Wounds of a lover are faithful

Here are some interesting thoughts to consider. There are two different angles from two different Bible translations to help us to understand love and faithfulness a bit more deeply, from God's Word.

Proverbs 27:6 GNV (1599 Geneva Version)

6The wounds of a lover are faithful, and the kisses of an enemy are pleasant.

Proverbs 27:6 KJV (King James Version)

6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The word "faithful" in the original Hebrew is 

Strongs #539
"aw-man"
"A primitive root; properly to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or {faithful} to trust or {believe} to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; once (in ; by interchange for 541) to go to the right hand: - hence {assurance} {believe} bring {up} {establish} + {fail} be faithful (of long {continuance} {stedfast} {sure} {surely} {trusty} {verified}) {nurse} (-ing {father}) ({put}) {trust} turn to the right."

Those who love us will say or do things that build us up and support us. But on occasion, those very same actions can sometimes hurt. 

Just remember that Godly love is not all about the roses and kisses. It is about permanence according to this word above. It is about being morally true and certain. It is about being established. It is about being firm. When someone loves you, you will know because they will not always agree with you. Sometimes they will take you to task from the Word of God. Immature people will say this kind of confrontation is "unloving" and "unkind". They run away from truth and accuse their lover of being unloving. But in reality, when truth is spoken in love, it is the purest form of love. When someone is in love with you, you will know because they will not hide the truth from you. They will present it to you as gently and kindly as they can, but it will be undiluted and uninhibited truth. Love and truth cannot be apart. They must both exist within the framework of any Godly relationship. This applies to romantic relationships, and also to friendships. It all starts and ends with Christ. 

~CJA

===Thurs. January 22/15 4:18pm EST===

Single and Complete

Colossians 2:9-10 KJV
9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Today, I want to declare that I am single, and I am complete in Christ. Am I perfect? Not at all! But I have all the "tools" and supplies I need to grow in Christ. In that way, I am complete. Christ alone helps me to be restored to the original state of being created in the image of God.
 Since all of God's fullness dwells in Christ, and Christ is now living in me, I have everything I need in Him. I am connected to Jesus the Head of the Body, and I am in fellowship as a member of His Body.

If you truly take the Bible as inspired by God, then you must contend with Paul's letter to the Colossians here. Paul the Apostle was a single man, declaring that in order to be complete, one needs Christ. Yet some people look to romance or other relationships in order to be complete. But no one completes you like Christ.

That means, you can be married, and INcomplete. You can be single, and INcomplete. What makes the difference? Or rather, WHO makes the difference? It's CHRIST THE LORD! Each and every human being on earth is INcomplete until they enter into a life-giving, soul-saving, Spirit-breathing relationship with Christ Jesus. Your marital status has nothing to do with it.

Now if you are single, and wish to get married someday, by all means, please do! But I am telling you now: your spouse will not complete you like Christ the Lord. As a single, you need to allow the Holy Spirit to enter more fully into your life and let Him SHOW you the daily reality of this verse Col. 2:10.

Fellow believers, if you are in Christ, you are complete. You are NOT half of a person, and you are NOT a second-rate person. You have all that you need to complete the race in Jesus. That Greek word translated as "complete" is "playroo":

4137  πληρόω [PLHRO/W] {plēróō} \play-ro'-o\
from 4134; to make replete, i.e. (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc.:--accomplish, X after, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.
See Greek 4134.

Wow! Did you catch that?
According to the inspired words of Paul,  Christ packs the blessings into us!
It is like a net, crammed with a supply of fish (as in the story of Jesus telling Peter where to let his fishing net down). In Christ, you are satisfied. You are perfected in Him. You are "fulfilled". You are accomplished. You are furnished. You are supplied.

Get the picture? Christ completes you. Not any other person, spouse or friend can do what Christ does for you.
Why? Because ALL the FULLNESS of the Godhead dwells in Christ in bodily form. Christ is God. And God is all in all.

I am single and complete, in Christ! I challenge you to say the same! Especially those of you who are single, I challenge you to really meditate on this word. Do you believe that this single man, Paul the Apostle was inspired by God? Will you take this chapter, and process it, munch on it mentally, and let it nourish you spiritually?

Say it with me, "I am complete in Christ". Now of course, there is a process involved. No tree pops up overnight from a seed. But the tree is contained in that seed. Just give that seed the right conditions and time, and there will indeed be a tree. I witnessed a tiny sapling of a pine grow up over the course of 20 years. I took pictures of it as a baby tree. Now... that same tree is one of the biggest on the block, producing pine cones.
 So Christ is in you, if you accepted Him. All you need is in the Seed, Christ Jesus.

Stay in Christ, and stay in fellowship with His Body, at one of His local churches.
Pursue those human relationships you desire, according to God's standards. Get married if you so desire. But do not look further than Christ to be complete. That is your present reality, as a believer in Christ and in His Word!

God bless!
-Pastor Curtis

~~~ Sat. January 10, 2015, 5:42am EST ~~~

God loves you, even when you feel unloved

Genesis 29:31-33 [1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)]

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was despised, he made her fruitful: but Rachel was barren.
32 And Leah conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Because the Lord hath looked upon my tribulation, now therefore mine husband will love me.

Lack of fertility is not a punishment to Rachel here. Rather, fertility to Leah was the Lord's way of consoling a woman who was not loved by her husband. God cares about all the little details and big details of your life. He cares and hears if you are feeling unloved. Regardless of whether you are married or unmarried, male or female: God loves you NOW, TODAY. He sent Jesus as proof!

Jacob was married to Leah and the also to Rachel. But he was wrong to ignore Leah and give all his love to Rachel. Leah was feeling neglected both emotionally and sexually. She was hoping the birth of a son was going to win her the love of her husband. That Hebrew word for love actually means "human love, including family and sexual" according to Blue Letter Bible . Yet she initially missed the point: GOD LOVES HER!! She eventually caught on when she later gave birth to Judah and praised the Lord.

And yet.... she felt unloved by her husband, he did not give her his love either emotionally or sexually. That matters to God. God desires to fulfill our God-given desires. But it starts when we recognize HIM first, as Leah eventually did, and LOVE HIM BACK!

Today, in New Testament times, we have returned to God's actual plan for marriage: monogamy. One husband has one wife only, not multiple ones.  And God hears the cry of the ones who feel unloved. This can also apply to faithful men, who have been left or abandoned by their wife. God wants to show both men and women, all people of all nations, His perfect LOVE.

God gave Leah a child, Reuben ("a son"), to show His love for her, even when her natural husband did not love her.

Later on, God gave His OWN Son, Jesus Christ, to show His love for ALL of us. John 3:16
God bless! 

You are beautiful

You are Beautiful in God's Eyes

Genesis 29:17 GW

17Leah had attractive eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and beautiful features.

Genesis 29:17 GENEVA

17And Leah was tender eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and fair. 

So I was looking through the Scriptures today and I discovered this little verse.

It is found in Genesis 29, when Jacob was making a deal with Laban to work for seven years in exchange for Rachel. Rachel was the woman he wanted to marry, yet he ended up with Leah first. 

Now I had to ask myself, why is this verse in Holy Scripture? Why are the daughters' appearances described? Because they do matter in this historical account, for one thing. 

But then the Lord reminded me of another reason: all women were created beautiful by God. Rachel was never described as "more beautiful than Leah". People read it and assume so. After all, Jacob favoured Rachel. But in reality, it was just his preference. God saw Leah and Rachel as both beautiful in their own ways. In fact, despite the beautiful shape of Rachel's body, Leah had prettier eyes. Eyes are like the window to the soul. That Hebrew word for eyes can also refer to the face in general. There is nothing quite like a beautiful face and pair of eyes. And what makes a face beautiful? The fact that God made you and chose you. What makes your body attractive? The fact that you are a creation of God. Variety is God's idea, and it was never meant to be used as a weapon to make one person feel inferior to another.

There was no indication that Leah was "ugly" in Scripture, only that Jacob loved Rachel more. 

So what I am getting at, is that you ladies all have something beautiful about you, every single one of you. Physically, emotionally, intellectually, and most importantly, spiritually. If you are in Christ, then you are being perfected in the Holy Spirit. 

Don't let men, other women, or society tell you what beauty is. Let God show you. Find acceptance in how HE has made you beautiful both inside and outside... and thank Him. Don't complain. Don't compare yourself to another. But compare yourself to Christ. Paul tells us that women are beautiful when they adorn a quiet and humble spirit. Indeed, all people would benefit from a humble spirit. 

I must admit, I did not expect to write this today, but I really felt the words come to me suddenly from the Lord as I read the passage. So I wrote them down, here for you! I hope this resonates with you. It is not a big revelation, just a simple truth. It does not matter if you have been single all your 
life or if you have been divorced or a widow. Your marital status and age have no bearing on your beauty. Beauty comes in many varieties. But nothing compares to the soul made beautiful by salvation in Christ.
You are beautiful inside and out. Christ made you, spirit, soul and body, a triune being. You are in His image.

God bless

Sat Jan 3, 2015 7:02am EST

What it's like to be sanctified

Have you ever experienced the process of sanctification? Perhaps you will relate to what I am about to describe from personal experience.

Perhaps you have regular fellowship with believers in your church. Perhaps you live alone, but you visit family once in a while. You are a single man, and in love with Christ the Lord. Every woman you meet is a dead end. Every email you send on dating sites is dismissed or missed. Those who did reply to you no longer reply. Those who are not believers try to woo you, and you distance yourself, knowing a marriage is doomed to fail when it is on unequal footing. God's calling is clear on your life, and on your location. He has maintained you and actually increased your abilities and resources over the years. He has made you productive and useful, despite your personal failures and utterly ignored desires.

You have been abandoned in marriage. You ended up divorced, but God protected and ministered to you through family and church. Now you are shaped into a message that God wants to share with other singles, and other divorced Christians. People who are hurting need to read your life. They need to see how you lean on Jesus. They need to see you, a broken yet healed minister of the Gospel, reaching out to help them from a place of true fellowship - the fellowship of suffering. They need hope that Christ is MORE than sufficient for a single Christian. They may be in regular fellowship, yet they often feel isolated, just like you. These people need healing and they need direction. They need to use their God-given gifts and their time to serve Jesus and His people. They look to you to help them see God's plan for singles in Scripture. He sets the solitary in families. Church families.

Perhaps you didn't understand the isolated feeling at first. You thought God didn't care about your desires for remarriage. You told yourself that your desires no longer matter because it was less painful than hoping for a miracle that never came.

Perhaps then, just in the last day or two, God has given you a word: "Sanctify". He has given you this word now, after 5 years of struggle and defeat and growth and victory.

So, after you received this word from the Lord, you sit down. You look it up in Scripture. You come across the prayer of Jesus for His disciples, both current ones and future ones:

John 17:16-21 GNV

¹⁶ They are not of the world, as I am not of the world.

¹⁷ Sanctify them with thy truth: thy word is truth.

¹⁸ As thou didst send me into the world, so have I sent them into the world.

¹⁹ And for their sakes sanctify I myself, that they also may be sanctified through the truth.

²⁰ I pray not for these alone, but for them also which shall believe in me, through their word,

²¹ That they all may be one, as thou, O Father, art in me, and I in thee: even that they may be also one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.   

Then you thank the Lord for helping you to understand what He has been doing for the past 5 years: He has been answering Jesus' 2000-year-old prayer request for you... requesting that God would sanctify you, set you apart from the world, make you holy to be used in service to God. He has been making you into a living letter, written with God's Spirit. Jesus has been praying for you to be ONE with Him and the Father, that the world might believe that Jesus Christ really did come from God.

You log in to your dating site. That person you were corresponding with has vanished, and is no longer a member. It serves to further prove what God spoke to you. You are sanctified for Him.

---

If you ever sense that isolated feeling, where the world is so far away, yet God is so close.... then count on it... you are yielding to the process of sanctification. He is preparing you as a chosen vessel. It is an ongoing process, and none of us have been perfected in that process just yet. But He is faithful and just to finish the work He began.

The music video below is my own completely original song from 2014 based upon Psalm 51 and upon my testimony.

God bless,

Pastor Curtis

Thurs. Jan. 1st, 2015 7:37pm EST