"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Tag: Godly Love

Jehovah Jireh—Yesterday, Today, Forever

MaryEllen Montville

“He fed you manna in the wilderness, [a substance] which your fathers did not know, so that He might humble you [by dependence on Him] and that He might test you, to do good [things] for you at the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth’ –Deut. 8:16-17.

Outwardly, their grumbling was directed at Moses and Aaron. In truth, however, the Israelites were grumbling against God. It was God’s abilities they were calling into question—not Moses’. God’s ability to provide for them. It had started at the edge of the Red Sea when the Egyptians, Israelite’s savage oppressors, had them hemmed in—in front, a wall of charging chariots and fierce soldiers in hot pursuit, and behind, an impassable sea. “Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What is this that you have done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?” –Exodus 14: 11. The Israelites’ persisted in their grumbling at Marah when the only water for miles was bitter. And the grumbling continued during their barren desert trek concerning what they’d be given to eat. Then again at Rephidim, also concerning water, “So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” –Exodus 17:2.

Until the time of His death, the Israelites were relentless in their tetchy grumbling against Moses.

As modern-day Christians, how like the Israelites of old many of us can be, waspish in our complaining—often petulant and unbelieving, even while professing our faith in the God who knit us together in mother’s womb. We complain about our jobs or our boss, or our lack thereof. We complain about the size of our house or the lack of desired clothing not hanging in our wardrobes. We complain about the weather—it’s too hot, too cold, too rainy, too dry. We complain about where we live. “Why couldn’t I have been born in Hawaii or Fiji or Spain instead of ________?” All the while, precious brothers and sisters are being martyred for their faith in Afghanistan.

And like the Israelites before us, we too forget, at times, that at the heart of our grumbling, at its core, is our professed dissatisfaction with God—our complaining aimed at Him. Our unrelenting questioning of His motives, intentions, those things He allows to touch, influence, or straight-up change life as we’ve known it, is, too often, tinged, not with honest questioning, but with lack of faith. As if we, His creation, somehow know better than God, our Creator, which experiences, and paths are best for us. As if we, in our overinflated sense of self-importance, feel, somehow, that we know better than God what will ultimately bring about His plan of our being fashioned into the image and likeness of His Son—our purpose.

Am I the only One who finds themselves murmuring of late?

Whispering complaints under my breath against any host of circumstances, people, or events—praying, in one instant, that God has His way in my life. That He builds-up or tears down whatever needs reworking in me, that I might draw closer to Him, serve Him with a pure heart? While in the next minute forgetting, momentarily, that my God is Sovereign. And His Words command me to give thanks in every circumstance in which I find myself—regardless of how I feel. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God” –1 Thessalonians 5:18.

There are no accidents in life, not even in those events our finite-limited minds define as such. In God’s economy, He has already made provision for our perceived losses before they could ever affect us. “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose” –Romans 8:28.

To believe otherwise flies in the face of God’s Sovereignty.

Our God is not caught off guard by where we find ourselves right now, whatever our circumstance—be that employed, unemployed, clothed in the finest, or in second-hand clothes. Belly full or empty, body toasty warm or bone-chilling cold, wet, dry, vaccinated, or not, joy-full, or in mourning. “I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every situation— to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and having need. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” Philippians 4:12-13. El Roi, the God who sees me, the very same God who saw Hagar laying on a hot and dusty desert floor, knows where each of us is right now. And, He has already made a way out of this place in which we now find ourselves, though we can’t see it quite yet. For me personally, that’s day two of mourning the loss of my only brother—my beloved friend. The One I sat laughing with just two weeks ago as he recounted childhood tales of adventures we’d shared.

Though frail then, he bravely did all he could to shield my sister and me from the pain cancer was causing in his body. There is no way I could have put this teaching out today and not mentioned one of the most significant, most hard-hitting, darkest valleys I have experienced to date; witnessing my brother die.

To tell you that it was not difficult would be a bald-faced lie. It was agonizing, as anyone who has witnessed a loved one inch away daily can attest. But it’s not towards my brother’s struggle or pain or even his passing that I want to point you; instead, it’s towards God. Towards the One who provides for our every need, even the strength to let go when all we want to do is selfishly hold tight. I want to point you towards His waterfall of mercy, grace, peace, and provision—towards His faithfulness. Both towards my brother, in God never once leaving him to walk through the dark and unfamiliar valley of death alone, always ensuring that he had everything he needed right when he needed it, down to our being with him as he took his final breath, and towards us. Giving each of us His strength in place of our human weakness. This leads me to God’s faithfulness to me personally. To one of the greatest blessings of my life, indeed, one of the most bittersweet. The sure knowledge that the God of the 11th hour answered my prayers for my brother’s salvation and met him as he lay dying in his bed. And, in His great mercy, quenched my brother’s parched soul with Living Water, washing him white as snow.

“But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life” –John 14:4. God met my brother in his dry and solitary bed of suffering as assuredly as He’d met Hagar as she lay crying out to Him on that hot, arid desert floor.

That’s our God. The One who comes and provides those things we didn’t even realize we needed.

I have peace in the knowledge and the greatest of blessings knowing that in my brother’s darkest hour, the Light of the world came and did for him what none of us as his family could. He drew close to my brother and lit the way before him, leading him to the place He had prepared for him. I know this because our God is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Our God is faith full. Yesterday, today, and forever. A Pillar of Fire by night and a covering of Cloud by day—our Protector.

 My family and I may have been blessed in having had the great privilege to care for our brother in his final hours, but clearly, it is Christ Jesus alone who deserves all the glory. In His Sovereignty, God orchestrated all things to work together for the good of all involved—according to His will, and for His glory.

Friend, if you have yet to ask Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior, do it today, please. No man is promised tomorrow. “But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart, you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved” –Romans 10:8-10.

In Loving Memory of Richard M. Murphy

Do Everything In Love, Part 2.

Stephanie Montilla

“Let everything you do be done in love (motivated and inspired by God’s love for us)” – 1 Corinthians 16:14.

A few weeks ago, while asking for guidance on what to teach, the Holy Spirit directed me to the refreshingly simple and profound message of doing everything in love. Immediately, I was filled with the Lord’s peace and joy, and I smiled at God’s gentle reminder and His answer to my prayer. Not long before having sought the Lord’s guidance, I’d been doing a bit of mental juggling. I was trying to determine the most effective way to share the knowledge of Jesus Christ with someone I know. God’s reminder to do “everything in love” reminded me that sometimes I might overcomplicate things in my head regarding the “how” I’ll share the reality of Jesus Christ with others. Forgetting at times the Word of God makes clear “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord’ –Isaiah 55:8.

I was focused on capturing this person’s attention while in His infinite mercy and grace; God wants to transform their heart and life, bringing them from death into life, knowing full well their mind will surely follow.

By this, I was reminded of Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthian church. He had reminded them to focus on their love for God, for from that love, that starting place, they would then flow in genuine love, affection, and honor towards each other. The Bible says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Paul’s heart, purpose, and his calling were, in part, to point both the Church in Corinth and us towards the love of God—just as Jesus did. The Bible is replete with examples of Jesus directing both His disciples and those He taught in the Synagogues towards the love of the Father. Christ came, gave His life, that we might be restored into right relationship with God. Scripture makes clear that Jesus’ love was sacrificial, compassionate, truthful, servant-hearted, counter-cultural, selfless, and that it remains revolutionary and life-changing even unto today. The power that enabled Jesus to “do everything in love” is the very same power that indwells every born-again believer allowing us to do the same miracles Jesus did. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father” –John 14:12.

So in an everyday practical sense, what does it look like to do “everything in love”?

Above all else, it is spending one-on-one time with God. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” –1 John 4:8. Our time spent drinking in God’s Word allows it to take deep root; marinate within us, if you will, whether through praying, confessing, listening, dancing, or singing praises unto Him. Our time spent with God will fill our minds with the knowledge of Him and fill our hearts with a deeper understanding of His enhancing Love. The more we dwell in God’s presence, the more we learn the nature of our God, the more too, we ought to be reflecting that same heart towards others through our deeds, actions, and attitudes—a living proof to the world around us of the Light that lives within us.

With the above as our starting point, next, we do “everything in love” by meeting people right where they are. Right at their “well.” Exactly as Jesus did when He met the Samaritan woman where she was—standing in her sin and shame beside Jacob’s well. Yet God did not leave her there, and neither should we. Just as Jesus did, we too must share Living water with all those we meet, giving them God’s Word—His eternal Truth—because only Jesus can satisfy the deepest longings of their soul. So following Jesus’ lead, we too must meet people right where they are. Regardless of their lifestyle, circumstance, or societal status. Our job is to love people and to speak the Truth of God’s Word in love, with compassion and kindness, pointing everyone we meet towards their Savior. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” –Matthew 9:36.

We do “everything in love” by being patient, kind, honorable, and truthful to others. The Bible states that “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the Truth. 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. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” Corinthians 13:4-8.

So sometimes, doing “everything in love” means encouraging one another, speaking life into those who are battle-weary. Or it can also mean speaking that hard Truth to someone because we love them, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love” Proverbs 27:5. To “Do everything in love” means that to the best of our ability, we must love as God loves. Our hearts ought to be compelled to love this way because God first loved us in this way. He loved/loves us unconditionally, graciously, mercifully, patiently, with tender, loving-kindness, and He demonstrates each of these to us still, “Let everything you do be done in love (motivated and inspired by God’s love for us).” – 1 Corinthians 16:14 [AMP]

Why Love? Because love draws us close, makes us come alive, extinguishes fear, guides us, frees us, and compels us. And so, I pray that every chance you get, every window of opportunity opened to you, whether in speech or deed, you demonstrate, cultivate, point, or redirect others to the love of Jesus Christ.

And I pray that when you do, the glory of God shines even more brightly from you, being magnified all the more because of Him who dwells within you, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us” 1 John 4:12. I could talk forever about love because it is a beautiful emotion and is made all the more powerful when it’s put into action to accomplish God’s will. God, the maker of heaven and earth, knitted that element of His divine nature into humanity’s DNA, and it’s that force, that spark of the Divine, Him with us all, that stirs us from within and is used to birth within us the desire to pursue Him—to answer His Call.

It can be challenging to demonstrate God’s love to those we feel are undeserving of it in our flesh.

Thankfully, as Christians, we live by faith and Truth and not according to our carnal feelings—at least we ought to be living that way. And because of this, we choose to live differently than those in the world around us, not being guided by how we feel; instead, we rely upon the Holy Spirit to empowers us to “do everything in love” despite ourselves. Not because we are superior in any way, no. It is because we live with the undeniable knowledge that one second before Jesus revealed His Love for us, to us, we too lived the way those in the world do. And as undeserving as we are, God still continues to demonstrate His love to us daily. If only we exercised more love, perhaps our homes would flourish, and our world would be a more loving place.

So, it’s because of Jesus, because He first loved us, loves us still, that we choose to live in such a way as pleases God. So be reminded, fellow believers, that we are ambassadors of Jesus Christ. As such, everything we do, from our thinking to our words, ought to be rooted and motivated by Godly Love. I know of no other love like this. There is no other love like the love of Jesus. And so I pray that if you haven’t accepted Jesus into your heart, you’ll do it today! That today is your day to receive and experience God’s unconditional love for you. “Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” –Revelation 3:19-21.

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