WONDERFUL MERCIFUL SAVIOR... LOVE...

MEDITATION MONDAY

I love my church family! I love our preachers! I love my LORD and the way He works through all of them!
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A week ago our worship was very balanced - as songs and communion focused on God's GRACE and Dan's sermon centered on the consequences of not being within God's GRACE.
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Yesterday, Steve and Dan "tag teamed their lesson" as Dan began with our HOPE in the Baby who came to this earth to die and the FAITH we must have to finish this life strong! He spoke of his recent trip to the Holy Lands and specifically his visit to Bethlehem.
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Steve continued his part of the tag team by going to 1 Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: FAITH, HOPE and LOVE. But the greatest of these is LOVE."
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Steve spoke of how Joseph and Mary must have both understood God's kind of LOVE. Reading about Joseph tells us that he was a patient and kind man. Steve quoted scripture, saying, that "kindness makes a man attractive." There is a lot about the 1 Corinthians 13 description of LOVE that describes Mary:

• rejoices with the truth
• bears all things
• believes all things (FAITH)
• HOPES all things
• endures all things

Jesus of Nazareth, the child who they raised, is our walking, living, breathing example of FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE. In fact, in reading the definition of LOVE, we can do it this way:

1. Jesus is patient


2. Jesus is kind


3. Jesus does not envy


4. Jesus does not boast


5. Jesus is not proud


6. Jesus is not rude


7. Jesus is not self-seeking


8. Jesus is not easily angered


9. Jesus keeps no record of wrongs


10. Jesus does not delight in evil


11. Jesus rejoices with the truth


12. Jesus always protects


13. Jesus always trusts


14. Jesus always hopes


15. Jesus always perseveres


16. Jesus never fails

What a man of GRACE! Our theme song this week uses many descriptor words:

• Wonderful


• Merciful


• Saviour


• Precious


• Redeemer


• Friend


• Lamb


• Rescue


• Counselor


• Comforter


• Keeper


• Spirit


• HOPE


• The One


• Healing


• GRACE


• Almighty


• Infinite Father


• FAITHFUL


• LOVING
  

And then, the song connects with our scripture memory:

Here in our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne
Oh, we're falling before Your throne.
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Toward the end of Steve's part, he put a picture up on the screen of our church family. He spoke of us being Jesus with skin on. In order for that to happen, we have to be a people in LOVE with our LORD... who are being led by His Spirit... Colossians 1:27 ends with,

...Christ in you,

the HOPE of glory.

The Baby from Bethlehem became The Man who knew where His HOPE lie... His FAITH in the Father remained steadfast... His LOVE was perfect:

• John 3:16 "For God so LOVED the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
• 1 John 3:16 "This is how we know what LOVE is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
• 2 John 5-6 "I ask that we LOVE one another. 6 And this is LOVE: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in LOVE."