Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…As I indicated at the end of last week’s posting, this will be a continuation of the same theme, “What Is This Thing Called Love.” But this is the how-to approach concerning the manifestation of “Agape” level of love in our relationships. At this point, it always brings a smile to my face when I think about one of the most popular mis-quoted Scriptures which shares this untruth: “God never gives us more than we can handle.” Wow! Now let me remind you of our calling. We’re called to love our neighbor as our self, when at the outset we don’t even like them; we’re called to forgive someone who has wronged us, when all we want is a pint of blood; we’re called to keep no record of wrongs, and our secret weapon is that list; we’re called to help those in need, when sometimes we don’t think they’re doing anything to help themselves; we’re called not to judge others who have different beliefs or participate in different life-styles than us. Talk about challenging!
Now let’s look at the true presentation of the mis-quoted Scripture. It can be found in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted,He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”
Now before I break that scripture down, let’s review a basic truth. As Christians, God has called us to live according to a different standard than that which is common to the world. For those not in Christ, they are living their lives directed by their sin-nature (commonly called “human nature”), meaning they are directed by self-will rather than God’s will. God recognized in the first sentence that we all will be challenged by these issues, but for those who are in Christ, He gives us a different way of dealing with the temptation so that our choices bring honor and glory to Him.
Just before I sat down to write today, I got an email from Deb, a lady who helps me facilitate our “Open to Victory” class at Grace Church. Since our class is about victory, and what I’m writing about is victory, her message and attachment was timely. Her remark was, “Funny how this truth keeps popping up” as she sent me an attachment of Rick Warren’s “Daily Hope”. It too was about this God-given power to achieve His standard. It said: “You need more power than just willpower to live a Godly life. You need His power to direct your life. You try to say, ‘I’m going to be more patient’, or ‘I’m going to be more loving’ in the face of adversity, but willpower continues to cave-in. The super-power we need in this situation can only come from the inside, and that is the Holy Spirit working in and through us.” This is God’s gift to us so we CAN become the person He created us to be. 2 Peter 1:3 reinforces that truth: “The more we grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a Godly life. He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness!” That everything referenced above IS the Holy Spirit.
Forgiveness of sin and inheriting eternal life seals our eternal destiny, but what about those of us who will live 30,40,50 years in this fallen world after we’re saved? Well, the good news is, God has made provision for us as part of His salvation plan. The Holy Spirit will empower us to rise above the decadence of the world around us to bring honor and glory to God. This discourse in the upper room after the Last Supper will attest to the power of the Holy Spirit. It is found in John 14:15-18: “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large (those not in Christ) cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you do, because He lives with you now, and later will be in you. No. I will not abandon you as orphans. I will come to you.”
Jesus knew that the twelve men (or eleven at this time) standing in front of Him were not rock-stars. And He knew that when He sent them out to heal the sick or cast our demons, He prayed for them and they drew their strength from Him (and they knew that too!) But of utmost importance, these were the men who were going to be entrusted with the task of carrying His message into the world after He was gone. “Therefore, He wanted them to know that same power would continue to be with them in the form of the Holy Spirit. Notice He said “the world at large cannot receive Him, nor would they recognize Him. But you do because He lives with you now (hint- it’s me I’m talking about), but later will be in you.” The Holy Spirit IS the power of Jesus Christ living in us.
Because we are in Christ, we too (as His modern-day disciples) inherit the power of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live up to God’s standard. And the same way God does not impose His will on our free will, the Holy Spirit does not impose His will on our free will either. He must be called into action. So as an example, let’s assume you are going to have a conversation with your spouse that could be contentious. Before you engage in this conversation, call on the Holy Spirit: “Holy Spirit, give me your wisdom, patience, courage, perseverance, words to say, ears to hear…whatever it is you need to deal with this conversation in a way that brings honor to God, praying in the name of Jesus Christ of course, and The Word says He will honor that prayer. James 4:10 reinforces that promise: “When you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor.” Calling on the Holy Spirit brings that Scripture to life.
Now to tie this directly into last week’s message, the definition of Agape Love is found in 1 Corinthians 13-4-8: “Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.” Read that a few times and meditate on what is called for. Can you do that? The answer is NO! It is absolutely contrary to our human nature. But when we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us with His power, using the format given one paragraph above, we can expect Him to lift us up and give us honor.
This is God’s gift to us, and He wants us to use it as often as necessary. When our goal is to honor Him, He is faithful to lift us up to heights we never would have thought possible. Why rely on our willpower when we have God’s power in us?
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May God Bless Ya,
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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