The disciples were called to leave everything behind, and follow Jesus. They were also called to leave their sinful life style. Today we look at that the call of disciples is “A call of Intimacy with God”

I. WHAT IS INTIMACY? The dictionary meaning for the word intimacy means, “close familiarity or friendship; closeness, the kind of intimacy between a husband and wife." Intimacy is the experience of really knowing and being known by the person we trust. An Intimate friend is someone who knows us intimately and we love to spend time with that friend. We feel secured and comfortable in the presence of an intimate friend. When something happens in that friendship, trust is broken and we feel horrible and distant from each other.

Let me illustrate, I have one and only one intimate friend in my life that is my wife. There is no one in this world who knows me as much as my wife knows me. I know her intimately and she knows me intimately. In her presence I feel loved, cherished, accepted and comforted. I do not want to do anything to hurt her or disappoint her. But when I do or say something either intentionally or unintentionally it hurts our relationship, I sense the coldness and distance between us. I do whatever it takes to get back into that intimacy with her again.

How did we arrive at that level of intimacy?  It is hard work, it did not happen overnight, it took 22 years of marriage relationship where we gave and received love from each other. It has been a fulfilling journey of knowing and loving each other. That is the kind of intimacy, God is longing to have with all of his followers and disciples. He often is the initiator in this journey.

II. GOD’S HEART OR INTIMACY.

God from the beginning, desired an intimate relationship with man. After creating man and woman in his own image, He placed them in the garden. God and mankind enjoyed a delightful unbroken relationship with each other. He used to come and spend time with them in the cool of the day. Until one day, when man started to run away and hide from him because of his sin. Though man began to run from God, it always has been God taking the first step towards man. “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you”? He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Genesis 3:8-11

Since that time mankind has been hiding away from God. When we sin we are afraid, feel guilty and want to run away from God. Sin separates us from God. It breaks our relationship with Him.  In order to bring back his wayward sons and daughters into a loving relationship God raised up and sent leaders, judges, priests and prophets with a message of love.

In the OT we see this longing of God for an intimate relationship with man. Consider the following: “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 “Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” Jeremiah 31:3

At times God expressed his love to man as a father would do to his children. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt. But the more I called to him, the farther he moved from me, offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols. I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand.

But he doesn’t know or even care that it was I who took care of him” Hosea 11:1-3. This scripture explains the unconditional, intentional love of God towards mankind, an also the deliberate and continual rebellion of man’s heart towards God. Though man’s heart is always wicked and full of evil, God has always been reaching out with his steadfast love, with arms stretched, longing to touch and heal the broken and hurting.

III INTIMACY BETWEEN GOD, JESUS, AND DISCIPLES

 Jesus since the creation has always been with God in his presence.  When the appropriate time came he came into the world in human form and dwelt among us.  While he was on earth He maintained an intimate relationship with His father in heaven. Remember the great words of affirmation of God the father at the time of Jesus, baptism? And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

Jesus claimed that he and the father were one, and whoever had seen him has indeed seen God the father. (John 10:30). “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) Spending time with God the father in a solitary place was not a onetime thing but a regular practice for Jesus.  At times he spend all night in prayer. Just before he was crucified he agonized in the garden of gethsemane before his heavenly father.

Not only was there intimacy between Jesus and God the father, but also between Jesus and his disciples. They were always with him, they ate with him, performed miracles, prayed with him, sat under his teachings, took part in the communion, etc. Jesus loved all his disciples, but there was one disciple who took more time to be with Jesus, hence he was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. We all are invited to become that beloved disciple of Christ.

Jesus preached to the crowds in parables but explained the meaning and the mystery to his close disciples.  He taught them the secrets of the Kingdom. The relationship between Jesus and his disciples was just not a relationship between a sinner and a savior, a master and a servant, a teacher and a student but it was much more intimate, it was a relationship of friendship. “Jesus said to his disciples, “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit that will last and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:12-16)

IV. CULTIVATING INTIMACY WITH GOD.

The Bible does not say, God is full of love, but God is love. God’s Kingdom is a Kingdom of love. Everything God has done, is doing and will do has always been motivated by love. Out of his great love for us He sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ. So that through Jesus we can enter into a relationship with God. That relationship is of a son and a father.  “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (I John 3:1) When we accept Jesus as our savior, God pours his abundant love into our lives and we become the children of God, the sons and daughters.

God not only pours his love into our hearts but he also wants us to become the agents of love. Jesus has given us a command to love one another as he has loved us. How can we cultivate intimacy with God in a world full of distractions and business?  As Henri Nouwen suggested we have to “create space.” We might argue that during the time of Jesus, the disciple did not have all the modern gadgets to distract them from following Jesus, so naturally it becomes easier to follow Jesus.

Yes you are right! The modern gadgets, such as computers, tablets, TV, and cell phones however useful they might be they are the greatest hindrance for us from cultivating an intimate relationship with God. We cannot create space for God when we are 24/7 hooked up to our gadgets thinking that we cannot part from them not even a minute. It takes a desire, a determination and intentionality to spend time with God. When we have that determination then it would be easier for us to part from these gadgets.

Once you put away your cellphones, shut the TV off, then find a solitary place anywhere, where you are not distracted. In that quiet space you can meditate on God’s love. You can sing songs of praise and thanksgiving. You can pour out your anxieties in his presence. Trust that in the quietness of your heart, God will reveal the width and the depth of His love for you. He will fill you with His Holy Spirit. The more time we take creating space for God, the more intimate we grow with Him. God is calling you today to enter into an Intimate relationship with Him, are you ready to embark on this most exciting journey of intimacy with God? Amen

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[1] Henri J.M. The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual life. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2007, pg 70

The Restoration of Prayer

THE RESTORATION OF PRAYER

A heart-broken little girl began to kneel and pour out her heart to God at the altar at her local church. She did not know what to say. As she wept speechless, she began to remember what her Father had told her, "God knows your needs even before you pray, and he can answer when you don’t even know for what to ask." So she began to say her alphabet. A concerned adult from that church knelt beside her and heard her sobbing and saying her ABC’s and inquired what exactly she was trying to do. The little girl told this caring adult, "I’m praying to God from my heart." But the adult answered, "It sounds to me more like you are saying the alphabet!" "Yes," she said, "But God knows more about what I need than I do, and he can take all these letters and arrange them in just the right way to hear and answer my prayers!"

             

This little girl understood the kind of prayers that God will hear, accept and possibly answer. They that do not often contain eloquent words but are accompanied by heartfelt agony and urgency. I am afraid when it comes to prayer at times children seems to display more understanding than the adults.  Once a man asked an evangelist “how can we have revival?” The evangelist answered by asking “Do you have a place where you can pray?” Yes the man replied. Tell you what to do, go to that place and take a piece of chalk along. Kneel down there, and with the chalk draw a complete circle around you and pray for God to send revival on everything inside that circle. Stay there until He answers, and you will have your revival.

             

For the past week we have been talking about and asking God to send us revival in our Church. What revives a dead or nearly dying church? It is not more programs, events, cookouts and not even hearing inspiring sermons, attending spiritual conferences and retreats. It takes personal revival in the lives of the individual members of a church. That revival can only come by a heartfelt, and earnest prayers. Last week I said in my sermon that “Repentance leads to restoration.” 

We have repented and sought God’s forgiveness. Now I believe that God wants to restore four things back to us. In the next few weeks we will be looking at four areas of restoration: The restoration of prayer, the restoration of the Word, the restoration of worship and the restoration of discipleship. Today we will look at, “THE RESTORATION OF PRAYER. I will talk about, the necessity of prayer, prayer as a relationship with God and God’s promises concerning prayer.

I.THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER.

Have you wondered, is prayer really necessary? If so why? Isn’t God sovereign? Doesn’t that mean He accomplishes what He wants, when He wants? If so why pray? Dutch sheets in his book Intercessory prayer answers this question and many other questions on the subject of prayer. I want to look at what the Bible has to say why prayer is absolutely necessary in the life of an individual believer and the life of a Church.

Prayer, just like breathing is absolutely necessary for Christians, the moment we stop praying from that moment we will slowly but surely die spiritually. We are living in a high pressured society which has a claim on our time. Trying to juggle through our busy schedules the first thing we neglect is to carve some time to pray during the day or night.  Wilma and I have to be intentional to protect those private and corporate times of prayer. Over the years we realized that we desperately need God in our lives and Prayer is the link that connects us with God.

Throughout the scriptures we see God and humans, for better or worse working together. After the fall, Adam and Eve had a son and named him Seth. Seth also had a son and he named him Enosh. “At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.” Gen 4:26. That was the beginnings of prayer. When the wickedness of men was increasing on the earth, God regretted that he had made them. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:8. God used Noah to build the Ark.

After the flood, the whole earth was steeped in idolatry, from among the Idol worshipers, God called Abraham out of his, family, and country and made a nation out of Him. Genesis 12. The rest is the History. 

Israelites were slaves for 400 years in Egypt. They were in bondage and mistreated so badly. Out of their anguish the cried out to God, (another word for prayer). “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” Genesis 2:23-25.

There is another scripture in where we actually see God searching for people who could pray so that he would not destroy a nation. Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice. “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30-31. These are just a few scriptures where we see people needing God and God needing people. In reality, we need God more than God needing us. However several scriptures indicate that God acted when His people prayed. God was silent when His people did not pray.

These scriptures do send us a message that prayer is absolutely necessary. I believe our prayers can bring revival. They have the power to heal, restore families and marriages. They can change lives, they can bring sinners to Christ. They can break addictions. They can even change nations. E.M Bounds once said, “God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil… The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock of heaven by which God carries on His great work upon earth. God conditions the very life and prosperity of His cause on prayer.”

I agree with this statement. Let me explain why. When we see all around us chaos, danger, violence, murders, and unrest, partly the reason is that there are no more capital stocks of prayer in heaven by which God carries on His great work upon earth. There has been a worldwide prayer movement which began in the seventies continued until the nineties. There were qualitative and quantitative prayer initiatives.

            Pastors gave high priority for prayer, children were praying fervently and effectively, there were many prayer ministries, theological seminaries were offering courses on prayer even secular magazines have been featuring cover stories about prayer. In the 90s there has been an intensified focus on praying for the Muslim world. A 40 Day prayer guide was printed and translated into many languages. I was involved in praying and raising prayer for Muslims, back in India. For a while we have let the prayer guard down, and there was the 9/11 attack and the world has never been safe since that time. This tells me that the intercession of God’s people will indeed change lives and push back evil. God can use our prayers to accomplish his purposes. A 30 day prayer focus for the Muslim world is planned for 6th June-July5th. Let’s join others and intercede for the Muslim world, they desperately need the savior.

II PRAYER AS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

             

 Prayer not only connects us with God it also opens up an intimate relationship between God and all those who call on His name. Prayer is based on God’s love for believers. Through his grace, he gives them things which they do not deserve, while through his mercy he shields them from those things which they do deserve, like any loving father would do to their children. We as God’s children can turn to our father in prayer at any time and from anywhere. Isaiah 64:8-9, “Yet you Lord are our father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever.” Psalm 103:13-14, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

              

Under the new covenant, that relationship has not changed, it only strengthened. Jesus approached God as his father, so we too can call God our father. Our Lord taught us to address God “Our Father” when we pray.  Mt 6:9-10“Our Father in heaven hallowed by your name, your kingdom come your will be done, one earth as it is in heaven...” Lk 11:9-13, so I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” What happens when we pray?

III. PROMISES OF GOD CONCERNING PRAYER:

             

Just like a father would hear his children, God promises to hear and respond to the prayers of his people, when they pray in the name of his Son and according to his will. In fact God invites his people to make requests of him in prayer. Mt 21:22, “If you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” God not only asks us to ask him but he also promises to answer prayers that are offered in the name of Jesus Christ. Jn 14:13-14, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me anything in my name, and I will do it.”

            

 God promises to respond to our prayers in times of need. Ps 91:14-16 “Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” God promises to hear the prayers of the oppressed Ps 10:17. God promises to hear the prayers of the truly repentant 2Ch 7:14 and finally God promises to hear the prayers of his obedient children 1Jn 3:22.

         

 So far we have looked at three major components of prayer. Prayer is absolutely necessary for a believer, without which he or she will surely spiritually die. Prayer opens up a beautiful relationship with God as that of a father and son or daughter relationship. God promised to hear and answer us when we sincerely, and earnestly pray to him in His Son’s name. Dear friend how has your prayer life been off late? Do you pray at all? My prayer for all of us is that God will restore prayer in our church. Let’s ask the Lord to teach us how to pray. So that we may grow in our prayer life and learn to pray the prayers that are closer to His heart. Amen

SIGNS OF THE END TIMES PART II "The Decrease of Love"

SIGNS OF THE END TIMES…PART II

“THE DECREASE OF LOVE” Matthew 24:1-13

            A young English duo Peter and Gordon may have imagined a world without love and dreaded to live in it. In February 1964 they recorded a song written by Paul McCartney “A World Without Love". [1] “Please lock me away; And don't allow the day; Here inside where I hide With my loneliness; I don't care what they say I won't stay; In a world without love; Birds sing out of tune; and rain clouds hide the moon; I'm OK, here I'll stay; With my loneliness; I don't care what they say I won't stay; In a world without love”

            Already in the 1960’s in the midst of the sexual revolution, and free love a sense of despair and purposelessness was setting in. Not only Peter and Gordon; no one would like to live in a world without love. It is hard to imagine a world without love. No matter who you are we all have an inherent need to be loved and to love. We all recognize we need love, but we don’t know how to give love and receive love. However, did you know, the essential commodity called love that is necessary for our well-being is gradually but surely decreasing? 

            Jesus gave a number of signs for his disciples, concerning the end of the world. Last week we looked at one of the signs of the End Times, “The great deception.” Today we will look at another sign “The decrease of love.” What causes the decrease of love? What are the consequences of the lack of love? How can we increase in love? Matthew 24:12-13.

I. THE DECREASE OF LOVE: (Matthew 24: 12-13)

            Vs 12-13, “Because of the increase of wickedness (Lawlessness)  the love of most will grow cold, but  he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” The dictionary definition for love: “an intense feeling of deep affection.” Other words for love are, fondness, tenderness, warmth, intimacy, attachment and endearment. When we look at a baby we are filled with intense feelings of love, why? Because they are beautiful, innocent and pure.  Where there is beauty, innocence and purity there love thrives, in the absence of these things love suffers to an extent it decreases.

            Keeping that in mind let’s read Vs 12-13, “Because of the increase of sin the love of most will grow cold, but he who stand firm to the end will be saved.”  This is one of the end time signs Jesus gave a long time ago. The Scripture calls lawlessness is Sin, more specifically, Idolatry, Adultery, Violence, Lust, Greed, Disrespect, Homosexuality, Theft, Lying, Aggression, and Selfishness. Is this Biblical sign being fulfilled in our day?

            Absolutely! Just go back 50 years and you would not see half the sin and wickedness that we see in people today. Look at what is portrayed on our TV screens and in the movies and video games! Violence, lust and all manner of evil. Jesus, said it in the last days due to the increase of lawlessness most people’s love will grow cold.  Let me talk about the kind of love Jesus was referring to here. We know the Greeks have used four words to describe what we call “love” The love that Jesus was referring to in Vs 12, was, “storge” it is the love and affection that naturally occurs between parents and children, between siblings, between husbands and wives in a good marriage.”  It is simply the kind of love that exists between people.

            In Matt 24: 10, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.” Lack of love for each other results in betrayal and hatred of each other. Jesus explicitly showed how this love deficit plays out at a home level. “For from now on, there will be five people divided against each other in one house, three against two, and two against three. It is going to be father against son, and son against father, and mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law!” (Luke 12: 51:53).  Is that not we have been observing these days in most homes, families and marriages and even churches? It will only increase as the end of the world draws near.  What are the consequences of lack of love?

II THE CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF LOVE:

             Can you imagine a world where there is love deficit? How can we describe such a world? It is a world in which everything goes and everyone does whatever he or she feels. Basically it is a world where God seems to be removed. Let me explain the consequences of lack of love. Where there is no love, according to I Corinthians 13 we will find people becoming: Impatient, unkind, envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking and short tempered. When people do not operate in love, they keep a score of wrong doings, they delight in evil by rejecting the truth, and instead of protecting one another they attack and devour one another.

            They become distrustful of others, and they cannot be trusted. When there is no love there is no fear of God; hence there will be no hope. Paul writing to Timothy warns how people will behave in the end times. “But you must realize that in the last days the times will be full of danger. Men will become utterly self-centered, greedy for money, full of big words.

            They will be proud and contemptuous, without any regard for what their parents taught them. They will be utterly lacking in gratitude, purity and normal human affections. They will be men of unscrupulous speech and have no control of themselves. They will be passionate and unprincipled, treacherous, self-willed and conceited, loving all the time what gives them pleasure instead of loving God. They will maintain a facade of “religion”, but their conduct will deny its validity. You must keep clear of people like this.” (II Timothy 3:1-5)

            This is the current state of our world. But how did we get ourselves to this place? Remember Jesus said it, due to the increase of lawlessness, most people love will grow cold. It is not a sudden realization but a gradual decrease of human love. This gradual decrease has been going on since the early part of the first century reaching its climax in the 19th century, where many philosophers declared that God was dead or at best no longer needed to verify Humanism’s truth or fill the gaps remaining in scientific understanding.”

            What is humanism? It is an “outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.” What was the outcome of humanism? The twentieth century dawned fair, bright and British. With it came two world wars, the great depression, communism, the Jewish holocaust and the atomic bomb.  A ticket arrived, in the form of drugs, rock and roll and eastern mysticism and the new age movement.”[2]

            In recent years humanism made a great impact in the way we think, relate and operate with one another. Everyone born into the Western world, either Christian or not somehow inherits this humanistic world view.  Please do not get me wrong, I value humanity and the incredible potential and the immense capacity that humans have. Who gave us those exceptional qualities to create, produce and solve problems? It was God. What I am against is the system that manipulates us to think that we can do without God. Can we really do without God? History tells us very well what happens to a society or nation that ignores God in all matters of life?

            The scripture tells us in Psalm 14:1-3, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

            In the USA more and more people are claiming to be Atheists. If we ignore God in our country no wonder why we are feeling the love deficit, because God is love. Because of the increase of lawlessness most people love is growing cold. What can we do to reverse this decreasing trend? The only way we can reverse this trend is by us growing in our love for God, for ourselves and for others. In the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Pete Scazero notes, “Loving well is the goal of the Christian life. This is easier in our dreams than in practice. It requires that we grow into emotional adulthood in Christ, the rewards of which are rich beyond measure.” When we become emotionally and spiritually healthy we become a blessing to our immediate family members, our church and to the rest of the world around us. How can we grow in love?

III. HOW CAN WE GROW IN LOVE?   

            If we care to admit we all recognize that we have a great need to grow in our love for God, for ourselves and others, right? I John is a very practical book which helps believers to grow in love. It is written by John the beloved apostle.

            John wrote it encourage believers to keep their faith in Christ strong and continue loving one another. He says we can know we are God’s children if we love one another and if we obey God’s commands. 

            Loving one another is not an option but a command from Jesus to his followers. “Now I am giving you a new command—love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you must love one another. This is how all men will know that you are my disciples, because you have such love for one another” John 13:34-35. Remember, love is a verb, therefore it must be demonstrated more than spoken.  How can we practically demonstrate our love?

            Here are a few practical ways to grow in our love. Reading God’s word, praying, and attending church regularly. Respecting others without having the need to change them. Treating people with dignity as they are made in God’s image. Appreciating people for who they are the good, bad, and ugly not for what they give back. Resolving conflicts maturely. Forgiving those who hurt us. Not keeping a record of the wrong doings of others.

            Doing acts of love and mercy for example, removing the trash, cleaning up the cat litter, cleaning the dirty dishes in the sink or cooking a nice meal at home and other million ways we can show our love for others. Let’s be creative and proactive when it comes to expressing our love for one another. So as you leave today, would you ask the Lord how creatively you can grow in your love for God, for yourselves and for others? Amen

           

                                                                                                      

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_World_Without_Love

[2] James Thwaites, “The Church beyond the Congregation.” page 23