Chapter Eight
LOVE IS NOT SELF-SEEKING
Self-seeking …
the act or practice of selfishly advancing one's own ends
If God was self-seeking, it would be mandatory to serve Him. We would have no choice. He would be a dictator not our Father. God doesn’t want a religion (institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices) He wants a relationship (passionate attachment; communication).
He didn’t create us just so we would praise Him all day long and lavish Him with our adoration. He has the angels for that. He created man to have fellowship with. To give His time and attention to. He tells us to follow Him and wants us to follow Him, but gives us the choice to do so. To love on us and in turn to love Him back.
2 Corinthians 5:19-21 (Amplified)
It was God (personally present) in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against (men) their trespasses (but cancelling them), and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of restoration to favor). So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We (as Christ’s personal representatives) beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor (now offered you) and be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Christ (virtually) to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become (endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of) the righteousness of God (what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness).
As a mother, I don’t love my children so they will love me. It is just inherent. We as Christians need to live life as an example that Jesus set. We need to do things for others not to expect something in return but because 1) God told us to and 2) because it is the right thing to do. We are to bless those that are needy.
When we see someone hungry - we should feed them or find a way to get food to them but always have a prayer.
When we see someone without shelter - we should give them a room or pay for one or find a way to get them to a safe place to stay but always a prayer.
When we see someone sad - we should at the least, give them a hug and a smile but always a prayer.
When we see someone discouraged - we should encourage and always pray.
When we see someone happy - we should rejoice with them and thank God with them.
This is also something I try to teach my children and like everything, when teaching them I also learn myself. Don’t do something for someone so you can get something, do it because it will bless them. But God is so good that inevitably when we bless someone else, we ourselves will get blessed. It just happens. It is how God planned and made it to work out. The world calls it karma but God calls it The Blessing (Proverbs 10:22).
Deuteronomy 16:17 (Amplified)
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you…
Ruth 2:12 (Amplified)
The Lord recompense you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under Whose wings you have come to take refuge!
1 Corinthians 12:7 (Amplified)
But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for good and profit.
Luke 6:38 (NIV)
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Chapter Nine
LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED
Anger …
1: feeling or showing anger
2 a: indicative of or proceeding from anger b: seeming to show anger or to threaten in an angry manner
Joel 2:13 (Amplified)
Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met].
He is the God of peace (Romans 16:20). He could have destroyed this world or the whole human race at any moment; as He did in the days of Noah. But how long was it from Genesis 1 to Genesis 7? Look at the world today, how often is God spit upon? How often do people callously use His name in a profane manner? Instead of getting angry with us and taking out His anger by destroying us…He sent Jesus His one and only Son to love us and show us how to love each other, to suffer and die so we could be made whole; to separate His Son from Him just so our relationship with Him could be restored.
Nehemiah 9:17 (Amplified)
They refused to obey, nor were they mindful of Your wonders and miracles which You did among them; but they stiffened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a captain, that they might return to their bondage [in Egypt]. But You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great steadfast love; and You did not forsake them.
When we are angry with someone are we that merciful? When someone hurts our feelings how fast does that make us angry?
We are always in a position to be better Christians but even more important just being better human beings.
I will tell you that we are born into sin. So if you notice, it is easy to get mad and let it over take us. We have to make the choices on how we will behave in every situation.
I used to be a griper and impatient and think only how things affected me. But I have tried to make a conscious effort to put myself in other’s shoes before I react and speak. I have noticed that it totally changes my attitude and perception of my whole day. It makes me feel better and actually have a better day. We do reap what we sow.
When we let ourselves become angry we open the door for the devil. We can choose to let anger over take us or we can choose to let it roll off our backs.
Colossians 3:7-10 (Amplified)
Among whom you also once walked, when you were living in and addicted to [such practices].
But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips!
Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices,
And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it.
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