Thoughts for Life: #36 Your Love for the church

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: It is part of Christ's eternal plan that He have a beloved body of people called out of the world, redeemed by His blood, and specially committed in love to Him.

Jesus said, "I will build my church (Matt. 16:18). He is "head over everything for the church' (Eph. 1:22). "He is the head of the body, the church" (Col. 1:18). He wants God's wisdom to be proved to the angel world by the church (Eph. 3:10). (Google Image, Gallup asked Americans why they attend church?).

"Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Eph. 5:25-27).

Christ loved the church and chose the church to be His eternal bride (Rev. 21:1-3). Christ wants the church to be spiritually well-fed, spiritually secure, spiritually radiant, and spiritually adorned as His beloved, beautiful, lovely bride.

YOU ARE CALLED TO LOVE THE CHURCH

Christ has chosen you to care for his church or a group within it on His behalf. He wants you to love the church with His love. As a Christian leader you are responsible to care for it for Him. He wants to fill you with His ardent love for it.

There is only one way you adequately can be a shepherd-leader of the church or a group of God's people, caring lovingly for them until Christ comes Himself to get her for His very own. You must love the church with Christ's own special love provided by the Holy Spirit.

It is not enough for you to love the believers as fellow-human beings, as your friends, or even to love them as fellow-believers. You must love them with Christ's own love given by the Spirit. Christ calls you to love for Him, to be His love-gift to the church.

He has sent the Holy Spirit to give you the love you need. You are appointed to be His channel of love. Paul is probably the greatest example of Christ loving the church through us. His letters reveal the intensity, commitment, and sacrificial fullness of his love.

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Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Creative reading style by Jean.

Ablaze for God
#36 Your Love for the Church
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 128-129) ZondervanPublishingHouse

(Google image)
Be Prayerful

Father, as part of Christ's eternal plan, we need to
understand that He has called people out of the world,
redeemed by His blood, to be specially committed to Him
in love.
Christ's desire is that the church be spiritually well-fed,
spiritually secure, spiritually radiant, and spiritually
adorned as His beloved, beautiful, lovely bride.
Christ has chosen us to care for His church with
His love, and as a leader/helper within the church
we are responsible to share that love.
May this be our desire too, and that we keep in mind,
that He wants us to love others with His love, in and through
whatever we've been asked to do in our churches.
We ask for this love to be given to us by the Holy Spirit,
for Christ's honor and for the good of those who look
to us for godly instructions/examples and advice.
Amen.

Today's Bible verses-

Phil. 4:7, (NASB) "Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God. And the peace
of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Ps. 94:19 (KJV) "In the multitude of my thoughts within
me thy comforts delight my soul."

Psalm 62:5) Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my

hope comes from him."

Ps. 73:26) “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God
is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Today's quote-

Sara "One man on his knees is more powerful than 10 men in the pulpit. Sister, friend — if you want to have influence, get on your knees! This is a daily challenge for me as talking to people comes more easily than talking to God. However, I am committed to working on this in my life and hope and pray you will as well.

The War Room (movie). How much better can practical application and resources be then a movie? Be inspired and encouraged in the power of prayer and get some really great ideas of how to start a simple prayer life by watching this movie."

Upcoming posts-

Last 20 of 60 Benefits of Praying in Tongues

17th- Saturday's post by Jean Oathout

#37 How to Love the Church

20th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel

#38 Have a Parental Love for the Church

22nd- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel

Society and the Family

24th- Saturday's post by Lee Forbes