One foot in the world and one foot in church

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”      Eph. 6:13  NLT

Do you remember the bitter lesson King Ahaz learned in trying to play both ends against the middle?    He appeased the King of Assyria by giving him expensive gifts from the Temple.

Result?     “He helped him not….”   (2 Chr. 28:21 KJV)

Poor and distressed King Ahaz turned to Syria and sacrificed to their gods, “…but they were the ruin of him….”  (vs 23, KJV).

The King’s mistaken hope was that in appeasing his enemy he would be satisfied and move on.  The more he appeased, the worse the situation became!

Have you ever noticed how compromise has the same affect in our life?

Am I so self-deceived that I believe that if I give in to sin, I can control it?

Do I really think that if I give in to Satan he will leave me alone?

I cannot succumb to spiritual appeasement:  compromise!

I must learn not to feed the temptation of sin to merely satisfy my flesh.

Paul wrote in Eph. 4:27, “..Do not give the devil an opportunity.”

Do not give him an open door, a look, a glance or the satisfaction of listening to him.

Look at the destruction in the lives of a few who gave Satan an open door:   Adam and Eve, King David, Judas, Achan, Ananias and Sapphira….etc.

Our carnal nature loves to appease.   We shrink from pain and struggles so it is easy to feed the ‘tiger’ in order to keep him quiet.

Appeasement is the habit of a careless life, not the life of a soldier.

There is something inwardly decaying if I am not able to stand up to Satan and say as Jesus did, “…Get thee behind Me, Satan….”

Appeasement……compromise is my confession of defeat and failure, my abandonment from discipleship and surrender to the one who crucified my Redeemer.

“Lord, help me to stand strong and speak with confidence to resist the devil.  Please, help me to remember to use the authority given to me in the name of Jesus to walk in victory and overcome the temptation of sin.”

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”     James 4:7-8  NLT

Love or Favoritism: Conclusion

 We have reviewed the definition of love and how love can influence the world for Christ.

In conclusion of this post on ‘love or favoritism’ let’s read what James wrote in his book on favoritism.

“Favoritism Forbidden

 ¹ My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. ² Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. ³ If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

 ⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

 ⁸ If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. ⁹ But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹ For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.”  If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

 ¹² Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, ¹³ because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”   James 2:1-13 NIV

When’s the last time someone told you ‘they see Jesus in you?”

How does God see your heart?

Love or Favoritism?  How would others describe the way you love them?  

Unconditionally or with conditions, hidden motives or selfishly, wanting something in return?

Love or Favoritism? Part VIII

“Love never fails…”     1 Cor. 13:8

God is love!

He loves everyone……….NO favoritism!

He sent His Son, Jesus to die for every person who was ever born on this planet.

God loves each one of us in spite of our outward appearance, education or lack of.  He is NOT moved by emotions to love us.

We are an extension of Christ on this earth.  It is our responsibility to assist, lift up and inspire each other.

The Bible has many examples of seemingly spiritual people who fell into Satan’s trap of sinning against their ‘brother’ for the sake of selfishness.

A person does not have to look very hard to see people practicing all manner of lies, slander, jealousy, manipulation and harmful behavior towards one another.

Christian love does not seek its own way.

Christian love is a self-sacrificing love that puts the well-being of others first.  Love looks at the heart not the outer appearance.

We are called upon to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. A person can profess correct doctrine, put on a great show of pretense, say they love and still lose their soul if they lack the spirit of self-sacrificing brotherly love.

In conclusion on’ love or favoritism’, I believe our actions also reveal what is hidden in our hearts.  We can say we love yet treat others rudely, control and manipulate all for our own selfishness.   Jealousy rules man more than they want to acknowledge.  

Emotions do dictate how we treat others!

I believe everyone is worth knowing!

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”.     1 Cor. 13:1-7   NIV

Love or Favoritism? Part VII

“….that all of them may be One, Father just as You are in Me and I am in You…”   John 17:21  NIV

Jesus’ prayer for us is to be One with Him as He is One with God.

‘As’ is defined: “equally, to the same amount or degree, in the same matter…”

With the enlightenment of this definition for the word ‘as’ this prayer becomes a more powerful realization.   Jesus’ prayer for us is to be exactly, in the same matter, one and the same, united with God as He is.   One!

We can walk in the same proportion, in the same degree, in the like manner, in one accord just as Jesus did while on earth.  We have the same Holy Spirit living in us.

With all that said, the bottom line is; when we are rude, unloving, jealous, and angry or ignore one another we are doing this unto Jesus who lives in them.

Matt. 25:45 “..I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these; you did not do for me….”   (NIV)

Love or Favoritism? Part VI

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’   This is the first and greatest commandment.    And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’   All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matt 22:36-40

What does it really mean to ‘love thy neighbor’?

When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we grow to recognize that everyone is created in His image.

Loving others is not as hard as it seems.  It simply means respecting others and regarding their needs and desires as highly as we regard our own.

We learned about unselfish giving and love through the example of the early church with Ananias and Sapphira.  The church attendees were selling their possessions and giving all they had to ensure everyone’s daily needs were meet.

Agape love in action!

Could it be that the way we love others is through a relationship with Christ and being more like Him?

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”   John 13:35  NIV

Love or Favoritism Part V

Christian love………what does it mean to you?

Is it about a warm fuzzy feeling?

In Matt. 22:37 Jesus said, “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…..”  (NIV)

Jesus also said, “…in everything do to others, what you would have them do to you…”   Matt. 7:12 (NIV)

Christian love is giving to others those things you would want them to give you.

When the King James translators used the Greek word ‘agape’ (God’s love), in addition to using the English word ‘love’, they also used the English word “charity” to transliterate it.   This was meant to reinforce the concept that ‘agape’ is a selfless, giving love.

God’s love is unselfish and unconditional.

Christian love is to be unselfish and unconditional.

Christian love is respect for others.

Christian love is a lifestyle, not a feeling.

 “Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.   For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”   These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”    Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”             Romans 13:8-10  NLT

Love or Favoritism? Part IV

Church should be a place for ministering to one another and building each other up.

How can we minister to others when we ignore them, have jealousy issues, walk in arrogance or a haughty spirit?

How many people have we missed the opportunity to minister the love of Christ to because we were too busy with our cliques?

We have missed the blessing of knowing others and showing the love of Christ because………………..?  (allow the Holy Spirit to fill in the answer for you).

How many people have left Church because they could not find someone loving enough to put themselves and their cliques aside for the edification of the body of Christ?

Jesus was the perfect example during His earthly ministry.  There were hundreds -----thousands who followed Him.   His miracles were to the obscured ones-----the marginal ones.  He chose to dine at the homes where others would not consider them to be on His level.

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!                                                      If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that.                                                                                                                      If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that.                                                                                                                       If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.”   Luke 6:31-34  Message Bible