Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Love does not Boast

As we discussed today in our program, 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us that love does not envy or boast. When we boast we are seeking to make other jealous of what we have or our accomplishments. Christlike love does not do this. When we look at the example of Christ in Philippians 2:6-8 we see that Christ was humble. As we seek to pattern our life after Christ, we ought to be humble rather than boasting. What are other ways to fight against boasting? Reflect on your life - do you envy or boast? If so, recognize that as sin, repent and put on contentment and humility as Christlike characteristics. We pray that you'll be challenged by this study as we ask some tough questions; questions we hope will help you determine if you are not loving as God would have you to love.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Love does not Envy

Envy. Jealousy. Covetousness. These words are very descriptive of the sin of not being content with what we have. We all face the temptation of being jealous when someone else receives a blessing - whether it's a vacation, new car, marriage, a child, etc... Love does not envy. If we are truly desiring to show Christ's love to others, we will not be envious of others. Rather we will rejoice with others (Romans 12:15). Why is it so tempting to be envious and how can we battle against this sin?

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Love is Kind

Patience and kindness are linked together here in verse 4. As we are patient with others, we also show kindness. Kindness is an action and is shown when we serve others. Why is kindness so critical in our homes? What are practical ways to show kindness to your husband, children, women in the church, neighbors, extended family? How do you encourage others to be kind?

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Love is Patient

Verse 4 tells us that "love is patient." How can I be patient? We believe that it starts with being in the Word, spending time in prayer and then actively choosing to be patient in difficult situations. Perhaps memorize a verse that will be helpful to you to remind you of patience. Prepare! There are many relationships where you can practice patience: with your husband, with your children, with other family members, with your job, with other women at church. How can you practice patience in these relationships? If you are truly striving to show love to others, patience will be a part of your love.

Monday, March 23, 2009

1 Corinthians 13:3

Again this verse points to the heart motivation of why do I do what I do? The example in this verse is giving away ALL I have to others. Yet if this is done with out love, it means nothing! Even if I give my life for Christ, if it is done without love, I gain nothing. These first 3 verses really point to the heart motivation of service and sacrifice. So ask yourself why do you serve? Why do you sacrifice? Is your heart motivation to show Christ's love?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

1 Corinthians 13:1

Verse 1 shares with us how important our heart's motivation is. What is your motivation for serving in the church? For caring for your family? Is it love? Is it to show Christ's love to others or is it to gain popularity or be praised? The challenge today is to evaluate your motives behind your service to the body of Christ and to your family. Pray the Lord will reveal any area of service that is done for the wrong motivation and then repent and seek to serve with the right motivation ~ love.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Our Example/Our Motive

As we begin to study the "love chapter," we find that we need to check our motives. Why am I doing what I'm doing? What is motivating me to care for my family, serve in the church nursery, volunteer for church projects, etc....? We find in Scripture that Christ is our supreme example in everything. How can you check if Christ-like love is your motive? Ask yourself these questions-Are you thinking of yourself when serving or others? Are you willing to sacrifice for others? Do you desire praise for your service? Please join us next week as we begin discussing verse 1.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

1 Corinthians 13 - The Beginning

As we begin to study 1 Corinthians 13, we challenge you to read the passage daily. Pray that God will show you how you can truly be loving as defined in this chapter. The link to the notes are on the right side of this blog. Currently the notes are not complete as we are still recording on this chapter. Please check back at a later date to find the complete set of notes.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

What Did You Learn?

As we finished up our study of Titus 2:1-5 today, we took the opportunity to share what we learned through this study. We'd like to ask you - what did you learn? What did God challenge you with as you studied with us?

Monday, March 9, 2009

Making a Biblical Appeal

~Making a Biblical Appeal~
We like Martha Peace's approach to making a Biblical appeal as defined in her book The Excellent Wife. Here are some principles taken from her book.
1) "A biblical appeal is a request or plea to a person in authority for the purpose of asking them to reconsider or reevaluate a command..." Daniel 1:8 says that Daniel "purposed in his heart...therefore he requested..."
2) "When a wife believes she has a better or wiser idea, as her husband's helper, she should be ready to give her husband the benefit of her wise counsel and advice. A wise husband should always be ready to receive it." Proverbs 1:5 says "...a man of understanding will attain wise counsel."
3) "The appeal should be done for the purpose of achieving the husband's objective or desire (as long as the end that the husband has in mind is not a violation of God's Word).
4) "The motive of the wife must not be manipulative. She should not use the appeal simply to get her own way." Our motive must be for the sake of honoring our heavenly Father.
5) "The appeal should be made in a respectful manner and with a spirit of submission...with a kind and gentle voice." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describe love. It is patient, kind, not rude....
6) "The appeal should be done at the proper time...not rushed... or angry."
7) "An appeal should be made only once....frequent or repeated appeals may give the appearance that a wife is nagging, contentious, and manipulative."
8) A biblical appeal may sound something like this: "Honey, I am committed to doing whatever you decide; would you consider ________ as an alternative?"
9) "Unless the husband is sinning or asking his wife or others to sin, after an appeal is made, the wife must assume that his final decision is God's will for her at the moment-even if she must suffer for the sake of righteousness. " 1 Peter 3:17 says, "For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong."
We hope these principles help you as you seek to honor God by submitting to your husband.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Please give us your feedback!

Periodically, we would like to ask our listeners for some feedback regarding the radio broadcasts. As a listener, do you have any suggestions for our program? Do we speak clearly? Give enough biblical references? Are the questions we pose on the program practical? Please let us know how we can improve and how we can encourage you better. Thank you!

Submitting to My Husband, part 2

~Practical ways to submit~
1) Money - You can submit by honoring his wishes when it comes to money. It's more than just the actual spending money on needs, but the heart behind the spending the money. If you have not already, spend some time talking to your husband about the finances and agree on the boundaries of spending. Pray for your husband as he leads the family in this area.
2) Children - Trusting God to help you and your husband to decide when and how many children to have. The motivation is important; discuss why you want what you want. Is the motivation God-honoring?
~When you disagree~
If you disagree with your husband, there are some biblical guidelines that you should follow to biblically appeal to your husband's decision. Come back next week as we continue discussing this topic!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Submitting to My Husband

"Submit to my husband? What? Do I really have to? But he doesn't know what he's doing! I know my choice is better!" These are perhaps thoughts that every woman has thought of. Submission is truly a difficult subject to discuss as we are selfish in nature and want our own way. Yet it is a biblical principle that we ought to follow. We desire to share with you the joy that it is to be a wife who submits willingly to her husband. We pray that through this time of discussion of what it means to submit to your husband that you will allow God to work in your heart. We pray God will reveal to you where change may be necessary in your life regarding this topic. Here are a few key thoughts from today's discussion: 1) The wife is equal to her husband in her value to God - Genesis 1:27 says that man and woman were created in His image. 2) The wife's role is to be the helper to her husband; she is ranked underneath him in order of authority of the marriage - Genesis 2:18. 3) The wife is to submit to her own husband "as to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:22). We can be joyful in our submission when we see that we are really submitting to Christ. The one exception is if your husband asks you to sin, you should choose to obey God rather than sinning (Acts 5:29). We pray the Lord will work in you to be a wife who will glorify God, even in the area of submission.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Kindness

Proverbs 31:25 says "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." There are many other verses that talk about the importance of kindness. In our passage, the older women are told to teach the younger women to be kind. The primary hindrance to showing kindness is our own selfishness. When we are concerned about our own desires, we will find it difficult to be concerned about others. There are so many practical ways to show kindness, yet we need to train ourselves to be aware of other's needs. If you are to teach the younger to be kind, you must first be kind! How can you teach the younger to be kind?