Daily Inspirations

  Good morning. Love: does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. Even when it does not fit our narrative, we should always abide in truth. Love - bears (covers) all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. When we are walking in love, we should want to believe the best in others, instead of the worst. We should not be quick to shun them. It does not mean that we put on blinders when it comes to the action of others. It means that we should not assume the worst in people, but rather desire that there is really good in them and in their intentions. Again we don’t turn a blind eye to peoples’ actions. We have seen too many cases where a parent believes that their child can do no wrong, when we have seen the wrong actions ourselves. That is not what we mean. We should believe for the best in others. Enduring of things does not mean putting up with bad behavior. No matter what happens to us or to the other person, we should continue our l...

  Good morning. Love: does not act unbecomingly (King James - unseemly); it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered. When we act  unbecomingly, it is very likely that people around us will become uncomfortable. If we are walking in love, we will not act in a manner that makes other people feel that way. If we are walking in love, we will not seek our own well-being, but that of others. If we are confident in who we are, we will not provoke others. Provoking others usually happens when the provoker does not feel his or her self worth or is having a “bad hair day“. In the book of Ephesians, Paul tells fathers, “do not provoke your children to anger“. Sadly that also happens between spouses. Speaking of spouses - too many times one spouse takes into account a wrong previously suffered. Every discussion is tainted with the remembrance of what happened in the past. We should “bear no grudges”, whether it is a spouse, a child, or someone e...

  Good morning. Continuing where we left off: 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. Remember that Jesus did tell the rich young ruler to give all of his possessions to feed the poor. The young man had felt that he was lacking something, and his reliance on his possessions were keeping him from surrendering completely to God. Even if he had done so, it is highly unlikely that he would’ve done so in love for the people who were poor. Humans want to “do something“ to gain acceptance into the kingdom of God; but the reality is that God has done everything, and we simply have to believe it and accept it. Now Paul lists some of the characteristics of love. He alternates between what love is, and what love is not. Love is patient, love is kind. It says that love is patient, not that it has patience. What’s the difference? You can have patience, but do so without love. In other words, you mer...

  Good morning. And now for the “still more excellent way“: 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. The “tongues of men“ could be knowing how to speak various languages of the earth; or it could be the gift of tongues in which he/she spoke in a language of the earth, but not known to the one speaking. In either case, it could be a point of pride. Regardless, without doing so in love, it would just be a bunch of noise. The reason it might be the gift of tongues is what follows: 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. Notice the word “all“ in several of those. That would be beyond the “word of wisdom”, the “word of knowledge”, and “faith” among the gifts. If you had any one of those, it would be something that some people would brag about; but if you operated in that without love, you...

 G ood morning. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. Some think that the ordering is the importance of each to the church; I.e. apostles are the most important etc.; but I think there is another possibility - that it is the order in which they need to appear in the formation of a church. In other words, apostles are the first in order to lay a foundation, then the prophets are needed to build up the body and to point out those who are in leadership in the church, then teachers to instruct, etc. These too are gifts to the church; but they are people and not “things“. And just like “not everyone has the same gift of the Spirit“, not everyone has the same ministry. Just like the gifts, it would be useless to have a church full of apostles and nothing else. As I have said before, you see too many people saying “I am apostle so and so, or I am prophet...

  Good morning. One part of the body cannot say to another “I have no need of you“. On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no divisions in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers/is honored, all the members suffer/rejoice with it. What affects one of us, affects all of us, whether it’s something good or something bad. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. We are to work together for the best of each individual, so that the entire body may have what is necessary. Father go with the reader and his/her family and meet all...