WVW #017 We love because he loved us first

(00:00): A year ago, my son Patrick married his princess, Olivia. It was an amazing full of love, whole weekend of events. And I bet if you've ever been to a Christian wedding, there's a wonderful scripture. You've probably heard that describes love in a certain way. And it's beautiful, but stay tuned today because we're going to share something about love and that scripture that I bet you've never heard something that will take this from a thing between two people, to an understanding of love for the entire universe. Welcome to episode 17 of the well versed woman podcast. I'm Renee teller and I'm Theresa Morgan. We are two perfectly imperfect women with a heart to share our faith in life's journey. You see what we've learned in our life's journey. We've learned about the love of God. And we know if you stay to that you'll experience this same love, which means more peace than you thought possible. If you've been listening, you know how we start every episode. So go ahead and get ready. Get in that comfy chair or pull the car over on the side of the road, because we're going to take 20 little seconds to give God a chance to open our hearts, our minds, and our ears to listen to what he might have to say to us today, here we go, 20 seconds starts, right?

(02:03): That's it,

(02:05): 20 seconds. And I encourage you to do that every single day. As you open your eyes to get set to a new day, God will honor that and respect that and connect with you and direct your every step. But back to where we were on this love thing. So last week we talked about these turbulent times that we're living in and how we can have peace and hope during these times. And if you haven't done it already, go ahead and hit subscribe right now so that you remember to go back and listen to that episode. There are so many wonderful scriptures that can bring us peace and direction and love in these times. But this week we wanted to talk to you about what to do. What can your role be? What part should

(03:00): You be playing in these times that we're living in? It always seems Teresa that, and this was my sense at the beginning of my journey and my relationship with God that there were some great leaders and very clearly God had directed them on what he wanted for their life. And for me, I wasn't quite so sure. And if you're listening today and feeling like, Oh my gosh, well, I don't know what role I'm supposed to play. How can I figure that out? We're going to talk about that today. So stay tuned. If you want to know what you could do in these times, this is for you, right? Teresa, absolutely. Renee, you know, this is such an exciting episode because, you know, I think as human beings, we all want to know, okay, just tell me what to do. Tell me what my part is.

(03:56): Tell me what do I have to my part to play? What do I want to have to do in this world to accomplish my mission? Yeah. And, and that scripture about love, just the little bit of the summary version of the highlights. Tracer. Can you read that for us? Well, we'll absolutely. And I think we've all probably been to a wedding where, uh, we called us the love chapter first Corinthians chapter 12. And, um, it's so beautiful because not only can we see on that beautiful, magical day, if you will, when two are getting married and they're such hope they're such dreams and a beautiful life together, but this speaks even individually to each of us, as we walk out our Christian life with the highest goal in mind, which is love. You know, the chapter starts though. I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love.

(05:01): I have become a sounding brass or a clanging symbol, the way of the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge. But though I have all faith that I could move mountains, but have not love. I'm nothing though. I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. And though I give my body to be burned, but having out Moffitt profits, me, nothing. We could read one after another, which shows a human beings giving. But if they're not giving out of a motivation and our heart of log God in his word is caught his calling that nothing. That's so true, Theresa. And, and that verse goes on to say all those things that people probably remember love is patient kind, not jealous. It does not brag. It's not proud, but I love what Teresa teaches. So beautifully always is. She'll

(05:58): Say to me, Renee, we have to frame the scriptures. Let's frame the scriptures. So we will continue with this beautiful description of love. But Theresa, tell us just before that, what the apostle Paul, who is the author of first Corinthians, what was he teaching at that moment, Tracy, about right before what you just read? What, what is it he was saying? That's right.

(06:28): So if we look at verse 12 in first Corinthians chapter 12, Paul is teaching, you know, for, as the body of Christ is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many are one body. So also is Christ for by one spirit. We were all baptized into the body of Christ, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, we've been all made to drink into the one spirit for in fact, the body is not one member, but many. So he goes in and I love the analogy here because he's comparing, it's a human body to the body of Christ in the human body. There are many parts. There's the heart, there's the toe. There's the leg, the arms, there's the brain in what he's going to be teaching Renee is that one member of the body, even though it's a heart, they seem to have a more significant part to play. It really can't function well without the brain. So he's making a comparison or an analogy to the members and the body of Christ thing. Okay. As we read through the script, the scriptures, we see the God gifts, each

(07:51): Christian with a specific

(07:54): Gift to minister to the body in though, you know, we may see a preacher on TV and boy fire and brimstone, and he's preaching the word of God. Or we may see someone in a local church serving behind the scenes in the kitchen. We might look at that and we might say, Hmm, one person is more important than the other, but what God is calling our attention to here today is that, Oh no, I had gifted. You. I'm gracing you. And at the end of time, these gifts are going to pass away. But if each gift is performed or done with a heart of love, the gifts are equal. Gift is not higher or more important.

(08:44): Theresa, I'm sitting here kind of laughing a little bit, a couple of things come to mind. I stubbed my little toe. It really bad or drop something big on it. And four weeks I can't walk properly with just the little tiny toe. And I'm sure, probably experienced the same thing or like a hang nail, like it's. So it's so cool that this is the analogy that we're being shown to give us the understanding about how important every person is into this body of children of God. So that came to mind and I was kind of chuckling a little to myself. And the other thing is I remember plays in school and I remember this one family, the friends of ours, and they had like 12 kids and the parents would get together. And they'd always say to my mom and dad like, Oh, your kids are the, you know, the stars of the show.

(09:47): And mine's just a little old tree, little stupid tree. That's the part my kids got, you know? And it's like, wait a minute. The whole play, the whole play. Doesn't come together without the scenery and the music and the, I mean, think about Broadway, right? It seems kind of silly to be making these analogies, but it helps me understand. It helps me understand how important every person is. And it doesn't matter if, like you say Theresa, they're the, the pastor on the stage or at the church, or, you know, Billy Graham clearly, right? What you were just saying is someday all those gifts are not going to be needed. The someday when God returns and there is a new heaven and a newer, those things aren't going to be needed, but where, where you were headed, Theresa is what remains.

(10:49): That's absolutely correct. And you know, before we go into what remains in the importance of that, the faint chapter that we're in first Corinthians chapter 12, you know, if we look at verse 11, Paul says, when I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. And I just wanted to interject quickly Renee, because we were talking about how people might understand different roles that different people play in the body of Christ. And we're talking about these roles being done with love and really God looking at the heart motive and I can't help. But think of it as I'm looking at this scripture, I feel the Holy spirit giving me a different angle and understanding of this scripture because children look at things in a childish manner.

(11:46): So looking at the body of Christ, thinking that one gift or one person is more important, the other can tend to be a very immature way of looking at things, not God's way of looking at things. So I wanted to really encourage the listeners here today, that to come up higher in your thinking. So if you're involved in a local church or you're thinking about being involved, thinking about how you can serve, how you can be a serving member of the body of Christ, I would have to encourage you to set your hand to the plow in whatever duty is needed at the time, do it with all your heart, because then it's God who promotes to other positions as he sees fit. That was a little aside Renee, but that's so perfect. We talk so much on this. These episodes, we relate so much trace that to our children, to having children, to how God relates to us.

(12:51): And again, that's a beautiful understanding that it is a childish way to look at it. But when you level up, as you say, and attempt to become more of a adult in your thinking that it, it only makes sense. Well, of course, God, isn't that way. Of course he doesn't love, love one of us more than another, or think more highly of one than another. Just like all of us who came from big families and we used to tease one was a favorite child. I love that you brought that up. You know, everything we do for the Lord, the gifts that we carry on behalf of the Lord, everything is done by grace, through faith. He's gracious. He equips us. He equips us to do the work, carry out the journeys that he's given each one of us in a successful manner. So, but first Corinthians.

(13:51): Yeah. Right. Well, yeah. And I love Theresa the like at verse 29, Paul goes on to say, look not everybody's apostles. Not everybody is a teacher. Not everybody does miracles, not all have gifts of healing, any, so we can read this, but then he says, now I will show you the best way of all. So pick up from there, trace and what does he say? Yeah. But I love that Renee in now I'll show you the best translation that I love. It says, now I will show you more. So that is just beautiful, just beautiful. A more excellent way. So that launches us right into first Corinthians chapter 13, he then goes into an analogy of the clinging symbol, the sounding brass, which can be so to an ear, right? Like a scratching the nail on a chalkboard in key saying if you perform duty and use your gifts without love, that is what it's like. So the more excellent way is when he gets later into the chapter, verse 12, he says, for now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall now just as I am also now and now abide faith, hope and love these three. But the greatest of these is love. The greatest of these is love. And I know from first John chapter four verse say that God is love.

(15:40): Yes. And again, the thought that we tie the three things that remain when we talked about, there'll be a new heaven and a new earth, a lot of the gifts will go away or won't be necessary, but three things will be necessary, right? Theresa faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love. That's right.

(16:06): And I find it so interesting that God is giving us a glimpse right into the, this afterlife, if you will, where we're not going to go there, but he is giving us a glimpse by saying the greatest of these is love. And this is the one quality that will carry on throughout eternity. When we pass from this earth where there's a time zone and we go into eternity, where time is lifted, and I'm looking for even a better word to describe it, but I can't seem to find one, but he's talking about that substance. That is so excellent. He is loved. So, you know, going back to seeing what's happening in the world and asking ourselves, okay, what is my part to play here? The first thing we have to come to recognize is that when the Lord shows us what to do, remember Jeremiah 29, which we've talked about a lot, that he knows the plans and the purposes for your life.

(17:07): And he will show us step by step where to do whatever he shows us to do with a heart of love. And I think that initially stems Renee from a heart of gratitude, knowing that the greatest sacrifice, the greatest gift and demonstration of love occurred on that cross. And from that example, we are then to go forth and carry out the plans and the purposes that he has called for us here on earth, because there's, there's a beautiful scripture that I like to keep in the forefront of my mind. And it's found in Ephesians chapter two, verse 10, it says we, his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in that.

(17:58): Yeah. I love all of that. I love the reminder that God actually sacrificed his son. And if you're listening and you have children, you cannot fathom you. Can't. I know I can't put myself in a place that I would give up my son, my child, any one of your children for humanity.

(18:27): I mean, you just, and by the way, we see, we see this a lot executed in our world today, from the perspective of people going to war for their country and loving. But we can imagine,

(18:40): Imagine when we have family members that do go to war, the Duke put themselves in harm's way,

(18:47): Frontline workers, what we just experienced with our healthcare workers being

(18:53): On the front line and literally putting their lives. There is no greater love than to lay down your life for another. So when we're in this space

(19:03): Feeling like, Oh, not quite sure how I can help in these turbulent times, I'm gonna sit here

(19:12): And hover and meditate on that.

(19:14): Absolutely. We want all of us meditating on the word, but that's step one, right? Theresa. That is exactly correct. Because you know, out of this heart of love, we're going to step out and we step out in faith and some might be saying, I don't feel like I have love for us. I don't feel lovely. I don't feel like giving the world seems to be crashing around me, but what we have to remember and what we always have to go to of course, is back to the, the God's word. And there's a beautiful scripture that if you don't feel loving or you don't feel like giving mood realize that as a Christian Romans chapter five says the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy spirit who was given to us. So sometimes we don't feel lovely or we don't feel like giving love, but what we have to always remember, and this is a great scripture to meditate on father, even though I don't feel like being loving today. I know that the love of God has been shed abroad in my heart by Christ Jesus. I know I carry that love and I look to you to help me ignite the love that is in my heart. Because as a Christian mean, make no mistake about it. If you know, God love is inside you. And when we looked him in too, to take that love and display it, boy, he is ever ready to help us with this. Oh, perfect,

(20:57): Perfect. Ending, Theresa. It reminds me

(21:02): Too that we need to practice love because when we get to eternity, we're going to need to know how to do it. So it's going to remain forever and we need to be in that state of constant love. It's a wonderful thing to pray every morning. Um, you know, Jesus did command us to love as he loves. Wow, really Lord love as you love. What a, what a tolerant or what a tall task that seems to be. But he does say, um, you know, you can do it with my help. So it's just such a wonderful prayer every day to say, Lord, help me love is you would love. And with that, the entire body can make an impact on planet earth. As I say, absolutely. You know, Jesus, when he walked the earth, Renee, he kept saying, the kingdom of God is upon you.

(22:05): The kingdom of God is upon you. You know, and if we look in the book of Romans, I believe it's chapter 14, verse 17. You know that the kingdom of God is, is to know God, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy ghost, which we have said, so who doesn't want right? Standing with God, joy and peace. And so to move the kingdom of God forward is to behave as a disciple of Jesus Christ because the Bible says a new commandment that I give you. Jesus says in John 13, verse 34 35, love one another. As I have loved you, that you also love one another by this all will know that you're my disciples. If you love one another, I think what a beautiful symbol and sign that the kingdom of God is upon us is when we see Christians loving one another in giving and helping in this time of need what a great ending tracer. So our scripture that by now many of our listeners I'm sure have memorized. What is it? Chaisa Romans chapter 10 verse 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Amen. Amen. So remember to subscribe, rate and review, we still have a free journal that we will send you if you rate and review this podcast. Thank you for that. Thank you for your questions. We'd love for you to put them in the show notes.

(23:46): And by the way, as it relates to the show notes, all the scriptures are there that we talked about in this episode so that you can review them, print them, put them on your mirror, and don't forget to join our Facebook community, the well-versed woman just as to join. And we'll be sure to include you until next time. Bye. Bye.

(24:10): I know.