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Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Pray Like Jesus! Pray for Divine Glorification! (LISTEN HERE)

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If you knew you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do with that last day?  Gather the people you love around you?  Reminisce of the past and give encouragement to them of the future?  Give them all a big hug?  Enjoy your favorite meal one last time?

As we move closer to Holy Week during the season of Lent, we step into the upper room with Jesus and his disciples.  When you think about this setting, he has about 24 hours before he dies on the cross.  Jesus does the things we mentioned above.  He gathers with his closest friends.  They eat the Passover meal for one last time together.  They talk about the past and speak of what is to come.  In this setting, Jesus does this too.  He prays.  He prays for himself, his disciples and all believers.  This prayer we will be the focus of the devotions for the month of March. (The full prayer is found in John 17)

17      After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 

Perhaps at first glance, this prayers sounds a bit self-serving.  Perhaps Jesus’ words sound like the player that just scored a touchdown and runs to the end zone with his hands motioning the crowd to cheer louder and praise him more.

This perception might be true if Jesus took the enthusiasm of Palm Sunday and continued to seek the praise and accolades of people.  However he is not looking for the glory of mankind, he is looking for the glory of the Father to be made known and visible to all people. He is praying for divine glorification, not self-glorification.

But why?

Why would Jesus pray for his Father to glorify him and for him to glorify his Father?

To answer that question, we have to ask, “What is glory?”

When we think of glory, perhaps our mind naturally goes to the mountain of transfiguration where the brilliance of light is seen as the glory of God.  Or perhaps our thoughts drift back to Mt. Sinai when the lightning flashed and the mountain shook and the awe of God was instilled in the people.

Another example is at the dedication of the temple (and many other examples in the Old Testament) of where the glory of God appeared to the people.  Read what happens in 2 Chronicles 7:

7      When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” 

The glory of God grips people’s attention.  They are filled with awe.  They recognize the divine is present.  They recognize the Lord is present.

In its simplest form, Jesus’ prayer is a prayer that his Father would be recognized and people would be filled with awe for what he has done for them.  

This week we will unpack more reasons Jesus would pray for divine glorification…but for now perhaps just contemplate and ask, “What would be the result if more people saw, experienced, recognized and took to heart the glory of God?”

Apply: What do you perceive the glory of God to be?  What do you experience when you see it?

Prayer: Father in heaven, show your glory so that we might see more clearly who you are and what you have done for us! AMEN.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Permanence of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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Is there a limit to love?

I’m done.

Love can be tiring.  At times it’s a lot of work and perhaps seems like it’s not worth it.

We feel like stopping.  We feel like giving up.  We feel like we’ve loved enough.

Our love can have limits because we just come to a point where we don’t want to love anymore.

So is it possible to have love that never runs out?  Can we have a love that has no limits?

On our own?  The simple answer is “No.”  

But God’s love?  Does that have limits?

Again, we may feel like it does because there are times in life when we feel like God is no longer loving us.  We may feel this way because our desired outcome in a given circumstance isn’t playing out how WE think it should…so we accuse God of not loving us anymore.

How far from the truth this is.

Jesus told the parable of the waiting father who daily looked for his son to return.  When the son finally returned, the love of the father continued as it had always been.  The difference?  The son is the one who had drifted.  The love of the Father was constant and permanent.

God’s love has NO limits!

How great is this truth!  Satan loves to get us to think that God no longer loves us or that we have somehow done something that God would never forgive us.  The issue is NEVER with God’s love.  It is always with our removing ourselves from God’s love.

God’s love has no limits.

The Apostle John was inspired to write it this way:

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

I remember doing a devotion for the grade school in Minnesota and took a full large jar of Skippy Peanut Butter and a piece of bread.  To illustrate how God “spreads it on thick” I had at least half the jar of peanut butter on a single piece of bread.  There was too much peanut butter to eat it…I didn’t even try!  It was a memorable illustration that God’s love is always more than we can use up.

God’s love has no limits.

Our love can also have no limits.

We are not perfect like God obviously, however with God’s limitless love for us we can ALWAYS draw on his love to love others.  Even when we feel like giving up…we can love.  When we feel like we have loved enough…we can love another time.  When we feel like our love is not appreciated…we can continue to love.

If God’s love has no limits…our love can too!*

Apply: Think of a situation in which you find it difficult to love or feel like stopping your love.  What changes when you turn back to God’s love for you and see how it has been lavished on thick?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving me without limit.  Help me to show the same love to others! AMEN.

 

* In this series “love” has been used in a general way without specifics to situations or circumstances.  Remember that HOW you show love can change.  For example, loving is not always giving an alcoholic another drink or staying in an abusive relationship.  Love continues to desire the person to get help, but the loving thing to do may be to protect yourself or others and remove yourself from a harmful situation.  Love doesn’t continue to put up with sinful behavior without attempts to correct, rebuke and train proper honor of God and love of others.  Love is not being a push over and letting someone take advantage of you.  Love draws boundaries to bring the best to the individual or situation.  Pray for wisdom as to HOW to show love in tough and challenging situations.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Permanence of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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Do you want to be the G.O.A.T. (The Greatest Of All Time)?

In sports, people are identified as the “GOAT”, or the greatest of all time.  Quarterback Tom Brady falls into that discussion along with basketball’s Michael Jordan.

We can have fun with our friends debating who in our arenas of interest deserve the designation as “The GOAT.”  It’s a pretty hard designation to achieve and perhaps also to designate because objective statistics may not be the only way to determine if someone is the greatest.

But do you want to be the GOAT?

To be the GOAT, you have be great.  To be great, you have to do what is great!

So what is that?

When Jesus was asked the question, “What is the greatest commandment?”  37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So greatness comes when we are attached to THE Greatest!  Worked by God’s Spirit, our hearts are led to “fear, love and trust in God above all things.”  The result?  We are able to love God with all our being.  We love because he first loved us.

The Apostle Paul recognized the connection between greatness and love.  Of all that exists on this world is love.  He wrote,  “Now these three remain, “Faith, hope, and love” but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Why would love be the greatest?  At the center of our faith is the love God has for us that led him to send his Son Jesus to this world.  Without God’s love, there is no object to our faith…so one might say, “Love is greater than faith because faith needs love to exist.”

God’s love is the reason we have hope.  Without God’s love for us in Christ through whom he secures and promises and gives eternal life, we have no hope.  So love is greater than hope.

So if we want to be great before God, we simply respond as the Spirit enables us to love God with all our being.

If we want to be great with others, LOVE.  Remember love never loses.  If “to love” is our default and with God’s help we are walking in the way of love, you can never lose when you love.

1 Corinthians 13:7-8 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. 

People may not respond to your love with gratitude or appreciation, but when our default is to love, remember love will always prevail…even if the person doesn’t recognize it.

Always remember, “We love because he first loved us.”  Without the greatness of God’s love we will never be able to express that love to others.  And yet, when we express that love to others, we are simply being reflecting the great love God has for us.  

Be the GOAT! Love God and love people!

Apply: What gets in the way of consistently loving people in you workplace, at school or in your neighborhood?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being the greatest of all time and making us great by empowering us to love you and love others!  AMEN.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Permanence of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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Winning streaks are pretty impressive.  When teams don’t just put a few wins together, but play for a long period of time or over a period of seasons and continue to win…that is impressive. 

This website has the top 25 sports winning streaks.  https://www.stadiumtalk.com/s/greatest-winning-streaks-sports-history-aafb0511490a4dbe

Included are a 112 match streak by women’s beach volleyball players, Misti May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh; or a NCAA football record 55 consecutive wins by Mount Union Football; or USA basketball teams impressive 78 straight wins in international play.

There were a few fighters that had undefeated records, most notable was Rocky Marciano who retired with a 49-0 record.

What stood out to me was that every streak came to an end.  Even if one retired before they were defeated, if they continued to fight in the ring eventually they would lose.

There are a lot of impressive athletes and teams who have put together impressive win streaks.  Perhaps you have played on one.  It’s fun to win, and who wouldn’t want to be part of a winning team.

But can something always win and never lose?  No matter who the opponent is?

Love can.

While these players and teams often achieved the highest prize in their sport, eventually someone else will be crowned the champion.  To be the permanent champion you’d have to play and play and play and play and never quit…and never lose.

Love is the permanent champion.

The Apostle Paul understood that love never loses…God’s love never loses.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Human love gives up.  Our ability to show love falters.  People’s reaction to love is not always positive.  So it seems like love loses.  

But even though it may seem like love loses, there is nothing in heaven or earth that can cause God’s love to cease to exist or be shown.  God’s love is permanent…because NOTHING can defeat it!

Apply: What changes when you consider the people and situations you are engaging with and choose to lead with God’s love instead of a different approach?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your permanent, victorious love that always wins…no matter who the opponent is.  Help me to always play on the winning team with your love as the main strength against any opponent.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: The Permanence of Love! (LISTEN HERE)

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Is love permanent?

Around us we hear people use the phrase, “Fall in love…fall out of love.”

Relationships go south and individuals say, “We just don’t love each other anymore.”

One day you love pizza, the next you despise it.

Love seems so temporary…so fleeting.

Can you really count on love?  Is love something that will last?  

To make the claim that “love is permanent” probably is met with a bit of hesitation and skepticism.  Even things that are called permanent aren’t always permanent.  Permanent marker can be removed with the proper cleaning solution.  A hair “perm” has to be redone ever 6-8 weeks.

So, what makes something permanent?

An online dictionary puts this forward as a definition of “Permanent”:

1.     Lasting or remaining without essential change.
2.     Not expected to change in status, condition, or place.
3.     Continuing in the same state, or without any change that destroys form or character; remaining unaltered or unremoved; abiding; durable; fixed; stable; lasting.

So does love meet these qualifications?

Human love…not so much.  But God’s love?  

1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  One of the essential qualities of God is love.  Not simply an emotional feeling toward people, but a self-sacrificing, willing to do all for people, type of love.  To say that God’s love is fleeting or temporary opens the possibility that God doesn’t exist.  If love ceases to exist, then God does as well.  

But love lasts.  It does not change…God’s love that is.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God doesn’t change.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  To “not change” is an essential quality of being permanent.  God fits that quality.

So if God is love and God doesn’t change, then we can say of God’s love: “It is permanent.”  

People throughout Scripture have recognized the permanent, enduring, eternal nature of God’s love.  One of many examples is in 1 Chronicles 16:34, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Forever.

That’s permanent.

Apply: Why is human love often temporary?  What leads you to love at times and at other times to withdraw love?

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see and appreciate the enduring, permanent nature of your eternal love for me.  AMEN.