From Gary... Finding the way "home"

Many thanks to brother Walter Vogt, for allowing me to use his picture!!!

When we consider the word "Home", what comes to our mind?  Perhaps, to some, it is just a place to eat and sleep or to watch television.  To others the emphasis may be on the people who reside there besides you.  It may be a retreat from the bustle of everyday life or a place to relax.  I think we know the answer for this little dog- contentment!!!  How about you?  In thinking about this as applied to myself, I turned to the pages of Scripture, specifically, to the Gospel of John...

John, Chapter 14

1  “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.   2  In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.   3  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.   4  Where I go, you know, and you know the way.” 

  5  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 

  6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. 

It took me decades to understand "home".  Growing up, it was a place I hated; somewhere to be abused, ridiculed and experience the darker side of life.  Then, I married and was determined that our house would be a genuine HOME!!!  Again, it took a long time to overcome most of the baggage from my youth, but with God's help, my family always knew I loved them.  It is just Linda and myself now (and the poodles) but HOME is someplace special.  It is a place where love is (even when we have an argument); somewhere that God is acknowledged and loved.  For you see, HIS impact changes things. He gives life and light to a very dark dismal world.  He has given me love and standards to go by AND the hope of something better - HOME, IN HEAVEN!!!  All made possible through Jesus, who, on a daily basis, speaks to my heart through the Bible and shows me the way to heavenly realms. Through JESUS, my darkness has turned to the light of hope and that is something to curl up by the fire and contemplate.  Humm, I wonder if there are woodstoves in heaven???

From Jim McGuiggan.... MARSHMALLOWS AND CAMP-FIRES

MARSHMALLOWS AND CAMP-FIRES

The English journalist and writer, G.K. Chesterton died in 1936 but not before he left the world a great store of literature and joy-filled advice. He admired Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and Stoic. He thought Aurelius was virtuous, sincere, generous and open-minded. He even admired his writings but he said there was something about the scholar-emperor that was lacking. And what was that? “He does not command me to perform the impossible,” said Chesterton.

He was nothing like Jesus in this regard. Even his writings had that same, “Now, let’s makes sure we don’t go to an extreme” tone. No one was stretched. No one was told. “Oh, stop that! That’s beneath you. Follow me and I’ll give you something to match what you were made for.” Chesterton compared the Stoic emperor’s words with Christ and said,

      The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

      Yes: he was soliloquizing, not making something.

      Do not the words of Jesus ring

      Like nails knocked into a board

      In his Father’s workshop?

My suspicion is that most vibrant young people would say that the Christ they hear about from churches in general and preachers in particular doesn’t command them to do the impossible or believe the incredible. And that’s a real shame because the real Christ, the Christ we haven’t domesticated, does just that! Young people don’t need to put up with this and they shouldn’t do it. They shouldn’t let the bland churches and bored preachers leave them bloodless! They ought to go straight to the words of Christ himself and feel their blood stir. There’s nothing anemic about Jesus Christ and if in coming to Christ we find our thinking is tamer, our dreams are more reasonable, our convictions are more moderate then we’ve come to the wrong Christ!

The real Jesus Christ is a tearer-down of worlds and a builder of a new creation. He neither wimps nor whines and goes striding down the centuries looking for people who will risk putting their minds and hearts and bodies and energies in his hands.

God help us, by the time some churches and preachers and books are done with us we can’t even dream outrageous dreams in the name of Christ. There’s no sense in us that we’re at war with a world-spirit that is anti-God, anti-Christ and anti-life! If we aren’t dead when they’re done with us we’re at least sound asleep and all the happy songs and new worship formats in creation won’t keep vibrant young people from a ho-hum existence unless by chance the youthful Christ gatecrashes our worship-party.

If that happens some girl or boy just might stand up and ask, "Is that it? We're all to avoid drugs, booze and sex before marriage, attend church and be nice kids? Is that to be the sum total of our lives? Is this the only preaching we're to hear around here? Hmmm. You wonder why so many of us are leaving the church and heading for other places?"

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... The Greatest Of These Is Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

                 "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS"

                 The Greatest Of These Is Love (13:13)

INTRODUCTION

1. In his discourse on spiritual gifts, Paul praised the value of
   love...
   a. Introducing it as "a more excellent way" - 1Co 12:31
   b. Emphasizing its necessity along with any ability or service we
      might have - 1Co 13:1-3
   c. Explaining its abiding superiority over spiritual gifts - 1Co 13:8

2. He even praised its value over faith and hope...
   a. Abiding virtues in of themselves - 1Co 13:13a
   b. Yet love is "the greatest of these" virtues - 1Co 13:13b

[Why is love so highly valued by Paul?  And if it is such a great
virtue, how should we manifest in our lives?  These questions I wish to
address in this study, first by summarizing...]

I. THE GREATNESS OF LOVE

   A. LOVE MOTIVATED GOD TO SAVE US...
      1. Out of love for the world, God gave His Son - Jn 3:16-17; 1Jn 4:9-10
      2. The magnitude of God's love is seen when we consider that it
         was expressed while we were yet sinners - Ro 5:6-8

   B. LOVE MOTIVATED CHRIST TO DIE FOR US...
      1. The Father's love toward the Son motivated the Son to love us
         - Jn 15:9
      2. Such love then motivated Christ to die for us - Jn 15:13; Ep 5:2

   C. LOVE MOTIVATES US TO LIVE FOR CHRIST...
      1. The love of Christ compelled Paul to live for Him - 2Co 5:
         14-15
      2. Paul's life of faith was thus influenced by Christ's love for
         him - Ga 2:20

   D. LOVE MOTIVATES US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER...
      1. The love of Christ should inspire us to love one another - Jn 13:34
      2. The love of God should likewise move us to love one another
         - 1Jn 4:11

[Love can and should be a very powerful, motivating force in our lives.
We have seen how it prompted God and Christ to express their love for
us.  The greatness of love can also be seen in how we should express it
in our lives...]

II. THE EXPRESSION OF LOVE

   A. TOWARD GOD AND CHRIST...
      1. By keeping the commandments of God and Christ - Jn 14:15,21,
         23-24; 15:10,14
      2. By loving our brethren in Christ - Jn 15:12; 1Jn 4:20-21
      -- Great is God's love toward us; shall we not love God with great
         zeal in return?

   B. TOWARD OUR BRETHREN...
      1. By helping them when they are in physical need - 1Jn 3:16-18
         a. Providing as we have ability and opportunity
         b. Loving them in deed and in truth
      2. By helping them when they are in spiritual need - 1Pe 4:8; Ja
         5:19-20
         a. Bringing them back to the Lord
         b. Loving them with a truly fervent love
      3. By setting the example in loving God and keeping His
         commandments - 1Jn 5:2
         a. If we truly love one another, we will encourage them by
            providing a good example
         b. Only then can we really know that we love the children of
            God
      -- Does our example express a proper measure of love toward our
         brethren?

   C. TOWARD OUR ENEMIES...
      1. Remember that God loved us while we were still "enemies" - Ro 5:6-10
         a. While we were "ungodly"
         b. While we were "sinners"
      2. As children of God, we are to be like our Heavenly Father - Mt 5:44-48
         a. Loving our enemies
         b. Blessing those who curse us
         c. Doing good to those who hate us
         d. Praying for those who spitefully use us and persecute us
      3. Just as Jesus and Stephen did toward their persecutors - 

         Lk 23:34; Ac 7:60
      -- Loving the unlovable and ungrateful is the highest expression
         of love!

CONCLUSION

1. The apostle Paul had experienced the greatness of God's love...
   a. In his own conversion, for which he was thankful - 1Ti 1:12-16
   b. In enduring persecution, which gave him great hope - Ro 8:35-39

2. We too have experienced the greatness of God's love...
   a. In our own conversion...are we thankful?
   b. In our daily living...presuming that we are walking in love!

Love is indeed the greatest of virtues.  When properly understood and
manifested in our lives, it serves as the basis for our faith and hope!

   "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of
   these is love." - 1Co 13:13

Have your responded to the love of God by obeying the gospel of Christ?
Are you walking in love, as Christ has loved us and given Himself for us
(Ep 5:2)...?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011