This past Sunday morning, we continued in the "Summer Love" series focusing on verse 6 of 1st Corinthians 13, which says:
6 [Love] doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth. (the Message)
Two principles from Scripture were suggested:
1 - Love doesn't hope for wrong to come to others but rather hopes for others to find "right" even when they have done wrong.
2 - Love does not flourish in the soil of untruths but blossoms in the teachings of the One who is Truth.
While focusing on the 2nd principle, a group of thoughts was thrown up on screen. Two thoughts at a time, coupled together. The first, a lie we tend to live with. The second, the truth from the teachings of Jesus. Well, Andrew Peterson has a song that recently came out that summarizes the same principle and is worth sharing here. You should download the whole album, in my opinion, but I am a BIG Peterson fan. Nonetheless, here's the lyrics to the song "Fool with a Fancy Guitar" from Peterson's latest album, Counting Stars.
It’s so easy to cash in these chips on my shoulder
So easy to loose this old tongue like a tiger
It’s easy to let all this bitterness smolder
Just to hide it away like a cigarette lighter
It’s easy to curse and to hurt and to hinder
It’s easy to not have the heart to remember
That I am a priest and a prince in the Kingdom of God
I’ve got voices that scream in my head like a siren
Fears that I feel in the night when I sleep
Stupid choices I made when I played in the mire
Like a kid in the mud on some dirty blind street
I’ve got sorrow to spare, I’ve got loneliness too
I’ve got blood on these hands that hold on to the truth
That I am a priest and a prince in the Kindgom of God
I swore on the Bible to not tell a lie
But I’ve lied and lied
And I crossed my heart and I hoped to die
And I’ve died and died
But if it’s true that you gathered my sin in your hand
And you cast it as far as the east from the west
If it’s true that you put on the flesh of a man
And you walked in my shoes through the shadow of death
If it’s true that you dwell in the halls of my heart
Then I’m not just a fool with a fancy guitar
No, I am a priest and a prince in the Kingdom of God
Here's THE BOTTOM LINE:
The One who loves believes what the One who is love has said about His beloved. Then and only then do His beloved live out His unconditional, regardless-of-the-wrong-done, foundation-of-all-truth, always and forever love. May we love as we have been loved.
Come hang and worship with us Sunday morning if you can. We will focus in this text:
7 Puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. (1st Corinthians 13:7, the Message)
Love you guys. Thankful to be learning love with and from you.
-jason
by jason c dukes on Thursday August 12, 2010
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by jason c dukes on Saturday July 31, 2010
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- Last Sunday, the “Summer Love” series continued with a focus on the section of 1st Corinthians 13 where Paul wrote that love is not selfish nor is it easily provoked. If you want to hear it, you can get the podcast by CLICKING HERE.
One of the illustrations that was shared came from the enewsletter that ALL PRO DAD sends out. With regard to the truth that “love is not easily provoked,” here is the intro and the top 10 list that was shared. IF YOU HAVE DAUGHTERS, YOU WILL ESPECIALLY WANT TO READ IT. However, I would suggest that the principles apply in any and all of our relationships. Hope it is helpful for you.
TEMPER YOUR TEMPER
- According to the National Center for Fathering, when a group of teenage girls were asked to anonymously identify why they would not confide in their fathers, one of the primary reasons was, “He would blow up.” Other responses included: “His reaction.” “I’m scared about his response.” “He would start yelling at me.” “I’m afraid of what he will do.” “He will reject me.” “He will freak out.” In other words, daughters will not confide in their father if he has no self-control.
- Dads – our anger is one of the biggest wedges that come between us and our kids. We’ve got to get it under control for our children’s sake.
- Here are 10 suggestions from AllProDad.com for tempering your temper:
- Perspective: Anger typically comes from a very narrow place; expanding your view usually dilutes the intensity. Will you go hungry tonight? Do you have a terminal illness? Remembering what is important can help check your temper.
- Imagine yourself as a three year old – visualize yourself having a tantrum: Try not to laugh out loud when you do this. It could annoy the other person!
- Do something incompatible with losing temper: Some guys sing a song (in their head); some make a cup of coffee; some guys read a favorite passage of Scripture or a “feel-good” wise saying; others pop in their ear-buds and listen to George Harrison sing “Hear Comes the Sun” or Louis Armstrong croon “I think to myself, it’s a wonderful world.” Bottom line, you can’t go up and down at the same time.
- Walk away: Simplistic solution? Yes. But taking time to collect yourself is always a good thing. If you are really angry, go for a run.
- Call your mother: Or your best friend, or your pastor, or anyone you trust. Point is, refocus and allow yourself to be re-directed.
- Offer to get the other party a cool glass of water – then have one yourself while you’re at it: We’re talking about the application of grace. It’s tough to be over-the-top angry when you are serving the object of your wrath.
- Pray: Religious or not, this is a great strategy! A) You’ve shifted focus B) God now has your attention C) Prayer is incompatible with losing your temper.
- Count backwards from ten but with this twist: You’ve heard of count to ten. Now try counting backwards. It requires more concentration. Plus, imagine one alternative to blowing up for every number: Ten – “I could write a letter to his supervisor.” Nine – “I could tell him about the time I was a kid and broke a window with a baseball.” Eight – “twinkle, twinkle, little star….” Seven – “I wonder what would happen if I apologized, even though I’m in the right?”
- Inhale slowly, hold your breath for five seconds, then completely exhale slowly and wait five seconds before repeating the inhale and exhale three times: This physiological exercise is proven to reduce pulse rate and lower blood pressure. That might be all it takes for the temper temptation to pass.
- Write this list on an index card and put it in your wallet for immediate reference: The odds are good that you won’t have to read more than two or three suggestions before losing your temper seems a poor option, given the alternatives.
by josh taylor on Monday July 26, 2010
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by jim collins on Wednesday July 21, 2010
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"Love is not arrogant, or rude."
-1 Corinthians 13:4-5
When you look up the words 'arrogant' and 'rude,' you find something interesting, especially when you think about the Christian's walk with Christ. The root of arrogance is pride. And the root of rudeness is a lack of concern for others.
The interesting thing, when we think about these two terms and our walk with Christ, is that they both stem from an improper understanding of God.
Arrogance is the sin of too much focus on myself. Rudeness is the sin of too little concern for anybody else. And at the center of both of these sins (and all other sins, too) is a misguided understanding of who God is. Which results in a misguided understanding of me and others.
When our understanding of God malfunctions, then everything else goes haywire. Lives are wrecked. Relationships are ruined. And the abundant life that God desires us to have is nowhere to be found.
Simply stated, the way you and I engage the world around us is a direct reflection of our understanding of God.
So, how are we called to view God? The Bible gives us two very clear images of God. And each one challenges us in the way we live our lives. 1) God is HUGE 2) God is near.
We will take some time here to discuss the 'hugeness" of God, and we will look at His nearness later this week.
God is HUGE!
God is greater than we could ever imagine. More awesome than we could ever comprehend. More wonderful than we could ever fathom.
Psalm 19 states that "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork."
In Isaiah 55, God says this about Himself..."as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
in Job 38, in the dialogue between God and Job, we see that there is no one like the Lord. Nobody even comes close.
The earth, and all that it contains, are the creation of our mighty God. The entire universe brings glory to His name.
God is HUGE!
This matters for us, because we are reminded of where our worship is to be directed. We are reminded that grace and life and love come from God. Grace and life and love are His creation. They are not our ideas. We understand, more clearly than ever, that the God of the universe has more than enough love to give into my life and the lives of others.
When we live in a proper understanding of God, we can then allow His magnificent presence to transform our lives. And we live out the kind of love that we are called to live out. The kind of love that is rooted in God, and that seeks others first.
The kind of love that is not arrogant or rude.
__________________
Be sure to join us this Sunday, as we continue to walk through 1 Corinthians 13.
Take care,
-Jim
-1 Corinthians 13:4-5
When you look up the words 'arrogant' and 'rude,' you find something interesting, especially when you think about the Christian's walk with Christ. The root of arrogance is pride. And the root of rudeness is a lack of concern for others.
The interesting thing, when we think about these two terms and our walk with Christ, is that they both stem from an improper understanding of God.
Arrogance is the sin of too much focus on myself. Rudeness is the sin of too little concern for anybody else. And at the center of both of these sins (and all other sins, too) is a misguided understanding of who God is. Which results in a misguided understanding of me and others.
When our understanding of God malfunctions, then everything else goes haywire. Lives are wrecked. Relationships are ruined. And the abundant life that God desires us to have is nowhere to be found.
Simply stated, the way you and I engage the world around us is a direct reflection of our understanding of God.
So, how are we called to view God? The Bible gives us two very clear images of God. And each one challenges us in the way we live our lives. 1) God is HUGE 2) God is near.
We will take some time here to discuss the 'hugeness" of God, and we will look at His nearness later this week.
God is HUGE!
God is greater than we could ever imagine. More awesome than we could ever comprehend. More wonderful than we could ever fathom.
Psalm 19 states that "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork."
In Isaiah 55, God says this about Himself..."as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
in Job 38, in the dialogue between God and Job, we see that there is no one like the Lord. Nobody even comes close.
The earth, and all that it contains, are the creation of our mighty God. The entire universe brings glory to His name.
God is HUGE!
This matters for us, because we are reminded of where our worship is to be directed. We are reminded that grace and life and love come from God. Grace and life and love are His creation. They are not our ideas. We understand, more clearly than ever, that the God of the universe has more than enough love to give into my life and the lives of others.
When we live in a proper understanding of God, we can then allow His magnificent presence to transform our lives. And we live out the kind of love that we are called to live out. The kind of love that is rooted in God, and that seeks others first.
The kind of love that is not arrogant or rude.
__________________
Be sure to join us this Sunday, as we continue to walk through 1 Corinthians 13.
Take care,
-Jim
by jason c dukes on Saturday July 17, 2010
no comments
If you missed it, you can go back and read the posts from Tuesday and Thursday this week to arrive to this point. Either way, here's THE BOTTOM LINE from this past week's teaching time in our SUMMER LOVE series (1st Corinthians 13) about "love does not envy and does not boast."THE BOTTOM LINE:
"12 Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence." [Paul, 1st Corinthians 10:12, the Message]
Being envious and boastful almost always is an indication of insecurity. I envy because I feel I lack something, so with zeal I set out to take it. I boast because I feel I am not being praised enough for something, so I talk all the louder about myself hoping you will join in, too.
All this thought and talk about ME disables love. I will not show love when I am envious and boastful. If I am so consumed with what I don't have, becoming zealous to take it, then how would I ever be mindful to give into the life of the one from whom I wish to take? And, if I am so caught up in telling someone about all that I have done, how could I ever be concerned about their story and seeing life abundant in them?
Furthermore, when I do not trust what the One who made me feels about me and says about me and has clearly demonstrated for me, then I am bound to look for security in my own feelings and words and accomplishments. Thus, I will not only experience His love, I will also not give it. At that point, I break, my relationships break, and life breaks.
May we trust the love of a jealous God and boast only in His demonstrated love for us. And may we get zealous for others to know the love of that jealous God and boast of His mighty power to save and hold us secure for life now and forever.
PRAY_Lord, please help me to live as though you think I am worth dying for. I am secure in you. Please transform my insecurities into security in You alone.
LIVE_boast about the jealous, everlasting, gracious, mysterious, compelling, life-changing love of our near God.
__________________
Hope to see you tomorrow morning as we continue in the SUMMER LOVE series – "love is not arrogant and does not act unbecomingly."
Love y'all!
-jason
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