Two of the foundations of the Christian faith are: Number one, Christ rose from the dead and number two, Christ died for us. Christ dying for us points to Gods love. The Bible says that, “God is love.” And love best demonstrated is an action of giving. For God so loved that He gave. We are no more like God, than when we love, care and give.
Love is seen and demonstrated in so many ways on so many occasions. Valentine’s Day, or as my friend calls it, “Singleness Awareness Day”, is one of them. It symbolizes love and romance, but love is not only an emotion or a feeling, it is also an action and a choice.
Jesus demonstrated love and revealed God to us. But in John’s gospel chapter 13:34 He says to his disciples, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.” What’s interesting about this passage is He hasn’t yet demonstrated the ultimate sacrifice of love by dying—He had only demonstrated love by how He lived.
He said that, “I am to love as He loved.” What was He talking about?” He was talking about His deeds, words, attitudes, and actions. He was talking about how He listened, how He lived, how He gave, how He helped, and How He encouraged others. He was talking about how He loved unconditionally and treated people with dignity. We are to love one another as He loved.
He blessed and served the poor and sick.
He had compassion on the outcasts of society and those in need.
He shared his time with people, teaching them, helping them, praying for them, and encouraging them on how they could live.
He helped those in need and never let an interruption inconvenience Him.
He treated everyone the same and without partiality.
Valentine’s Day is a day where we celebrate love and romance, but at the foundation of our Christian faith is love. We love Him because He first loved us. The Bible declares that we will be known by our love. And Paul said in Corinthians: “Let all that you do be done in love.” Therefore, Love is the foundation of our faith, but it also an action and it is also a choice.
Let’s break this verse down:
Let—to cause, to make happen, to give opportunity to, to allow it to be so.
All—any and every manner, all things and in every manner.
That—the person, thing, or idea that has been indicated or mentioned.
You—second person singular, and individual matter.
Do—to bring to pass or carry outanother’s wishes.
Be Done—to become, or to come into existence. To begin to be, or to come to pass and to make happen.
In(with) Love—brotherly love, affection, compassion, good will, kindness, consideration, love, and benevolence.
The New Command that Jesus introduced in this passage in John was, “Love God with all of your heart, strength, soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself.”
I believe that we will never truly love others until we love ourselves, and we will never truly love ourselves until we know and understand the love of God. That is: the love that He has for us.
We show love to others by demonstrating respect, showing kindness, having compassion, being understanding, and manifesting goodwill.
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
Maybe the saying is true: People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Therefore, let’s give love a chance to work in our lives. Remember, we are no more like God than when we love, give and serve. Let’s demonstrate love and allow everything that we do, to be done in love!
Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?”
Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” Nehemiah 4:1-3
When God was talking to Nehemiah about rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, God said something out of the ordinary. He told Nehemiah to use the burned stones. More specifically, use the stones that have been through the fire; the stones that are charred and blackened. *(The ones that had been through the fire—the ones that had been tried and tested, He said, build with those stones).
And the Ammonites mocked Nehemiah because he used the burned stones. They didn’t believe the stones would be strong enough because they were “stones from a rubbish heap – and charred ones at that.”
Have you ever heard the saying… *what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
What about the *bumper sticker—yeah but did it kill you?
Here’s what I want to say:
*dont allow it to make you bitter—allow it to make you better and the bigger person.
*you may have gone through something, but you don’t have to smell like it. (3HC)
The Ammonites didn’t think Nehemiah should have built with those stones, but God said, “That’s the exact kind of stone I want you to use.” When God wants to do something, He doesn’t always look for the “perfect” stone. He doesn’t always look for “perfect” people. He often uses people that have been through the fire. He prefers to use the stones that have been burned and charred.
Maybe you’ve been burned by the fires of life. Maybe you’ve been burned by a failure. Maybe you’ve been burned by a mistake. Maybe you’ve been burned by some business deal. Maybe you’ve been burned by someone.
You’re the stone God wants to use! The fires you’ve been through make you even more suitable to be used by God. When God wants to build something great, He looks for people that have been through the fire. It’s okay that your life isn’t perfect. You’ve been through the fire and withstood the test—God wants to build something with you.
No matter how good you are or how perfect you think you may be we are we are all human. We all have flaws and we all have imperfections. We all have those moments in our lives where we’ve been burnt by something or someone.
The encouraging thing about this passage is that God chooses to use us in spite of ourselves. As leaders we lead and as leaders we build, and God chooses to use the things that we’ve been through to build upon. Those things that we went through that we thought would destroy us, but actually they developed us. Charred and burnt stones, but tried and tested and strong enough to build upon.
So here’s a prayer we could pray for God to build upon:
“Lord, Teach me to number my days, so that I may become wise in how I live my life.” Psalm 90:12 ERV
“Lord, our God, be kind to us. Make everything we do successful. Yes, make it all successful.” Psalm 90:17 ERV
As long as you hold onto what you have—it will never become more than it is, but when you give what you have—it always has the potential to become more.
In Matthew 14 Jesus had a need. He needed to get away to be by himself. John the Baptist had just been beheaded and he wanted to spend time alone and pray to his father, but the crowd was there and they had a need. They were hungry and there was no place to get food. However, there was a little lad there that had a lunch. Jesus knew and His disciples knew it. It was the only source of food there, but it wasn’t enough, that is until it was given away and blessed by Jesus. The little lad gave his lunch away, and what wasn’t enough—became more than enough! The little lunch of the lad fed multitudes that day. But, it didn’t have the potential to become more until he gave it away. Why did he give it? Did he give out love? I would like to think so. Most people don’t just give to give they give because they love or because they believe in a cause, or a purpose. They desire to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves—something that is greater than what they currently have or that they are capable of on their own. Luke 12:15 says, “People do not get life from the many things they own.” A little boy with a little lunch, gave it away and it fed thousands. When we give it always has the potential to become more and when we give it always outlast us and lives on in the life of others.
We are never more like God than when we give. For God so loved—that He gave. Giving to meet a need is benevolent and admirable, but giving from a place of love is beautiful and lasting. Mother Theresa said, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into our giving.”
We should give out of love. We should be a conduit. A conduit is a channel by which resources are received, conveyed and then distributed.
A seed has to be sown to produce a harvest.
A tree has to planted to bring forth fruit.
When we give it always has the potential to become more.
Jesus knew exactly who was there and what was there in regard to resources.
He sent his disciples out to get what was there and bring it to Him so that he could bless it and break and then the disciples gave back what they had gathered.
They collected what was available and then they distributed it back to those in need.
That’s what the foundation does. They collect and distribute. The foundation is a conduit.
Giving to an immediate need not only meets the need in the moment, but it also provides a way to make the world a better place for people in the process.
The little lad had what no one else had—he had lunch, but when he gave it away it became more than it was and fed multitudes.
I’m also reminded of two Old Testament stories about two widows who had an exchange and an encounter with an Old Testament prophet. One was with the prophet Elisha and one was with the prophet Elijah. One was in regard to some oil and flour and one was concerning a small jar of olive oil. Both widows had a need and neither had enough to provide for their need or for their future. Their need wasn’t met until one expanded capacity and one gave away what she already had.
The Bible says (Luke 12:48), “To whom much is given—much is required.” I say, “We are never more like God, than when we give!” Therefore, we see a need, we care, we love, and we give. And when we give it has the potential to become more and continue to live on in the lives of others. May you continue to be a conduit that blesses others, while creating opportunities for things to become more and better in the process.
As long as you hold onto what you have—it will never become more than it is, but when you give what you have—it always has the potential to become more.
This is the beginning of a New Year—2025 and we know what a new year means. It means resolutions, new beginnings and fresh starts. However, for some people a new year can be a time to start over, while for others it’s a time to continue on with the same old cycles.
Nevertheless, no matter what your thought is in regard to this matter, we all need wisdom on how to live the years that we’ve been given. And Moses gives us a prayer to follow in psalms 90.
As I said, Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses recorded by David and here are verses 10 and 12 of this passage and prayer:“We live about 70 years or, if we are strong, 80 years. But most of them are filled with hard work and pain. Then, suddenly, the years are gone, and we fly away. Therefore, teach us how short our lives are so that we may become wise.” -Psalms 90:10, 12
Here are 5 areas where we can become more wise: *(these are the areas of our lives that affect us the most and they also help determine our ability to make decisions and do life).
Your ears hear: Therefore be mindful about what you listen to and be mindful about who you listen to!
Your mind reasons and retains: Therefore, be intentional about what you think about and be intentional about what you remember.
Your heart feels and remembers: Therefore develop thick skin and a soft heart and allow what you have experienced to make you better, not bitter.
Your mouth releases what you sense, feel and have experienced: Therefore be careful what you say and be careful how you say it.
Your eyes see: Therefore be aware of what gets your attention because it could be a distraction be aware about what you focus on because your focus determines your direction.
When I began to think about this post, I wondered if it was a little “Debby Downer” to start the new year, however I don’t think it is. I actually think that it is a good reminder for us to understand that we have been given the days that are ahead of us and we need divine wisdom to live these days to their fullest!
Therefore, don’t waste another minute on the wrongs of yesterday. Today is a new day and a fresh start.
The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. This new day is too dear with its hopes and invitations to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”
So here’s a prayer we could pray:
“Lord, Teach me to number my days, so that I may become wise in how I live my life. Let my words, deeds and actions be beneficial and positive, and may they be acceptable in your sight. Teach me how short my life is so that I may become wise.” Amen
Even when God seems silent, He is still active and present. However, when God doesn’t seem to be speaking or moving it is difficult, especially for those of us that desire to have an active present relationship with Him. A relationship where you feel like He is active, present, communicating and leading. Nonetheless, I find myself looking back when it doesn’t seem like there is anything happening actively in the present. Most of it is not on my own doing, but through facebook memories that just come up. However, they remind me that God has been faithful! Therefore, if He has been faithful, He is always faithful—because he doesn’t change and He can’t be anything except who He is. So I want to encourage you today and remind you the He is with you and that He is working all things for your good—even when you can’t see it, He is. At some point our faith has to produce a confidence that is developed by remembering God’s faithfulness in past situations, while believing He will be faithful in the moment that you are being faced with right now! Selah
We are in the Advent Season and today is the second Sunday. Our word for today is—Love. Advent- means: coming or arrival. Most the theologians believe that it was around 400 years between the time that the prophets had declared that there would be a promised Messiah, and the time that an angel spoke to Mary and said that she would give birth to a child that would be of the Holy Spirit. They believed, but they waited—they waited but they believed—and He came! God in the flesh—Emanuel, God with us. And they called His name Jesus, for He would save His people from their sin. They waited, but He came.
Our reality, as God’s people, is that we are still in a season of waiting. We know the promise of Christ, who has already come, but we wait for God to come and make all things right—but waiting is hard. Today we are reminded, through words spoken by Zechariah in Luke 1, that even in the waiting we have the hope of God’s continued promise. They waited on the promised Messiah and we wait for God to move in our lives in His way and in His time.
This morning I want to talk to you about what we’ve entitled, “Changed In the Waiting.” This a story about Zachariah and Elizabeth becoming pregnant and giving birth to John. They had waited for years and God had not yet answered their prayer, but in this moment he had, and Elizabeth would now become pregnant and they would bring fourth John who would be the forerunner of Christ and would ultimately baptize Jesus in the river, Jordan. Zachariah in this passage goes from “How Can It Be So?” To this is what God did and this is what’s going to happen now. He prophesied about Jesus and prophesied over John. Zachariah went from doubting to proclaiming… He was changed in the waiting.
Anytime that there is a coming or an arrival there is a waiting period. And waiting is never easy and it is often frustrating . However, the waiting period is what allows us time to prepare or to make ready, it is also the time that allows us to change, grow and deepen our faith.
Waiting is usually connected in some way to feeling forgotten.
*(dr. appointment | procedure)
But here’s what I want you to know: even if God is delayed in moving towards us in a tangible way—He still never forgets us and He always hears our prayers. Luke 1:13– “But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a baby boy, and you will name him John.” *he didn’t say your prayer has been answered, he said it has been heard.
Some Things About Waiting:
Waiting doesn’t change God, but it usually changes us.
Waiting brings out the best and the worst in us.
Waiting changes our perspective.
Waiting deepens our faith.
Waiting will causes us to prioritize.
Don’t Waste Your Wait! *(how do you waste it)
⁃ If you wait and don’t learn.
⁃ If wait and don’t grow from it.
⁃ If wait and don’t change.
⁃ If you wait and don’t deepen in your faith.
⁃ If you wait and don’t broaden your understanding and perspective.
3 Reasons Why God May Allow Us to Wait:
1. To deepen our trust.
2. To wait for people to change.
3. To give time for situations to align.
What About Elizabeth and Zachariah?
As we unfold Zechariah’s words, we are reminded that pregnancy itself is also about a season of waiting. There is a wait to announce the pregnancy. There is a wait to know the gender. There is a wait to hear the heartbeat for the first time or feel the first kick from inside the womb. Finally, there is a wait for the baby to make their grand arrival during labor and delivery. The words spoken by Zechariah are found in silent waiting.
What About Elizabeth and Zachariah?
Zechariah and Elizabeth waited so long that they had forgotten, but God hadn’t forgotten!
They waited on the promise of their prayer to be answered and now in their old age they were going to be waiting on the arrival of a new baby.
What About Elizabeth and Zachariah?
They Were Old
– When we wait time passes and we feel like the years are wasted.
– When wait we feel like it’s too late now.
– When we wait we feel like if it hasn’t happened yet—it won’t happen now.
– When we wait we get discouraged and quit believing.
– When wait we get disappointed and give up.
*I want to tell you today—with God all things are possible and it’s never too late and you are never too old.
They Were Good People vs. 5-7
– They were from a good line and good family
– Zechariah—from Abijah’s group *(king of Judah, judge, priest and Jeroboam’s son)
– Elizabeth—comes from Aaron’s family.
– They were good people who loved God.
– They did everything the Lord commanded them.
– They always followed His instructions completely.
*Why is this important?
*Because there’s a formula to how we feel: when have to wait we forgotten, and we feel forsaken, but we also feel like we did something wrong—like God is mad at us. God is not mad at you. God loves you and His timing is perfect! Zechariah and Elizabeth had to wait and God’s timing was perfect concerning them and the birth of John.
God’s timing is perfect concerning you because He knows what you don’t know and He can see what you can’t see. You see I believe is this: Zechariah and Elizabeth gave birth to John right at the time it was supposed to happen. None of the prophecies could have been fulfilled the way they were if not. John would have not been filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb. He wouldn’t have been the forerunner of Christ and ultimately baptize Jesus in the Jordan. The wait was worth it! *Gods timing was perfect concerning Zechariah and Elizabeth and it is perfect concerning you and me.
What About Elizabeth and Zachariah?
They Faithfully Served God
– They didn’t waiver in their faith—they kept believing and serving, even when disappointment came and what they prayed for didn’t come when they expected it to come—they still waited on God and served faithfully.
We are in the same position as Zechariah and Elizabeth. We wait and don’t know the outcome. When we read their story, we see God’s faithfulness, but when it was happening in real time they didn’t know what we know now. We have hindsight, but they didn’t and we don’t either for current our situations. They trusted God and waited and we have to do the same.
This is the love of God—that He came to us and Zechariah declares the divine plan and providential timing of God in these verses about Jesus and John.
“Then Zechariah, John’s father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and told the people a message from God: “Praise to the Lord God of Israel. He has come to help his people and has given them freedom. He has given us a powerful Savior from the family of his servant David. This is what he promised through his holy prophets long ago. He will save us from our enemies and from the power of all those who hate us. God said he would show mercy to our fathers, and he remembered his holy agreement. This was the promise he made to our father Abraham, a promise to free us from the power of our enemies, so that we could serve him without fear in a way that is holy and right for as long as we live. “Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go first before the Lord to prepare the way for him. You will make his people understand that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven. “With the loving mercy of our God, a new day from heaven will shine on us. It will bring light to those who live in darkness, in the fear of death. It will guide us into the way that brings peace.” And so the little boy John grew up and became stronger in spirit. Then he lived in areas away from other people until the time when he came out to tell God’s message to the people of Israel.” —Luke 1:67-80 ERV
*God’s love | While we were yet sinners | John 3:16
