My Heart Delights in God’s Love

“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4

It is almost that time of year again, the “love day,” Valentine’s Day.  The stores are filled with red heart-shaped boxes of surprises and aisles of cards, candy and sweetheart gifts.   It is a lovely time to express one’s love and fondness of another.  It is more importantly a reminder to us of our loving God.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12

In God’s Word,  He has commanded us to “love one another” and to do that we must express it in visible, audible and tangible ways as He has shown us.  He reminds us what true love really is and that love emanates from God himself because God is love.  Thus we, as His loving children, show our delight in His love by spending time with Him in prayer, reading, meditating on the Word of God and by our obedience to Him.  This is putting our love to action daily, not just on special days, but every day we are to show love to God, to the brethren, our family and friends, neighbors and enemies.  This is love in action.

“Delighting in God springs ” From a holy and frequent familiarity with God. Where there is a great familiarity there is a great delight; delight in one another’s company, and delight in one another’s converse; strangeness contracts, and familiarity enlarges the soul. There is more swiftness in going to a God with whom we are acquainted, than to a God to whom we are strangers. This encourages the soul to go to God; I go to a God whose face I have seen, whose goodness I have tasted, with whom I have often met in prayer. Frequent familiarity makes us more understanding of the excellency of another; an excellency understood will be beloved, and being beloved, will be delighted in.”  __Stephen Charnock

So then dear brethren, as you celebrate this wonderful season of expressions of love, remember this precious God that has loved you and given Himself for you.  Love is giving of oneself, their gifts, their time and yes even sharing a special gift on Valentine’s Day.

Living Coram Deo,
TheologyGirl-ReformedWomen,
Copyright ©2012  All Rights Reserved

Sharing Your Gift

Your Ministry to Others

Every Christian has a gift. The Spirit gives one to each person, just as He determines (I Cor. 12:11). What is this gift for? “To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (I Cor. 12:7). These are illuminating words. Paul says a gift is the ‘manifestation of the Spirit’. It is a means by which the Spirit shows us more of Christ. He does so by using some ability He has given us in the service to others.

Martin Luther used to speak about the Christian being ‘a little Christ’ to his neighbor. That is what Paul means here. Unlike many of us, Paul did not think of a gift of the Spirit as making the recipient seem special or important. A gift of the Spirit is meant to show that Christ is special. The only person the Spirit wants to manifest is Jesus! (See John 16:12-14 and John 14:21, 23). When we exercise the gifts which Christ has given us we are really saying to our fellow Christians and others: See how much the Lord Jesus Christ loves you and cares for you; He has sent me to serve you in this way; He is using my hands and feet, my lips and ears, to show His love.

… Gifts are for service, not self-advancement. We belong to each other (Romans 12:5); we need each other to reflect the fullness of the love of Christ (I Cor. 12:21). We must therefore learn to see our gifts as instruments by which we can love and serve others.

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How are we using our gifts? For us? For others? For the Kingdom of Christ for the good of His people? Our gifts were given to share so that we all benefit and grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.  Share that you might grow and be a blessing as you share those particular gifts that are yours.  For His glory,__TheologyGirl

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“Grow in Grace” by Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chapter 6 “Growing Together”; ReformedWomen-TheologyGirl Growing in Grace Bible Study Series.