Love Fulfilled Ministry

“ Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay " ( Habakkuk 2:2-3 ). Some think that leadership in ministry is more difficult than in business. Their reasoning is that with employees a paycheck can be used as leverage, thus "volunteers" are more difficult to manage than employees. When I hear this the idiom carrot and stick comes to mind, it is characterized by the use of both reward and punishment to induce cooperation, driving a mule on by either holding out a carrot or whipping it with a stick. The focus is on getting the mule to cooperate. Collaboration includes cooperation and it is based on the establishment of a relationship involving trust, respect, and commitment.[ 1 ] Collaboration mimics the biblical idea of body, where each member has a gift, a function, an...

“ See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven" ( Matthew 18:10 ). Little children have angels who are always coming before God for them. Woe, to those who produce snares for these little ones, v.7. It would be better if a millstone were tied around their neck and they were thrown into the sea, if your hand or eye cause one of these little ones to stumble, it is better to remove it, v.6-9, take heed not to despise one of these,v.10.  Despise means to regard as unworthy of one's notice or consideration; to look down on with contempt or aversion; it may suggest an emotional response; a condemnation as low, vile, or feeble .[ 1 ]   The son of man came to save these that are despised, v.11.  God holds these near, especially the fatherless and widow. " Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation " ( Psalm 68:5 ). God is a  righteous ...

There are a  diversity of gifts, yet the same spirit, and there are a diversity of services, yet the same Lord,  and there are diversity of operations, yet it is the same God which operates all in all. Yet to each is given a manifestation of the spirit toward being expedient   ( 1 Corinthians 12:6-7 ).  Operating procedures are established detailed written instructions, for designated principles and processes, that are followed routinely to produce a desired result. The thought process behind a standard operating procedure is that consistent results will occur as people follow the processes. The International Quality Standard  ISO 9001  essentially requires the determination of processes (documented as standard operating procedures) used in any manufacturing process that could affect the quality of a product. Quality Management teams in organizations have been writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for years to help workers produce qual...

God sent His Son They called Him Jesus He came to love, heal, and forgive He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives Because He lives I can face tomorrow Because He lives all fear is gone Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living just because He lives And then one day I'll cross that river I'll fight life's final war with pain And then as death gives way to victory I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know he lives Because He lives I can face tomorrow Because He lives all fear is gone Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living just because He lives  This is the Gospel, the Good News! He dwelt among us, died for us, and rose again, living for us. Because He Lives forever, He has the official sanctioning or authority of the priesthood whereby He is saving completely those coming through Him to God, and He is living always pleading for the sake of them ( Hebrews ...

" But brother with brother is being judged and this on unbelievers, indeed already you fail, in the judgments you are having among yourselves, because of what? so that you would not be injured, cheated or deprived? But you are injuring and cheating these brethren, are you not aware that unjust ones, the kingdom of God shall not be enjoying. No you are being deceived. Neither  parmours (having an improper lover, fornicating), idolaters (loving other gods or blindly or excessively loving), adulterers (faithless toward God or loving another man's wife), catamites (ancient Greek tradition of men having boy lovers, loving a boy), arsenokoítēs (literally a man in bed with another, having a man lover), thieves (loving to steal, loving things of another to the point of taking it), greedy ones (loving things over God, having more than one needs or deserves), drunkards (loving to drink, excessively being drunk), revilers (loving to speak abusively of), extortioners (loving to obtain ...

When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.[ Declaration of Independence ] The internationally recognized Ukrainian People's Republic emerged from war in 1919, only to be engaged in the Ukrainian–Soviet War which followed. The Soviet conquerors created a socialist republic, which in 1922 became one of the republics of the Soviet Union. Initial Soviet policy in Ukrainian was lenient but in the 1930's the policies turned to socialist assimilation. Millions of Ukrainians died of starvation in a politically induced famine called the Holodomor , or Extermination by Hunger. This great famine was a hidden history in this fe...

" He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'feed my sheep' " ( John 21:17-17 ). Jesus called Peter by his formal name, Simon of Jonas, a formal question awaiting a heart felt answer, do you love me? Sometimes we say things without much thought or action. Yes, Lord, I love you . Jesus responds, feed my young sheep . There is no response from Peter, not even a question, what do you mean Lord? Jesus asks again, Simon of Jonas do you love me? Still the same response from Peter, Yes, Lord, I love you. Jesus asks again, Simon of Jonas do you love me? A response from Peter, he is grieved because Jesus keeps asking him, you know all things thus you know my heart Peter responds. Jesus knows, do you really love me, prove that you love me, feed my sheep. T...

" Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams " (1 Samuel 15). Saul was going to unlawfully offer a sacrifice, an unlawful sacrifice sounds ironic, but this is what he would have done. Saul reasoned the sacrifice would please God, but in actuality he would have disobeyed God, as he was given very specific instructions to wait for the prophet. “ And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do ” (1 Samuel 10:8). On the seventh day the people began to scatter so Saul did the sacrifice himself. Samuel arrives and asks Saul "What have you done?" This was a test of his faith and obedience. We see the root of Saul's disobedience, " I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice...

Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost! Seeking all His fullness at whatever cost; Cutting all the shore-lines, launching in the deep Of His mighty power--strong to save and keep. Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!  Oh! the sinking, sinking, until self is lost!  Until the emptied vessel lies broken at His feet;  Waiting till His filling shall make the work complete.  Utterly abandoned to the will of God;  Seeking for no other path than my Master trod;  Leaving ease and pleasure, making Him my choice,  Waiting for His guidance, listening for His voice.  Utterly abandoned! no will of my own;  For time and for eternity, His, and His alone;  All my plans and purposes lost in His sweet will,  Having nothing, yet in Him all things possessing still.  Utterly abandoned! 'tis so sweet to be  Captive in His bonds of love, yet so wondrous free;  Free from sin's entanglements, free fro...

" love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... and a second is like it :  You shall love your neighbor as yourself " ( Matthew 22:37-39 ). And this is the greatest commandment, and there is one like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. We love because we know him for He is love. " We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother " ( 1 John 4:19-21 ). If you love God you will keep his words ( John 14:15 ). Love one another with brotherly affection, outdoing each other in love, deeming others first ( Romans 12:10 ). God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. The principle of the greatest commandment is that loving him and others is above all other principles. " Beloved, let us lo...