Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hope all things, endures all things. Love never fails. – 1 Cor. 13:4-8
The love of God bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. When we walk in this love, we might appear to be blind to some things, but this kind of love is not blind. It’s the opposite: it helps us see more! It’s not that we are blind to what isn’t lovable, but we see all that God’s love provides and we trust God’s ways. We hate the sin; but we love the sinner.
We think no evil. This agape love is in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We receive it by faith and then release it to others by faith. We cannot make ourselves express it; It flows out of what is in our hearts. It’s supernatural to love this way. Even when others do not receive this love, we continue to express it with our whole heart.
As we abide in this amazing unconditional love, we bear much fruit. We spend time with the Lord and as we walk with Him; We partake of His character. Every day, let us receive God’s love in a greater measure. His all-encompassing love embraces our whole being. Love never fails. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Without ceasing, we love, fromglory to glory!
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” – John 7:37-38
What quenches the flow of the living waters is self-sufficiency, prideful ways, and trust in ourselves or in others. The Holy Spirit grieves when we ignore Him or His instructions; when we are more loving and dependent on the ways of men than on His. By His grace, He continues to transform us and lead us to seek Him above all.
To come to Him and drink, we seek Him first, abide in Him, humbly receiving all that comes from Him. In that abiding place, we commune with Him, pray in the spirit, and worship Him. Before proceeding in our endeavors, we seek His wisdom and surrender to His leading and empowerment. Our prayer for His anointing to flow in and through us becomes a constant desire, and we guard against the hindrances to His flow.
As the Lord’s presence rests upon us, we rest in Him with joy and peace. In that resting place, His abundant life flows freely. As we abide in the rivers of His glory, the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit flow freely. The more we abide, the more rivers of living water flow out of our hearts, from glory to glory!
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. – John 4:23-24
Worship is a powerful weapon! It opens our spiritual hearing and sharpens all our other spiritual weapons so we can war effectively. Even though it faces significant opposition, its impact is everlasting.
When we go through afflictions, playing a song in a playlist or in our heart tunes us into the Lord’s presence and stirs up our fervent, effective prayers. During corporate worship, as we keep our focus on the Lord, and not ourselves, or others, we come into unity with members of the Body of Christ, and experience God’s presence and power. The Lord is magnified, and all else is minimized.
As rivers of glory flow out of our hearts, the world, the flesh, and the devil disappear. Our expressions of love, faith, and trust in the Lord remove fear and replace worry with peace. We expect God’s intervention. Our Lord Jesus Christ is alive and powerful! Instead of rehearsing the worst outcome, let’s rehearse what we will do for eternity: worship the King, from glory to glory!
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. – Ephesians 5:8
On my way back from out of town, a storm gave way to poor visibility. My wipers didn’t move fast enough and the unfamiliarity of the road added to my nervousness. I began following a truck in front of me. After nine or ten miles, the truck turned off onto another route. How was I going to find my way without another set of lights to follow? I could only turn to the Lord and cry out, Lord, please help me! Jesus, The Light of the World guided me all the way home. Hallelujah!
There are moments in our lives when we follow someone else’s lights and suddenly find they are no longer there… there is nothing to do but go forward, trusting Him! They were to guide us only for a season. For a moment, apprehension and worry trouble us. What will we do without them? It’s in our loss that we gain dependency on the Lord’s presence.
Without realizing it, others also follow our lights! How humbling. We never know who is watching us. It draws us closer to the leading of the Lord. When others come to us for wisdom and prayer, let’s not question the brightness of our light, but trust the Lord’s shining through us. His light abides forever. We follow Him, from glory to glory!
For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:8 NKJV
As I walked to the next person in line for prayer, I heard: this man is struggling with alcohol and thinking of leaving his wife and three children. I first stood silent, then prayed, “You cannot do what you are planning to do. Your struggle will end as you surrender it all to Jesus.” It was my first experience with the word of knowledge, one of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and it left me in awe of God’s amazing ways.
As we walk in the spirit, we all encounter similar situations. We hear what is unsaid, discern struggles, spiritual battles, and wonder what to do with it all. What are we to do with it all? When we perceive something, we must yield to the Lord for His instructions. He may lead us to keep it to ourselves and pray accordingly; speak forth wisdom on the situation, with love and discretion; or wait for the right timing to guide us.
The Lord reveals to us to heal throughus, as He wills. With humility, we obey His directions, desiring only His will and His ways. The purpose of revelation is transformation. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are to profit all, from glory to glory!
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelations 3:20 NKJV).
The classic picture by Holman Hunt of Jesus knocking on a door is currently hanging in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. At its first unveiling, a certain critic said, “You have made a mistake, Mr. Hunt. There’s no handle on the door.” “That was intentional,” the artist replied. “The door opens only from the inside.”
Even though God is omnipresent, He doesn’t force His way into our lives. He waits for us to welcome Him in every area of our lives, to invite Him to take part in all we do. We believe and receive what He has made available to us by surrendering our will to His. Just like in our other relationships, we need to communicate our desire to know what concerns others and pursue deeper connections. Intimacy results from a longing for more.
He knocks through our circumstances, and He calls through His Word. He is leading us to fellowship and communion. Our relationship with the Lord is personal. After we are born again, we seek Him. The divine guest becomes Himself the Host. He is the Bread of Life! We commune with Him and welcome Him to be Lord of all in our lives, from glory to glory!
