1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13

The Way of Love

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. 

Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Psalm 15

Psalm 15

God, who gets invited to dinner at your place?How do we get on your guest list?2“Walk straight, act right, tell the truth.3-4“Don’t hurt your friend, don’t blame your neighbor;despise the despicable.5“Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living,never take a bribe.“You’ll never get blacklisted if you live like this.”

Psalm 12

Psalm 12

A David Psalm

1-2Quick, God, I need your helping hand!The last decent person just went down, All the friends I depended on gone.Everyone talks in lie language; Lies slide off their oily lips.They doubletalk with forked tongues. 3-4Slice their lips off their faces! PullThe braggart tongues from their mouths!I’m tired of hearing, “We can talk anyone into anything!Our lips manage the world.”5Into the hovels of the poor, Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks: “I’ve had enough; I’m on my way To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched.”6-8God’s words are pure words, Pure silver words refined seven timesIn the fires of his word-kiln, Pure on earth as well as in heaven.God, keep us safe from their lies, From the wicked who stalk us with lies,From the wicked who collect honors For their wonderful lies.

Psalm 11

Psalm 11

A David Psalm1-3I’ve already run for dear lifestraight to the arms of God.So why would I run away nowwhen you say,“Run to the mountains; the evilbows are bent, the wicked arrowsAimed to shoot under cover of darknessat every heart open to God.The bottom’s dropped out of the country;good people don’t have a chance”?4-6But God hasn’t moved to the mountains;his holy address hasn’t changed.He’s in charge, as always, his eyestaking everything in, his eyelidsUnblinking, examining Adam’s unruly broodinside and out, not missing a thing.He tests the good and the bad alike;if anyone cheats, God’s outraged.Fail the test and you’re out,out in a hail of firestones,Drinking from a canteenfilled with hot desert wind.7God’s business is putting things right;he loves getting the lines straight,Setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall,we can look him straight in the eye.

Jude

JUDE

1-2I, Jude, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!
Fight with All You Have in You
3-4Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.Lost Stars in Outer Space5-7I’m laying this out as clearly as I can, even though you once knew all this well enough and shouldn’t need reminding. Here it is in brief: The Master saved a people out of the land of Egypt. Later he destroyed those who defected. And you know the story of the angels who didn’t stick to their post, abandoning it for other, darker missions. But they are now chained and jailed in a black hole until the great Judgment Day. Sodom and Gomorrah, which went to sexual rack and ruin along with the surrounding cities that acted just like them, are another example. Burning and burning and never burning up, they serve still as a stock warning.
Puffs of smoke pushed by gusts of wind;
late autumn trees stripped clean of leaf and fruit,
Doubly dead, pulled up by the roots;
wild ocean waves leaving nothing on the beach
but the foam of their shame;
Lost stars in outer space
on their way to the black hole.
14-16Enoch, the seventh after Adam, prophesied of them: “Look! The Master comes with thousands of holy angels to bring judgment against them all, convicting each person of every defiling act of shameless sacrilege, of every dirty word they have spewed of their pious filth.” These are the “grumpers,” the bellyachers, grabbing for the biggest piece of the pie, talking big, saying anything they think will get them ahead.
20-21But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!22-23Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.24-25And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes.

17-19But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: “In the last days there will be people who don’t take these things seriously anymore. They’ll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts.” These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There’s nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit!

Mark 16

Mark 16

The Resurrection

1-3 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, “Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?”

4-5Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.

6-7 He said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.”

8 They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.

9-11[After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn’t believe her.

12-13Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. They went back and told the rest, but they weren’t believed either.

14-16Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.

17-18“These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well.”

19-20Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor. And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.]

Mark 9

Mark 9

“This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”

Mark 8

Mark 8

He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?”

Peter gave the answer: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.”

Mark 7

Mark 7

Jesus looked up in prayer, groaned mightily, and commanded, 

“Ephphatha!—Open up!” 

Mark 6

Mark 6

“Don’t think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple.

And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave."

What are you waiting on? Money? A Pulpit? A team to lead?

Jesus commands us to go as we are and HE will provide all we need, as we are going.

Mark 5

Mark 5

 “If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well.” 

Oh to have the faith of this woman, that simply by touching the hem of his robe as he walks by.

Mark 4

Mark 4

He told them, “You have been given insight into God’s kingdom"

Mark 3

Mark 3

Then he spoke to the people: “What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?” No one said a word.

January 22 -- Mark 2

Mark 2

January 20, 2015 -- Psalm 10

Psalm 10

The wicked are windbags,

the swindlers have foul breath.

The wicked snub God,

their noses stuck high in the air.

Their graffiti are scrawled on the walls:

“Catch us if you can!” “God is dead.”

January 15 2015 - Psalm 5

Psalm 5

January 14, 2015 - Psalm 4

January 10, 2015 -- 2 Timothy 4

2 Timothy 4

Thank you for listening, understanding and passing this along.

January 7, 2015 -- 2 Timothy 1

2 Timothy 1

January 6, 2015 -- 1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 6

This concludes the reading of Paul's epistle to Timothy.  So much instruction was given that many preachers devote years to preaching messages to their current congregants on the wisdom that Paul spoke in such simple and straight forward ways.  I only pray that you may listen and seek to find a few nuggets to add the richness of your own faith through the hearing of The Word.