Marshall Mabry - Undignified Worshiper of Jesus Christ

Some worship thoughts for followers of Jesus Christ!

Tag: love

Your Word is Life: God Is Love (part 3)

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On February 24, 2012

In Praise and Worship

God is love.

What is your definition of love? Is it based on your feelings, your emotions, your mind, your intelligence, your flesh, and/or your strength? If God is love, are not mercy, grace, and justice part of what we know to be His amazing character? In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul defines in maturity order the attributes and characteristics of love.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I believe the main reason we don’t understand God, is that we do not fully understand love. God’s image of love is first pictured to us as children through our parents. For example, the discipline (justice) love of our father and the merciful love of our mother. As we mature, we get another glimpse of God’s image of love through our relationships. Later, God continues to grow us in His image when we become parents and see another side of His accessible, unfailing, ubiquitous, everlasting love. Sadly, I believe that is where most of us stop pursuing love.

Love is a life-long, daily, second-by-second, heartbeat-by-heartbeat pursuit. It should be our passion in life. Jesus said in John 17 “3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” To know true love is an eternal pursuit of seeking God and His Son through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit that lives in everyone who has received Jesus Christ.

We can not limit our love to just relatives and friends. We must mature our love to reach out and accept what we do not understand. We can not limit our love to conform to the world’s definition. We must learn to give grace and love to our enemies so that they might see the image of God in us.

Grace, Love, Mercy, and Justice

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On November 22, 2011

In Praise and Worship

Our God never changes. He is the truth! While we are in Him, His truth always guides, directs, and corrects us.

He is our God of justice. He is our God of Mercy. He is our God of Grace. I have heard these 3 true characteristics of our God define this way:
Justice is defined as “getting what you deserve.” (i.e. “You shall reap what you sow in this life.” Death, Sodom and Gomorrah)
Mercy is defined as “we don’t get what we deserve.” “We deserve death, but Christ gave His life for our forgiveness that we may live in God’s sight.”
Grace is defined as “getting what we don’t deserve.” “Our reward for believing in Christ is Eternal life with Jesus, no more fear, death, pain, sorrow, and suffering – Hallelujah! Praise God!”

Since we should be constantly changing (evolving) into the likeness of Christ, these become part of our defining characteristics.

Are you an instrument of His grace? Do you show the fruit of the Holy Spirit when adverse conditions are applied to your life? Is Grace an attribute that describes you? Are you giving people what they don’t deserve? Mercy and Justice are easily given, but Grace is hard.

Some people are hard to love. Some situations make us hard to love. But we are commanded to love anyway. I am positive that we were hard to love as Jesus look at us when He hung from the cross and said “Father, Forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Be blessed in His justice, His mercy, His grace, but most of all, His great love!

Choices = Legacy

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On November 7, 2011

In Praise and Worship

What do we teach them?

Everything we do has consequences. Every choice we make impacts someone. Every word we say can lift another person’s life up or cause them to question their existence. Who has God allowed you to have influence over? Certainly your spouse, your children, and your friends. Yesterday, I witnessed a father loudly and overtly cursing at his wife in front of a local grocery store as he was pushing a shopping cart carrying their two year old child. Jesus said “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’ …” (Matthew 15:18-20, NIV)

Today our schools are filled with kids using language laced with cursing and profanity. Sadly, I believe the media has so desensitized them that it is becoming indoctrinated into their culture. This offense is far from Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” And is more liken to the warning God spoke to Ezekiel in verse 22:26 “Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.”

Children are a gift from the Lord. We are charged with admonishing and teaching them in the way of our Lord. They are not our property! They are gifts. All things belong to God. And everything (all gifts, even our children) will return to the Father either invested or buried. Every action of love will endure forever, love will never fail. Everything else will burn like chaff, wood, and stubble. Let your actions, your words, and your desires speak of love. Your children, your spouse, your friends, even your enemies will be changed. You will leave a legacy that has the promise of God and it will last forever!

It Is Better to Obey

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On October 24, 2011

In Praise and Worship

Hebrews 4:14-16Many times I feel upset and frustrated because I do not get my way. I go off and pout for a while, then eventually, with the passage of time, the ill-feelings go away and I seem to get back in my normal mood. This way of handling my difficulties is all wrong. God’s truth teaches us to confront our frustrations, reason with Him, and come to an agreement that is open to the Light and brings closure to the concern. Anything that disobeys the truth and is not done in love — is “sin.” Sin takes you out of alignment with our Holy Father and places us at the mercy seat of Christ. Amazingly, if we quickly “repent” we can get back within the grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

When we feel we have been wronged our innate defensive mechanisms kick in and the “fight or flight” mentality begins to deal with our alleged offense. We either go off and pout (maybe even drag a few reluctant friends along with us) or we put up our fists and begin to bang away.

God’s Word says that our righteousness is like filthy rags. The more I think I’m right, the more I realize how much I’m not. It’s about “grace.” It’s all about our Heavenly Father’s amazing grace! I don’t have to be “right” anymore! Jesus did it all. He was God’s righteousness veiled in flesh. He was the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God. Jesus didn’t run away and pout when He was wronged and difficulties came, He faced them head on. Not with fists clenched, but with open hands filled with salvation, mercy, and love. He was obedient to His Father’s will all the way to His death on the cross, not for His sake, but for ours. I believe He told us the reason for His grace on the cross. “Father! Forgive them! For they do not know what they are doing.”

Forgive me, my Lord Jesus! I have failed You so many times. In my selfishness I have brought darkness in this world. Yet, Your grace remains. You have created me from the beginning to be salt and light. Help me to be obedient to Your commandments. My desire is to love Your commandments even more than I love this life. I will always sing of Your mercy and grace. Amen.

Genesis

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On September 13, 2011

In Praise and Worship

Love Never Fails

In the beginning there was love. Love defined life. Love gives and gives. Love painted a skyline, a seashore, a mountain top. Love created company, fellowship and order. Love was paradise. Love never fails.

The Beauty of My Mother

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On August 28, 2011

In Praise and Worship

Dedicated to Toshiko Soto Mabry (Jan 1, 1930 – August 27, 2011)

Letting go of someone who has meant so much to you all your life is extremely hard. Someone who never did anything out of selfishness. Someone who gave up everything important for family. Someone who made sure to set the example of goodness, kindness, and gentleness. My mother was this person to me. She loved ten completely different children with everything we define as “love.” She loved us uniquely and individually. She lived a life of love filled with the happiness of caring. When she laughed it was with genuine joy. It was contagious.

A Pastor once told me that “you can only give away as much love as you have been loved.” We are loved by a great God. Our Heavenly Father sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die on a cross to take away the sin of all mankind. There is no greater love than His. We must choose to receive it. When we do — we become vessels of His infinite source of love. Now, it is our choice to keep it or give it away. We are commanded by Christ to pour it out on an undeserving world, filled with hate, darkness, and despair. He did it — and His great love fills the world today. It is the basis to every righteous, truthful decision. It is the spark that sets in motion forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

My mother taught me how to love. I believe God used my mother’s love as Love’s beginning lesson which will eventually grow into (and with) His eternal love. Though every living person must pass from this world into eternity. My mother’s love stays with me, so she stays me. And when I am in the presence of my Lord Jesus, my mother will be with me – because she love me and she gave her love away.

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