Words for Life Articles

1 Corinthians 13

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The word “LOVE” in the English Language limits our understanding of the full meaning of that word.

So daily the word “LOVE” is used in a generalised way by many people without a true meaning of what that word “LOVE” really means.

Through the Word of God we receive insight into what Love really is.

1 Corinthians 13 is a letter written to the church by Paul sandwiched between a chapter on spiritual gifts, and another chapter on prophecy and speaking in tongues.

I am excited as to what God wants to do, as I look forward to 2019.

With the Brexit fallout among politicians, and so many people not too sure of what is going to happen with Brexit you might wonder what is there to be excited about. Will it be “no deal” or not? There seems to be more confusion in the world today more than ever before.

Yet the scripture in Philippians 1:27 says to us

27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

Our conduct and stance as Christians is what will make the difference. Paul says let the manner in which we behave wherever we are reflect what we preach.

Luke 11:1

1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

Most Christians believe that prayer is just asking from God. Some of us pray out of duty. Some just because they feel it is the right thing to do.  Some pray only when there is a need or a challenging situation. On the whole, many pray without realising that prayer should be an overflow from our intimate close relationship with the creator of the universe.

When Jesus’ disciples saw the way Jesus prayed, they were fascinated, they were intrigued.  His prayer life was birth out of a strong and close relationship with His Father. They must have discussed this amongst themselves yet did not know how to approach Jesus. Fortunately, one of them was bold enough to approach Jesus and say-

“Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

As Christians, we will go through many situations that will sometime cause us to question the existence of God, situations that will create doubt or liturgy in us. Many times, we are faced or bombarded with circumstances that challenges our faith.

I am yet to see a Christian who is immune from the challenges of life. It could be health related, it could be challenges with children, it could be challenges with work, it could be with waiting for the right partner, it could be with the fruit of the womb and many more.

Yet the word of God says in Psalm 34:18-20

18 The LORD is near to the broken-hearted; He saves the contrite in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all. 20 He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.…

Isaiah 37:30

30 “This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, And the second year what springs from the same;

Also, in the third-year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.

A believer in Christ I believe has three seasons in his or her spiritual walk. I am of the conviction that for us to go forward in the Lord we all have to go through these three stages in our walk.

My study of the life of Moses brought these to light. Moses was raised and lived in a palace for 40 years (season 1), in the wilderness for 40 years (season 2), and led the Israelites for 40 years (season 3).

21 years ago, in my time in the Bible school, one of my lecturers told us a story about his three daughters that has remained with me for years. He had three daughters. The youngest was ever running ahead of him, very independent. The middle one had a habit of dragging her feet behind, bored with everything around her. However, the eldest would hold her father’s hand chatting, asking questions and keeping step with her dad.

For 430 years the children of Israel were in Egypt, and for part of the 430 years they were slaves in the hands of a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph.  Exodus 1:8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. This Pharaoh made the lives of the children of Israel unbearable, they were used and abused. The children of Israel had no voice and no deliverer, but the children of Israel continued to cry out to God for deliverance. For years it felt as though their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had abandoned His people.

Then God raised a young man, an Israelite in the palace of Pharaoh as a deliverer for the children of Israel.

The word of the Lord was clear: I have heard the cry of the children of Israel and I have come down to set them free.

Hebrews 12:24

24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Lewis Edgar Jones was born in 1865 and died in 1936

In 1899 he wrote one of the most popular song about the power of the blood – “There is power in the blood”. The wordings of the song go like this.

1 Would you be free from the burden of sin?