Faith isn't Abstract

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~ Hebrews 11:1

See also 1 Corinthians 13:4-13. 

Many of us believe that things like faith and love are ephemeral, abstract concepts. But these scriptures show the opposite. In fact, faith and love are tangible things. And as tangible things, they must be demonstrated or shown, not just said. Otherwise, it's not really faith; it's not really love.

Have your faith and love been demonstrated lately?

God bless,

J.W.

Love, Faith, and Fear (Part 5)

Now that we've (hopefully) established that increasing in love is more important than increasing in faith, the question is, how does one increase in love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives us the blueprint (see above).

Increasing in love requires us to increase in all these areas.

Stay tuned for more.

God bless,
J.W.

But Have Not Love

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:1-2

As many of you may know, I tend to be a very reserved and aloof person. I don’t say much and tend to stay to myself. As a result, social situations are not easy for me. So, needless to say, when I attended orientation for law school this past week, I was quite nervous about how I would do in making new friends and meeting new people.

But rather than allow those feelings of nervousness to take over, rather than curling up into my shell as is my natural inclination in situations like this, I challenged myself and made a decision – a decision to let love be my guide.

So, 1 Corinthians 13 became my guiding light. I told myself that rather than fearing the unknown, rather than allowing the fear of rejection to overcome me, I was going to do what God has ultimately called us to do and love my neighbor as myself, and as ultimately Christ loves each of us – unconditionally, without pretense or prejudice, fully and wholeheartedly, genuinely.

See, when we allow love to be our guides, we are not only being obedient to God’s world, we not only bless other people, but we open up worlds of possibilities for ourselves as well. God has promised that if we stay true to His word, He would open up windows in Heaven that no man can shut (Revelations 3:7). But in order for the promise to be fulfilled, we’ve got to be obedient to His word. The rewards don’t come without the sacrifice.

So, be guided by love today. Instead of having an attitude, take on a spirit of love today. Love those around you and watch how your life will be richly blessed because of it.

God bless,
J.W.

Teach Me How to Love

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing... And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13: 2,13)

We as believers have the blessing of experiencing the greatest love there is: the love of God. What makes God’s love so special is that His love is totally and completely unconditional. The dictionary defines unconditional as “not contingent; not determined or influenced by someone or something else”. That means that love that is truly unconditional is there just because it is. You can’t do anything to earn it and you can’t do anything to lose it. It is love for love's sake. Romans 8:38-39 declares that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Again, it’s there and it isn’t going anywhere.

In celebrating this fact I began to think: if God is love and as believers God lives inside of us, then shouldn’t we also have His love inside of us? If we are truly designed in God’s image and God is love, then we are capable of the same unconditional love that he shares with us. The ability to love is the greatest quality that we as humans have because it the one that most reflects the image of God. Unfortunately it also seems to be one the one we limit the most.

Imagine if we all loved one another, friend or foe, family or neighbor with no pre-requisites and no requirements, expecting nothing in return. Not only would we be a joy to those around us, but our own condition would improve as a result.

There is a certain peace that you get when your feelings about those around you (and yourself for that matter) are not determined or affected by anything other than the fact that you love them. It’s called “perfect peace”.

I challenge us all to ask God, “Teach me how to love as you do, unconditionally”. I know I will be asking God daily to help me.

Love is Life,
Daniel Lee Robertson