What does love look like?

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others.  It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy.  It has eyes to see misery and want.  It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.

That is what love looks like.”  Augustine.

FEED YOUR MIND WITH THIS NOURISHMENT FROM GOD’S WORD:  (For best results read these words aloud.)

“Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast,

it is not proud.  It is not rude,

it is not self-seeking, it is not

easily angered, it keeps no record

of wrongs.  Love does not delight

in evil but rejoices in the truth.

It always protects, always trusts,

always hopes,  always perseveres.

 LOVE NEVER FAILS.”

I Corinthians 13:4-8

Now read them again…slowly…carefully. 

GOD DESIRES TO HONOR YOU!

GOD DESIRES TO HONOR YOU! HE HAS DECLARED:

“This is the one I esteem:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit,

and trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)

            Three requirements from God:

            1. HUMILITY.  Not looking down on yourself. Rather it is that spirit of honest self-                examination that prevents your having a “sound proof” head.  Humility enables a person to continue growing and learning throughout life.

            2. CONTRITE IN SPIRIT. This is “repentance.”  Repentance involves the heart and the head…the emotions and the intellect.  Repentance is that choice of turning to God with the commitment to follow His way as THE WAY: “A LONG OBEDIENCE IN GOD’S DIRECTION.”

            3. RESPECT FOR GOD’S WORD.  We have the Bible because of the Holy Spirit’s preservation. We must study His word with the fervent desire to know what the Father is saying to us. 

ARE YOU FEELING LOW...

“If you are feeling low, do not despair.

The sun has a sinking spell each night,

but it comes back up every morning.”

Ask yourself, “Have I ever had a day that I did not survive?”

In times of despair or frustration, Jesus advises:

ONE:  God know how you feel. He knows you by name.

TWO:  God cares.  He has created you in His image.

THREE:  God will compensate.  Defeat will not be the last word for the one who                          comes to Him with an obedient, trusting faith.

CRITICAL QUESTION:

Why believe that the preceding three statements are reliable and true?

POWERFUL ANSWER:

The presence of Jesus in our history.  He came at a certain time and at a certain place.  He died on a Roman cross. He arose from the dead.  He lives as the victor over death and evil.  He continues to invite each of us.  He says, “Come unto me…”