Happy Valentine’s Day! True Love is . . .

 

A Description of True Love: 

I Corinthians 13:4-8a -”Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.8  Charity never faileth.”
For a more detailed study of each description click on the highlighted text:
1. Love is longsuffering – It bears injuries or provocation for a long time; it is patient, not easily provoked – Is there someone you need to continue to be patient with in a loving way?
2. Love is kind – Disposed to do good to others – Is there someone you can show kindness to this week in a loving way?
3. Love does not envy – It desires not to deprive others of what is rightfully theirs, it does not wish that they did not have it or had it to a lesser degree. – Is there someone or something you are envying that is keeping you from being loving?
4. Love is not proud – Is there something that you are proud about that is keeping you from loving God and others?
5. Love is not unseemly – it is not unfit, unbecoming, or indecent. Do you have unloving behavior in your life for which you should receive correction from the Lord, so you can be a more loving person?
6. Love seeketh not her own – Love is not selfish! Are there some selfish thoughts and motives in your heart that are keeping you from loving others?
7. Love is not easily provoked – Is not quick-tempered, touchy, irritable. Have you been irritable with someone today? If so the loving thing to do is to make it right by asking forgiveness.
8. Love thinketh no evil – It does not keep a ledger of the wrongs – it does not store up the memory of any wrong it has received. Do you have a list of someone’s wrongs stored up that you just won’t forgive? If so, do the loving thing and give it to God.
9. Love does not rejoice in iniquity – Love finds no pleasure in the sin of others that brings hardship and judgment into their lives. If you are rejoicing over the downfall of others, repent and pray for God’s mercy to be upon them.
10. Love rejoices in the truth – What truth have you rejoiced in today? Can you think of something true, that you can rejoice about in a loving way with others?
11. Love bears all things – It enduringly protects and covers the beloved in all things. What ever the hardship, difficulty, attack, and trial, the loving person is there to help, not only to back you up but also to be a shield. Are you being a protecting shield in your love for others?
12. Love believeth all things – love is completely trusting, it is not suspicious. Have you failed to give someone the benefit of the doubt lately? The loving thing is to check it out!
13. Love hopeth all things – It does not despair, it keeps on hoping for the best in regard for all men. Love refuses to take failure as final it does not give up on someone. Have you been tempted to give up on someone for whom you care deeply? Love keeps caring!
14. Love endureth all things – Love sustains the assaults of suffering or persecution, in the sense of bearing up under them, and enduring them patiently. Is your love for someone being tested? Let God help you to love them for the long hall.
Conclusion:  Love Never Fails

A Valentine’s Day Message on Love

Title:  Love  (26 minutes)
Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Download: http://gbcdillon.sermon.net/da/119826336
Playback: http://gbcdillon.sermon.net/da/119826336/play
Have a great week thinking about love,  Mark

Courageous!

It does take courage to do things God’s way.  It takes courage to follow God’s instruction on being a parent.  After viewing the new movie “Courageous”, Pastor Don and I concluded that we should encourage all to see this film about fathers assuming their God given responsibilities in parenting.

The following testimony is how God worked in my heart to become a better father:

While I was growing up, one of my favorite past-times was getting under-my-sister’s-skin.  In other words I liked provoking her to anger.   Even after trusting Christ at the age of 18, I still fell to this temptation but now felt convicted for my unkindness to the point that I would even ask her forgiveness.  It is amazing how knowing Christ as Savior begins to change us and better our relationships within our families!

Nearly 10 years later when I became a father, it revealed that I still enjoyed irritating people, though I was unaware that I was doing anything wrong.  This time it was my new baby daughter of just a few weeks old. Well, we had this new camera that had this automatic rewind and rapid picture taking capability, so I snapped a picture of our little one who was sleeping so sweetly in her car seat.  Nothing wrong with that!  But the flash kind of disturbed her rest, and she had a little frown upon her face.  So I snapped another picture, the bright flash glaring into her little face. She became a little irritated now, and I was so amused by her reaction that I snapped another one, and another one, and another one–until my baby daughter was wailing in helpless frustration.  She was crying and I was laughing.  I was laughing at the frustration that I had the power to arouse in another person.  I was laughing at the expense of someone for whom I was supposed to protect and tenderly care.   It was so easy to do—so fun—so wrong!

I continued to provoke—I called it teasing my daughter.  I did not really begin to change until about 6 years later when my wife encouraged me to find out what the Bible teaches about parenting.  At that time I was floundering as a father, had been abdicating my responsibilities, and desperately needed help.   The Bible had the wisdom and instruction I needed to be the father that God wanted me to be.  Two of the scriptures that particularly grabbed my attention were Ephesians 6:4 “And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” and Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”

I was deeply convicted of my unkindness in provoking my daughter to anger by those clear scriptural commands!  What a contrast to the nurturing father God wanted me to be!  By following the parenting practices of my ancestors, I was unwittingly discouraging my daughter.  I was neglecting to build a relationship based upon loving respect.  With God’s help I began to overcome the pleasure of provoking my daughter and instead began to lovingly train and correct her.  I turned back from a path that had been leading me to ruin and began traveling a path that has brought me tremendous joy.  God’s way made all the difference.

May God grant us fathers the grace to resist the temptations to provoke our children to wrath and give us the wisdom to train them for the Lord.

With Prayer, Pastor Mark

Note:  The Bible study that changed my life in the area of parenting is available on my blog by clicking here.   Please let me know if it has helped you.  I would love to hear specific examples of  how God has helped you through the Word of God to be a better parent.

Blogs I Follow

I presently am following my wife's, my daughter's and my son-in-law's blogs, as well as the blog that I manage for First Baptist Church of Dillon, MT. Apparently, blogging is becoming a way of life for us. The things my family writes about are very interesting and a blessing to me. The photo uploads help too!