1 Corinthians 13:5 (Love Keeps no Record of Wrongs)

1 Corinthians 13:5

[Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Are you loving, Christian? I  know that's not an easy question to answer, if we're being honest, but it's still one we should keep in mind. Jesus commands us, as believers, to love one another, and so we must (John 13:34).

Paul writes that Christian love, true love that comes from Christ, keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5). There you go. Just don't keep a list of wrongs, and you'll be loving more like Christ in no time. Well, sure, but it's not that easy for us to stop keeping lists of wrongs. Isn't it? As sinful people, we are prone to doing alot of wrong to others. We seem hard-wired to want to get something in return for wrongs done to us. We want justice, but we don't want to wait for God to dish it out. We want to seize on an opprotunity to dish it out ourselves. How are we gonna know on whom to dish out our justice, if we don't know who wronged us? Who are we going to know who wronged us, if we don't keep a lists of wrongs? See, that line of thinking; there's our problem. There is why we have to be told to keep no record of wrongs.

We're not the first group of Christians to have this problem. The Corinthians to which Paul wrote suffered from this malady. It was so much so that Paul had to tell them to stop suing each other in court. These were lawsuits amongst Christians. Paul worte to them, "I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!" (1 Corinthians 6:5-6). The suits filed amongst the Corinthian believers was such a problem that Paul told them, "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" (1 Corinthians 6:7). It may seem foolish for Paul to tell the people of Corinth to let themselves be wronged by other believers rather than file a suit over it, but Paul points out that the Corinthians do wrong to each other all the time, to even members of their own family (1 Corinthians 6:8). They know not to hold justice above the heads of their loved ones, so why should they do so with other believers? They, like us, should not be so caught up in getting justice against each other now, when they know full well that God will dish out justice to everyone in His time (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). His justice will be perfect, and His justice on everyone is coming. We just have to be patient.

You and I have been wronged. That is for certain, but you and I, as believers, should not even think about keeping a list or a tally (whether in our heads or otherwise) against others for the wrongs they do to us. I'm not saying we should forget or ignore the wrongs done to us, but we don't need to get justice for ourselves, or bare a grudge against others. Scripture is clear on this, where it is written, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). Instead of keeping a grudge or vowing for revenge, let's forgive others. Forgiveness is releasing someone from the anger we feel towards them for the wrongs they have done. Jesus says we are to forgive more than ten times what we think we ought (Matthew 18:21-22). In other words, we should forgive others more than we believe is necessary. In that same vein we should also expect to be wronged more times than we think we will be. For as long as we live on this Earth, all kinds of people (friends, neighbors, family members, people from church, employees, customers, students, teachers, team members, politicians, etc.) will do us wrong. We, as believers, should in love keep no score of any of it. I know it's not innately easy, but it is loving.

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Got Questions: Love Keeps no Record of Wrongs

If I Follow Christ, What's in it for Me?

If anyone has ever asked you to do something hard, and it sounded like there was no good that could come from doing it, chances are you asked the person, "What's in it for me?" Honestly, that is a valid question. Humans are not prone to taking risks, unless they are aware of possible rewards they could receive. Here's a simple example: When I pour myself a tall glass of milk, I risk spilling the milk and having to clean it up. The reward I gain, though, for pouring the milk in my glass is I get to drink a refreshing glass of milk. That's my risk verses my reward.

The risk of being a Christian is quite clear. Jesus says, "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). You must deny what you want, and instead take up what Jesus wants for you. What Jesus wants for you, is to take up your cross. Taking up one's cross, means just what it sounds like; willingly taking on torture unto death the same way Jesus did. That's what happened to all of Jesus' disciples. Peter, Paul, John, Stephen and Jesus' brother James were all tortured unto death for following Jesus. They all had lives they wanted to live, before they met Christ, but after they met Him, they denied themselves what they wanted and followed Christ, until they died. There's your risk; plain and simple. Following Jesus means you will not get what you want, and you will be tortured (in whatever form that may take), and you will die.

That's the risk. So, "What's in it for me?"

When you give your life to Jesus and follow Him as His disciple, you get a gift. Yes. Following Jesus means you get a free gift directly from God, and you can start using that gift in this lifetime. What is that gift? Well, there are many possible gifts you could receive from God. You could receive wisdom or knowledge through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8). You could receive a desire to cheerfully share your possessions and give charitably to others (Romans 12:8). You could receive the gift of encouraging and lifting up others (Romans 12:8). You could receive the gitf of having great, maybe even unwaivering, trust in the Lord (1 Corinthians 12:9). You could also receive the gift of being able to heal others (1 Corinthians 12:9). You could get the gift of being able to speak fluently in a different language (1 Corinthians 12:10). You could even receive the gift of discernment to rightly understand the Word of God (1 Corinthians 12:10). Any one of these possibilities, along with plenty more, could be given to you, when you follow Christ.

In the days after Jesus ascended into heaven and His apostles remained on earth
they were given the spiritual gift to evangelize in various languages (Acts 2:1-6).

Please note, no one person is going to get all of these gifts, or even a large amount of them. Paul writes that we all have different gifts (Romans 12:8), and that gifts among Christians work together like parts of a body. Pay careful attention to what Paul writes here in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 12 to 14:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body-whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Only people who have been baptized by the Spirit (that is to say are followers of Jesus) have any of the afforementioned gifts. No one person gets all of them, because God has ordained that Christians will have to work together with each other for our common good. When we are in Christ, no title about us matters more than the title of "Christian." This is so much so that any other titles applicable to ourselves no longer matter; like they don't even exist (Galatians 3:28). What matters is that we are in the body of Christ, and we are working for His good.

Now, all I've done so far is tell you about all the good Spiritual gifts that you can receive from being a follower of Christ. Take any of those gifts, even the gift of miraculous powers (1 Corinthians 12:10), and it pales in comparison to the greatest reward you get from following Christ.

When you follow Christ, you get Christ. That is the reward you gain for your risks, and this reward has infinite value. 

Jesus says to His followers, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). You will have a fruitful life, because you have Jesus; a life full of purpose and worthwhile abundance (John 10:10). You'll also have a fruitful afterlife. Those in Christ will inherit a place in the Kingdom of God. Christ's followers are known as children of God. Paul writes, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory" (Romans 8:17). Yes, we take up our cross as Jesus did, and we die for following Christ, but we will also share in glorifying the Father as Jesus did. One day we who have been made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5), will all together sing praises to God, proclaiming, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13). That, truly, is what is in it for you and me; an eternity of praise and glory with our creator, as a royal heir in His Kingdom.

All of God's followers and all of His angels
will sing praises unto Him (Revelation 5:11-13).

With what I have just told you about the risk and reward of following Jesus, now read these words from the Lamb of God, as they are written down in Matthew chapter 6 verses 31 to 33:

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Don't focus on the gifts you get from following God. Focus on the beatiful and good God who will give you wonderful gifts. Seek His Kingdom above all things, and He will give you all the rewards you need to meet the risks of following and serving Him. What's in it for you is better than either one of us could imagine.

I can only imagine

What it will be like

When I walk by Your side

I can only imagine

What my eyes would see

When Your face is before me

I can only imagine

-MercyMe

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Got Questions: Take up your Cross
• Wretched: Ten Gifts from the Spirit
• MercyMe: I can Only Imagine

Matthew 7:12 (The Golden Rule)

Matthew 7:12

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

If you attended public school in the 1990s or prior, chances are you saw posters and signs in the hallways that said, "Remember the Golden Rule." Signs such as these seem to have faded out of school decor. Some of us are familiar with the "Golden Rule," but in these days one cannot be too careful with Biblical knowledge. Many things in our world today want to lap up Biblical truth or dilute it down until it's akin to poison rather than living water. For a useful refresher, or perhaps for a first time overview, let's examine the "Golden Rule," its Biblical context and its real-world applications.

The "Golden Rule" is the simple statement, "Treat others the way you want to be treated." Although the "Golden Rule" is not the first piece of wisdom given about the treatment of others, as the Chinese philosopher Confucius said, "What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others," the "Golden Rule" is wisdom that is pro-active rather than passive. It is not simply about not doing bad things, but about actively doing good things for others. The "Golden Rule" is wisdom given to change one's perspective about how they treat others, and to make them think about what good things they can do that they would like done for themselves.

The "Golden Rule" comes from Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. Early on near the start of Jesus' mission He spoke to a large crowd gathered on a mountainside. He sat down on the mountain and taught everyone who was there beautiful things about the Kingdom of God. In this sermon just after He talks about people's need for right judgement, Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8). Jesus did not say this to imply that we, as God's children, can ask for anything from God and it will be given to us. What He is saying is that our heavenly Father longs to give His children good gifts, and He knows what is best for us. We can ask God for good things, and know that God will give them to us, because God is good. Jesus then says on the matter of people receiving and giving good gits that God's children should, "do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12).

When we, as God's children, do to others what we would have them to do to us, we do what God does for us. We give others good gifts from heaven, by doing good things for others. There are many good gifts we can give. We can give charitably. We can show mercy. We can forgive others. We can give others the wisdom from God. We can judge rightly. We can be gentle with others. We can be slow to anger against others. We can be compassionate. We can encourage. We can do all these things actively for others with the love of God, because God is with us. 

We should not do these things expecting that others will do them for us, though. Only we, God's children, can do good things for others. Everyone who is not a child of God in this world is apart from God, and can do no good. Jesus said, immediately after stating the "Golden Rule," "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). Those on the path to destruction can only cause destruction, but we, as God's children, have entered through the narrow gate to Christ, and so we can show the love that others cannot.

Take a moment to compare the sayings of those on the wide road leading to destruction
to God's good wisdom that leads through the narrow gate..

God's children are called to love others the way God loves us. Jesus says the greatest commandement is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40). When we love others in this way, the world sees that we are indeed followers of Jesus Christ, the one true King (John 13:34-35). The world will see we are different, and they will know who it is we serve by how we love others.

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• WWUTT: What is the Golden Rule?

What was 2020? (Clarity into our Hearts)

We are in the next 365 days of the world. Even though the old year of 2020 is behind all of us (and many would say is "finally" behind us), those 366 previous days are not so far in our past. We cannot simply discard the previous year in the same way we can our old calendars. Those days don't just go in the trash. Everything that we did during them, according to whatever goals we may have had, will directly or indirectly shape our lives. Each year is the effect of the previous year and the cause of the next. Right now, we are little more than a week into the effects of the previous year. So, let's look back on it for a moment.

I, like many people, came into 2020 rather superstitously and foolishly considering that its double double digits were a, so to speak, good omen of some kind. I heard many wise-cracks about how the year meant the return of the roaring 20s and good times. People seemed generally optimistic about the year, myself included. Then, it all went up in flames. By the end of the year, many people I know did not ceremoniously say so long to 2020, as much as they told 2020 to crawl in a hole and die. I'll not reiterate what came about in the world, during 2020. I am writing to address an aspect we should consider about 2020; something we should learn.

At some point in the summer of last year, I began to refer to 2020 as "The Year of Clarity." This title jokingly comes from the number eye doctors give patients with perfect vision, 20 20. What I primarily mean to say is that 2020 was the year that everyone could see clearly what people are like. Well, did you like what you saw in others as well as yourself? I didn't.

Many things that happened during 2020 stretched people to their limits. The common and unobtrusive parts of our life were all effected by the strains unleashed that year. For many it seemed there was nowhere they could go or to no one they could go to find release or reprieve from the tortures of the year. What did people show, during these times? They showed frustration, stress, bitterness, derision, corruption, rage, depression, fear, isolation, intolerance, cowardice and mortality. That is what I saw in others as well as myself with the clarity that came from the prying and revealing times of 2020.

There is no reason for us to be surprised by this. The Bible tells us just as much. We all move and act in accordance with what is in our hearts. According to the Scriptures, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus said, "out of the heart come evil thoughts-murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" (Matthew 15:19). Our hearts with which we are born are wicked and hideous. If you are too proud to think of yourself as prone to sinfulness, know this, "The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished" (Proverbs 16:5). Do not take God's diagnosis of your heart lightly.

This campaign poster was made as a joke, but it unkowingly tells the truth
that everyone is a born sinner without exception (Romans 3:23).

We may not always see this truer darker side of all of us, but God does. He saw it last year and the year before that and the year before that. We may have needed the clarity that came with 2020 to remind us who we are and what we do, but God knows all our hearts all the time. He is the light that shines in on our most feared places to be exposed. He is the light that has come into this world to call people back into His light, but people naturally love the darkness and flee from Him. This is what is meant in the gospel of John where it reads, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed" (3:20). 

This is dark news, to be sure, and it is the truth. We are all born with warped and sinful hearts. This is who we are, but this is not how God leaves us. 

It is written to those who follow the LORD, He says to them, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). Apart from God, following our wicked hearts, we are dead, but with a new heart from God we can live and live abundantly. As Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they [my followers] may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). All you need to experience this present and eternal abundant life is to do as God says, "Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22). When we turn away from our sins and are saved, we are no longer ashamed to come into the light. As it is written in the Scriptures, we will have all our sins removed from us like a filthy shirt, and we will be given new clean and beautiful clothes (Zechariah 3:4). We will be children of God (John 1:12). We will have new life in Christ.

Let us be the first to welcome you

Welcome to the

Life you thought was too good to be true

Welcome to the new

- MercyMe

We must turn away from the wicked desires of our hearts of stone, and earnestly desire to receive a new heart in Jesus Christ. Without Jeses Christ we can do no good, and neither can others. If we desire good things to be ever present and thriving in our world, then we all need the salvation of Christ. This need for salvation is not simply something for us in this year, but something God has placed in every heart that lived in every year. Charles Spurgeon, a great preacher who lived in Victorian Britain, told this to his church congregation on the new year of 1856:

Take this, dear friends, for a new year's text, both ye who love the Lord, 

and ye who are only looking for the first time. Christian! in all thy troubles 

through this year, look unto God and be saved. In all thy trials and afflictions, 

look unto Christ, and find deliverance. In all thine agony, poor soul, in all 

thy repentance for thy guilt, look unto Christ, and find pardon. This year, 

remember to put thine eyes heavenward, and thine heart heavenward, too.

Charles Spurgeon was 22 when he gave that sermon, so don't let anyone
look down on you, Christian, because of your youth (1 Timothy 4:12). 

2020 brought us all many trials and afflictions, and each year will bring new trials and afflictions (some years more than others). How we face them is up to us. Will we fix our eyes on God, knowing that through Him we have salvation and can do good things for others, or will we stay miserable and deceived by our wicked hearts? The choice is ours. As for me, I pray that this year I will grow in Christ, even though I fall short of His glory every day. I pray I will continue to serve the LORD and remember to bless His name no matter what comes.

Blessed Be Your Name

In the land that is plentiful

Where Your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed Be Your name

- Matt Redman

How will you fill your first month of the new year?

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Spurgeon: Sovereignty and Salvation
• MercyMe: Welcome to the New
• Matt Redman: Blessed Be Your Name