Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: bible

Virtue Of Love

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:2‬ ‭

There is great power in the virtue of love.  It is a characteristic of a Christian.  The apostle Paul knew how important it was to exemplify true love toward others.  He also knew that without love he was nothing.

In the previous chapter, Paul discusses spiritual gifts that are given to Believers by the Holy Spirit.  In this verse he mentions three of them.  Prophecy refers to the ability to declare God’s Word with power.  Knowledge involves the deep understanding of God’s Word.  Faith is the ability to trust God for great and mighty things.  These three gifts are given by the Holy Spirit but without possessing love a person is “nothing.”

You can be intelligent, wealthy, and talented but if you don’t love you have nothing and are nothing. You could be a great doctor or lawyer or even a superb teacher, yet if you lack love, you are nothing.  

God considers love to be one of the main characteristics that a Christian can possess.  Jesus set forth the best example of love.  He continually showed compassion to everyone He encountered.  

This is the kind of love that we are to show everyone around us.  We are to study God’s Word and to be wise but we are to show love as well.  Love makes us be the person who displays the light of Jesus and shows the world who Jesus is.  Do you have love?

Pray

Lord, help me to express love to everyone I encounter today.  Teach me to love everyone, even my enemies. Let my love be an example of who You are.

Treasure God’s Word

Encouragement

I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Job 23:12

When was the last time you were really hungry? I mean really hungry. Food was very precious to you wasn’t it?

Now let me ask you, how important is God’s Word to you? When His Word is as important to you as physical food, then you will grow in your walk with the Lord. The problem is some people are starving themselves spiritually.

David said in Psalm 119:162, “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” Both Job and David found God’s word to be a precious treasure. It was valuable and they could not live without it.

Just as our bodies can only go so long without nutrients, our Christian lives can only go so long without good spiritual nutrition. If we starve ourselves the Word of God, we will suffer the consequences.

God told Joshua, “Don’t let the Law depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

Did you catch that? When you treasure the Word of God in your heart, you will have good success. What a precious treasure!

Pray

Lord, I need Your Word everyday. I need it more than I desire food. Help me to stay in Your Word and give me an understanding of it.

Sing Praise To The Lord

Encouragement
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I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise Your name forever and ever. I will praise You every day; yes, I will praise You forever. Great is the Lord ! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure His greatness.
Psalms 145:1-3

As we begin this week of celebrating Thanksgiving, let’s do it with praise. Everyday this week let’s sing praise to God. He is worthy of our praise!

As David writes this psalm or song, he is proclaiming that only God deserves his praise. And He deserves it everyday.

Do you pray? I am sure your answer is a quick “YES!” But let me ask you, “Do you praise God?” And if you do, how do you praise God?

David draws deep from within his heart the praise and worship that God is worthy of. He says in verse 3, “No one can measure His greatness.” That my friend is speaking from experience.

Is it easy for you to praise the Lord? Can you do it even when it’s not Sunday?

More importantly, can you praise the Lord even when things are not going your way? If God is worthy of praise He is worthy of praise all the time, even during difficult circumstances.

If you are having a difficult time praising the Lord right now, then start with exalting His name. Even the name of God has to be exalted. And exalting His name lifts Him up. It’s a great way to start.

Today, reflect upon the name of the Lord and how you can exalt Him and His greatness.

Pray

Lord, I lift Your name up and praise Your greatness. Nothing is compared to Your excellence. I praise You as Lord and King of my life.