What love is and what it is not

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

I was reading, this morning I Corinthians 12:31-13:13. The particular passage my attention was drawn to were in chapter 13 verses 4-7, in the New Century version. This provides a list of what love is...and what it isn't.

What Love is

• Patient
• Kind
• Rejoices over truth
• Patiently accepts all things
• Always trusts
• Always hopes
• Always endures
• Never ends

What Love isn't

• Jealous
• Does not brag
• Proud
• Rude
• Selfish
• Does not get upset with others
• Does not count up wrongs that have been done
• Takes no pleasure in evil

We talk about the full Armour of God. Sounds exciting and majestic. However, you have to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness.

• Search my heart for my sinfulness. My improper thoughts and actions.
• Confess my sins.

I don't know about you, but I don't always enjoy having to confront my sinfulness. But thank God, the Breastplate of Righteousness assures me that if I confess my sin he will forgive me of my sin and cleanse me from my unrighteousness.

Lord, help me to live a life that demonstrates what love is. Help me to flee from what love is not.

It is God who works in you to will and act according to His good purpose. Phil 2:13

Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness

" Therefore put on the full Armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.Stand frim the, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 5:13-18 NIV

The Master Life Series, book 3 "The Disciples Victory" discusses the Full Armour of God. The breast plate of righteousness covers our heart and vital organs. Without this protection in place any blow or penetration could mortally wound us.

If we view that we are in a daily spiritual battle, then we have to dress in full Armour. And we must do this each and every day.

Symbolically, as we put on the breastplate of righteousness we are to:

• As we plan for the day ask God to search our heart to reveal any evil thought, motives or actions
• If God reveals to us that our heart is not right, confess our sins
• Ask for forgiveness of our sins and to be cleansed from all unrighteousness

Search me, o god, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way of the everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

If we admit our sins--make a clean breast of them--he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrong doing I John 1:9 The Message

 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 New Century Version

 At the end of the day, as we come back to camp, and remove our Armour, we need to review the day just past.

• Did we have any offensive actions? Were our motives always pure? Were our thoughts of the mind of Christ?
• Confess our sins for the the day past
• Know that through confession God forgives us and his blood covers our unrighteousness. 

What do you think about planning your day in light of putting on the breastplate of righteousness and then reviewing your day as you take the breastplate off?

Federal judge rules “National Day of Prayer” unconstitutional

The secular progressive assault on our freedom of religion continues its march. On April 15, 2010 U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional.

Quoting from her ruling; "It goes beyond mere 'acknowledgement' of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context,"

The First Amendment to the Constitution reads as follows:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Go to the links of the proclamation for the National Day of Prayer in 1952 and 1988 and review proclamations. Then ask yourself do these proclamations:

• Establish a religion?
• Prohibit the free exercise of religion?
• Abridge the freedom of speech?
• Abridge the freedom of the press?
• Abridge the right of the people to peaceably assemble?
• Abridge the right of the people to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?

It defies my sense of reason how anyone can answer the questions above with any answer other than, No. If the answer is no, then pray tell me how it is unconstitutional?

The explanation can only be that the secular progressive’s will prohibit the free exercise of religion. They will abridge the freedom of speech. They will abridge the right of the people to peacefully assemble. They will act unconstitutionally.

Make no mistake about it, we are engaged in a spiritual war.

And our primary weapon is…..Prayer.

Take Up His Cross Daily

Until recently the verse of scripture found in Luke 9:23 did not make a lot of sense to me.

"If anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."





The concept of denying yourself was complicated enough, but the real visual for me was in thinking of taking up a cross daily.


As I write this it is Easter Sunday 2010. The visualization of taking up a cross is particularly poignant at this time of year. Am I ready to suffer and die an agonizing death for the benefit of mankind? I confess, I am not. Would I be willing to bear the cross, to assist a severely beaten Christ as he struggled to carry it to Golgotha, as Simon the Cyrene was forced to do? Key word there, forced; but I suppose I would have done that. But every day? Do I want to think of struggling under the burden of carrying a heavy cross? Not particularly.


However, this verse took on a new meaning when I began a course of study offered at my church. Master Life, a course of study for discipleship, written by Avery T. Willis, Jr and Kay Moore and published by Lifeway Press; Nashville, TN.


This course presented the cross based upon relationships. The vertical portion of the cross represented our relationship with God, while the horizontal portion represents our relationships with others. Where the cross joins together defines our center. Are we self-centered or are we Christ centered.


In thinking about "taking up your cross daily" in this context I concluded that even I could do this. What about you?


If anyone reads this I invite you to join me in discussion of how can we best take up our cross daily and follow Him. Join me!