1 John 4:17-18

“17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

It’s all about love.

Every thing we do or say should be motivated by, and come from a place of love. Even if the people we are dealing with are hard to love, the God we love is not.

Whatever steps we take or moves we make should all be done unto the Lord. With this attitude we can always operate in love to people who maybe mean, hurtful or even cruel.

This is how the love of God is perfected in us. Because as he is (God is love), in this world so are we.

We are the way people will see the love of God in action.

Go forth and show the world what we are made of!!

Be Encouraged!!

1 John 3:18

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth ”

If you talk the talk, it is now time to walk the walk!

My mother-in-law would always say “a pair of lips will say anything.” This is so true. We are quick to talk the religious cliche’ talk we have learned over the years. But there comes a time when we have to make a choice. Do we live the words of faith we speak? Or are we just a bunch of words with no power?

I know this sounds harsh, but hold on, it’s is not. It is totally appropriate to speak words of faith without having been tried by them. This is where every believer starts. During this stage of growth we are like new babes, learning the ways of faith, learning scripture, learning how to exercise our faith in small doses.

However, there comes a time when we must grow up and mature. We do this by being tried by the words we have been speaking.

God loves us so much that he allows us to be tried. He does this through tests of faith. Where we have to exercise our faith, testing those words that we have been talking. This is where rubber meets road.

These tests are not to destroy you, but to make you.

The love that we profess must not just be in word, but MUST be in action. If you say you trust God. There is a test coming where you will have the opportunity to show (through your faith action) that you do, or you don’t.

That time as babes was precious. The Bible tells us we must grow from faith to faith. At every level there is a test we need to pass before we can graduate to the next. Sort of like spiritual school.

At school, we are tested to make sure we have learned what was taught, and are able to properly apply this information to life. The same is true with God. He already knows where we are. The tests are for us. We need to know where we are, so we understand what our strengths and weaknesses are. So we can understand where we need to ask God for help.

It’s all about love. Put that Love of God in action. Don’t just speak it, live it.

Show your love for people through sharing, caring, and giving. Share your time, your faith, your gifts, and your finances. Not just inside the church, for you are most impactful outside of the four walls. Let God use you where he most needs you.

It’s time to ask God where he needs you to be. Then occupy that space til he comes.

Charity. Give the love of God to the people who need it the most. You may feel you don’t have much (time, resources, patience, desire to do, etc). But if you give the little you do have in faith, God will bless and increase it. Giving you more, so that you have more to give.

It’s all about love. Trust God, and go for it. Share it today.

The Power of Hope

1 John 3:2-3

“2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

By definition, hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

What are you expecting?

The Bible says in John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

To quicken is to give or restore life to something.

When your hope lies is God, his Spirit breathes life into that thing you are hoping for. God inspires you to do all that you can to reach for, and work towards your goal. He will cause you to triumph. Because your hope is rooted in the words that God has spoken. Those words that are full of life.

Romans 5:1-5

“1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4. And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Hope is anchored in peace – the peace of God. We can celebrate in this great expectation we have of God. We don’t fear or dread facing the challenges we will meet on the way because we know that these challenges will only sharpen us. They will develop patience and experience in us. And we will need these important elements because they strengthen our hope. Our strong hope prepares us to boldly stand before all.

1 Corinthians 15:19

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

We must understand that our hope should expand beyond this life. Yes we want to have a blessed and successful life, but our ultimate hope or expectation is beyond this life. The believer’s goal is to please God, and then see his face in peace. Heaven is the ultimate expectation. As Titus 2:13 says, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

For this reason, as it says in 1 John 3:3, Everyman that has this hope IN HIM purifieth himself, because the God we serve is pure.

This requires action on our part. But it is God inspired action. There are some things we know to do, and to be (and stay) clean from. The rest – ask God to help you to clean. Because we need him to. There are somethings that only God can deliver us from.

The power of hope in God is that our expectations are rooted and grounded in Him. God breaths life into (fuels) our hope. He inspires use to reach for greatness. The unction of the Holy Ghost makes the things hoped for seem tangible even before we have it.

Hope is not a thing that people can steal or crush, because they have nothing to do with it. They cannot see it or handle it. It is something deep on the inside that drives the believer. It is a God-given tool. Use it skillfully!

What are you expecting?

Are you preparing yourself for it?

Are you excited about what God is doing?

Purify yourself and rejoice in hope. For there IS power in hope!

By definition, Potential is having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future.

The danger of potential is (1) Not recognizing it, and (2) Not knowing what to do with it.

The first hurdle is simple – understand your passion. If God gave you a passion for a thing or things, then you have the potential to be great in them. The second hurdle- once you embrace your passion, then educate yourself. Learn all you can about them, watch people who are you excelling in them. Surround yourself with positive people.

People with potential have no limits on what they can achieve. Except for their own drive or motivation to take that first step, and keep it moving.

By definition, Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

For the believer, our faith is in God, completely!

The Bible has much to say about faith. It tells us that faith can move mountains, The just shall live by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God, etc. There are hundreds of scriptures on faith.

The Bible also provides a multitude of examples of believers, and how their success was achieved through faith. See Moses, Joshua, Esther, Daniel, etc. The list is very long.

The common denominator of all these people of faith – action. They put their faith in action.

The bridge between potential and faith is Works. This Bible says that faith without works is dead.

There is a formula that is unbeatable: potential + faith * works = accomplishment.

Potential alone is kind of sad. Picture the person who recognizes all they he or she could be or do, but lacks the wherewithal to make a move towards it. Instead, they find excuse after excuse as to why they didn’t or couldn’t, and settle for a lesser life,

Faith alone is sad too. Picture the person who say they believe God for this or that, but they sit and wait for something to happen. This person does not have enough faith (or sense) to move toward the very thing they need from God.

Now picture works. This is all about action. Works are activated by passion (potential), but is fueled (and directed) by faith.

When the formula is properly applied, the sky is the limit. Why? Because now God has something to work with. Something he can put his hand on and bless. Something he can steer in the direction he needs it to go. Something he can increase and strengthen.

Don’t worry if your work is a wrong move. It is still something. God can prune and correct, sending it in the right direction.

Your wrong move is still faith in action. Man may look on the outside to judge, but God knows the intentions of your heart (Hebrews 4:12). If your intentions were pure, your wrong move is not the end.

As the formula states, your potential added to your faith, multiplied by works, will guarantee you accomplish what you are called to do.