Daily Treasure

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, but rejoiceth in the truth”  (1 Corinthians 13:4, 6b).

The Living Bible states “Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud. It rejoices when truth wins out.” Matthew Henry adds, “How good-natured and amiable is Christian charity.”  Are you beginning to see that love in action is how we imitate the love of God?  He loved and He gave.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Leap for joy on this leap year day. Spend active time in praise and adoration, thanking God for His many blessings and His work in hearts throughout the world.

“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity”  (1 Corinthians 13:5-6a).

Charity has been defined as “the practice of benevolent giving and caring.”  That pretty much defines love in action. However, we must brush away the negative connotations of charity.  One of my favorite Bible commentators, Matthew Henry,  shares these thoughts on 1 Corinthians 13. “In this beautiful description of the nature and effects of love, it is meant to show the Corinthians that their conduct had, in many respects, been a contrast to it. Charity is an utter enemy to selfishness; it does not desire or seek its own praise, or honour, or profit, or pleasure. Charity never seeks its own to the hurt of others, or to neglect others.”  The Living Bible adds this concerning verse 6a “It is never glad about injustice.”

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Stan and Brenda Bunch as they transition from missionary life in Panama to ministry life in Missouri. (Stan is now the Executive Director of Missouri Free Will Baptists.)

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18).

In line with this week’s study title, “Love Is A Verb,”  The Living Bible uses these words

concerning today’s verse: “Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.”

We can put our love in a letter, card, or poem, but, as the saying goes, “actions speaks louder than words.”  Our study writer states “Love is a verb. Love does something. Love is an action word.”  She also states “Real love takes us out of our comfort zone to share Christ’s love with those who need it most. Forget the sweet talk and get busy.”

Take time this week to read 1 Corinthians 13.  The remainder of this week’s devotions will contain thoughts about some verses from this portion of the Bible called the Love Chapter.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for The Hanna Project as its team members seek to love in deed, offering hope and hurting in hard to reach places of the world.

“Beware that you don’t despise a single one of these little ones.  For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father”  (Romans 18:10 NLT).

Were you aware you can be convicted by the Holy Spirit via a dictionary? This verse sent me scurrying to my online dictionary/thesaurus.  I wish I hadn’t. But I just wanted to know a little more about one simple word.  Fully aware of its definition, I wanted to assure myself—and see what other words might work in its place. That one simple word? Despise.

First, I’d already determined that every human could be considered “one of these little ones.” Size matters not. Age matters not.  The fact that He breathed life into every one of us makes us His.  We’re all His little ones. So, we could take this verse to mean, “Be careful that we don’t despise anyone.”

Despise.  Despise?  I don’t think there is a single person I despise.  I truly cannot think of a soul I hate.

That’s when I pulled up the dictionary.  And found what I found.  And felt what I felt.  And was convicted about the ways I deal with His little ones.

Despise also means to disfavor.  To pass over.  To disregard.  To scorn.  To overlook.  To neglect.  To slight.  To shirk.

Ouch!  I’m guilty.  I despise people.  I despise His little ones.

My morning greetings at church today will be altered to this morning’s verse.  Yes, who I speak to, who I make an effort to greet, who I walk clear across the church to welcome will be affected this morning by my time in the…dictionary.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for good services today at Home Missions churches in Rochester and Buffalo, New York.

I wish I hadn’t.

“The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over”  (Psalm 12:6 NLT).

Might I make an overview of our doubting selves?  It’s about our trust in the Lord and His promises.  Or, rather, our lack of trust in the Lord and His promises.  We might be more willing, more able to believe in the purity (the sureness, the completeness, the soundness) of God’s promises if we had some example of pure-ness in our lives.

The gold bands we wear around our fingers aren’t pure gold.

The tacos we eat at Taco John’s aren’t pure beef.

The water systems we drink from aren’t pure.

The National Parks (for which we pay good tax money and high entry fees) are no longer pure.
Social circles laugh at the thought of purity when there are so many people to hook up with in the world.

The blue skies are no longer pure, but polluted with smog, airplane exhaust tracks and enough satellite waves to send this devotional across the miles.

We have no basis against which to hold God’s pure promises.  We cannot fathom something purified. Something recycled, something rescued from the landfill or something re-used, possibly—but not pure.

God’s promises are pure—completely believable, trustworthy and backed.  God’s promises leave no room for doubt.  His record proves to us, and has for many generations, that what He says, He’ll do.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Sunday school teachers in your church. Ask God to give them instruction and fresh insights to share concerning God’s pure promises.

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).

The Living Bible has this to say about today’s verse: “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Again, love has been called “the badge of Christian discipleship.”  Love one another and proudly wear this badge. You have passed the love test.  Your love will serve as evidence that you have “been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13b).

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Nothing makes the gospel more attractive than a group of loving, caring Christ-followers. Who needs to see that kind of love as evidence today? Pray for unsaved individuals God brings to mind.

“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen” (1 John 4:20).

If we have a heart full of love, yet hate a brother, we are living a lie. The Living Bible states “If anyone says, ‘I love God’, but keeps on hating his brother, he is a liar; for if he doesn’t love his brother who is right there in front of him, how can he love God whom he has never seen.”

What is your grade on this test of love? Are you passing or failing?

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that FWBIM missionary candidates currently in the approval process would continue working toward this goal, despite the mission’s current financial crisis.