By P. Mercer
2003-11-10
And as I seek a word from God each day to feed my spirit, I pray that He will bless me with a word to share with you. Not to judge your or to challenge you but to fire your imagination, to inspire you and trusting God to bless you as I am being blessed each day.
First Giving All Praises to the Most High, The true and living God, who is the director and the finisher of my faith. I trust that God will reveal to me His truths, will show me His love, will continue to guide me in the wisdom of the word so that I am more than a conqueror. I pray your strength and victory in every arena of your life. I pray that you may see love, may feel love, may know love and may seek love as you are loved by God and He continues to direct me, to direct us to the word that we may experience unconditional love within ourselves.
God should be the greatest love of our lives and as we love God and obey His commandments we embrace the spirit of unconditional love. In particular "love thy neighbor as thyself" does not make the friend that plays the music too loud, the one that talks about you, the one that envies you or even the one that continues to betray you with gossip and lies less deserving of love. Corinthians says in 1:13 "There are these things that will endure-faith, hope and love - and the greatest of these things is love. When we love someone we would only want the best for them. We would want that they would be blessed and blessed abundantly. When we love someone with the love of the Lord, God's love, that unconditional love that we talk about, write about, sing about...we appear to have a better understanding of the love that is in the word. Not so much romance but the personal relationship that we have with God that fills us with love and allows us to love and still endure the travesties around us.
Deuteronomy 11: 1 - 2 Where Love and obedience is rewarded...
Therefore you shall love the Lord your God and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always. Know today that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastening of the Lord your God, His greatness and His mighty hand and His outstretched arm -
His commandments are of love and compassion for our fellows. When we are obedient God will continue to reveal to us that we have done well. Again it is not the gifts that come from your hand, not the material things. It is certainly the gifts that come from your heart and Love is the greatest gift.
When Jesus was asked what commandment was most important he replied. "The most important commandment is this. 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important "Love your neighbor as yourself,' " When we truly love God we want to fall all of His commandments. We all may fall short fore there is no perfect human being. We are spirits in human form and sometimes the flesh wants to demand our attention. We want to react as opposed to acting in holiness. When we really love our neighbor as we love ourselves we will want the best for them We will want the will of God to be done in their lives. We would want for them that which we might ask for ourselves from God. When we recognize how much God loves us we can again go back to the book of John where the apostle Paul explained how God showed His great love for man by sending Christ to die for us while we were still in sin.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but the world through Him might be saved.
That's a whole lotta love!
God is love and light and all that we are, is His creation. Can we continue to profess to love God when we do not love what God is, who God is, where God manifest the spirit in us, through us and around us each day we open our eyes?
In Deuteronomy 6:1 - 9 (the word says)
6.(1) Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, (2) that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all of His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grand son, all the days of your life, that your days may be prolonged. (3) Therefore here, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you - 'a land flowing with milk and honey.
(4) "Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one!" (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and wit all your strength.
(6) And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart, (7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (9) You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates.
In my house I post a prayer not so much that I am reminded but so that I can continue to meditate on the word wherever I walk in my home. On my front door I have posted a prayer so that all who enter in will know that this is a house of prayer, this is a house of LOVE. But it's so much more than sharing scripture or posting prayers I pray that God direct me each day so that I may live and love according to His word.
Can I now say that I am so devout that I love everyone and everything? It is difficult but when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that He has done for me. When I think of the test and the testimonies. When I think of what I've been to and what I've been through. When I recognize that I can each day testify and not test-a-lie because I know that I was so far from perfect and God has brought me out of the mire and the muck. I have been redeemed and delivered. I am delivered into the righteousness. This is not something that I must prove to you but it is something that I much live each day otherwise my prayers are in vain. I pray that God direct me and guide me and Order My Steps in the word...Not what I write but what is written.
And God has granted me the greatest gift. He has shown favor in me and He strengthens me each day to love as I would want to be loved by my neighbor, by a stranger and the most difficult part sometimes by a friend.
I am also reminded that loving our enemies does not come easily, but it is what Jesus calls us to do. Jesus gave us the ultimate example while hanging on the cross, he prayed. "Father, forgive these people, because they don't know what they are doing. God's spirit enables us and empowers us to have and incorporate unconditional love in what we call love.
God loves you and so do I
Unconditionally
Minister Pamela.
Prayer:
May this message add another blessing to your live and to your spirit so that you may know the abundance of the Lord? You will know His love and you will share and experience love in every arena of your life. I pray that you love and are loved by your family. I pray that you love and are loved by your friends. I pray that you love and are loved by a strangers. Not because of your works or your deeds but because of the God in you because you must "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind and all your strength."
I pray that you receive this with joy and with gladness
In Jesus name
Amen
My name is Rev. Amy Long and I've been a minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since its inception. I've been a member of ULC for many years and my site has created a terrific ULC Forum. We also have the most extensive catalog of Universal Life Church materials.
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