Love Wins
Being genuinely loving is another mark of a true Christian. If you read yesterday's Wednesday Wake Up #42 you see that the passion for serving is one way to tell who is a true Christian. Another way to tell is by seeing who is being loving and who is not. This is not the love like you love ice cream but the true love like serve someone you don't know and forgive someone who has hurt you. Love you fellow brothers and sister in Christ. Be loving to your family. 1 John 4:7-8 says "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." If you are not being loving then you do not know God. How can you say you know God if you are not being loving? One another is everyone, not a select few. If you want to win people to Jesus and share with them who God is, just know that love wins.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
Caring for Family and Maturity
Paul gives instruction for how the church ought to operate. There are things in here that I have seen people try to burden the church with, but the family should be the first to tend to a family member's needs before the church. Paul says those that do not provide for their family are worse than unbelievers (1 Timothy 5:8). Paul refers to true widows. Upon further reading from Dave Guzik, true widow meant a widow without children. If she had children, then they should help their mother out. And the part comes up that some may consider sexist, but I think it speaks more to a generalization of younger women during this time than an application for all young women at all times. But on the flip side, I know many people who say in their later years that they had to grow up from who they were when they were younger, which is what it seems like Paul is referring to here in verses 11-15. He says not to enroll/take financial care of younger widows as they have the opportunity to get married again and won't need the help as much as older widows would. But in verse 13 Paul basically calls out the young women for going from house to house (sleeping around), gossiping and being nosy. Paul wants what's best in God's eyes that shows the church to be in good standing.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
Strength for Our Thinking
As Paul ends his letter to the Philippians he sends them off with words of encouragement in the Lord. Think about how often we choose words that are not encouraging and are condemning outside of what God wants from us. I often wonder if the words people say are what God wanted from them or what they just wanted to say themselves. But, in verse 8 Paul says, "Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there
is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about
these things." He wants us (as it is God honoring) to focus on what is righteous and not unrighteous things.
How do we do that? What power do we pull from? In verse 13, Paul says "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." He shows us the source of his strength which is not his own. He relies in God/Christ/the Holy Spirit to give him the strength he needs. It is not will power, but God power.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
