AUGUST 19 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2011.
KINDNESS
DEFINITION:
The state or quality of being kind; a kind act; favor; kind behavior; friendly feeling.
SCRIPTURE:
“He who restrains his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19
“Hatred stirs up strife, but kindness [love] covers all sins” Proverbs 10:12.
“But if you love those that love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those that love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. So love your enemies, do good, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the most high. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful [kind], just as your father also is merciful.” Luke 6:32-33, 35-36.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As you read the above scriptures, did you notice that when you show love you show it by acts of kindness? But you must not only love and show kindness to those that love you but you also must love and show kindness to your enemies just as God loves you and is merciful and kind to you. That makes it much harder, doesn’t it?
Emily Dickinson once said: “Some say that a word is dead when it is said. I say it just begins to live that day.” Nothing can hurt more then a harsh word. The words we say may have long lasting consequences. As Christians we need to constantly ask God to help us show kindness to all we meet. Kindness can be expressed by our words. We also need to show kindness by our actions even to those who wish us harm.
Our actions and our words need to reflect the heart of the One who paid the ultimate price to come to our rescue when we needed Him the most. Our comments and our complaints may stick with the hearer for decades. Unkind words once spoken can never be taken back. My [Dottie] mother admonished me that if I could not say something nice it would be better to say nothing at all.
Down through the years I [Ken] have numerous times, especially in front of my children, mispronounced words. Our six children, and now even their spouses and our grand children, never forget these mispronounced words and year after year at family functions those words, mispronounced just like I said them, come back to haunt me. My response has always been to laugh with them, but if I chose to be hurt then the family would no doubt react differently. So, as you can see, words do stick with the hearer for decades.
About one year ago I was having lunch with a Christian leader who was President of a ministry. We were talking about the past when he reminded me that we had met close to 45 years ago and we had had a lengthy conversation about the value of investing our lives in Christian ministries. He thanked me several times during our recent visit, for being so kind to listen to him and to respond to his needs. Kindness sometimes is just giving some time and listening. He went on to say that the conversation we had made a lasting impression on his life. I took the time to be kind to him at a time when he was searching for God’s will in his life. Words of kindness and encouragement that are given may not seem much when given, but so many times kind words are never forgotten and certainly harsh words are difficult to forget. As Christians we need to make sure our words are at all times words of kindness and encouragement.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1:1-2:
Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
Thank You dear Lord for the opportunity you give us to serve You today. Help our family to show kindness to those whom we meet. Help us to restrain our lips when some word or thought hurts us. Lead us to respond by being kind and loving just as You have told us in Your Word. Thank You for teaching us to help the poor, the rich, the sick and the healthy just as You so loved the world.
August 21, 2011
Burden: August 18, 2011
AUGUST 18 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 18, 2011
BURDEN
DEFINITION:
That which is borne, physically or spiritually; that which is carried; load; borne with difficulty; trouble.
SCRIPTURE:
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22.
“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mathew 11:30.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
I (Ken) was born in China but left with my parents when I was only six months old. About three years ago we were privileged to go back to China and we saw where I was born and what life was like today in that country. One of the things that stood out to us was the heavy burdens that men and women would carry on their bikes. We saw items stacked dangerously high on bikes and some of the women even carried their young child in a sling as they rode a loaded bicycle to their destination.
Over the years we have seen many times in many other areas of the world people carrying heavy loads on their heads, on their backs or in hand pulled carts. This has given us a real understanding of the word “burden.”
When we think of burden we think of two definitions. First, is the burden of carrying a load both physically and spiritually. Secondly, we think of one being a burden to someone else.
Most people we meet today are carrying heavy burdens in their hearts. It may be a spousal concern, a parent/child problem, a family issue, a problem at work, financial stresses or much more. These are burdens that basically are too heavy for one to carry alone. Some times we hear the saying that a person is “carrying a lot of baggage.”
All those who have not accepted the Lord as their Savior are carrying the heavy burden of their sin. Jesus does not want us to bear the burden of our sins so He took our burden of sin upon Himself and carried them to the cross. In Jesus time on earth he experienced all the hardships and burdens of life that we experience. Not only does Jesus care about our burden of sin but He cares about our burden of hardships in life.
A person that does not know Jesus has no one to help carry his or her burden. But the person that knows Jesus can give “ALL” that burden to Him. The verse we have listed above says it all. The Lord says to “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain you.” “Sustain” means to support or bear the weight of or keep from giving way. What a comfort to know that God wants to bear the weight of our burdens and keep us from giving way under the heavy load of a burden.
Paul in writing to the church in Thessalonica said in I Thessalonians 2:9, “For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring day and night, that we not be a burden to any of you while we preached to you the gospel of God.” Paul traveled from town to town to preach the gospel but he did not want to be financially dependent on others. He was a tent maker, so wherever he went, he worked to pay his way so that he was not a burden to anybody.
In his letter to the Thessalonians he wanted them to remember how he had worked hard not to be a burden to them. He lived his life as an example to them to live lives pleasing to God. We also should follow Paul’s example and be willing to work and not be a burden on others.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1:1-2.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
Help me today to give the burdens I carry to You. Give me the insight to see others that are carrying burdens so that I can show them the way to You. Thank You for the assurance I have that You are with me every moment of every day waiting to carry my burdens if I am willing to cast them on You.
BURDEN
DEFINITION:
That which is borne, physically or spiritually; that which is carried; load; borne with difficulty; trouble.
SCRIPTURE:
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22.
“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mathew 11:30.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
I (Ken) was born in China but left with my parents when I was only six months old. About three years ago we were privileged to go back to China and we saw where I was born and what life was like today in that country. One of the things that stood out to us was the heavy burdens that men and women would carry on their bikes. We saw items stacked dangerously high on bikes and some of the women even carried their young child in a sling as they rode a loaded bicycle to their destination.
Over the years we have seen many times in many other areas of the world people carrying heavy loads on their heads, on their backs or in hand pulled carts. This has given us a real understanding of the word “burden.”
When we think of burden we think of two definitions. First, is the burden of carrying a load both physically and spiritually. Secondly, we think of one being a burden to someone else.
Most people we meet today are carrying heavy burdens in their hearts. It may be a spousal concern, a parent/child problem, a family issue, a problem at work, financial stresses or much more. These are burdens that basically are too heavy for one to carry alone. Some times we hear the saying that a person is “carrying a lot of baggage.”
All those who have not accepted the Lord as their Savior are carrying the heavy burden of their sin. Jesus does not want us to bear the burden of our sins so He took our burden of sin upon Himself and carried them to the cross. In Jesus time on earth he experienced all the hardships and burdens of life that we experience. Not only does Jesus care about our burden of sin but He cares about our burden of hardships in life.
A person that does not know Jesus has no one to help carry his or her burden. But the person that knows Jesus can give “ALL” that burden to Him. The verse we have listed above says it all. The Lord says to “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain you.” “Sustain” means to support or bear the weight of or keep from giving way. What a comfort to know that God wants to bear the weight of our burdens and keep us from giving way under the heavy load of a burden.
Paul in writing to the church in Thessalonica said in I Thessalonians 2:9, “For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring day and night, that we not be a burden to any of you while we preached to you the gospel of God.” Paul traveled from town to town to preach the gospel but he did not want to be financially dependent on others. He was a tent maker, so wherever he went, he worked to pay his way so that he was not a burden to anybody.
In his letter to the Thessalonians he wanted them to remember how he had worked hard not to be a burden to them. He lived his life as an example to them to live lives pleasing to God. We also should follow Paul’s example and be willing to work and not be a burden on others.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1:1-2.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
Help me today to give the burdens I carry to You. Give me the insight to see others that are carrying burdens so that I can show them the way to You. Thank You for the assurance I have that You are with me every moment of every day waiting to carry my burdens if I am willing to cast them on You.
Awesome: August 17, 2011
AUGUST 17 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17, 2011
AWESOME
DEFINITION:
Inspiring; admiration or reverence; feeling awe; amazing; characterized by reverential fear.
SCRIPTURE:
Let them praise your great and awesome name. Psalm 99:3.
Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doings. Psalm 66:5
You shall not be terrified, for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you. Deuteronomy 7:21.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We have teenage grandchildren and a frequent word that we often hear in their conversations is “awesome.” They talk about an awesome time, awesome events, awesome friends, awesome ideas and the list goes on and on.
In church we sing songs whose words refer to an awesome God that we serve. This use of the word awesome is humbling to all believers when we think of the awesomeness of the God we serve. Our grandchildren often say “awesome” to describe everyday things but they understand that there is a difference in the meaning of “awesome” because they know personally the awesomeness of their Lord.
Each one of us should stop for a moment from our busy lives every day and worship God who is awesome to say the least. He is all powerful; He is all knowing; He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (as the old hymn says); He is our creator and is our Father. When we think about how awesome God truly is we cannot help but be filled with reverential adoration. We cannot begin to comprehend the awesome love God has for us. He loved us so much that He gave His only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
When we accepted His Son into our hearts and asked Him to forgive us for our sins, He did and at that point we began to serve our awesome God. It was then we began to understand how awesome our God really was. What a privilege is ours that we serve an awesome God today.
We have traveled to many areas of our world and have viewed many sites that our friends and grandchildren would call awesome. And when we saw these sites we also thought they were awesome. Some of these sites are considered wonders of the world like the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Egypt. Yes, they were inspiring and they left a lasting impression on our minds that we probably will never forget.
But we have experienced other sites that have left an even greater and lasting impression on our hearts and minds. One such example was the garbage dump in the Philippians where 100,000 people, many of them were children, lived literally on top of the garbage. It was at this place that we saw a young girl sitting in her lean-to shack with only a box inside serving as a table. There was one booklet on the box and it was a Sunday school daily Vacation Bible school booklet that we had sent to the Philippians months prior to our visit. This was an awesome sight for us. In a dismal and seemingly God-forsaken place our awesome God had found a way to let a little girl know of His great love for her.
But when we think of “awesome,” none of these places or events comes close to what we know as the awesomeness of our God. Let us never forget that we serve an awesome God and that He is always available for us if we only ask for Him. Remember today’s words from the scriptures above (Psalms and Deuteronomy). We need not fear because our awesome God is with us. God’s works are awesome so let us not neglect to “praise His great and awesome name.”
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1:1-2.
Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
You are an awesome God and I praise You for all that You have done for me. Thank You for Your love, Your direction and Your protection in my life. May my family never forget how awesome You are and may we always express our praise and thanksgiving to You.
AWESOME
DEFINITION:
Inspiring; admiration or reverence; feeling awe; amazing; characterized by reverential fear.
SCRIPTURE:
Let them praise your great and awesome name. Psalm 99:3.
Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doings. Psalm 66:5
You shall not be terrified, for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you. Deuteronomy 7:21.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We have teenage grandchildren and a frequent word that we often hear in their conversations is “awesome.” They talk about an awesome time, awesome events, awesome friends, awesome ideas and the list goes on and on.
In church we sing songs whose words refer to an awesome God that we serve. This use of the word awesome is humbling to all believers when we think of the awesomeness of the God we serve. Our grandchildren often say “awesome” to describe everyday things but they understand that there is a difference in the meaning of “awesome” because they know personally the awesomeness of their Lord.
Each one of us should stop for a moment from our busy lives every day and worship God who is awesome to say the least. He is all powerful; He is all knowing; He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (as the old hymn says); He is our creator and is our Father. When we think about how awesome God truly is we cannot help but be filled with reverential adoration. We cannot begin to comprehend the awesome love God has for us. He loved us so much that He gave His only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
When we accepted His Son into our hearts and asked Him to forgive us for our sins, He did and at that point we began to serve our awesome God. It was then we began to understand how awesome our God really was. What a privilege is ours that we serve an awesome God today.
We have traveled to many areas of our world and have viewed many sites that our friends and grandchildren would call awesome. And when we saw these sites we also thought they were awesome. Some of these sites are considered wonders of the world like the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Egypt. Yes, they were inspiring and they left a lasting impression on our minds that we probably will never forget.
But we have experienced other sites that have left an even greater and lasting impression on our hearts and minds. One such example was the garbage dump in the Philippians where 100,000 people, many of them were children, lived literally on top of the garbage. It was at this place that we saw a young girl sitting in her lean-to shack with only a box inside serving as a table. There was one booklet on the box and it was a Sunday school daily Vacation Bible school booklet that we had sent to the Philippians months prior to our visit. This was an awesome sight for us. In a dismal and seemingly God-forsaken place our awesome God had found a way to let a little girl know of His great love for her.
But when we think of “awesome,” none of these places or events comes close to what we know as the awesomeness of our God. Let us never forget that we serve an awesome God and that He is always available for us if we only ask for Him. Remember today’s words from the scriptures above (Psalms and Deuteronomy). We need not fear because our awesome God is with us. God’s works are awesome so let us not neglect to “praise His great and awesome name.”
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1:1-2.
Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
You are an awesome God and I praise You for all that You have done for me. Thank You for Your love, Your direction and Your protection in my life. May my family never forget how awesome You are and may we always express our praise and thanksgiving to You.
Ashamed: August 16, 2011
AUGUST 16 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 16, 2011
ASHAMED
DEFINITION:
Feeling shame, distress or embarrassment by feelings of guilt; unwilling or restrained because of fear of shame, ridicule or disapproval.
SCRIPTURE:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Romans 1:16.
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God. I Peter 4:16.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Recently, we have noticed a fear among people who know the Lord concerning their communication to others about their faith. As a result of the influence of the liberal media and the pressure of being “politically correct” there is a moving away from the Judeo Christian principles that our country was founded on and many Christians are drawing themselves into a so called “shell.”
They do this because they do not want to cause conflict and be ridiculed for their faith and beliefs. It seems they are ashamed to let others know that they are a Christian. Being ashamed of our faith is not of God and dishonors Him.
Peter instructs us not to be ashamed of our faith and if any of us do suffer as a result of our faith we can give glory to God through that suffering. In Romans Paul tells us that it is important for believers to understand that the reason we are not to be ashamed of the gospel message of our faith in Christ is because it is, “the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16, above). It is through us that God brings His message of salvation.
More than at any time in history God is expecting us, as Christians, to stand up for what we believe. God has not promised us that it would be easy and that we would not run into those who disagreed with what we believed, some even violently.
All we have to do is look at the life of Paul and the apostles in the book of Acts to see that this is true. God has promised that if we stay true to Him and keep, as we say, “PRAYED UP,” then He will lead and guide us through every situation.
A few years ago one of our grandsons had his appendix removed. It was emergency surgery at about three in the morning. At that time he was seven years old and had been in real pain for several hours and had gone through the necessary tests to make sure the right diagnosis had been made. He was in the operating room and just before they put him to sleep the doctor came in and asked our grandson if he had any questions. He responded by asking the doctor, “Are you a Christian?” The doctor responded by saying he was Catholic and that he believed in Jesus. Our grandson responded by telling the doctor that it was OK then to proceed with the surgery. Our seven year old grandson was not ashamed to talk about Jesus and what he believed. Are your words and deeds honoring to your Lord or are you at times ashamed?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1: 1-2.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
Help me not to be ashamed of what You have given me. Thank You for the assurance of eternal life and the assurance that You will be with me every moment of this day. Encourage my family, my friends and my neighbors who know You to stand up for what they believe. Give each one of us today many opportunities to share with others what You have given to us.
ASHAMED
DEFINITION:
Feeling shame, distress or embarrassment by feelings of guilt; unwilling or restrained because of fear of shame, ridicule or disapproval.
SCRIPTURE:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Romans 1:16.
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God. I Peter 4:16.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Recently, we have noticed a fear among people who know the Lord concerning their communication to others about their faith. As a result of the influence of the liberal media and the pressure of being “politically correct” there is a moving away from the Judeo Christian principles that our country was founded on and many Christians are drawing themselves into a so called “shell.”
They do this because they do not want to cause conflict and be ridiculed for their faith and beliefs. It seems they are ashamed to let others know that they are a Christian. Being ashamed of our faith is not of God and dishonors Him.
Peter instructs us not to be ashamed of our faith and if any of us do suffer as a result of our faith we can give glory to God through that suffering. In Romans Paul tells us that it is important for believers to understand that the reason we are not to be ashamed of the gospel message of our faith in Christ is because it is, “the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16, above). It is through us that God brings His message of salvation.
More than at any time in history God is expecting us, as Christians, to stand up for what we believe. God has not promised us that it would be easy and that we would not run into those who disagreed with what we believed, some even violently.
All we have to do is look at the life of Paul and the apostles in the book of Acts to see that this is true. God has promised that if we stay true to Him and keep, as we say, “PRAYED UP,” then He will lead and guide us through every situation.
A few years ago one of our grandsons had his appendix removed. It was emergency surgery at about three in the morning. At that time he was seven years old and had been in real pain for several hours and had gone through the necessary tests to make sure the right diagnosis had been made. He was in the operating room and just before they put him to sleep the doctor came in and asked our grandson if he had any questions. He responded by asking the doctor, “Are you a Christian?” The doctor responded by saying he was Catholic and that he believed in Jesus. Our grandson responded by telling the doctor that it was OK then to proceed with the surgery. Our seven year old grandson was not ashamed to talk about Jesus and what he believed. Are your words and deeds honoring to your Lord or are you at times ashamed?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1: 1-2.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
Help me not to be ashamed of what You have given me. Thank You for the assurance of eternal life and the assurance that You will be with me every moment of this day. Encourage my family, my friends and my neighbors who know You to stand up for what they believe. Give each one of us today many opportunities to share with others what You have given to us.
Agape: August 15, 2011
AUGUST 15 2011 TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY August 15, 2011.
AGAPE
DEFINITION:
Love; as of God for humankind or of humankind for God.
SCRIPTURE:
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because GOD IS LOVE. This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I John 4:8-10.
Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” Matthew 22: 37-38
Love must be sincere --- be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
AGAPE is true and genuine love. AGAPE love is not sexual love as between a man and a woman. Love is the very nature of God. The ultimate expression of AGAPE LOVE is God giving His only son to die on the cross for our sins. This kind of love comes to us by God through His Son Jesus Christ. We have AGAPE love in our hearts as a result of knowing that God loves us with no strings attached and that His love for us never changes. We show our love for God by the commitment of our heart, soul and mind to our Lord. This is TRUE AND GENUINE LOVE!
How many times in life do we find ourselves in a position of just needing someone to love us? This is when we need AGAPE love because we need the caring and comforting love that only the Lord can give. Remember, He gave His life for you. What greater love is there then this?
AGAPE love means that God first loved us and we are to love God first and then to love others. It is the love from Christ that compels us to act, on Christ’s behalf to share Christ’s love to someone (II Corinthians 5:14). It is a love that never fails (I Corinthians 13:8). It is a love that made Jesus say to His disciples in John 21:7, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” In Romans 12:9-10 (above verse), Paul defines AGAPE love as being sincere and being devoted to one another in brotherly love. Sincere love is not selfish. When we have AGAPE love we will honor others above ourselves.
This AGAPE love can only be felt by one that has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you want to experience AGAPE love then make that decision today.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1:1-2.
Blessed in the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, help us as a family today to experience the AGAPE love that only You can give. We commit our hearts, our souls and our minds to You today. Give us today a broken heart that has a concern for those that are hurting. Give us a soul today that loves You with all we have and give us a mind today that is dedicated to learn more about You and Your love for us and for a world.
AGAPE
DEFINITION:
Love; as of God for humankind or of humankind for God.
SCRIPTURE:
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because GOD IS LOVE. This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I John 4:8-10.
Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” Matthew 22: 37-38
Love must be sincere --- be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
AGAPE is true and genuine love. AGAPE love is not sexual love as between a man and a woman. Love is the very nature of God. The ultimate expression of AGAPE LOVE is God giving His only son to die on the cross for our sins. This kind of love comes to us by God through His Son Jesus Christ. We have AGAPE love in our hearts as a result of knowing that God loves us with no strings attached and that His love for us never changes. We show our love for God by the commitment of our heart, soul and mind to our Lord. This is TRUE AND GENUINE LOVE!
How many times in life do we find ourselves in a position of just needing someone to love us? This is when we need AGAPE love because we need the caring and comforting love that only the Lord can give. Remember, He gave His life for you. What greater love is there then this?
AGAPE love means that God first loved us and we are to love God first and then to love others. It is the love from Christ that compels us to act, on Christ’s behalf to share Christ’s love to someone (II Corinthians 5:14). It is a love that never fails (I Corinthians 13:8). It is a love that made Jesus say to His disciples in John 21:7, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” In Romans 12:9-10 (above verse), Paul defines AGAPE love as being sincere and being devoted to one another in brotherly love. Sincere love is not selfish. When we have AGAPE love we will honor others above ourselves.
This AGAPE love can only be felt by one that has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you want to experience AGAPE love then make that decision today.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 1:1-2.
Blessed in the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, help us as a family today to experience the AGAPE love that only You can give. We commit our hearts, our souls and our minds to You today. Give us today a broken heart that has a concern for those that are hurting. Give us a soul today that loves You with all we have and give us a mind today that is dedicated to learn more about You and Your love for us and for a world.
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