TO LAY DOWN ONE'S LIFE

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

-John 15:13 (NKJV)

Freedom, it seems there is always a price to be paid for freedom. Throughout history, many have laid down their life for our freedom. And while we may not always agree with the politics involved in the military conflicts sending our brothers and sisters into battle, that does not diminish the sacrifice these men and women in the United States military willingly made and make for their country...for you, for me. Our brothers and sisters in the armed forces are willing to die for us and have died for us; for our freedom.

As we here in the U.S. take pause this Memorial Day to remember and honor those who gave their life for our freedom, let us not forget the One who made the ultimate sacrifice and freed us all from the chains of our sin. The Son has made us free and we are free indeed. (John 8:36) So, this Memorial Day may we honor and remember all the men and women who have given their life for us and all our brothers and sisters currently serving in the armed forces. And, may we remember and honor the Lord our God every day for the sacrifice He made for all mankind, that everyone, in the U.S. and throughout the world could be free from the bondage of sin through Him. Thank you Jesus!

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• How will you remember and honor the Lord your God today?

Copyright © 2008-2010 Body for Christ Ministries. All rights reserved.

LOVE...IS NOT PUFFED UP

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)

“Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;” in other words, love is not boastful, proud or arrogant and it does not brag. When I think of these words, I am reminded of the parable Jesus told in Luke 18:9-14,

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Pharisee in this parable trusted in himself, he was prideful of his religion, his righteousness; this pride is what prevented the Pharisee from loving others and instead he judged others unworthy and despised them. When we arrogantly seek to exalt ourselves, we allow pride, like envy, to choke out love. The moment we allow ourselves to be prideful, we fail to love; we start to see ourselves as better than others or more deserving. Paul in Titus 3:1-5 writes,

“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating on another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” (Emphasis mine)

Remembering who we were without Christ is humbling and it is in this humility that we are able to love others without judgment.

I have noticed that the longer I walk with the Lord, the more challenging it becomes to remain humble and not judge others. I have a tendency to get puffed up with pride and self-righteousness, forgetting from where the Lord found me and lifted me up out of to save me by His grace. I start to collapse the person and their sin into one inseparable entity and since we are to hate sin, I find myself not only hating the sin, but despising the person. Thankfully, the Lord is faithful to teach me humility and remind me from where I came and who I was before I knew Him. It is only by the grace of God that I am no longer wallowing in my sin and it is only in humility that I am able to love the lost.

I challenge you this week to ask the Lord to reveal your pride to you and teach you humility, for it is only in humility that we can truly love as Christ loves.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• Pray and ask the Lord to reveal your pride to you and to teach you humility.
  
• Where do you see pride in your life? When or of what do you boast?
  
• Pray and ask the Lord to forgive you of your pride and to replace it with humility and love that can only come from Him.

Copyright © 2010 BODY FOR CHRIST MINISTRIES. All rights reserved.

LOVE...DOES NOT ENVY

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)

“Love does not envy.” Wow, these four words pierce my heart as I think of how envious I have been of others throughout my life. Envy and I were the best of friends before I was walking with the Lord; I spent a large chunk of my life being envious and jealous of pretty much everyone and anyone. My relationship with envy allowed little room for anything else in my life; envy had pushed out my joy and love for others and I found myself filled with an anger, bitterness and resentment that practically consumed me.

It is so easy to allow envy to creep in and begin to push out love, for the two cannot peacefully co-exist. You cannot truly love and envy at the same time; love does not envy. One of them must go and if left undetected, envy can take hold and begin to devour you without you even realizing it. We have been given example upon example in the Bible of how envy can destroy; just look at Cain and Able or King Saul and David. Envy drove Cain to kill his own brother and King Saul sought the life of his faithful servant David who was also his daughter’s husband and his son’s best friend. And we are given yet another example of envy in Mark 15:10 when the chief priests had handed Jesus over to Pilate to be crucified, “For he (Pilate) knew that the chief priests had handed Him (Jesus) over because of envy.”

From these examples, it is easy to see that envy is not of God, but where does it come from? James 3:13-16 answers this question quite nicely, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in you hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” So, bitter envy and self-seeking is a heart condition that is earthly and demonic. Like all conditions of the heart that are not of God, envy is sin and only Christ can cleanse us from our sin and wash us white as snow.

While envy and I are no longer friends, I must admit that envy does come to visit every now and again, hoping to rekindle that old friendship. It is funny; the things you, or rather I, start to envy when it is given a place to dwell; the neighbors with the perfectly manicured lawn, the woman whose house is immaculately clean and organized all the time, the natural physique the woman who looks like she did even before having 6 kids, and even the talents and spiritual gifts of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, if given a chance, envy can pop up almost anywhere. But through prayer and a steady diet of God’s word, the Spirit will convict us and lead us to repentance that we may be made clean through the blood of Jesus Christ and not be destroyed by our bitter envy and self-seeking hearts. Therefore, it is only through the redemption of Christ are we able to love, for love does not envy.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• Pray and ask the Lord to reveal any bitter envy in your heart.
  
• Where do you see bitter envy in your life? Who is it that you envy?
  
• Pray and ask the Lord to forgive you of your bitter envy and to replace that envy with love; that you would love as Christ loves, without bitter envy and a self-seeking heart.

Copyright © 2010 BODY FOR CHRIST MINISTRIES. All rights reserved.

LOVE IS...KIND

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)

Not only is agape love long suffering, but it is also kind; even after it has suffered long. As I reflect on the life of Christ and all He chose to endure for us, I realize that even through it all; through the pain, the humiliation and rejection that He continued to love and show kindness to those who persecuted Him. The apostles, as they went out to preach the gospel, many times they too were persecuted, humiliated and rejected; how did they respond? Did they lash out at their attackers with hurtful words or with their fists? No, they walked as Jesus walked; they suffered long and returned kindness for the evil that was done to them.

As Christians, we can be certain that we too will face persecution and rejection. How we respond to that persecution and rejection either shares the love of Christ with the world or shows the world that we are no different than the lost. It is easy to respond in anger, seeking vengeance; after all, who would blame you? The world tells us we are justified to respond in anger and to seek vengeance when there is injustice or when we have been wronged by another; just look at some of our “Super Heroes” or our favorite action films. But to respond in kindness, showing agape love to those who persecute, humiliate and reject you requires more than what the world can offer. It requires Christ. I think Jesus said it best when he spoke these words to His disciples:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” – Matthew 5:38-41

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” – Matthew 5:43-46

The world walks in the flesh, but as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to look different than the world; we are to walk in the Spirit. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but [how] to perform what is good I do not find.” – Romans 7:18 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” – Romans 8:5

This week, I challenge you to share the love of Christ with those who hurt you by returning evil with kindness.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• Who in your life is it easy to be kind to? What makes it easy to be kind to them?
  
• Who in your life do you find it difficult to be kind to? What makes it difficult to be kind to them?
  
• Pray and ask the Lord to help you to love each of these people as He loves them; to willingly show each of them kindness.

Copyright © 2010 BODY FOR CHRIST MINISTRIES. All rights reserved.

LOVE IS ...LONG SUFFERING

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)

When Paul writes of love here in 1 Corinthians 13, he speaks of agape love; a love that loves unconditionally and without changing. Agape love is a sacrificial love, a giving love that has little to do with one’s feelings or emotions; but much to do with action, the action of self-denial for the sake of another.

Love suffers long; love is patient. As I read the words, “Love suffers long,” I am struck by the word suffers. When viewed through the lens of the self-denial of agape love, you get a clearer picture of what Paul is saying here. Agape love is not about our comfort, feeling all warm and fuzzy, etc. Agape love willingly and patiently endures difficult, even annoying people, people who may have been cruel to you and hurt you; denying self not for your own sake, but for the sake of the other person.

I can remember quite vividly how people in my childhood church, myself included, would go out of their way to avoid speaking to a certain couple I will call Mr. and Mrs. Talkalot. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Talkalot loved the Lord and their joy for the Lord was apparent in the way they lived their lives and the love they poured out on the community. However, Mr. and Mrs. Talkalot would always seem to catch you when you were in a hurry and if you had the misfortune of getting “caught” by Mr. or Mrs. Talkalot, you can be certain that you were going to be late to your next engagement. After being “caught” one or two times by Mr. or Mrs. Talkalot, I found myself trying to make it to the exit as quickly as possible, trying desperately to avoid eye contact, even when I had nowhere to go or be. I may not have known what I was doing after church, but I knew that I did not want to be “stuck” chatting with Mr. or Mrs. Talkalot.

We all have people that annoy us, people that get under our skin or push our buttons; people that may say or do things that are hurtful. You know the people I am talking about, the ones that cause you to cringe when you see them walking toward you; the ones you spot in the grocery store and then duck for cover or head in the other direction, hoping they didn’t see you. Yes, we all have people like that in our lives, people we would probably prefer not to even think about. But, is this love? Is this the agape love that Jesus spoke of in John 15:12 when He said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”? No, the love that Jesus spoke of in John 15:12 and the love that Paul speaks of here in 1 Corinthians 13 is a love that willingly denies self and patiently suffers for the sake of another. But how can we get this agape love that is long suffering, where does it come from? Speaking as one who has been very selfish and known to have a short fuse most of her life, I can honestly say that if I am able to show even an ounce of patience and agape love to another, it is not by my own strength or will; but by the grace of God! This agape love that is long suffering does not come from within, it does not come from self; it comes only from the Lord.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• Who do you try to avoid? Who gets under your skin?
  
• How have you failed to show love (agape love) to each of these people?
  
• Pray and ask the Lord to help you to love each of these people as He loves them; to be willing to suffer and give up your life for each of them.

Copyright © 2010 BODY FOR CHRIST MINISTRIES. All rights reserved.

LOVE IS...

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)

In my study time the other day, I read the popular scripture of 1 Corinthians 13; I say popular because many of the weddings I have attended, including my own, have used 1 Corinthians 13 as one of the scripture readings during the ceremony. While I read these familiar words I was struck by how little I had really paid attention to their meaning. In fact, I remember choosing this scripture for my wedding simply because it spoke about love; I never bothered to take the time to actually hear the message and take it to heart. So today I want to share with you what the Lord revealed to me about 1 Corinthians 13, in particular verses 4-8, when I actually listened.

In our culture, we throw the “L” word around so freely that it seems to have little or no meaning at all. I am sure most of us have used “love” to describe how much we enjoy or like our favorite food, movie, car, clothes, etc. Yet one can hardly argue that the “love” we have for lasagna can compare to the love of Christ. We have people falling in and out of “love” all the time with more and more marriages ending in divorce because they no longer “love” each other. This certainly can’t be the love Jesus spoke of in Matthew 22:37-39 when He 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. And the second is like it; You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Could it be the same love spoken of in John 3:16-17? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” I see no resemblance between the two. How can love be the greatest of faith, hope and love if its true meaning is everything and anything under the sun that we have a strong affinity for?

The true meaning of love is described and defined in detail by 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.” Because there is so much to be unpacked and explored in these verses, I am going to spend the next several weeks looking at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 with you in the “Plugged In to the Radiant Son” devotionals. So, until next week, I challenge you to notice and explore what you say you “love” and what it is that you really love.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What is that you say you “love”?
  
• What do you believe you truly love?
  
• What is the difference between the two?
  
• How would you define love?

Copyright © 2010 BODY FOR CHRIST MINISTRIES. All rights reserved.

WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS

Dear Friend,
Your prayers and support have helped to bring me to the edge of my spiritual wilderness and I thank you so very much! Over the next several months, I will be transitioning from "Radiant Sun Life Coaching" to "Body for Christ Ministries" as this is what the Lord has been calling me to for some time now. This will have little to no impact on the distribution of the weekly devotionals, but I wanted to keep you informed as I value your continued support and prayers for this transition. Thank you and God bless!

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But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

-Numbers 13:31-33 (NKJV)

Moses obediently sent a leader from each of the tribes of Israel to spy out the land that God had promised them. However, upon their return, ten of the twelve spies gave an unfavorable report to the people saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw giants; and were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:32 & 33) Only two of the twelve leaders sent as spies, Caleb and Joshua, had faith that the Lord would bring them into the land and give it to them. Because of their unbelief, the people of Israel were destined to wander in the wilderness for 40 years before coming in to the Promised Land.

With the bad report from the ten spies, the people of Israel once again wished they had stayed in Egypt and even wished they had perished there; rather than face a difficult battle with the giants that stood between them and the Land of Promise. I have been in this place for the past few months; I have scoped out the land ahead and I can see the giants I will need to face and conquer to enter the Land of Promise. While my giants aren’t a people large in stature, they are no less daunting and the thought of facing them causes me to wince in pain. So I have been wandering through my own spiritual wilderness these last few months; unwilling to face my giants, unwilling to step up to the challenge. But God is faithful and He has used this wilderness experience to prepare me and bring me to the place of total faith and trust in Him. Only by faith will He bring me into the Land of Promise that He has for me.

So often we shrink away from the battles that lie ahead; afraid of facing those giants in our life. Instead we willingly choose to walk through the spiritual wilderness; a place of dryness, lacking the living water of Christ. We may believe that God exists, that He is the creator of the universe; we may believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that He died for our sins; while we may believe all of this, we fail to have faith in Him if we shrink away from what God is calling us to do or who God is calling us to be. Only by faith will we conquer the giants that stand between the wilderness and the Land of Promise. We must trust in Him and His will for us, for it is not by our own strength that we will arrive in the Promised Land, but by the grace of God; by His power, by His strength.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What is God calling you to or who is He calling you to be?
  
• What are the giants that are standing in your path?
  
• What must you do to overcome, to conquer these giants?
  
• When will you take that step of faith?

Copyright © 2010 BODY FOR CHRIST MINISTRIES. All rights reserved.