#Wordfortheweek Week 38 #Love

 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV

I was invited to an online discussion recently, on the topic; Is love enough in a relationship?  It got me reflecting on the whole idea of love.

The Oxford dictionary defines it as an intense feeling of deep affection. Love is a powerful emotion.

It might seem that love originates from feeling. We feel love for someone or something, derived from our senses – what we see, touch, taste, smell and hear. 

Unfortunately feeling from our senses  is usually not permanent. You might like something today, next month you dislike it. It is why people fall in and out of love like a yo-yo.

Love could also be developed through experience and interaction with the character of a person. Experience that leads to love is deeper, stable and consistent. It stays with you for a long time.

In a relationship, you can’t depend just on feeling based on the senses but also on character based on experience. Our human flesh is very powerful. Hence why the bible teaches us to put to death the desires of the flesh.

Of course, I am not saying that feeling love is bad, but feeling is not enough. The word of Elohim God teaches us in 1 Cor 13 about real love. This is beyond feeling my friends, in fact Paul talks about having love not feeling love.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance... But love will last forever! (extracts from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NLT).

Everything listed here is evidenced by character not feeling. These are things you must do or put into practice whether you feel it or not.

Love is a decision. When you don’t feel patience, you must be patient. When we remain at the level of love feeling, you want the other person to do things for you, make you feel good but this deep love says you must do for the other!

Marriages that last will tick off most if not all these things. Eros love is not enough! Deep love comes with time.

Desire 1 Corinthians 13 type of love, pray on it, pray for it, use it as your character test for your potential partner. It is that foundation that will remain when feelings are shaken by the test of life.

Love starts as a seed, when nurtured it grows into a mighty Oak of a kingdom marriage that lasts till death do you part.

#Prayerfortheweek

Almighty Father, thank You for my gifts - of life, of health and of salvation through Yeshua. Help me Father to grow in agape love. In Yeshua’s name I pray. Amen

I pray that this inspires you to reflect on your relationship with Elohim and be determined to be more and do more for Him each day.

#AdeolaAkintoye©

#ajourneytospiritualmaturity2020

#Wordfortheweek Week 37 #Relationships

The Lord is my Shepherd….”  Psalm 23:1 NKJV

Photo courtesy: https://www.talkspace.com

In leadership I have come to realise that a person’s character can be known by what they say.

I used to work with someone that ninety-nine percent of the time says negative things about other people, of course behind their back. This act made me see his character as untrustworthy. I did wonder what he has said about me behind my back.

The journey to spiritual maturity is one of closer relationship with Elohim. A relationship that would enable you to tell of Elohim from direct experiential knowledge, as well as in faith through the testimonies of others and the study of the holy scriptures.

The holy scriptures are full of the promises of Elohim God for His children. He said many of these promises directly and many was said through His children. Elohim’s words reveal His character.

The psalms of King David always bring me to the knowledge of Elohim. His descriptions of who, what and how Elohim is revealed the depth of David’s relationship with his God. Psalm 23 is a great example of the depth of this relationship.

The writings of David also give us an insight into his character - a man who had reverence for Elohim.

There was a point in my life when I could say Elohim was my provider, but I would not have been able to articulate how He was my provider. I did not know that Elohim orders my steps, leads me in the way I go and made possible my earthly work that puts food on my table, roof over my head and clothes on my back.

Now, I know that Elohim is the source of it all. I see His hands in the physical manifestation of His promises in my life. Coming to this realisation was a journey through developing my relationship with Him. And I desire that my character reflects my relationship with Elohim God.

How about you? Are you reciting Elohim’s promises from head or experiential knowledge? Seek to deepen your relationship with Him. Change your prayers from asking Him to give you things, to asking Him to change you inside out for His glory.

#Prayerfortheweek

Almighty Father, thank You for my gifts - of life, of health and of salvation through Yeshua. Help me Father to seek to deepen my relationship with you. In Yeshua’s name I pray. Amen

I pray that this inspires you to reflect on your relationship with Elohim and be determined to be more and do more for Him each day.

#AdeolaAkintoye©

#ajourneytospiritualmaturity2020

#Wordfortheweek Week 36 #Stereotype

And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46 NKJV

Recently where I work, I met a new member of the senior leadership team. When he asked me where I come from - as in origin, I told him, Nigeria. I could not believe my ears when I heard his response; “Oh, you are one of those people that sends me payment emails”.  I thought I did not hear him correctly, so I asked him to repeat what he said. With a smile on his face he repeated it.

                                                                               Photo credit https://www.communication-director.com

 

This is a typical example of stereotyping people because of their nationality. This attitude is pervasive in our society. We judge people without knowing them but because of their colour, sex or other type of groupings society have put in place.

 

Jesus also experienced being stereotyped because of where he grew up, Nazareth. A place where people were probably not educated, not materially rich, not of the priestly tribe nor the royal clan.

 

One would suppose that this issue was only limited to the secular world. Unfortunately, in my spiritual journey I have noticed it has crept into the Christendom.  Many of us have a stereotyped mindset about certain denominations as an example.

 

We become judgemental about other denominations, even though they preach Jesus crucified the hope of glory. We tagged people with labels because they belong to a denomination. Yet each one of us will be judged by our own actions not the denomination we belong to. Jesus warned us against sectarianism (Luke 9:49-50).

 

In our journey to spiritual maturity, let us focus on preaching the word. And living out the word. Jesus did not have a stereotyped mindset. His legacy for us is to love…everyone, irrespective of the grouping they belong to.

 

#Prayerfortheweek

Almighty Father, thank You for the gift of life, health and my salvation. Give me a heart of love to all people irrespective of their colour, sexuality, nationality or religious denomination. Take out the root of stereotype from my heart and replace it with the seed of love, that my character might bring praise to Your Holy name. In the name of Yeshua I pray. Amen.

I pray that this inspires you to reflect on your relationship with Elohim and be determined to be more and do more for Him each day.

#AdeolaAkintoye©

#ajourneytospiritualmaturity2020