Today in the Word for February 24-28
Today in The Word
Monday Feb 24, 2020
Sometimes it is easier to discover what something is by examining what it is not. Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. When Paul in I Corinthians 13 makes a statement of what love ‘is not’, he tells us in verse 4 and 5:
“…it does not boast, it is not proud…it is not self-seeking…”
Boasting is the statement, ‘Look at me!’ That is fine for 7-year-old, but completely immature for 32-year-old! Boasting is the opposite of love. Pride is the first great sin of Satan himself. Pride tells the world around, “I am better than you.” Pride is the root of all prejudice and bigotry. It states, “I have more value than you do.” And so that justifies all kinds of horror that men have done to each other. Self-seeking as the opposite of love is obvious. If we are all about ‘Number One’ we are not too focused on the other person. Self-seeking, pride, and boasting are epidemic in our culture today. And each of them is the opposite of love. Narcissism is what love is not. Ask yourself:
Do I spend most of my time thinking about me?
If so, there may be some room for growth in the area of real love.
And that’s The Word from Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Tuesday Feb 25, 2020
Sometimes it is easier to discover what something is by examining what it is not. Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. When Paul in I Corinthians 13 makes a statement of what love ‘is not’, he tells us in verse 5 and 6:
“It does not dishonor others…Love does not delight in evil…”
I recognize that we live in a culture that smirks at evil. We find ourselves smiling at the wrong done to others. We can approve of those that ‘put one over’ on the other guy. Sexual infidelity is a joke to tell. Lying is considered good self-preservation skills. Yet the sin we do to each other dishonors them. We treat others as something less than a person of worth and value. People are not a means to our entertainment. People are not ‘easy marks’ to exploit. Dishonoring others is the opposite of love. And we are to resist our culture’s tendency to smirk at sin, and thus treat people as objects. Love never treats another as an object.
Love does not dishonor others, but rather love really ‘sees’ them as people.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in the Word
Wednesday Feb 26, 2020
If we want to learn what something is, often it helps to examine what it is not. Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. When Paul in I Corinthians 13 makes a statement of what love ‘is not’, he tells us in verse 5:
“…it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
Anger is a natural part of life. It is an appropriate response to wrong done to ourselves or someone else. But Paul tells us love is not ‘easily angered.’ Love does not operate on a short fuse. It is not touchy or explosive.
What is one of the key reasons that people are easily angered? They keep a record of wrongs. They say they forgive, but they never forget. The dirt done to them is recorded in a little black book of their memory. Yet when Peter asks Jesus if forgiving a person 7 times is more than adequate, Jesus suggests he forgive 70 X 7 (Matthew 18:21-22). In other words, if Peter is counting, he is unlikely to be really forgiving.
And the same call by Jesus is made to us. Love keeps short books with everyone. Love often lets the other guy off the hook altogether. Love is the opposite of holding a grudge.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly. Join our Wednesday adult Bible Study at 6:30 for more of the Word.
Today in the Word
Thursday Feb 27, 2020
Love is not easy to define. Paul gives us four positive characteristics of love in I Corinthians 13:7 The first is, “[Love] always protects…”
So much of life we are on our own. Feeling alone is epidemic in our culture. Many of us learn early in life that if something needs to be handled, we have to handle it ourselves. But real love flies in the face of all this. Real love steps in and protects when danger appears. In a world of stone-throwers, love is a stone-catcher. When someone is under attack, real love steps in front of danger and defends. Whether this is from a verbal attack on Facebook, or an instance of domestic violence, love protects. Love intercepts the rocks that life hurls at us.
Love is not too worried about its own skin. Love always protects.
And ultimate love is expressed in Jesus’ willingness to take the penalty that we rightly deserved. On the cross Jesus acted to protect us. Jesus showed real love, stepping between us and the cruel penalty for our sin.
Love always protects.
And that is the Word from Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in the Word
Friday Feb 28, 2020
It is not easy to pin down what love is. But Paul gives us four positive characteristics of love in I Corinthians 13:7 The second is, “[Love] always trusts…”
The world round us teaches us to be skeptical. We have our own history of being betrayed in one way or another, so we become relationally cautious. Love is the opposite. When we trust in Jesus, we choose to believe in him. When we trust in another human, we choose to believe in them. Love says ‘I believe in you’ when others recommend mistrust. Love says “I believe in you” when the person’s track record is less than stellar. Love says “I believe in you” when circumstances seem to indicate otherwise.
On the other hand, mistrust undermines the power of love. When we demand proof of trustworthiness before we are willing to extend trust to another, we simply never accomplish real love. Our mistrust is a diagnostic test that kills the patient.
If we want to accomplish real love, we have got to extend trust.
And that’s the Word. You can enjoy more of the Word this Sunday at 10:45 at Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.