​Love Never Fails
 
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. - 1 Corinthians 13:8
 
Love never fails. What a statement. In fact, it is a very challenging statement. Most of us can think of people that we once felt we loved then through a series of circumstances we came to the conclusion that we didn’t love them anymore. I’m not just talking about romantic relationships; I’m also talking about friendships that for one reason or other just fell apart.
In those cases, did love fail, or did we just fail to love? Many of us have prayed, “Lord, increase my love for you and others.” I’m not sure that can happen. Love either is or isn’t. Care and concern can be measured out, but I’m not sure love can be. If we don’t love anymore it is because we chose not to invest care and concern in the relationship anymore. Love hasn’t failed, we have failed to love.
Here is something to consider. When Paul relates that love never fails, he goes on to state that even spiritual gifts have a limit; at some point prophecies will cease, gifts of tongues and knowledge will cease but love will never cease. Paul wasn’t trying to define a time when these spiritual gifts would cease, but he was trying to remind us that our walk with God and work in the kingdom is not as much about our many gifts as it is about whether we love.
If we are not to become resounding gongs and clanging cymbals, then we are going to have to surrender to agape – God’s love. 
 
Prayer: Lord, too often I have focused on having a word to speak and have missed opportunities to love . Grant me a new baptism of love so that all that I do is bathed in your love. In Jesus name.
 
Message:  Love never fails. Even spiritual gifts have a limit; at some point prophecies will cease, gifts of tongues and knowledge will cease but love will never cease. In this writing Paul wasn’t trying to define a time when these spiritual gifts would cease, but he was trying to remind us that our walk with God and work in the kingdom is not as much about our many gifts as it is about whether we love
 
Affirmation:   I value spiritual gifts, but I also realize that unless those gifts are covered by God’s love they become meaningless.
 
Reflection:   Too many today seek spiritual gifts without giving much thought to how they love. Ask yourself if your motivation is to be “gifted” or is it to serve?


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Love Rejoices In The Truth
 
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. - 1 Corinthians 13:6
 
This characteristic of love is so obvious that it seems redundant to even address it. Yet, there is an aspect of it that we need to explore. It is not so much about being pleased, or taking delight in the evil others do as it is about not realizing the value of truth and holding those who are under your authority accountable to truth.
I have a friend who is as good as gold. She would help anyone who comes along with a need. But the problem is that she brings people into her house out of concern for them, knowing that they are in need because of their own behaviors, yet she doesn’t hold them accountable to what she knows they must do to secure a more productive life. She takes no joy in the truth. The consequence is chaos.
Most of us have had friends who would come around us and take delight in exposing the wrongs of others, or even making mistaken assumptions about the actions of others. We might not be happy about hearing it, but do we rejoice in correcting the person and speaking truth to them?
God is calling us to a walk which is not blind to evil, neither is it a walk that sees only the good – But he is calling us to a walk that clearly sees righteousness and that takes a stand for righteousness in a way which expresses God’s love. 
Jesus told us that if we follow him and become his disciples then we will know the truth and the truth will set us free (John 831-32). When we delight in the truth and give no place to evil, then the fruit of our lives will be freedom.
 
Prayer: Lord, I do not want to have any kind of pleasure in evil. Not for myself or for anyone that I am able to influence.  Grant me the grace to treasure truth and to rejoice in it, even when the truth hurts. Amen
 
Message:   God is calling us to a walk which is not blind to evil, neither is it a walk that sees only the good – But he is calling us to a walk that clearly sees righteousness and that takes a stand for righteousness in a way which expresses the love of God. When we delight in the truth and give no place to evil, then the fruit of our lives will be freedom.
 
Affirmation:   I do not delight in evil and I do not fear evil, but I do delight in the truth and it is the truth which has set me free.
 
Reflection:  The message of this devotion is not just to avoid evil ourselves but to identify evil and combat it with the truth. How can you see truth defeating evil when so many seem to be prospering in their evil ways?

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Love… Calls Us To Obedience
 
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain his love. - John 15:12-14
 
I have seen literally hundreds of people make a prayer of profession as they are accepting Jesus as their Lord and savior. Sadly, I have seen less than ten percent of those professions produce fruit of repentance. Why is that? I think it is because they want the benefits of being in relationship, but they have not learned that relationship calls for commitment. Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love (or in relationship with me).”
Being in relationship requires a commitment to the one with whom we are in relationship.  A husband will give himself to blessing his wife, just as Christ gave himself for his own bride, the church (Ephesians 5:25). A father will give himself in labor, often at great sacrifice, to provide for his family.
Jesus used the word “commands,” and it is a good word because it tells us that love can sometimes be demanding. Not that love itself makes the demand, but our love commitment to the object of our love demands that we make sacrifices for the one that we love.  Love calls us to serve the object of our affection.
My hope for this month of devotions on the subject of love, and a particular focus on loving God, will draw you closer to Christ and call you to a greater commitment to serving the others in your life.
 
Prayer: Lord, I confess that I often come to you with selfish motives. Grant me the grace to experience your agape love that is focused on others rather than on myself. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Message:  Being in relationship requires a commitment to the one with whom we are in relationship. Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain his love.” Loving God and obeying God are twin children of faith.
 
Affirmation:   I am committed to obeying the commands of God revealed through the teachings of Christ.
 
Reflection:  Give some thought to the idea that love must have an object of expression. How do you see yourself expressing love to those around you?

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The Kingdom Of Eternal Peace
 
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life… He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. – Revelation 22:17-21
 
There was a relationship that man had with God in the garden that man has been driven to duplicate ever since the fall and he has had very little success. The best man has been able to do is produce a cheap imitation.
All of the religions of the world, including self-realization movements, have had the objective of restoring the inner peace we all desire and to be reconciled with God. But both religion and self-realization have failed to accomplish lasting peace.
I once stood on the door-step of a young lady who had just told me that, “My life is just fine, thank  you very much.”  This young lady had it all together. She had a good job, a nice house, good clothes, and probably a lot of friends. What more could she want?
I looked her in the eye and said, “I have talked to hundreds of people and I have yet to find one who doesn’t know Jesus Christ and who has perfect peace in the depths of their heart.” With that she invited me in to tell her more about Jesus.
There is a special place inside all of us that is placed there by God. That special place can only be filled by God himself. Without him that place is empty and we feel empty. We will try just about anything to fill that place and gain perfect peace, but it can’t be done without knowing Jesus Christ.
All the religions of the world cannot give one in a lifetime what knowing Jesus can give in a moment. He not only gives us perfect peace in this life, but he has prepared a place for us that will give us perfect peace with him forever. Jesus is coming soon.
 
Prayer: I thank you Jesus for giving me the peace I could not find on my own. Grant me the grace to continue in your peace as I walk this journey of faith. It is in your name, Jesus, that I ask. Amen.
 
Message:  All the religions of the world cannot give one in a lifetime what knowing Jesus can give in a moment. He not only gives us perfect peace in this life, but he has prepared a place for us that will give us perfect peace with him forever. Jesus is coming soon.
 
Affirmation:  Jesus is coming soon. My trust is placed in that hope. My assurance of that hope being true is the peace he gives me. A peace greater than the circumstances of life.
 
Reflection:  Jesus is the final link in the chain of restoration God has been constructing since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. It is through faith in him that we are given the hope of eternal peace. What has been the objective of all the religions of the world? Why haven't they been successful reaching their objective? How is Christ the answer?

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Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
– John 14:1-3
 
The hope of believers since the beginning of the faith has been the eternal home which awaits the faithful. However, the disciples did not understand that when Jesus spoke the words John records in our verse today.
Even at this time, shortly before his crucifixion, the disciples were looking for a literal earthly kingdom to be established with them as the 12 leaders, just as there were 12 tribes of Israel.
After seeing the miracles, and hearing the teachings of Jesus, the disciples still didn’t get it. In fact, when Jesus was taken to be judged they ran and hid. Peter denied him then disappeared. They gathered in a room questioning what they would do now that their venture was over.
Finally, after the resurrection, Jesus revealed himself to them. Their faith began to grow, and then he was being taken from them again. They watched as he ascended to heaven and an angel appeared to them and told them, “This same Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
They realized what Jesus meant when he said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” They knew then that there would be a time that the king would return. Now they must go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father.
When the Holy Spirit came upon them, bringing with him the kingdom anointing, the disciples realized that now the kingdom was theirs to build until he returns. Our hope is in his return, his hope is in our faithfulness to kingdom anointing and purpose.
We have this hope as an anchor for our souls - Hebrews 6:19
 
Prayer: Lord, grant me faith to continue serving you in the hope of that eternal home. In Jesus name. Amen.
 
Message:  When the Holy Spirit came upon them, bringing with him the kingdom anointing, the disciples realized that now the kingdom was theirs to build until he returns. Our hope is in his return, his hope is in our faithfulness to kingdom anointing and purpose.
 
Affirmation:  Jesus is returning and I am patiently awaiting his arrival. I am committed to working until he comes.
 
Reflection:  Is it possible that the return of Christ is in two stages? First, he returns as Holy Spirit to indwell believers and second he returns bring his followers into the eternal kingdom.

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Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people… Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.   – Matthew 4:23-25
 
Jesus did not come to comfort the religious, but to bring hope to those who realized their need. While religious leaders followed him hoping to catch him in some error the common people followed him hoping to be touched by his anointing.
It is interesting that his first persecution was in Nazareth. Luke records Jesus sitting in the synagogue and reading to the leaders from Isaiah about the ministry he had been anointed to fulfill.
When he explained that he already knew he would not be accepted in Nazareth because “no prophet is accepted in his hometown” (Luke 4:24), these fine religious folks became angry and tried to throw him from a cliff, but he escaped them.
Religious people rejected him because he did not fit the picture they had developed of the Messiah. The common people, however, saw his works and made their decision based upon what they saw him do. It was kingdom anointing that attracted people to him.
The primary purpose of the kingdom is not to fulfill religious expectations but to answer the needs of the people. Religious leaders are not much different today. If the work of the Holy Spirit does not fit their preconceived ideas, then they reject it. And because they are more committed to their tradition than to the move of God they miss what God is doing in the now.
God is looking for people who will hear his call and be willing to go beyond the walls of religious expectation to affect this generation with kingdom anointing. He is looking for people who are willing to risk rejection by religious folks in order to accomplish his will. Are you one of those people?
 
Prayer: Lord, help me to not let my religious tradition keep me from kingdom anointing for this generation. In Jesus name. Amen.
 
Message:  The primary purpose of the kingdom is not to fulfill religious expectations but to answer the needs of the people. God is looking for people who will hear his call and be willing to go beyond the walls of religious expectation to affect this generation with kingdom anointing.
 
Affirmation:  I am committed to sharing kingdom hope with others who are in need of hope.
 
Reflection:  Why do you think the religious people of Nazareth wanted to kill Jesus when he told them, "No prophet is accepted in his hometown?" This devotion calls people to be willing to "go beyond the walls of religious expectation." What do you think that means?

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 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 
– Matthew 3:16-17
 
Even Jesus, the Christ of Redemption, had a moment in time when his anointing became manifest. For him it was at his baptism. The anointing was not the baptism itself but it was the approval that heaven gave him. The Spirit of God, which is the anointing, came upon him like a dove and set upon him.
It is true that Jesus was born as God-man. He was fully man and fully God. Yet, there was a point where the anointing to accomplish his purpose was made manifest. His baptism and  anointing is the point at which his public ministry began.
I am mentioning this because there is a time when we are to make our faith public and there is a distinct point in time when we are anointed to fulfill our role in the kingdom of God. Of his own baptism Jesus said to John when he was arguing with him about being baptized, “It is proper for me to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
Baptism is not only a good thing to do; it is a very important thing to do. When we perform the righteous act of baptism we are declaring to the world that we are now a new creation and citizens of the kingdom of God. We are now ready to be anointed for service.
Just as Jesus was anointed for his work in the kingdom, so we will have a moment in time where God manifests his Spirit in us with a call to service. That event will probably not involve a dove setting on our shoulder, or any other physical manifestation, but there will be something happen inside of us, in the place where the Spirit of God dwells, that gives us the assurance that this is the call of God.
 
Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace to submit to the work of the Holy Spirit and to allow the Holy Spirit to use me in service. In Jesus name. Amen.
 
Message:  Just as Jesus was anointed for his work in the kingdom, so we will have a moment in time where God manifests his Spirit in us with a call to service.
 
Affirmation:  I am ready to be used of God because I have been confirmed in the faith and he has called me to serve.
 
Reflection:  There are many points of consecration in our faith walk and each one of them brings with it a new commitment to the kingdom of God. What has God put in your heart to do in service to his kingdom? Not all are called to public ministry but all are called to serve.
 

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The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners. – Luke 4:18
 
I have known many prisoners over the years and some of them were behind bars. We have heard the axiom, “Iron bars does not a prison make,” but there is another phrase I would like to coin. It is this, “The absence of prison bars does not make one free.”
I have read how elephants are trained to not use their strength to escape. When they are just babies a rope is tied to their foot and they are tethered to a post. They struggle and struggle to get free, but they can’t break the rope. As the elephant grows it finally realizes that it can’t break free so it quits trying. When the elephant becomes an adult all the trainer has to do is tie a rope around its leg and it won’t even try to escape. The elephant has learned that it is a prisoner.
We have all known people who were in that kind of prison. In fact, many of us have had our own prisons to deal with. I have dealt with hundreds of drug addicts who were in a prison of addiction. My wife and I worked with a woman who was in a prison of alcohol and street life. She had been given an opportunity to change, but she could only see the prison (addiction) she had been in for over 20 years.
The good news is that Jesus came to open those prison doors. There is freedom in knowing him and receiving his grace. I was in one of those prisons for years. I had become victim to my own behaviors and was addicted to a sin that was destroying me. I finally found the way to be free and I have not gone back into that prison.
The good news to those in prisons of undesirable behaviors is that he has come to set you free. If you are in bondage to a behavior that you no longer want to serve turn wholly to him and seek him for the freedom he has promised.
In Galatians 5 Paul writes, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (v1). Some have misunderstood the freedom of grace. They have thought that grace was freedom to continue in sin without consequence, but it is not. Grace gives us freedom from sin and from sins prison.
                                                                                          
Prayer:  I want to thank you for freedom – And I ask you for the grace to continue in the freedom you have given me. In Jesus name. Amen.
 
Message:  In Galatians 5 Paul writes, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (v1). Some have misunderstood the freedom of grace. They have thought that grace was freedom to continue in sin without consequence, but it is not. Grace gives us freedom from sin and from sins prison.
 
Affirmation:  "I am free - thank God, free at last." The prison of my past no longer holds me. I am free in Christ.
 
Reflection:  This freedom promised by Christ is freedom from the inside out. Have you been held captive by a behavior from which you wanted to be free? Jesus was anointed to give you freedom.

 “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” – John 6:26
 
There are many reasons why people follow Jesus. Some because they hear him and fully understand the message of the kingdom. There are some who follow him for the loaves and fishes. In today’s language they are those who hang around only for what they can get.
Jesus was trying to reveal himself to his followers, but all they could see was the loaves and fishes that filled them when they were hungry. He was trying to teach kingdom principles, but their focus was on their need.
In this passage Jesus goes on to relate the story of Moses and the manna which fed the children of Israel in the desert. Then he said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus was telling them that the kingdom was about more than food; it is about eternal life.
Those who heard him speak did not understand his message and began to grumble. They argued that he was just the son of Joseph, how could he say he came down from heaven?
Never mind that this man went around doing miracles that no one had ever done before and speaking truth which only reinforced faith in his Father. Forget the demoniacs who were freed and the lepers who were cleansed. Don’t mention the blind and deaf who were healed. Oh no, we can’t accept him because we don’t understand him.
Working with people who struggle with recovery from drug and alcohol abuse I have known many people who enjoy the high but want to get over the addiction. They want the benefits of being clean and sober, but don’t want to live without the high. Many of us are like that; we want the kingdom, but we don’t want to serve the king.
We all know those who call themselves “Christian” only for the benefits, but have never really gotten hold of the message of the kingdom. The blessing of the kingdom is not our needs and desires being met; it is establishing God’s rule of love and life.
 
Prayer: Lord, I do enjoy the loaves and fishes, but help me to not make that my focus. Grant me grace in your kingdom. Amen.
 
Message:  Many of us want the kingdom but we don’t want to serve the king. Some call themselves “Christian” only for the benefits, but have never really gotten hold of the message of the kingdom. The blessing of the kingdom is not our needs and desires being met; it is establishing God’s rule of love and life.
 
Affirmation:  Believing in Christ is more than receiving the blessing. It is establishing a relationship with God.
 
Reflection:  Listen carefully to how kingdom life is described by believers. Notice how often we express a "bless me" mentality. 

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