Friday, May 23, 2008

-Found This Encouraging-

Here are some of the verses I read this morning that I found encouraging. They are not in any particular order and may not even tie together but I like them.


Philippians 1:8-11
For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. This I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

1 Corinthians 13:1-7
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...

Reading this made me think of how sometimes it seems that we have given all to the Lord and yet still hold a small shadow of hate/dislike towards certain people. God says, even if we have all that He talks about above and not love we have nothing. Look to Christ to love those around you. Even though they may have wronged you...still love them.

My brother Mark once said "You love God as much as the person you hate the most". Think about it...

I have to go edit....

Love is impossible apart from Christ so walk in Him:)