Love Fulfilled Ministry

" But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace " (James 3:17-18). The wisdom from God is not like that from the world. While seeking human counsel is often needed, God wants us to seek his wisdom, understanding, and to do his will above anything else (Proverbs 3). When our belief/faith connects with Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, we know his will. The substance and evidence of that faith is there, God's heart interlocks with ours. When human counseling comes against our faith we know it is of man and not God. When someone has wisdom from God the gentleness, kindness, peace; fruits of the Spirit are evident, v.13. When we put bits in a horses’ mouth it is so they will obey us, directing them in the way that they should go. " Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no under...

"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. ... I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (Psalm 27:4,7) Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; making a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God (Psalm 95:1-3). He forgives all your sins, heals all your diseases, redeems you from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion, Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. (Psalm 103:1-5). Praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; with all kinds of instruments, with loud clashing cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:1-6). " But the hour is coming...

" Those who regard vain idols forsake kindness. But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry ground " (Jonah 2:8-9). " Those who regard vain idols forsake kindness ", the Hebrew word for kindness here is chesed . According to Jewish tradition chesed is one of the thirteen attributes of God.[ 1 ]. It is used again by Jonah when he was reasoning with God as to why he did not at first go to Nineveh, " for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentant of evil " (Jonah 4:2). Jonah knew the kindness of God, he reasoned that His kindness would surpass the call to go to Nineveh. Scholars have had a difficult time translating the Hebrew word chesed into English. Using words like “loving-kindness,” “mercy,” “steadfast love,” and “goodness,” but it really...

" For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?   But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.   And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because   the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.         Now  abides  faith, hope, and love. The Greek word for hope is  elpis  which means expectation of what is sure (certain); hope, trust, confidence .[ 1 ] It is not the same as wishing, with hope there is tangible evidence, confidence of its existence. Hope is  much like faith, it is unseen, as believers we know it exists .  Faith is defined in the bible as the  substa...

" To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to God than sacrifice " (Proverbs 21:3). The Hebrew word saddiq is translated as righteous or just, its original meaning meant straight or right.[1] In the Old Testament righteousness is closely linked with God's judgeship. [2]   " But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness " (Psalms 9:7-8). God is a just judge, he punishes the wicked and delivers his people who are obedient. By his grace he establishes a covenant with a people, (1 Chronicles 16:16-17) and in his faithfulness to this covenant he shows his righteousness in the form of salvation to his people.[2]  Faith counted for righteousness,  God's covenant with Abraham was brought about by  faith, " And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness " (Genesis 15:6). Much of the New Testament is taken up ...

" Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, ... and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. ... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ... The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise "  (Psalm 51:6,10,12,17). God looks at the heart, this is a premise throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament prophesies we are told of a new heart and spirit that he will give us through Christ, " I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanliness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and decrees " (Ezekiel 36:25-27). We are to love God with all our heart and such a thing is not far off. “ F...

" In him we have  rederedeemed hrough his blood,  the forgiveness of our trespasses,  according to the riches of his grace,   which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight   making known   to us the mystery of his will,  according to his purpose, which he  set forth in Christ   as a plan for  the fullness of time,  to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.      In him we have obtained  an inheritance,  having been predestined  according to the purpose of him who works all things according to  the counsel of his will,   so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be  to the praise of his glory.   In him you also, when you heard  the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him,  were sealed with the  promised Holy Spirit,   who is  the guarantee of our  inheritance until  we...