Love Works When Nothing Else Will

Key Verse: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” Ephesians 2:25

After many years of marriage, Sam decided to divorce his wife. The reasons he gave his counselor were: ‘She’s not attractive, she’s not interesting, she’s overweight, and she’s a poor housekeeper.’

So the counselor gave him this suggestion: ‘Starting today, I want you to go home and treat your wife like a goddess. Start doing everything in your power to please her. Listen intently when she talks about her problems. Help around the house and take her out to dinner at the weekend. I want you to literally pretend that she is a goddess. Then after two months of this wonderful new behavior, pack your bags and leave. That should get her attention!

Sam agreed it was a great idea and decided to implement it. He took his wife away on romantic weekends and read poetry to her every night. After two months the counselor called and asked, ‘Sam, did you file for divorce? Are you looking forward to being a bachelor again?’

Sam replied, ‘Are you kidding? I am married to a goddess. I have never been happier in my life. I’d never leave my wife in a million years. In fact, I’m discovering new, wonderful things about her every single day. Divorce? Not an option!’

The Bible says, ‘…A man reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7). And when Sam changed his strategy and started sowing seeds of love, he reaped a marriage he never dreamed possible. This isn’t peculiar to only men and husbands. Wives too should embrace a loving strategy to win their husbands' hearts and save their marriages.

Nothing truly is beyond the power of love. Love conquers all and when nothing else works, love will. Do you think this same strategy Sam employed in his home could possibly work for you? Why not give it a try and see what happens? Besides, you have got nothing to lose and chances are you and your spouse will love the results.

Let love reign in your heart and home. Show it daily in deeds and truth, and not just in words (1 John 3:18). Couples must learn to forgive and understand each other. And when God remains at the center of the home, no arrow of divorce from the Devil can prevail.

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Blest, Blest Forever

Only a little while, sowing and reaping,

Only a little while, our vigil keeping;

Then we shall gather home, no more to sever,

Clasped in eternal love, blest, blest forever.

Only a little while, heartbreak and sorrow,

Dark though the night may be, cloudless the morrow;

Only a little while, Earth ties to sever,

Then in our Father land, blest, blest forever.

Only a little while, shadow and sadness,

Then in eternity sunshine and gladness;

Only a little while, then o'er the river,

Home, rest and victor palm, life, joy forever.

*** Written by Fanny Crosby ***

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Praise: Therein Lies Your Victory

Text: Psalm 50:14-15, 23; 2 Chronicles 20:21-22

It is natural to praise God when something good happens or when everything is rosy, but it takes real sacrifice to offer praise when you have a tough problem. Then, you don’t feel like it because you are weary or you feel like God let you down. You think He is distant from you, or does not really care about what is troubling you when life has just dealt you some painful blows.

Well, here is what makes a big difference! Praising God in the time of adversity, though not a natural response, is a sure path to victory. I encourage you to praise God always, whatever your situation, because there is power in praise; therein lies your victory.

Praise invites God’s presence and paves the way for His power to be displayed in your life. King Jehoshaphat understood this quite well, and deployed the weapon of praise in the war between Judah and the combined forces of the Ammonites, Moabites and Mount Seir.

As Judah raised her voice in praise, “The Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy another” (2 Chronicles 20:22-23).When you’re confronted with situations beyond your power and ability, sing praises to God, and He will pull you through.

The apostle Paul also experienced the power of praise in his life and ministry. When he was locked up in a Philippians jail with his companion, Silas, and throbbing with pain from the severe beating they had received from the jailors, he looked away from his predicament and praised God earnestly. God miraculously released him and Silas by opening all the prison doors through earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison (Acts 16:23-26). Miracle happens when you praise God.

Praise passed your battle over to God. It helps you place your trust in God and look away from your problem. It also makes you remember God’s great acts of the past in your life and leaves no room for you to complain and be negative. Praise lifts your faith. You cannot sincerely praise God and remain despondent and doubtful of His ability to pull you through your circumstance. As you praise God, your spirit is lifted, your anxiety dissipated, and your nerves calmed.

However, you cannot truly praise God or experience the wonders of praise except you accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. That means, you must confess your sins to God, ask Him to forgive you, repent of those sins, believe in Jesus, and live by the Word of God.

Praise is a potent weapon in the hand of a Christian and the pathway to victory. So, when next you are confronted with a situation that is beyond you, praise God just as Jehoshaphat, the people of Judah, Paul and Silas did when they had a tough problem. He will give you the victory you deserve.

*** Written by Pastor W.F. Kumuyi | DCLM Women Mirror ***

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The Cause Of Worry And Anxiety

Text: Mark 4:40; Matthew 8:26-27

Each time our Lord Jesus rebuked His disciples for lack of faith or for little faith, it was because they refused to consider and think logically (Matthew 8:23-26; Mark 4:35-40; Matthew 14:28-31; 16:6-11). The very cause of worry and anxiety is littleness of faith or the lack of it, and the reason for the littleness or lack of faith is the absence of proper consideration or logical thinking.

"Consider the lilies ... O ye of little faith." Our failure to consider the acts of God - His care for creatures of time, things that exist today, and are forgotten tomorrow - is the major cause of our worry and anxiety. We have both earthly dignity and eternal destiny; we have an existence beyond this life which the lilies of the field do not have. And "... if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? "

If God has done the seemingly insignificant thing, will He not do the supremely important thing? If God cares for creatures of no value, will He not care for new creatures of eternal value? If God protects and provides for unclean creatures (Matthew 6:26; 10:29-31; Job 38:41; Deuteronomy 14:12,14,19), will He not protect and provide for new clean creatures who are cleansed by the blood of His only begotten Son? Consider the acts of God and think logically on the actions and kindness of God; then, you will have faith in God. Faith will banish fear, worry and anxiety.

1.            UNNECESSARY ANXIETY OF SONS WITH LITTLE FAITH

Matthew 6:28,30; Luke 12:28; Deuteronomy 8:3,4; Nehemiah 9:21; Luke 22:35; Matthew 16:7-11; Luke 8:25; 1 Timothy 6:6-8; Luke 24:17,25; John 3:12.

"And why take ye thought for raiment? " Our Lord asks, why are you worried and anxious for clothing? Is not the body more than raiment? If God has given us our body and is feeding the body, keeping it in good health, will He not also clothe the body? If He has appointed our diet and responsibility which can only be done in a body that is appropriately clothed or dressed, will He not provide adequate and appropriate clothes for us?

Dressing is not an end by itself; it is to clothe us so we can fulfill the purpose of living. God has ordained that purpose of living. The purpose for each life on earth is important to God. That purpose must be our central concern. Dressing is not our only or main purpose of living. We are not living for the purpose of dressing; we are dressing to fulfill the purpose of living. And He who has ordained the purpose of living will supply all that is needed to fulfill the purpose.

Only unbelief or little faith can doubt that but "Consider." When we consider what God considers, little faith will give way to lively faith in our hearts and we will know and believe that He will supply all our needs to fulfill the divinely appointed purpose.

2.            UNNOTICED APPAREL OF SOLOMON AND LILIES' FRAILTY

Matthew 6:28-30; 1 Kings 4:29-31,34; 10:4-9; 2 Chronicles 9:22-24; James 1:10,11: Luke 12:27,28; Acts 12:20-23; Proverbs 4:5-9; Deuteronomy 22:5; Zephaniah 1:8; 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3,4.

In the Scriptural account and record concerning Solomon, his apparel or clothing was not noticed as much as his wisdom and riches (Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31). Physical appearance and adornment were not his consuming passion. He did not have inordinate desire or carnal concern for clothing. Adequate and proper clothing is necessary but clothing without wisdom would not have helped to fulfill his calling as a king.

Solomon's mind was not set on fashion or dressing. His great request was for wisdom. "Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great " (2 Chronicles 1:10). Physical beauty is but skin-deep and the most adorned body soon loses its appeal in a few short years. The fulfilment of life's great purpose should be our highest desire.

We are also to "consider the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven." When we behold the beauty of lilies, flowers and the grass, we often forget that their loveliness quickly vanishes. Consider the frailty of the grass and remember that its destiny is the oven. Instead of being so worried and anxious about transient beauty and loveliness that soon vanish away and are forgotten, let's follow and desire "the beauty of holiness", the beauty that fadeth not away (1 Peter 1:24; 1 Chronicles 16:29).

3.            UNFAILING ASSURANCE OF SAINTS WITH LIVELY FAITH

Matthew 6:30; Luke 12:28,29; Isaiah 44:21; 49:15,16; Luke 12:6,7; Psalms 37:3-11,16-19,25-31; 84:11,12; Philippians 4:6,19; Matthew 6:8,32,33; Romans 8:32.

"O ye of little faith." Little faith creates anxiety, lively faith conquers anxiety. Little faith breeds worry, lively faith banishes worry. Little faith produces fear, lively faith prevents fear. Little faith makes us panic, lively faith makes us peaceful. Little faith fills us with cares; lively faith fills us with calm. With little faith comes anxiety and vexation of spirit, with lively faith comes assurance and victory in our soul.

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? " He will clothe us. He will not clothe us with strange apparel or forbidden dresses, He will clothe us appropriately. Will He not feed us? He will feed us. He will not feed us with "unclean" meat or "meats offered to idols" (Acts 15:29), but He will feed us with proper and appropriate food. Will He not heal our body and make us strong? He will heal us. He will not heal us with traditional and satanic powers of darkness. He will heal us in His own appointed way.

Lively faith does not doubt God. We always draw near unto God "with a true heart in full assurance of faith", knowing that "He is faithful that promised" (Hebrews 10:22,23).

*** Culled from Pastor W.F. Kumuyi Bible Study | Deeper Christian Life Ministry ***

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Must I Go And Empty-Handed?

Text: Proverbs 11:30, Daniel 12:3

Must I go, and empty-handed,

Thus my dear Redeemer meet?

Not one day of service give Him,

Lay no trophy at His feet?

Must I go, and empty-handed?

Must I meet my Saviour so?

Not one soul with which to greet Him;

Must I empty-handed go?

Not at death I shrink nor falter,

For my Saviour saves me now;

But to meet Him empty-handed,

Thoughts of that now cloud my brow.

O the years in sinning wasted,

Could I but recall them now,

I would give them to my Saviour,

To His will I'll gladly bow.

O ye saints, arouse, be earnest,

Up and work while yet 'tis day;

Ere the night of death o'er take thee,

Strive for souls while still you may.

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Characteristics Of True Christians Being Selfless And Hospitable

Key Verse: “Contributing to the needs of God’s people, pursuing [the practice of] hospitality” Romans 12:13  (AMP)

The Bible tells us to contribute to the needs of God’s people. This is very important in the Body of Christ. Galatians 6:10 “So then, while we [as individual believers] have the opportunity, let us do good to all people [not only being helpful, but also doing that which promotes their spiritual well-being], and especially [be a blessing] to those of the household of faith (born-again believers).” (AMP).

There are so many people in the church who are hurting and in need and we have to reach out to them and help whenever we can. There are some in the Body of Christ who have the gift of giving as we see in Romans 12:8 which says in part, “If we can give, we should be generous.” (Contemporary English Version).

When we provide for the needs of others, we should do so with generosity and with a cheerful heart as the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” When God has placed in your heart to give to someone, then I encourage you to do so. If we have the means to help them, then we should do so even if you have to sacrifice something to do it.

Let me give you an example. When we were living in Washington in the States, the Lord laid it on my heart to give to a woman in our church. I spoke to my wife about it and initially she agreed, but then she thought about it and didn’t want to give up her money later. One morning, she went to a women’s meeting at the church and in her way home she stopped at a grocery store. As she was getting ready to check out, an announcement was made that the next person to come to the register with purple nail polish would get some free groceries. Guess who had on purple nail polish?

When she went to the register to show them her nails, the groceries contained everything she went to shop for and had had cat food (we had a cat at the time). When my wife came home and told me what happened, I just laughed a little and the next day I had my wife give the money to the woman. They hugged and wept. It was beautiful.

My point is when God tells you to give to someone, do so; not so you will get something in return because that is not why we should do it, we should do so to show the love of God. Then we are told to be hospitable or to entertain others. The Bible specifically talks about Bishops, Elders and widows being hospitable (1 Timothy 3:2, 5:10, Titus 1:8).

Then we are told to be hospitable and the Bible gives a reason as we see in Hebrews 13:2 “Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (AMP).

This is something that is important as we are showing the love of God when we do so. Growing up, my mother would take people into our home when they didn’t have anywhere else to go. This came from the love of God in her heart. When we are hospitable we should do so from the heart and not out of compulsion as the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:9 “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” Another version of the Bible tells us this “Keep open house for all with a glad heart.” (1 Peter 4:9 Bible in Basic English).

As Christians, we should always show forth the love of God and we do so when we provide for the needs of and show hospitality to others.

*** Written by Edwin D. Kerns | Gospelfeet Ministries ***

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Now That The End of Man Is At Hand

Text: 1 Peter 4:7-10

In these days of mischief, loss and lust,

Of mores and trust buried in dust,

Of lies and pride that satiate dodgy head,

Guard with diligence thy heart till the very end.

Let thine eyes see no evil,

Its fruits resist, shun the devil;

Order thy steps in paths of peace and light,

Abide in the truth, thy thoughts make right.

Such fate befell perverse ones before you:

A life of woes and worries all through;

That thy ‘morrow may be good in every way,

Take time to be holy, take time to pray.

Desire not the noxious wine of violence,

Watch thy soul lest it breeds pretense;

Now that the end of man is at hand,

It’s time to seek the Lord and for righteousness stand.

Arise, O ye Christians! Behold your Saviour and Lord,

Love not the world or the riches it can afford;

Sinners will entice, consent not,

For yielding is death; recall the wife of Lot?

*** Written by Michael Olajubu (aka Jacobs Adewale) ***

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A New Master

Text: Romans 6:8-14

Key Verse: “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14

Why does Paul bring in the Law? He brings in the Law because he is dealing with one of the most basic problems of the Christian struggle, the thing that often depresses and discourages us more than anything else — the sense of condemnation we feel when we sin. The Law produces condemnation. The Law says that unless you live up to this standard, God will not have anything to do with you. We have been so engrained with this that when we sin, even as believers, we think God is angry and upset with us and he doesn't care about us. We think that way about ourselves, and we become discouraged and defeated and depressed. We want to give up.

But Paul says that is not true. Believers are not under Law, and God does not respond that way toward us. We are under grace. God understands our struggle. He is not upset by it; he is not angry with us. He understands our failure. He knows that there will be a struggle and there will be failures. He also knows that he has made full provision in Christ for us to recover immediately, to pick ourselves up, and go right on climbing up the mountain. Therefore, as his beloved child, you and I don't need to be discouraged, and we won't be.

Sin will not be your master because you are not under law and condemnation, but under grace. And even though you struggle, if, every time you fail, you come back to God and ask his forgiveness, and accept it from him, and remember how he loves you, and that he is not angry or upset with you, and go on from there, you will win.

I will never forget how, as a young man in the service during World War II, I was on a watch one night, reading the book of Romans. This verse leaped out of the pages at me. I remember how the Spirit made it come alive, and I saw the great promise that all the things I was struggling with as a young man would ultimately be mastered — not because I was so smart, but because God was teaching me and leading me into victory. I remember walking the floor, my heart just boiling over with praise and thanksgiving to God. I walked in a cloud of glory, rejoicing in this great promise: Sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Looking back across the years since that night, I can see that God has broken the grip of the things that mastered me then. Other problems have come in, with which I still struggle. But the promise remains: Sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

*** Written by Ray Stedman Ministries | www.raystedman.org ***

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Give It Your All

“…I will go … and if I perish, I perish” – Esther 4:16 NIV

Esther, a Jewish girl married to a pagan king, broke with long-standing tradition, marched into her husband’s throne room, spoke her mind, and rescued her people from annihilation. One girl saved a nation because she was willing to put everything on the line.

Are you feeling inadequate today? Are you thinking, ‘someone else should be doing this job instead of me?’ Then read these words written by clergy Edward Everett Hale: ‘I am only one; but still I am one. I can’t do everything; but still I can do something: and because I can’t do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.’

How many people did it take to rescue the dying man on the Jericho Road? (Luke 10:25-37) One Good Samaritan. How many people did it take to confront Pharaoh and lead the exodus out of Egypt? One man, Moses. A respected leadership expert writes: ‘God has put a dream inside you. It’s yours and no one else’s. It declares your uniqueness. It holds your potential. Only you can give birth to it. Only you can live it. Not to discover it, take responsibility for it and act upon it is to negatively affect yourself as well as those who would benefit from your dreams.’

Poet John Greenleaf Whitter wrote, ‘For all sad words of tongue and pen; the saddest are these, “it might have been.”’ In your twilight years, will you look back and feel like you have spent your life struggling to fulfill other people’s expectations? Or know that you lived it to the fullest by striving to fulfill your God-given dream?

Think about it now, while there’s still time to change direction.

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Be Now Imitators Of Your Lord

Be now imitators of your Lord;

You’re His children through His love outpoured.

Let love show now in all you do,

As Christ loved and gave Himself for you,

As a sacrifice to God.

All impurity put far away.

Don’t be greedy; watch the things you say.

These aren’t proper for God’s dear children;

You will never gain the wealth of Heaven,

In the kingdom of Christ and God.

Don’t be taken in by empty words;

Those who disobey, God’s wrath incur.

You were darkness, but now you’re light;

Let your life be good and true and right,

And find out what pleases God.

Stay away from fruitless deeds,

Done in secret out of lust and greed.

Let Christ’s light shine on all that’s dark,

And expose what’s missed God’s mark.

Bring to light every sinful act.

So be careful in the things you do;

Act with wisdom in whatever you pursue.

Make the most of every hour;

Don’t let evil exercise its power.

Be not foolish, but know God’s will.

Let the Spirit now your life control,

And let psalms and hymns flow from your soul.

In your heart, speak to God and sing,

Giving thanks for everything,

In the name of Jesus Christ.

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