Posted by Pastor Bruce on June 10, 2010
We are called to move toward the unlovely! (not run from them to a place of protection and security)
Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. (Mar 1:40-42 NKJV)
Jesus was MOVED with COMPASSION (the love of God in action) toward a leper!
The untouchable man was touched by the Healer! In that instance Jesus displayed for us all that it is God’s will that ALL be healed and whole. He also showed us how we should respond to the untouchable and unlovable…move with the love of God TOWARD them.
If God is going to use us we must go out to where there are hurting people that need a touch. Jesus did not come to earth to be secluded in a cave somewhere only to come out and be crucified when the time was right. The Great Physician came to the wounded ones in order to heal them. We have got to do more moving! Moving toward those who want deliverance and help!
Begin to pray, “Thank you Lord that I am moving with compassion as Jesus did! I see people that are reaching out in faith and move toward them so that you can move through me to meet their need! The love of God moves me to speak to people about their eternal destination. Thank you Lord for using me to bring help, hope and healing to all those around me.”
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Filed Under: love
Posted by Pastor Bruce on June 3, 2010
Obeying on command is our goal as Christians. To obey all that the Lord (Our Master) orders us to do.
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21 NKJV)
Our obedience to the Word of God is a direct reflection of how much we love and trust Jesus. There is no other way to “be happy in Jesus” but to trust and obey.
Obedience is almost non-existent in the day that we are living because there is very little submission to God. No submission, no honor, no respect and in turn no obedience. God expects us to obey not because we “have to”, but because He wants to manifest Himself to us and through us.
The way to experience a greater manifestation of God in your life is to find out what the Word of God says and obey it immediately…without hesitation. Obedience is not optional in the Kingdom of God. The Lord requires it and rewards it! Find out what the Lord wants you to do and do it, OBEY! There is no other way.
Posted by Pastor Bruce on May 5, 2010
Ever thought “this world would be great if we could get rid of all the difficult people.”?
“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.” – Matthew 5:43-47 [The Message]
When we are born again we are equipped with all that we need to love every person that we will ever come in contact with. People don’t purposely choose to be difficult, it just happens. The natural course of life without God is to become old and grumpy, difficult and down right mean. In a word, SELFISH.
Without the Word of God operating in your life you will become difficult as well. This is exactly why it is important to practice Matthew 5:43-47 and learn to love the unlovely. When you come in contact with a difficult person decide within yourself that “I am going to show the love of God regardless!” and you have just put yourself in the right place. It is easy to love those that love you, it requires no effort at all. But it is a “big person” (a mature one) that can love someone that is lying about them, cheating on them, stealing from them, etc. You can do it! God made you to act just like Jesus.
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Filed Under: love
Posted by Pastor Bruce on May 3, 2010
What is greater than all sin?
Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]. – 1 Peter 4:8 AMP
The love of God is greater than all sin! Jesus’ love for us and in us will conquer any and every wrong.
1 Corinthians 13 says that one aspect of love is that it never fails and never quits (it never gets to a place where it gives up) Sure there are times where we want to give up but instead of giving up we would “tap into” the love of God on the inside of us…we would receive the strength that it takes to love and win!
The opposite of cover is expose. Love does not expose sin. It is not our job or calling in life to go around shining a light on every one’s sin to expose them. (we don’t go to the other extreme and pretend as though sin doesn’t exist either…) By “covering sin” the Bible means that we forgive, forget and look past the sin of others in order that we keep ourselves from judging and criticizing those that we see in sin. Jesus ministered to the woman that was caught in the act of adultery by saying “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” There is no condemnation in Christ. Operate in the extreme love of God and release people from their sin. Allow the love of God on the inside of you to cover sin not expose it.
Posted by Pastor Bruce on April 27, 2010
Trying to love the unlovely?
I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. – John 13:34 AMP
Yes, there are many times that we must love people that are not worthy of our love or God’s love. Jesus knew this when He spoke these words to His disciples. He intended that we would realize that we must tap into His love to love the most difficult people.
In the 13th chapter of John Jesus did a super-natural thing when He chose to wash the feet of all of His disciples knowing that one of His disciples would sell Him out to His enemies, another disciple that said that he loved Him but would deny Him three times in the same breath and yet another disciple that doubted Him from the beginning and would doubt Him even after He was resurrected. What love! To look past the weaknesses of those around Him and choose to love them not based on their goodness but based on God’s goodness.
Jesus showed us how to love with the supernatural love of God that never gives up and always wins! We must make a daily choice to operate in that type of love, it is a decision and not a choice. Jesus did and we can…if and when we choose.
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Filed Under: love
Posted by Pastor Bruce on April 26, 2010
We needed a new commandment…higher than the 10 that God gave Moses.
I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]. John 13:34-35 AMP
Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He raised the bar by giving us a new commandment. He knew that the new commandment of love would transcend all the previous commandments given by God to man. This new commandment of LOVE is the highest “order” from the Commander in Chief of the Army of God. “Orders” in the military sense are given to soldiers before there is ever any action taken. Soldiers eagerly await the orders from the CO.
We have been given orders to love. Love one another AS HE has loved us. He knew that we fulfill the order when He gave it to us. He knew that He was also giving us the ability to love with the same love that He loved (and loves) us with when He gave us the command. This command, when acted on, will change the very atmosphere around us. As the world around us becomes more and more selfish and self-centered the love of God through the body of Christ will shine brighter and brighter. Let’s obey the command today. WE CAN DO IT!
Posted by Pastor Bruce on March 24, 2010
“If” is a big word to be so small.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; – John 8:31 (KJV)
Believing on Jesus does not make you a disciple. There is only one thing that will make you a disciple and that is continuing in the words of Jesus. Jesus said this. He made the distinction.
Many folks believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Fewer people actually become a disciple of Jesus.
A disciple means a follower. Someone that acts on the example and teachings of another. An apprentice is a follower of his mentor. To do what you have been taught to do. “Doing” is the difference.
Knowing what Jesus taught is good but doing what Jesus taught produces freedom. Being free requires acting on the truth. Truth acted upon produces freedom. The price of freedom is acting on the truth!
Don’t be satisfied with being just a believer. Continue in the truth of God’s Word, act like Jesus and experience the freedom that only the truth can provide. Be a disciple…do His word at all times…when it is convenient and when it is not convenient. Continue…
Posted by Pastor Bruce on March 16, 2010
Is it really all about you?!
For the others all seek [to advance] their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ (the Messiah). – Phillipians 2:21 (AMP)
How obvious is it that we live in a self-seeking, self-absorbed society? People are racing at the speed of sound to “get all they can out of life” under the guise of enjoyment and working desperately to make a name for themselves. Ever think about the phrase “name for yourself”? We are called by His Name to lift up His Name!
Jesus must become greater in our lives than we are. He must become the central focus in our lives and when He does the people that are looking at us will see Him shining so brightly that they will glorify our Heavenly Father (Matt. 5:16) … (not glorify us!).
Marketing has become the way of life in this generation. We market absolutely everything! (including water and oxygen!) We market ourselves and are in competition with ourselves to our own detriment. Whatever happened to “preferring one another before ourselves”? Or have we taken that out of “our version” of the Bible…? (Just a thought…)
Who are you promoting today? Do people glorify you or do they glorify God because of you? Our Father is expecting us to act like Jesus and when we do our interests become secondary and His interests become primary. We begin to look more like Him and in turn we are able to accomplish more of His will than our own. After all, isn’t that what it is all about? Not our will but His will be done in our lives? How are we measuring up?
Posted by Pastor Bruce on March 4, 2010
Face it, God would not ask you to do something that you could not do.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Phillippians 4:13
Following God requires that you walk in His strength. His strength in us is His ability flowing through us by His Spirit.
There is nothing that you can not do that God is leading you to do.
For example, from His Word we can see that it is His will for us to love our spouse and our family. This can not be done through our own strength, it requires the power of God working in us. He does not expect us to fulfill His supernatural will with our natural means. Through God we can do all things.
You may feel like you can not do what you know that you should and what you know that God is asking you to do, but remember:
- God is just and can not ask you to do something that you can not do
- He wants you to rely on Him and His strength to do all that you must do
Don’t say that you can’t because through Him and with His strength, you can! Rise up in the power of His might and show all those around you that you can do it! Declare I CAN DO ALL THINGS through HIM!
Posted by Pastor Bruce on February 25, 2010
Receive more grace for your race.
Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Ps. 110:1.] JUST THINK OF HIM Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds. – Hebrews 12:1-3 AMP
Considering Jesus and what He did for us will quickly bring us up and out of any pity party! Verse 3 of Hebrews 12 says to think of Him so that we will not grow weary or exhausted…faint in our minds…
We must remember that He did all that He did (endured the shame of the cross) because of the joy that was set before Him. He empowers us with that same joy as we look to Him who is the author and finisher of our faith. That joy of the Lord is our very strength and He is the very source of our faith. God will do exceedingly abundantly above anything that we can ask or think ACCORDING TO the power that is at work within us! Let His power work within you today as you think about Him and consider what He did for you and realize that He lives in you!
