TIME OF REFLECTION - LOVE DOES NOT ENVY OR BOAST

“Love…does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (I Corinthians 13: 4).

Someone said, “Envy and boasting are first cousins, and strangers to love.” Envy seeks to tears others down; boasting seeks to build self up. Fear and insecurity linger underneath envy and boasting. They wrap themselves up with self-centredness in order to feel safe and to keep other out. Envy and boasting focus inwards while love looks outward. Envy looks through a microscope; love look through a telescope.

Envy and love are dramatically displayed in the story of Daniel. We see he held fast to his faith in the living God. Daniel became one of the kings top administrators when he was more than 80 years old. Noting Daniel’s “exceptional qualities” (Daniel 6: 3), King Darius planned to put him in charge of the Kingdom, but Daniel’s colleagues who were envious of his success, plotted to destroy him.

Unable to find any offense in him, they talked the king into signing a decree that made it unlawful for people to pray to anyone other than the king. We see Daniel in his upstairs room, by an opened window facing Jerusalem, praying as he had always done. When his colleagues heard him praying they hurried off to report him to the king.

Envy and boasting parade before us daily, tempting us to compromise our faith and lower our standards. Comparison and competition are their tools of trade. They whisper deadly secrets of others doing better, have more, looking greater than we do. Jesus stands before us, “pierced for our transgressions…crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53: 3), holding out a love that has you and I at the centre. This love from a humble heart is the love of God that meets our deepest needs and will never let us go.

Thought:

“My Lord, what love is this, that pays so dearly,
That I, the guilty one, may go free!”
- Graham Kendrick

MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT!

Lorraine & I are a part of an Alpha Marriage Enrichment course with three other couples. We meet on Wednesday evening and have Dinner, watch a Video presentation, and do the necessary exercises around the Dinner table. As you can see one table per couple.

It also provides us with the opportunity to get to know other couples in the congregation. A great time of growing and learning, and having fellowship with other couples.

I trust that when the opportunity comes around again other couples will benefit from this wonderful experience.

Blessings!

BURLINGTON CFS

Tomorrow will be week # 3 of my commuting to Burlington CFS, an assignment to the end of June. A move that was necessary due to the resignation of the Executive Director.

Lorraine will run the Office here in Cambridge.

The drive is 30 - 40 minutes. I am enjoying the challenge there. The staff is good to work with. We are enjoying each others' company.

Pictured above is our Driver, John. As you can see when not driving he, along with one of our volunteers is busy sorting.

Pray for Lorraine & I as we continue to serve these two Cities in His Name!

TIME OF REFLECTION - LOVE IS KIND

“Love is kind” (I Corinthians 13: 4, NIV)

Kenny Rogers sang a love song titled, "You Decorated My Life." His lyrics celebrated the way our lives are enhanced when we are loved. But when Paul said that real love is kind, he was describing a love that is more than ornamental. According to Greek scholar A. T. Robertson, the Greek word translated "kind" can also mean "useful or gracious." Young's Analytical Concordance defines the word, "to be useful, beneficial." In other words, love acts in a way that is kind, gracious, useful, and beneficial.

If we keep in mind that the purpose of real love is to seek the welfare of the one loved, then we see why real love must not only be patient but gracious. Kindness, not harshness, is more apt to encourage good in another person. Just as Proverbs says that "a soft answer turns away wrath" (15:1), so love that is practical and useful is skillful in bringing out the best rather than the worst in the one loved.

Being gentle and "full of grace" is a Christlike quality (John 1:14). Look at the way Jesus described Himself to those in need of His help:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28,29).

Here is a description of the strongest and most loving Person the world has ever known--strong enough to create the universe and wise enough to stand against the hypocrisy and self-centeredness of the most powerful people of His day. Yet He did so while being full of both truth and grace.

Jesus reminds us that while love calls for truth, truth expressed without kindness is not loving. He reminds us that while love calls for patience, patience without kindness is not loving either.

Two Thoughts:

“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." - Mao Zedong

TIME OF REFLECTION - LOVE IS PATIENT

“Love is patient” (I Corinthians 13: 4).

The Greek word (makrothumein) means patience with people and not patience with circumstances. It is the word used of the man who is wronged and who has the power to avenge himself but will not. It describes the man who is slow to anger and it is used of God himself in his relationship with men. Such patience is not the sign of weakness but the sign of strength; No one treated Abraham Lincoln with more contempt than did Stanton. He called him "a low cunning clown", he nicknamed him "the original gorilla". Lincoln said nothing.

He made Stanton his war minister because he was the best man for the job and he treated him with every courtesy. The years wore on. The night came when the assassin’s bullet murdered Lincoln in the theatre. In the little room to which the President’s body was taken stood that same Stanton and looking down on Lincoln’s silent face, he said through his tears, "There lies the greatest ruler of men the world has ever seen." The patience of love had conquered in the end.

In a world of instants – from instant lawn to instant puddings – we need to remember that patience is never an instant mix. Like learning to play a musical instrument, patience needs great practice. What is more, patience seems to grow most gracefully in those situations where the normal human reaction would be impatience or annoyance.

My Prayer:

I need to learn Your patience, Lord
I need it right away.
Help me recognize its teachers are Frustration and Delay.

RECIPE FROM ROLLY'S KITCHEN

PINEAPPLE BRAN MUFFINS

1 Cup All-Bran Cereal
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 Egg Whites (Large)
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
2/3 Cup Low-Fat Vanilla Yogurt
14 oz. Can of Crushed Pineapples, Well Drained

Stir first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Make a well in centre.

Beat egg whites, canola oil and yogurt in medium bowl until well mixed. Stir in pineapple. Pour into well. Stir until just moistened. Do Not Overmix. Let stand for about ten minutes until cereal is softened. Fill greased muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake at 400 F oven for about 15 minutes until wooden pick inserted in centre of muffin comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely. Makes 12 muffins.

1 muffin: 152 Calories; 5.1g Total Fat (2.8g Mono, 1.5g Poly, 0.5g Sat); 1 mg Cholesterol; 26g Carbohydrate; 2g Fibre; 3g Protein; 113 mg Sodium.

Dave, Please Follow Directions Completely!

A Great Muffin. Enjoy!

TIME OF REFLECTION - NOTHING WITHOUT LOVE

“If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (I Corinthians 13: 1, NIV).

It is possible to have every human skill and every spiritual gift, to speak with the eloquence of an orator or sing with the voice of an angel, to have limitless knowledge of the present and awesome wisdom that see far into the future, to demonstrate great faith and sacrificial self-giving, but it is all worth nothing, nothing at all, without LOVE.

Eugene Peterson's paraphrase (I Corinthians 13: 1 - 3) - The Message) – “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, ‘Jump,’ and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.”

The Love Chapter is a mirror. What do I see as I look at myself? Love that is gentle, sincere, God-like, or a rusty gate creaking on its hinges?

My Prayer:

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity,
O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
(SACB 77)

TIME OF REFLECTION - THE LOVE CHAPTER

For the next few days, I'm going to do some reflection on "The Love Chapter" - I Corinthians 13.

This wonderful chapter has a way of reading us as we read it. It is impossible to read, "Love is patient , love is kind," without asking oneself, 'Is my love for others like that - patient and kind?" There is no way to read, "Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered," without remembering that recent flash of annoyance or yesterday's stinging words.

This chapter is read at weddings as an example of married love. It is read at funerals as a summary of a life of loving. It should be noted that far more than a picture of human love, I Corinthians 13 is a description of the Love of God. God's love is patient and kind, trusting and persevering. God's love keeps no record of wrongs. God's love always protects. God's love never fails.

I trust this this time of reflection of this chapter as a description of God's Love will be beneficial. Lord, may this exercise in praying for such love be transforming.

If there is someone on this journey with me, please feel free to share your thoughts.

A DECK OF CARDS

It was quiet that day, the guns, the mortars and the land mines for some reason hadn't been heard.

The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week.

As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then an army sergeant came in and said, "Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?

The soldier replied, "I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord."

The sergeant said, "Looks to me like you're going to play cards."

The soldier said, "No, sir. You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country, I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards."

The sergeant asked in disbelief, "How will you do that?"

"You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God.

"The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments.

"The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

"The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

"The Five is for the five virgins that were ten but only five of them were glorified.

"The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth.

"The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation.

"The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives - the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the earth.

"The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him.

"The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.

"The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell.

"The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.

"The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings.

"When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.

"There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week, 52 weeks in a year.

"The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

"Each suit has thirteen cards; there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter

"So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for."

The sergeant just stood there. After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said, "Soldier, may I borrow that deck of cards?"

--author unknown

A THOUGHT TO REFLECT ON

"It is cynicism and fear that freeze life; it is faith that thaws it out, releases it, sets it free." - H. E. Fosdick

FIRST AID FOR THE SOUL

I read the following during my devotional time tonight, and decided to share it. Some good food for the soul.

"Be silent, and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10).

"Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4: 31, 32 - The Message).

If a hurt is inflicted on you, what should you do?

• Keep calm. Rushing about trying to correct the injury usually causes greater damage. [See Psalm 46:10.]
  
• Apply direct pressure of understanding to wound. What caused the incident? Could you have prevented it? How does the offending party feel? What if things were reversed?
  
• Wash wound thoroughly with kindness to remove all hardness and vindictiveness.
  
• Coat liberally with the ointment of love to protect from infection of bitterness.
  
• Prescription. Take a generous dose of antibiotics from the Word of God several times daily, applying with prayer. This soothes and relieves pain.
  
• Don't remove scab. Bringing up the subject will reopen the wound, risking infection.
  
• Bandage injury with forgiveness to keep it covered until the wound is healed.
  
• Avoid complication of self-pity. Symptom: withdrawal from others, especially the one inflicting the injury. Remedy: accept apologies.
  

Full recovery is reached when patient is restored to complete fellowship with the offending party. Stay in close contact with the Great Physician at all times. Depend on His strength, joy, and peace to help you during convalescence.
—George Verwer in No Turning Back

My Response: When hurt, how well do I follow "doctor's orders"?

Thought to Apply: A man who studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal. —FRANCIS BACON (English philosopher & writer)

PRAYER: I need Your power, Lord, to root out resentments and replace them with trust in how You are shaping my circumstances.

RECIPE FROM ROLLY'S KITCHEN

Turkey Meatloaf

2lb ground turkey breast
1 cup of chopped onions
4 egg whites
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything but ketchup in a bowl. Place mixture in a meatloaf pan and cover with ketchup. Cover and bake 1 hour. Serve.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 122
Fat: 1g
Carbs: 3g
Protein: 25g

This meatloaf is really a good treat! If someone tries this recipe, let me know what you think.

ENJOY!!

THE KEY - FORGIVENESS

Psalm 32: 1 - "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered" (NIV).

David, the man destined to be 'a man after God's own heart', had fallen short (sinned), but knew the joy of forgiveness. His sin was against God, against a woman and her husband (adultery & murder), and against himself.

Psalm 51 records his anguish and pleading. "Generous in love - God, give grace! Huge in mercy - wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down. You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I've been out of step with you for a long time in the wrong since before I was born. What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life" (vs. 1-6, The Message).

After David confessed his sin, he was a man restored, redeemed, forgiven, set free.

Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch woman who spent months in a German concentration camp during World War II, wrote that unforgiveness is a prison. 'Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is the power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.'

The question for us to reflect on - Do you & I need to use the key of forgiveness to let ourselves out of prison today?

GOD'S HABIT - FORGIVENESS

"If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped"
(Psalm 130: Vs 3, 4 - The Message).

Habits are strange things. They seem to sneak up on us, move in and before we realize take up residence. We may not think we have any habits until our routine is disrupted and we all of a sudden realize how deeply entrenched our habits have become.

It should be noted that habits are helpful in giving some structure and order to living. However, habits can be destructive. Those habits that are good and helpful need to be affirmed. Habits that are harmful to ourselves (spiritual growth) or others need to be axed.

It is wonderful to know that habitual wrongdoing and failure are always met by God's habitual forgiveness.

Just remember, when we fall and sin, God, whose habit is forgiveness, is there ready to catch us.

ASH WEDNESDAY

'Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"' (Luke 23: 34, NIV).

Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the season of Lent. On this day of beginnings we celebrate a completion.

Jesus is obviously referring to the soldiers who are in the very act of carrying out His crucifixion, when he asks for forgiveness. Also, He is no doubt looking at the religious leaders and others who had such an insidious part to play in his death.

Is it possible that Jesus saw more than the crowd who were present that day, as His words of forgiveness is uttered? It is interesting to note that forgiveness can still flow from the Father to all who 'do not know what they are doing'.

Isaac Watts penned the words (Song # 136) 'See, from His head, His hands, His feet,/ Sorrow and love flow mingled down.' Indeed they do, and forgiveness flows down as well, down through the centuries and generations, right down to where you and I stand in our need before the King of kings today!