Love Love Love

Noticed something last night.....though I have stated in the past I am not a big "Concert" fan, my mind has been changed.  Tell you why....Love.....We bought tickets for our worship and audio team at Christmas, for this team as a "thank you" gift for ministering with us in 2018.   It is fun hanging  out with our team.

Why the change of heart?  You know...a funny thing about Jesus is that the more He fills your heart, the roomier it becomes. My heart was filled to overflowing last night.
Of course, love can be lost. I know that.  I imagine we all do. Love can grow cold, relationships can wither, friendships can die away.  We probably all know the stats on how splintered or lost relationships can become.

Sometimes even misunderstandings happen, people move away, or we lose interest in each other. I think the withering happens when we think and live for ourselves rather than those we love. As soon as we expect something in return for our love, it is no longer freely given.

Reading Romans a lot, with the message series we are in at PCC, and I read a verse in my devotional time this morning in Romans 13:8 "Owe nothing to anyone - except for your obligation to love one another, if you love your neighbor you fulfill the  requirements of God's law."

The "Holy Roar" concert with Chris Tomlin, Tauren Wells & Pat Barrett reminded me that love is a debt I am willing to live with and can never repay.

Love, like life, involves risk. You can't really, fully love someone without risking your time, your feelings, the future. If afraid to risk, then afraid to love, because intimacy requires risk. Allowing the songs to pour over me last night reminded me that until you open your heart to someone to show them where you hurt the most, intimacy won't be found and you won't uncover the deepest secrets of love.  Again, reminded last night, until you do that with God, you don't see the depths of God's love for you.

Love Love Love ...so Ronda and I are making this a habit of God filling our hearts with worship..."One Voice" March 22 at Grace Point in Pasco...Ryan Stevenson concert April 25 in Kennewick at Crossview... April 26 Steven Curtis Chapman in Yakima....

Maybe your heart needs a fill up....Love...Love....Love...

With a heart overflowing...
Love God - Love People - Change Your World
Chuck

PEOPLE...AGGGGHHHHHH.....RELATIONSHIPS

Read 1 Cor. 12:12-20

You and I were wired for relationships.  We were not meant to do life alone. The reason for the need for God glorfying relationships in our lives is because we are “image bearers” of God. In God, in and of Himself, is a perfect love relationship. 3 distinct relationships, God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit, and in the book of Genesis it says, “let us make God in our image”.  

We were created to reflect God’s image of Himself, in our relationships with one another.

The New Testament has 59 “one another” quotes, like love one another, forgive one another, honor one another, etc…

A major part of this idea is, the way we reflect God’s glory and grace in this world is the way that we live with and love one another in relationships. While there are all different types of relationships, God calls us to a special relationship in His church.

Two of the primary ways the bible uses to describe relationships is a body and a family.

My question to you is, are you connected to the body? 

The passage in 1 Cor. 12 makes it clear that being connected to the body is vital to Christian life.

See, you need the body and the body needs you.  The body needs you for the part you play. Each person has been given unique gifts for the edification of God’s church, for the glory of His name.  Your church needs you to exercise those gifts to make the most of Jesus.

You also need the body. If you aren’t connected to a local body of believers in worship and in true fellowship then there is a major problem with your Christian walk.  The Christian life was never meant to be a solo career.  The disconnect of a body part is tragic.

If you found a severed arm in the parking lot at work, you would not go, “oh that’s ok, the arm will get along fine in life”. No, you would know that something has gone horribly wrong and you know the future of that severed arm. It will die.

Same with the person severed from the church, so…

are you connected to the local church?

Do you have people praying for you? And are you lifting up other Christians to bear their burdens? If not, do something about this immediately. Join a life group or a discipleship group. Connect to the body. If you know someone attending a church but not connected, invite them to connect with you. As you get more deeply connected to your faith family you can count on deepening your faith.

Love God – Love People – Change Your World

Chuck