Christian Family Services Ministry

8-18-2019 – A Word to the Wise

GOD’S LOVE

For God so loved……! Yes, we all know the scripture, but too few of us believe it. Too many of us have never experienced a sense of “belonging”, therefore the ‘world’ does not seem to include us. Deep in our hearts, too often is buried the conviction Christ died for everyone – except me. God loves everybody, but me. The words are like a sonnet; beautiful but not about me!

We view God’s world from space and longingly wish we could “belong”, but try as we may we still always see ourselves on the outside. Especially, if you were not welcomed into this God’s world by loving parents do you find it difficult to feel “God loves me”. Me, your heart may answer, why I am not really supposed to be here. But you are, you were in God’s mind before you were in the world. He sent you here himself. Now, whether we were welcomed by people should be a little less important,. You we God’s idea! Imagine that, and you thought you just happened. The love that calls for self-sacrifice is not difficult but the love that calls for humility is something more difficult because this love is based on the right relationship with God.

We observe the publican and sinners manifesting this first love. The second which is dependent on a real sense of humility is something quite different. This involves humbling one’s self before God as his created and looking upon all the rest he has created with reverence and respect because if for no other reason God made them and to degrade them is to degrade God’s workmanship. We do not fall into love – we grow into it by patient endeavor.

Why is it so difficult to learn to love? We have love for the poor, the sinful and we are all the time trying to love God. Why does it not come? Because loving God is just the opposite in many ways of loving the unfortunate. God needs nothing, He has everything.

Our approach to the love of God sets in motion a totally different group of facts & emotions than love of man. It calls upon our capacity for humility. We love God for what he is instead of what he is not. To the needy we love by compassion. To God, we are the beggar the ONE in NEED of compassion. Too God we are ever the receiver, to man the giver. Why must we perfect our love toward man, in order to love God? Have you ever said, “I don’t want charity” (in this sense meaning you don’t want to be classed with the needy)? Why, if it is such a degrading thing, do you feel do “pious” when you offer it to someone else? Is your expression of generosity only in reality an expression of superiority? Is your love for others only spasmodically fitted to your convenience and mood? Could your love being thus, be the reason you cannot comprehend a constant love from God for you? Humility toward God Equality toward Man

He is the beggar of you; you are the beggar of God (You are all equal before God)

We as human beings fail so greatly in our expression of love that we tend only to think of the gentleness it embodies and have seemingly hidden from ourselves its firmness, its justice, its patient unyielding purpose. Yes, unyielding. Because we so often lack these elements of love, we forget that God does not. Is there a difference in brotherly love and brotherly dependency? What of the bar fly who loves no one but shows deep sympathy for one on a crying jag? All given is a listening ear. Two broke people sharing their nothing is this not really dependency rather than love? You see families like this. At first glance one thinks the love that exists is so much greater than average, but on closer examination, you will find it is actually a greater dependency than is average. Only when you do for the good of the other person instead of self is it really love. Because love is the essence of what the human mind can grasp, we are beginning to view it as the essence of God. God is love, but he is much more. He is invisible, immortal; He is power, He is eternal. To limit God to love only is to reduce him to a man. Love is not a synonym for power. Power is not a synonym for eternal. Blessed is the poor in spirit. Christ’s greatest love in being a sacrifice for the souls of others and so we know the measure of our love by how deeply we are willing to suffer for the souls of others. This is usually learned first toward our loved ones and then broadens to include our fellowman. Thus, we understand love. Read John 4:8-3. “Herein” that is, hidden here in is understanding. How do we understand? By doing what he did – give ourselves for others. Once

We do and feel, then we know love. We concentrate on the love nature of God to grow closer to him, but in order that our love be in its proper expression we cannot neglect our reverence.

8-14-2019 – A Word to the Wise

It is my experience that we often find ourselves having to deal with the same temptations, the same bad attitudes, same failures. Wonder why? Perhaps it is because we do not take seriously examples the Lord has given over the many generations of mankind.

Consider what the scriptures says about the closing days of the great biblical commander Joshua; “he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.” (Joshua 11:15)

Unfortunately we are more like King Saul. I Samuel 15 tells us of Saul’s great failure and the consequences for generations to come. The Lord commanded Samuel to tell Saul to go to war with the Amalek and to completely destroy them and everything that belonged to them.

The orders were given by the Lord because they were ruthless people who had attacked and killed the aged, sick, and the orphans in the wilderness. Saul did not do it, rather decided to take captives, and property. His kingdom was taken from him for not obeying the Lord.

Because of his failure it would be another 500 years of Amalekite treachery before Queen Esther fully obeyed and destroyed Haman and the rest of the Amalekite.

As a patrol officer in South Dallas there was a particular block that reeked with drug houses and all kinds of wickedness. On one occasion having a shooting call at this location I stepped up on the porch and someone shot at me. I hated that area. I noticed not too long ago that the whole block had been leveled to the ground.

The lesson here for us? One does not stop when the enemy is defeated you take all that belongs to him. Destroy all the strongholds of Satan and he has nothing to return to. Our great temptation is to leave our houses of addiction, immorality, greed, and idolatry standing. Doing so dooms us to fight another day, and another.

That is what we have to do with our houses of sin and temptations, level them to the ground.