Serve The Lord With All Humility of Mind

 

Acts 20:19

Serving The Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. 

    ALL HUMILITY OF MIND

    What exactly does that mean? I want to know so I can serve like that. 

    >Not seeking praise from anyone [1 Thessalonians 2:6].

    >Not preaching ourselves, but Christ [1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5].

    >To know only Jesus and Him crucified [1 Corinthians 2:2]. 

    >Seeking God's approval and no one else's [Galatians 1:10].

    >Doing nothing out of selfish ambition [Philippians 2:3].

    >Have the mind of Christ and become an obedient servant of God [Philippians 2:5-8]:

        A. Resolve to suffer for the sake of the gospel - 1 Peter 4:1

        B. Have the Harmony of God for one another - Romans 15:5,6

        C. A Gentle and Humble heart leads to rest for our souls - Matthew 11:29

        D. Choose servanthood - Matthew 20:26-28

        E. Forgive even the worst offenses - Luke 23:34 

        F. Love like Christ loves us - John 13:34

        G. A good reputation - 1 Timothy 3:2,3

FOR THE SAKE OF THE CALL - Steven Curtis Chapman

 

    

    

He Who Is Born of God Loves He Who Is Born of God

1 John 5:1

Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is The Christ (The Messiah, The Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves The Father also loves the child born of Him.

        1 John 4:20, 21

    20. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

    21. And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.

     It is not enough to declare, "I am a Christian" and go on living our lives the way we've always lived them. Someone who truly follows (obeys) Christ will also love the other people who follow Christ.  We can't help it: that's the way we have been built. Or shall I say, rebuilt. 

    We are transformed day by day into the people God desires us to be. We are not 'chips off the old block': we are born from above, a new creation: created by God in Christ through The Holy Spirit. [Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 2:10].

   We do not pick and choose whom we will shower our love on. We love our brothers and sisters in Christ just as deeply as we love those who are not. Our hearts are no longer filled with prejudices, nor are we a complaining people. Grumbling against God has consequences we don't want to go through. 

     We love our heavenly Father, God. Why? "Because He first loved us." [1 John 4:9]. Since God can look beyond our faults and still love us, so, too, should we look beyond the faults of those who fail us, or whom we have failed, and extend the love of God within us to them. 

     But if the love of God (Jesus Christ) is not living in us, then we cannot love others the way God loves us. The world we live in, especially our corner of it (wherever we are living), will not improve until God improves us. 

     We must be born again by God into His family first before any change can take place. And the first change that happens is that we believe that Jesus Christ is The Messiah, The Anointed, The Only Begotten Son of God. Do you believe?

    Jesus loves us with an unprejudicial love. Men and women and children. All races, all nations. Slaves and slaveowners. Strangers, aliens, foreigners. Civilized or uncivilized. 

    Colossians 3:11 

Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian (wild people), slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.

    Romans 10:12

For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him.

    1 Corinthians 12:13

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

    Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

    Mark 10:14

But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God."

    Zechariah 7:9,10

"This is what The LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien (stranger/foreigner) or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’"

    

LOVING GOD, LOVING EACH OTHER - Gaither Vocal Band

 

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Thirteen

 

1 Corinthians 13:4c

Love does not envy.

    Envy was spoken of in the beginning, for even in Genesis it is implied in Cain's attitude towards his own brother. [Genesis 4:3-11] What we do know is that God can see what is in our hearts. So, when He saw what was in Cain's heart, Cain's offering was rejected, which made Cain angry towards his brother, so he killed him. The first murder was the result of envy, coveting the favor of God in His brother, but not seeking to have that same favor in his own heart. 

    So when God wrote The Ten Commandments in the two tables of stone by His Holy Spirit (the finger of God), He was repeating in writing The Word He had spoken earlier to the people. (here again is an example of the Triune power of God visibly displayed for us: God, The Word of God {Jesus Christ}, The Holy Spirit of God. 

    This first writing  was meant to last forever, but it was mere stone. Now, God writes on the tables of our hearts His Word when we come to Him for our salvation in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Now, we are learning to Love like Christ loves: 

    John 13:34

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (cf) John 15:12; 1 John 3:16; Ephesians 5:2. 

    Jesus referred to this commandment as a 'new' commandment. But when we remember The Ten Commandments, we see that this new commandment embodies all of the original ten in completeness. 

    When we love God above all, everything else falls into place. None of the evils listed are in the faithful believer's heart. Yet we are tempted on every side to "look here and behold" or "look at me and see what I can do for you". New and improved temptations are old and unrighteous evils. 

    To envy is to covet what another person has. Whether that coveted item is a person (someone's spouse or child or employee); a place (someone's house, someone's job, someone's land); or a thing (someone's money, someone's vehicle, someone's clothes or tools), that evil thought is still condemned by God. Covetousness can take many forms without us even realizing it sometimes.

    In the Parable of The Good Samaritan, which Luke writes of in Luke 10:25-37, the question is asked, "Who is my neighbor?" The response given is plain and simple, "Everyone." So, no matter who it, is we are not to covet what they have, but show them mercy and compassion. We are to "seek first God's kingdom and He will supply all of our needs". [Matthew 6:33] 

Exodus 20:17

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 

    Catalogs abound. Maybe not so much the printed kind, but the internet is full of advertisements saying, "Look at me! Look at me! I can make your life so much better than it is!" On every side we are attacked with how rotten our life is when we do not have these things. When actually, our life in Christ is pretty amazing. Yes, there things we need to survive, but there are far more many things we do not need that will only bring us down and cause our destruction. 

    Because "Love does not envy", we know that Love "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). We are to Love Deeply: Love earnestly. Love constantly. Love intentionally. Refuse to hate. Refuse to envy. Rebuke lust. Reject bitterness. Rebuke greed. Love like Christ Loves us. On purpose, with purpose. 

    "Lord, teach us to love like You love. Fill us so full of Your Word and worship that there is no room for anything not of You to be there. Train us to be Your ready and able servants, to serve in Your fields and prepare them for growth and harvest. Be  our Guide, Holy Spirit, in The Word as we read our Bibles daily. Reveal Yourself, Father, that our Joy may be full. For by Your Word and in Your Name, we will praise You and glorify You.

In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen."

    

As I Have Loved You

A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. 
John 13:34






How has Jesus loved us? 

• Jeremiah 31:3  The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
• Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. (with a reciprocal love)
• 1 Peter 2:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
• Romans 13:9-10 The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law. 
• John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (Love is not selfish, self-centered nor does it value itself as 'better than'). 
• 1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (we should be willing to lay down our lives, and share our life in Christ for/with others)
• 1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (use our God-given gifts to serve each other)
• John 13:14-15 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. (have a servant's heart towards each other)