Day 87 - Do You Love Me?

Love is so very important to me! I want to share the love of God with all the people I meet. However, some guys shy away from using the L word! Love is something I do not shy from in the least! In these days, I find myself saying it more and more because I want my true feelings to show! So let me say...I LOVE YOU! More importantly, God Loves You.

Jesus did not shy away from telling His disciples He loved them, and He lived out those words in His actions. What gets in our way of loving God and loving others? You see, God has already extended the love relationship to us, All we have to do is reach back and accept it!

We all live hectic lives and often get caught up in our schedules and priorities. But when we miss opportunities to love, we are off the mark. Yesterday, I preached a sermon about Jesus asking Peter if he loved Jesus. I want to post it here...this is just food for thought not Ben sounding preachy. May this be an encouragement to us all to restore that love relationship...and to love one another!

Many times we look at different theologies and belief systems and try and define them based on what they do or how they see certain aspects of faith. It is interesting to note that in 1742, John Wesley was confronted with the same issue…he was asked to define what a Methodist was. In his response, Wesley defined a Methodist as, “one who has ‘the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him;’ one who ‘loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind and with all his strength.” For Mr. Wesley, it was not a matter of theology or practice; it was a matter of love. This worries me, not because I think we shouldn’t love God, but because I think that we have lost our love for God. During the months leading up to the 2008 General Conference, I found myself in earnest prayer with several of my pastor friends. It was then that God really spoke to me and said that what we were praying for was good, but He laid the nagging question on my heart…do you love me? Of course we love you Lord, why wouldn’t we love you! Then feed my sheep, He said. It was at that moment that I realized what God was saying. You see, John Wesley defined us as people who loved God, and out of that love sprang our service. However, we have become people of action…of hectic schedules…of doing, so much so that we have forgotten our primary characteristic…a love for God!

This love relationship was evident to many of the early Methodists, including Charles Wesley. Many of us have sung the words that he penned regarding the amazing love of God. He said, in the hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, “Jesus thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art.” John Wesley also says that, “If anybody preaches …about anything more than love, he is aside from the mark, because the thing which you need is to be perfected in love and filled with all the fullness of divine love; and, if that is so, that will be fulfilling of all the law of God.” The love of God was something that was greatly understood to be the key component to a relationship with God. John Wesley knew it; Charles Wesley knew it; many generations of Christians have known it, and Jesus made sure that Peter knew it.
In John 21:15-17, we see an interesting conversation develop between Peter and Jesus. This conversation comes on the heels of Peter denying Christ three times before the crucifixion. And here we see Jesus using the triplet form of conversation to convey a message to Peter. It is my contention that Jesus wanted to let Peter know that he was still going to play a vital role in the shepherding process of the Kingdom. Peter was still going to be a shepherd to a great flock even though he had made a mistake. But what I want you to notice with me this morning is that with the command to be a shepherd (Feed My Sheep), there is always a question. Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?

Do you love me? It always interests me to sit down with different pastors or missionaries both here in the U.S. and abroad. I love to converse with them about their work and their journey. But doing this intrigues me because so often I hear about the “feeding the sheep” that is happening and not at all about the love for God or their love relationship with God. However, these are not the only folks who have this issue. I had a professor at the seminary point out that far too often, seminary students come to seminary out of their love relationship with God, but somehow along the way, it gets put on the back-burner because of papers, tests, and preparation to be church leaders. He then challenged the class to not let this happen. He reminded us that after seminary, life is not going to get any easier. Yet this epidemic of forgetting our love relationship doesn’t end there. Every Christian struggles with this. Our lives become so busy, we become consumed by our careers, we struggle with family issues, or money issues, or health issues, so much so that we completely neglect our love relationship with God. We mustn’t think that we can get a grip on it when things calm down, because things NEVER calm down. We need to learn to have the love relationship now!

Do you love me? I heard a story once about Dr. Paul Rader’s father. Paul was the president of Asbury College and his family has been in the leadership of the Salvation Army for many generations now. His father met Samuel Logan Brengle, who was one of the men responsible for bringing great growth to the Salvation Army in America. Early in his career, Rader’s father asked Brengle what his greatest temptation in ministry was. What is it that tempts you every day in your ministry? Brengle replied, “There is one thing that has tempted me, and when I give in, my life is miserable and like a living hell. However, when I resist this temptation, life seems to go on smoothly and everything falls into place. The temptation that has nipped at my heels my entire ministry has been to want to DO something FOR God each day before I’ve spent time WITH Him.” Oswald Chambers reiterates this idea in his book My Utmost for His Highest when He says, “The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain, and the atmosphere produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to look after, and it is the one thing that is being continually assailed.” He is saying that there is a primacy on the relationship with God that a relationship is the main order of business and the ministry will flow from that relationship. Do not let the temptation of feeding the sheep get in the way of loving God!

Do you love me? So many times, people let their egos get the best of them. People think that the knowledge they have or the zeal they have or the compassion they have will be enough to do the work of God. And while that approach might work for a while, they will soon come crashing down because their efforts are their efforts and not God working through their love relationship to reach others. P.T. Forsyth, a WWI era theologian said when speaking about having a love relationship with Christ that, “It is possible to be so active in the service of Christ as to forget to love him. Many pastors preach Christ, but get in front of him by the multiplicity of their own works. It will ruin you if you do.” Pastors are not the only ones who have to be cautious not to let this happen. J. Sidlow Baxter writes, “The first thing which makes a true Christian minister or missionary or evangelist or preacher or Sunday School teacher, or leader or Christian worker of any kind, is not learning, not eloquence, not wisdom, not organizing ability, not pleasing personality, not even a ‘passion for souls’, but a love-passion for Jesus Himself. Nothing, nothing, NOTHING, can take the place of that. All else without that is like withered flowers.” It may not be our egos which get in the way, it may simply be a works equals love attitude. We may have a twisted sense of how our love relationship with God works. It does not stem from us doing things…from us feeding the sheep. It begins with us humbling ourselves and allowing God to love us and in return we love Him by worshiping Him, praying to Him, studying His Word. As our relationship grows, our actions will begin to reflect our relationship with God. So, do not think that feeding the sheep equals loving God…without a love relationship, the sheep will starve.

I want to close with this thought. In this scripture, we heard Christ first calling Peter into a love relationship with Himself and then giving the command to feed His sheep. It also interests me that the Great Commandment (love the Lord you God with all your heart…) precedes the Great Commission (go and make disciples…). A love relationship with God is the first step in becoming a worker in the Kingdom. Jesus wants you to know that you will play a vital role in the work of the Kingdom! Do you love Christ, or do you put Him on the back-burner because you are too busy? Do you love Christ or do you get tripped up by the temptation to do for rather than be with Christ? Do you love Christ or do you feed the sheep thinking that that will earn God’s love? Jesus loves you and desires a love relationship with you, but a relationship takes more than one person. We, as Christians, need to once more be defined by our relationship with God and not our work for God. We need to be living in a love relationship with Christ. So, let me ask…DO YOU LOVE HIM? That is the first step in restoring the love relationship…we must love Christ before we can serve Christ. Do you want to restore the love relationship? Now is the time to begin the process. Jesus stands ready to help and is asking…DO YOU LOVE ME?...

Let us allmake every effort to love! Tell someone that you love them and that they are special to you! Love can go a long way!

LORD, may my love for you increase and may it spill over into the lives of all I meet! Help me bring a loving witness to this day! As I am stressed from the changes happening all around me, keep me grounded in love...Your love and the love of others! AMEN!

Day 88 - Help me get it done Lord!

Yeesterday, I was reminded that it is about a month until I move out of my house and become, as Charlie has said, "wandering homeless!" (If anyone has a spare room, I will be in the Lexington area the 26 of June - July 4th and July 16-23 on top of a handful of other dates!)

Anyhow, I was thinking about all the memories I have had in my house.

Roommates - Ryan, Charlie, Jonathan

Ice Storm Shelter - This is when I learned about pizza cutters being conducive to melting.

The death of Ronald Reagan - this happened the day I moved in!

THE KING - those who know are laughing!

My Fall - this happened in March 2007 and is what caused the doctor I saw to question if I was born with albinism or whether it was a result of the fall I had!

All the students I have tutored here! All the fellowship I have had here!

This has been a good neighborhood to live in, and I will miss it dearly! I have been blessed with amazing landlords...and will miss them too! But God is preparing me a place in Prague where more memories will be made and fun will be had. I look forward to this new home and the adventure I will have with Godd!

FATHER, thank you for this day! Thank you for all the memories and for the blessing of a home! I pray that You will always be part of wherever I live...because it is only with you that it will be a HOME! Guide me this day! AMEN!

Day 89 - Encouraged

Last night, I had feelings of discouragement...but not for long! After speaking with Marty, Chance, and Jillian (all about different things), I felt encouraged! I was blessed by they words they spoke and am so excited to see what God has in store for me today! THANK YOU!

This morning, I have a song on my heart, so that is what I am going to share. As I think about my role, my part, in the Kingdom, I am reminded of the price paid for me. I hope in hearing this song, you are reminded of how much you are worth and how much God loves you! ENJOY!



Father, I thank you for your unending love...the love which I see in the sacrifice of Christ! I PRAISE YOUR NAME! I thank you for wonderful friends who come along and speak wise and holy words of encouragement! Bless us this day as we consider how much you love us! AMEN!

Shine on Us!

Day 90 - Listening to God

The rain has finally stopped, and Noah is unloading his ark! It is a beautiful 90th day here in Kentucky! I have spent the morning in reflective listening. My mentor and pastor, Chris Howlett, reminded me in his sermon yesterday that I must listen as part of communicating with God!

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5) It is hard to listen with my mouth open. Yes, Jesus want to hear from us, but he also wants us to hear from him. Therefore, we must listen...we must be still. I confess that I have not always done this. But as I prepare to take this step of faith in moving to Prague, I find myself listening more and more. Trust is built when two people speak to AND listen to one another. Will you listen to Jesus today?

It is hard to believe that I am at the 3 month mark! It seems like yesterday when God began this grand adventure into missionary service! So many memories have come flooding over me; I will definitely share them in the days and weeks ahead. But today, I thought it might be fun to ask you to share a memory or two of me and you? Share all you would like. It can be funny, serious, a quote, or anything!

Lord, as day 90 begins, help me to listen to You! Give me gracious words tempered with your truth...and help me represent the Word made flesh! AMEN!

Day 91 - Meaningful Scriptures

This morning, I woke up feeling kinda low. So, I went to the Bible and read some of my favorite scriptures. I want to share them with you this morning.

1. I Samuel 1:27-28 - I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

2. Isaiah 43:1b - You are mine!

3. Psalm 139: 13-16 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

4. Matthew 25:34-40 - Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

5. I John 3:16 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

6. I Thessalonians 4:1-8 - Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

7. Hebrews 12:1-3 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

These are just a handful of the Scriptures I look to for encouragement. I am pressing on, though there are things I just do not understand. I trust you Lord!

Father, forgive me for any harsh way that may be about me. Help me to show love! AMEN!

Day 92 - Up Late and Loving It

Last night, I had small group at my house (my boys)! It was a fun time and a high holy time all at once. We expeerienced the holy moment of foot wahsing...this was a sacred time for me as I washed each boy's feet and prayed for them as I did.

After the serious and holy time, I decided to pass along some of my wisdom gained in college. Yes, we burned coffee mate. This may not be considered wise by some, but we did make some fun memories, and safety was always considered.

As I begin day 92, I feel a sense of deep love and care for my boys, and for God's provision, I am thankful!

LORD, open my eyes to your love this day! Heelp these boys, my boys, to know this same love, and help us all to be ambassadors of your love in this world. AMEN!