Greater Love Has No One Than This
Father, it has been a super busy last few days, but You, in Your strength, have gotten us through it! Thank You for all You have done!
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Over the last several days, Karen and I have been helping our son go through his life’s accumulation of things. He recently accepted a dream position in Texas! We are incredibly proud of him. This will be a very short post in that I am still recovering after much more lifting and moving than my body is used to.
We all have heard this verse.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13 NKJV
But as I was thinking about it yesterday, I realized that, at least in my mind, I most often think of it in reference to someone dying out of their love for others. But I think it also applies to other things we do out of love for others.
We were on a pretty tight schedule to get a moving container packed and ready for pickup today – it arrived Thursday afternoon. There were many things to sort through, organize, clean up, and eventually load. The back room of our home has served as a storage unit following his completion of grad school.
For the most part, we stopped all other endeavors to accomplish this task. We decided to “lay down” our lives. When you woke up Monday morning, there was no MoreThanUseless blog post, which is the norm. It has happened, but it has been a rarity in the last nine years. Essentially, I laid down a pretty important part of my life – one that takes a good chunk of my time five-plus days a week…every week. But it came down to a decision of either stepping out of helping my son in a crunch time to ensure his things were loaded and ready to go or putting together another post. I chose love.
My challenge for you today is to let love rule your life. And in actuality, that should read, let Love rule your life, for as it says in the last half of 1 John 4:16,
God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. AMP
Sometimes, we just need to lay down our life for others… Greater love has no one than this.
Jan 29th, 2024, Mon, 5:19 pm
Get to Propagatin’!
As my district administrative assistant recently said, in essence, today, you’ve just got to pick out one of the many balls in the air and get at it! There are a lot of balls in the air! Father, give us all the wherewithal to get done what needs to be done. Amen!
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There are just too many balls in play for me to start from scratch, so as I did yesterday, I am pulling out a ball that has been in play before. I’d like to highlight a couple of poignant portions of Matthew 28:16-20 (<<click here to read it).
Go therefore and make disciples… v19a
…I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” v20b AMP
Several years ago, I wrote Grow Where You Are Planted (<<click to read) and touched on this, but I feel impressed to expound upon this mindset.
How would we describe someone who would “make disciples”? Would they be a pastor? Or a Bible scholar? Or a theology professor? Or a Sunday School teacher? They would at least have to be a person with an outgoing personality – an extrovert, right? They would all foot the bill for that responsibility, but although some may struggle with this, we all have that responsibility! Every. Single. Follower of Christ.
When we think of plants, they must propagate for them to continue to exist! They must spread through their roots or broadcast seeds of some sort (I’d Rather Be a Black-eyed Susan <<click to read). Followers of Christ must do the same! And it makes no difference who you are or where you are – you can propagate! Merriam-Webster’s Kids’ Definition of propagate is to have or cause to have offspring: MULTIPLY
In my almost two decades at Kohl’s, I never once took a Bible to work with the goal of leading someone to Christ. I never got on the PA and preached a sermon to anyone. I simply lived my life for all to see. Did I do it perfectly – absolutely not! But I followed Christ with everything I had, and I believe I impacted people, both fellow workers and customers. I genuinely feel that people’s lives were changed by Christ through my faith in Him. And we all can do the same!
Lord, give us the faith we need to shine! May we be all we can be in You to reach and touch a world with You – we will make a difference! Let’s get to propagatin’! Amen.
(Jan 4th, 2019, Fri, 7:22 am)
Jan 25th, 2024, Thurs, 8:25 pm
Greater Grace!
It has been a wonky, arduous day – multiple components and we’re now getting close to the end of it. Father, guide me in what I should share. Amen.
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I am physically and mentally worn this evening and struggling to put thoughts together, so even though I try not to do so, this will be a Throwback Thursday post. However, I am going to tweak it a little.
The passage that inspired this post back in January of 2019 was Matthew 28:8-10 (<<click here to read it). Verse 10 takes place after Jesus’ resurrection and reads,
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me [just as I promised].” v10 AMP
I really enjoy my Life Application Study Bible and refer to it often. Regarding this specific verse, it points out that Jesus referred to the disciples as “brothers.”
Looking back from this portion of Scripture, just a few chapters, we find Jesus and his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. He held them close to His heart despite their weaknesses, and honestly, they acted like anything but brothers! The last part of Matthew 26:56 tells me that upon Jesus’ arrest, “…all the disciples deserted him and fled.” NLT, AMP, and NIV
I cannot begin to imagine what was going through the heads of the disciples – panic, fear, grief, despair…but Lord, you didn’t let them stew any more than they already had. You knew each of them intimately…You created them! Nothing they did surprised You in the least. It most definitely hurt, but You were not shocked.
They didn’t have to earn Your trust and Your love once again. There was no browbeating. There was no probationary period. Straight out of the tomb in overabundant supply, there was, and continues to be, forgiveness, love, and grace!
In my late 20s, I worked at a wonderful Christian bookstore called The Christian Amory. Amongst other things, we carried Sunday School curriculum and Christian education materials. One of the many companies’ products that we had was that of the David C. Cook Publishing Company. Interestingly enough, they employed the author of the hymn that comes to mind. Granted, it was back at the turn of the 20th century when Julia Harriette Johnston wrote lesson materials for primary-age children. For many years, she was involved in the work of Sunday schools at the First Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. Grace Greater than Our Sin was one of approximately 500 hymns she penned. Here is the text and how appropriate it is!
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
No matter where we’ve been, what we’ve said, what we’ve thought, what we’ve done (or haven’t done, for that matter) …grace is there! Thank You, Lord, for grace greater than our sin!
(Jan 2nd, 2019, Wed, 12:31 pm)
Jan 24th, 2024, Wed, 6:31 pm
Can Women Do That? – Part 2
Treacherous weather once again has given us a 2-hour delay. Please bless the time we have together this morning, Father. Amen.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (<<click here to read the passage)
I hope you were intrigued by yesterday’s post and have joined me for further thoughts on the legitimacy of women speaking in the church.
I had begun to share the Church of the Nazarene’s stand on the topic with all the Scripture to support it. So, we will continue.
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Acknowledging the apparent paradox created by Paul’s instruction to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:11-12)
Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.
…and to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:33-34 – previously noted), we believe interpreting these passages as limiting the role of women in ministry presents serious conflicts with specific passages of scripture that commend female participation in spiritual leadership roles
(Joel 2:28-29;
“Then, after doing all those things,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike.
Acts 2:17-18; 21:8-9;
‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
The next day we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to distribute food. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.
Romans 16:1, 3, 7;
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea.
Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus.
Greet Andronicus and Junia, [a woman] my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.
Philippians 4:2-3),
Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
and violates the spirit and practice of the Wesleyan-holiness tradition. Finally, it is incompatible with the character of God presented throughout Scripture, especially as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
I think their statement on the topic is comprehensive and brings to light what is of utmost importance.
But before we leave this passage, it would be helpful to also shine some light on what Paul is trying to communicate here.
Taking a cue from my Life Application Study Bible in the context of Corinthian culture at this time, women were not allowed to confront men in public.
As all people are want to do, some of the women who had become Christians thought that their Christian freedom gave them the right to question the men in public worship. Again, this is a cultural thing. By breaking with the commonly held mindset of the time, they were causing division in the church.
Also, unlike our culture, women did not have access to formal religious education as did the men, and women may have been raising questions in the worship services that could have been answered at home without disrupting the services.
I agree with the statement that the purpose of Paul’s words was to promote unity, not to teach about women’s roles in the church.
May we, as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, lift one another in prayer overflowing with love to further His Kingdom in every way we can. Amen.
Jan 23rd, 2024, Tue, 5:45 am
Can Women Do That?
Father, it has been a day of the unexpected amongst the planned, but we’ve made it to the end. May we all have a restful sleep tonight. Amen.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (<<click here to read the passage)
Reading through these verses, I knew I had addressed them in the past, so I did a little searching. I found my post from September 2019, entitled No Girls Allowed! In it, I shared a lot of information. It’s a touchy subject in some religious circles and has been hotly debated for centuries. It addressed the topic of women speaking in the church – specifically women ministers.
In my younger years, I remember some very dynamic preachers who just happened to be women. Though I don’t think they wore the title, some of my aunts were wonderful messengers of Christ, never shying from sharing their faith to further the Kingdom. Even today, I have preached sermons written by women ministers and personally know some incredible women of God who faithfully proclaim His word.
The problem is that entire denominations follow Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 to the letter. It reads,
“…for God [who is the source of their prophesying] is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order.
As [is the practice] in all the churches of the saints (God’s people) the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not authorized to speak, but are to take a subordinate place, as the Law says. If there is anything they want to learn [that is, if they have questions about anything being said or taught], they are to ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to talk in church.” (AMP)
I am grateful to serve in the United Methodist Church, but I am an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene. Their Manual – their book of laws and beliefs – directly addresses this topic. When Scripture is noted, I have inserted the passage for easy reference.
The Church of the Nazarene supports the right of women to use their God-given spiritual gifts within the church. It affirms the historic right of women to be elected and appointed to places of leadership… including the offices of both elder and deacon.
The purpose of Christ’s redemptive work is to set God’s creation free from the curse of the Fall. Those who are “in Christ” are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17)
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! NLT
In this redemptive community, no human being is to be regarded as inferior on the basis of social status, race, or gender (Galatians 3:26-28)
For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His characteristics and values]. There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. AMP
This is about half of what I’ve put together – which is already a lot! But, I would ask that we pause right here, and then please join me tomorrow for part two with lots more Scripture and lots more to think about! God bless!
Jan 22nd, 2024, Mon, 6:45 pm