8/16/13

From Gary... Not just for babies...





It has been many decades since my own children did the "baby talk" routine, but I don't remember any exchange like this!!!  The thing is... they seem to really understand one another.  I don't, but based on their leg motions, I am guessing that it has something to do with walking.  I realize that I will never REALLY KNOW what they are saying, but at least I am trying- and that is the important part, isn't it???  Face it, people hear what they want to hear, when the want to hear and how they want to hear it.  Here is an exchange that illustrates this point...

John, Chapter 8


 23  He said to them, “You are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world.   24  I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am  he, you will die in your sins.” 

  25  They said therefore to him, “Who are you?” 

Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.   26  I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you. However he who sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these I say to the world.” 

  27  They didn’t understand that he spoke to them about the Father.  28 Jesus therefore said to them,“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things.   29  He who sent me is with me. The Father hasn’t left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 

  30  As he spoke these things, many believed in him.  31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples.   32  You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  

  33  They answered him, “We are Abraham’s seed, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’ ?” 

  34  Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin.   35  A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever.   36  If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.   37  I know that you are Abraham’s seed, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.   38  I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father.” 

  39  They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” 

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.   40  But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this.   41  You do the works of your father.” 

They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.” 

  42  Therefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but he sent me.   43  Why don’t you understand my speech? Because you can’t hear my word.   44  You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and its father.   45  But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me. 


Some people can't hear because they don't want to hear.  And often this is because their heart is darkened by sin.  Sin blinds, it deafens, it replaces reason with irrationality and stubbornness.  If even babies who really want to talk can understand one another, why can't the adults???  Perhaps we can all learn a lesson from these small ones, and that lesson is innocence. May God give us all an open heart and the ability to really understand HIS Word!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... Limburger cheese

Limburger cheese

A soured or angry or cynical heart has a hard time seeing properly and it has an equally hard time bridling its speech. In its ugly way it takes hold of all the truths that support its agenda and ignores everything that would lower the temperature.
Did a sinner trespass against me? Here! Here are forty passages that deal with transgression and every one of them thrusts the wrongdoer down to a hot hell. It doesn't matter that the bulk of the texts are not parallel to the situation I'm facing. This isn't the time to be fair much less merciful so if the verses look like they're useful to my cause I'll pour them out.
The sour heart's unwilling, because it's unable, to see things in the best light. My sour or cynical heart's unwilling, because it's unable, even to grant that there might be another way of looking at the situation. Two people can look at the same thing and interpret it differently. Paul Scherer reminds us that when Ecclesiastes sees the sun rising and setting, the teacher takes it as proof of the moral indifference of life. When Jesus sees it he says it proves his Father's faithful generosity in making the continuously rising sun to shine on the wicked and the good. Qoheleth would say, "See, it doesn't matter if you're evil or good the sun shines on you both." Jesus would say, "See, the sun shines on the evil and the good. Isn't my Father generous!"
The two kids smeared a little Limburger cheese on the moustache of their sleeping grandad. In a moment or two he wakened, sniffed and then complained of an awful smell in the room. He went to the kitchen, the living room complaining as he went of the smell in each room. "The whole whole house smells bad," he muttered as he stumbled outside. Outside he took a deep breath and concluded in amazement, "The whole world stinks!"
Maybe, after all, Dickens was right. It wasn't Christmas that needed changed. It was Scrooge!

©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 More Excellent Way Of Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)



                 "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS"

                The More Excellent Way Of Love (13:1-13)

INTRODUCTION

1. In 1st Corinthians 12-14 Paul discusses spiritual gifts...
   1. In chapter twelve he describes the gifts
   2. In chapter thirteen he reveals how long they will last
   3. In chapter fourteen he provides guidelines for their use in the
      assembly

2. In the course of his discussion, he proposes "a more excellent
   way"...
   a. While encouraging them to desire the better gifts - cf. 1Co 12:31
   b. The more excellent way is the way of love - cf. 1Co 13:1-13

[In chapter 13 we find "The More Excellent Way Of Love" carefully and
beautifully defined for us.  Paul's discourse on love is divided into
three parts, the first being...]

I. THE NECESSITY OF LOVE

   A. DESCRIBED BY PAUL...
      1. Necessary in the exercise of spiritual gifts - 1Co 13:1-2
      2. Necessary in the exercise of great sacrifice - 1Co 13:3
      -- Without love, such things are of no value!

   B. APPLIED BY US TODAY...
      1. Without love, any ability we have is of little value (such as
         teaching, preaching, etc.)
      2. Without love, any knowledge we obtain will only hurt us - cf.
         1Co 8:1
      3. Without love, any service rendered is not pleasing to God - cf.
         Re 2:1-5
      -- Love is truly a necessary virtue!

[But what exactly what is love?  That leads us to the second part of
Paul's discussion of "The More Excellent Way Of Love", in which he
describes...]

II. THE QUALITIES OF LOVE

   A. LOVE'S POSITIVE QUALITIES...
      1. Suffers longs - endures slights and wrongs patiently and long,
         like God Himself (Ps 103:8) - B. W. Johnson
      2. Is kind - obliging, willing to help or assist - Complete
         WordStudy Dictionary

   B. LOVE'S NEGATIVE QUALITIES...
      1. Does not envy - is not jealous of what others have or have
         become - Pulpit Commentary
      2. Does not parade itself - does not brag or boast of one's
         abilities or possessions - Barnes
      3. Is not puffed up - swelled with pride and elated with a vain
         conceit of himself - Gill
      4. Does not behave rudely - to behave in an ugly, indecent,
         unseemly or unbecoming manner (cf. 1Pe 3:8, "be courteous")
         - The Complete WordStudy Dictionary
      5. Does not seek its own - does not seek its own happiness to the
         injury of others (cf. 1Co 10:24,33) - Barnes
      6. Is not provoked - does not fly into a rage, but keeps the
         temper under control - B.W. Johnson
      7. Thinks no evil - puts the best possible construction on the
         motives and the conduct of others; not malicious, censorious,
         disposed to find fault, or to impute improper motives to others
         - Barnes
      8. Does not rejoice in iniquity - Does not rejoice over the
         "vices" of other people; does not take delight when they are
         guilty of crime, or when, in any manner, they fall into sin. It
         does not find pleasure in hearing others accused of sin, and in
         having it proved that they committed it. - ibid.

   C. LOVE'S POSITIVE QUALITIES (CONT.)...
      1. Rejoices in the truth - lit., "with the truth"; truth is
         personified as is love, and when love sees truth manifested in
         the lives of others, love greatly rejoices along with it, cf.
         2Jn 4; 3Jn 3-4
      2. Bears all things - lit., "covers, protects"; but as used by
         Paul elsewhere, it can also mean to endure, suffer (cf. 1Co 9:
         12; 1Th 3:1,5); thus in regards to the sins or failings of
         others, there is willingness to bear with them patiently
         - Barnes
      3. Believes all things - in regard to the conduct of others, there
         is a disposition to put the best construction on it; to believe
         that they may be actuated by good motives, and that they intend
         no injury; and that there is a willingness to suppose, as far
         as can be, that what is done is done consistently with
         friendship, good feeling, and virtue. Love produces this,
         because it rejoices in the happiness and virtue of others, and
         will not believe the contrary except on irrefragable evidence.
         - ibid.
      4. Hopes all things - that all will turn out well. This must also
         refer to the conduct of others; and it means, that however dark
         may be appearances; how much so ever there may be to produce
         the fear that others are actuated by improper motives or are
         bad people, yet that there is a "hope" that matters may be
         explained and made clear; that the difficulties may be made to
         vanish; and that the conduct of others may be made to "appear"
         to be fair and pure. Love will "hold on to this hope" until all
         possibility of such a result has vanished and it is compelled
         to believe that the conduct is not susceptible of a fair
         explanation. This hope will extend to "all things" - to words
         and actions, and plans; to public and to private contact; to
         what is said and done in our own presence, and to what is said
         and done in our absence. Love will do this, because it delights
         in the virtue and happiness of others, and will not credit
         anything to the contrary unless compelled to do so. - ibid.
      5. Endures all things - bears up under, sustains, and does not
         complain. Bears up under all persecutions at the hand of man;
         all efforts to injure the person, property, or reputation...
         The connection requires us to understand it principally of our
         treatment at the hands of our fellowmen. - ibid.

[The final quality of love introduces us to the third and last section
of "The More Excellent Way Of Love"...]

III. THE PERMANENCY OF LOVE

   A. LOVE NEVER FAILS...
      1. Love never fails - to fall away, to fail; to be without effect,
         to cease to be in existence.
         a. While other endowments of the Holy Spirit must soon cease
            and be valueless, love would abide, and would always exist.
         b. The "argument" is, that we ought to seek that which is of
            enduring value; and that, therefore, love should be
            preferred to those endowments of the Spirit on which so high
            a value had been set by the Corinthians. - Barnes
      2. Spiritual gifts (e.g., prophecies, tongues, and knowledge) will
         fail, cease, vanish away - 1Co 13:8-12
         a. Such gifts were to reveal and confirm the Word - cf. Mk 16:
            19-20; He 2:3-4
         b. Once the Word was completely revealed and confirmed, the
            need for such gifts ceased - cf. 2Ti 3:16-17; 2Pe 1:3;
            Jude 3

   B. LOVE ABIDES...
      1. Along with faith and hope - 1Co 13:13a
         a. Spiritual gifts like prophecies, tongues, and knowledge
            would cease
         b. Yet the virtues of faith, hope and love would "abide" (Grk.,
            meno - remain, dwell, continue, tarry, endure)
         c. Implying a period of time between the cessation of spiritual
            gifts and the fulfillment of faith and hope
      2. Greater than faith and hope - 1Co 13:13b
         a. We now walk by faith, not by sight - 2Co 5:7
         b. We now hope for what is unseen - Ro 8:24-25
         c. When Christ comes, the need for faith and hope will be no
            more!
            1) We will then walk by sight, not faith!
            2) We will see that for which we eagerly await, and no
               longer need hope!
         d. Yet throughout eternity, in the presence of Christ, "love
            never fails!"

CONCLUSION

1. Love is truly "a more excellent way" (1Co 12:31), what Paul
   describes elsewhere as...
   a. The fulfillment of the Law - Ro 13:8
   b. The bond of perfection - Col 3:14

2. When properly defined and understood, love is also "the way of
   Christ"...
   a. For in Paul's description of love, we see a picture of the
      character of Christ
   b. As disciples of Christ, we are to walk in the way of love as well
      - cf. Ep 5:1-2

3. How does our conduct measure up to Paul's description of love...?
   a. In our dealings with others, whether they be friends or foes?
   b. Remember, without love, our labor means nothing!

Are we committed to walking in "The More Excellent Way Of Love"...?


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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