July 12, 2009

 Matthew 22: 37-40  

Love the Lord...Abundant Life

 ***

Matthew

Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

*** 

Thoughts...

Powerful words, Jesus spoke.  Here are some more:

Little faith:  Why are you afraid?  You have so little faith!   Matthew 8: 26 

True Disciple:  Not all people who sound religious are really godly.  They may refer to me as 'Lord', but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven.  On judgement day many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.'  But I will reply, 'I never knew you.  Go away, the things you did were unauthorized.'  Matthew 7: 21-23

Mercy:  Jesus replied, "Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do."  Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture:  'I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.  For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough."

What am I getting at here?  Life.  Abundant life.  Let's look at Matthew 22.  Love the Lord.  Love the Lord.  How do you love the Lord?  Do you know him....really know him?  If not, then you need to go to the Bible and learn who he is and who his family is.  When you come to the Lord and receive him as such, you are marrying him and his family.  Not just him, but God, Holy Spirit, Mary and his brothers and sisters.  As you get to know him you will really love him, not just say you love him.  Yes, we are commanded to love, but we can really love with the fullness of our hearts as we have more of God in us.  And then we can apply that love with humility, gentleness, and self control.  Starting with our families.  Please note:  loving does not mean we have to like all of another person's actions or accept those actions.  It means we embrace them where they are and help to lift them to new heights and we do this by loving them.           

Next, let's look at our faith.  What is your faith?  Your belief system and strength of it.  Do you fully believe in God?  You must then TRUST God...that he will do what he says he will do.  Have you fully obeyed him?  Then you shall be blessed by him.  Are you still selfish and arrogant?  Oh-oh.  You are in trouble.  Better get right with God.  Obedience is the key to this door.  Are you acting or living for him?  If you are demanding your own way, not asking others what they want before you make a decision to include them, if you are thinking only of yourself and not another, if you are snapping out directives and snide remarks....Jesus is NOT in your mouth, and apparently not in your heart....only your head.  Make some better choices.  Do you have children?  Are you teaching them to obey in a Godly way, or are you teaching them to bow down to you, or like you, in an attempt to have your needs met?  Or have yourself not be perceived as not obedient to God?  How does God see you, Mother and Father?  Are you fully believing and and obeying God?

Mercy.  No room for arrogance here.  Nor directives, or laziness, or selfishness.  Humility is the answer.  Because when you humble yourself you are able to enter into another's heart and see their pain.  You can then embrace them to help give them life.  Giving mercy involves kindness, benevolence...giving them what they need, not what they want.  Going to the core of their need and meeting them there.  I'm  not talking about new sneakers, Parents.  We are talking about teaching them what love is and how to love, part of that is in teaching them how to live right lives, obeying, and doing in the name of God, for and with God.  First, in the home.  It is not enough if the world thinks they are wonderful.  It is paramount that eveyone in the home thinks that each one is wonderful.  "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Your closest neighbor is the one in your home.  This is true of parents, and children, and the friends and family who enter in.

Who do you think you are?  Most are arrogant images of themselves....not humble, wholesome, God loving, God obeying children of Almighty God.  So why would he want you as part of his family in heaven?  He's got  enough problems with you on earth.  Check it out, folks.  Stop looking at yourself and expecting people to bow down to your needs and then expect God to bow down to your needs.  What have you done for HIM today?  What have you done for yourself in the name of God to help him help you?  Have you helped your family today?  Have you thought of anyone other than yourself today?  Hey, the day is young!  You still have the rest of the day to go.  And what about tomorrow?  What about your life?  What will it bring in the twinkling of an eye when the bugle sounds for you to go home?   Home being heaven....oh wait...are you really a child of God?  You may not get to go 'home'.  You may have no home to go to.  Not with God anyway.  

Think about this.  What have you got to gain?  What have you got to lose?  He's calling you, Sinner.   Don't make him have to say, "I never knew you, go away..." 

***

Let Us Pray

Lord, I have not loved you with my whole heart.  I have not loved my neighbor as myself.  Forgive me...please.  I have over-loved myself.  I have continually put my needs above all others.  Help me, Lord, forgive me.  Heal me please, now.  I so want to please you and do for you and make you happy.  Yes, still for selfish reasons, because I don't want to die.  So help me love you just for you.  Not because I need something from you.  Help me fall so in love with you that my selfishness is shadowed out by my passion for you.  You Lord.  No one and nothing else.  Then I will have learned how much you love me, how to love the right way and can love you fully and others rightly, teaching them how to love you rightly and completely as well.  I've been wrong in my decsion making.  I've put my lazy and/or selfish self above teaching and obeying.  I've wanted the world to wait on me instead of me wait on the world.  I was not born a servant, I was born as someone special.  Oh, I guess you were born as someone special, too.  Sorry.  And you were born a servant to many.  Yet you became Lord of all.  Well, I don't expect to become Lord of all, but I'm not sure about the servant part.  Some people are made that way...I wasn't.  I was?  Oh.  Why do I have to do for others?  Why can't they do for me?  Because the last shall be first?  Oh, well, I like that.  Oh.....I wasn't humble in saying that?  Sorry.  I guess I have a lot to learn.  The meek shall inherit the earth?  I don't want to inherit the earth, I just want what I want when I want it.  Oh.  Big 'oh'.  Inheriting the earth means I'll go to heaven?  And I'll live forever?  Hmmmmm.  Will I be happy?  Happier than I've ever been?  I will?!  Dandy!  Will I have everything I ever wanted?  Without working for it?  Oh....no?  I have to work for it?  Oh, I have to love you with my whole heart and love my neighbor as myself?  Well, I love myself pretty much, so that won't be hard.  Oh.  I have to love you more, huh?  Well, you better help me then.  I need a lot of help.  I always thought I loved a lot.  I didn't love well?  I guess you have a lot to teach me.  I guess I'm ready for my humble pie.  Be gentle with me will you?  I'm still hurting from a lot of things, and I am not physically well.  I don't want to die.  You won't let me die, will you?  Not if I obey you?  Help me, will you?  I need a lot of help.  I'll help you, too.  It won't be easy, but I'll do what you say.  I'll learn to worship you better and love you more.  And I'll read more about you to learn why I would want to love you.  And I'll share what I've learned with others by how I live, and how I love, and what I teach.  I will love and live by example.  It will be my testimony for you.  And I pray you will get the glory, not me.  Because I really do want to live a long life, preferably here on earth for awhile longer.  Help me, Lord.  Help me a lot.  I love you, Lord, now help me fall in love with you to the fullest extent possible, so that I can love all creatures for you and with you.  Embrace me, Lord, and help me to fully embrace you in all those I see that are of you...and those who are not.  Help me help them as you've helped me.  Just by being yourself....and loving me...enough to die for me.  But I don't have to die for anyone....because you died for all of us.  And thank you.  Thank you a lot for letting me see me through your eyes...I think.  I'm sorry it wasn't very pretty.  I'll do better.  You'll see.  I have to.  I want to have a life.  An abundant life....full of you.  For you.  I love you, Lord.  Help me to love you fully....completely.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Amen 

*** 

Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rythms of Grace'.

***

Definition of a Christian:  Anyone who believes in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Regardless of church name or religious affiliation.  

***

***

If you feel that the Church of the Holy Spirit has inspired or helped you, we'd like you to prayerfully consider tithing regulary to us or gifting us, so that we can further the work and carry out the will of the Father as proclaimed in Matthew 28:16 NLT

 to

 "Go and make disciples out of all the nations

baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

***

  Our NEW Current Cause

My family and I, and the church, are in crisis and could desperately use your prayers and financial support.  Due to medical concerns, employment crisis, and economic devastation,  I do not have funding to meet everyday expenses right now for the church, or home, nor those necessary to keep this website afloat for those shut-in or needing spiritual support, nor the ability to help others along the way.  But I am confident that, with your help, balance can be achieved.  As God touches your heart, I hope you will pray earnestly for the church, my family and me, and send any amount of money you can to help.  Please note 'Church and Family' on your check, and, I will see that all funds get divided appropriately.  The church, I and my family, as well as to those to whom we reach out, will be sincerely grateful for anything you can do to help.  

Please accept my sincerest thanks....and may God bless you!

***

 Checks can be made out to

Church of the Holy Spirit

and sent to

Church of the Holy Spirit

P.O. Box 86076

Tucson, Arizona

85754-6076

If you have any questions, we can be reached at:

1-866-402-GIFT

10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Mountain Time

As we grow, you will have options for allocating your gifts.

In the meantime, we hope you will trust us to direct them to where the need is the greatest.

We hope to be integrating Pay Pal soon for your convenience.

  ***

    One last thing....

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

'The Unforced Rythms of Grace'

 "Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

  Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

And the people said,

"Amen."

***

***

I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God.  Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided.

***

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

Scriptures may be taken from the New Living Translations website.

 *