LHM Daily Devotion - September 17, 2017 "Helping to Heal"

Imagine how difficult it can be for a depressed person to interact with...

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

"Helping to Heal"

September 17, 2017

Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.

~ Jeremiah 33:6 (ESV)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our international ministry centers to write our Sunday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.

In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

Imagine how difficult it can be for a depressed person to interact with others.

Now imagine how much worse things would be if that depressed person was suffering several illnesses which kept them isolated, alone, and feeling like an outsider. That is what Ana and María feel every day. Ana and María are a mother and daughter who are living a solitary lifestyle, with almost no friends or family.

They said, "Our isolation started when we became sick with one illness after another. Soon our only companions were doctors and nurses. It all happened so very gradually."

After some years immersed in this hermit lifestyle, Ana and María were afraid to leave their home, and with the exception of seeing physicians at the hospital, they were terrified of talking and interacting with other people.

María explained when she told us, "I was afraid people would mock me and that single thought made me anxious." Even so, when María saw the Lutheran Hour Ministries' posters promoting our brochures for depression and anxiety, she plucked up the courage to speak with us, and requested our brochures.

In our initial visits, she hardly spoke. After trust was established, she told us her story.

In order to distract them from the past and to encourage healthy social relations, our staff tried to help them and integrate them into talks, meetings with women, Christmas events, and activities. It was our hope that we would, in this way, break the hermetic circle of the solitude which had surrounded them.

Through the reading of the Word, Ana and María have been saved by the Savior who not only has forgiven their past sins, He also has blessed them with strength and encouragement.

Today, both mother and daughter are faithful volunteers at our headquarters. As they work at increasingly difficult tasks, we rejoice that the Holy Spirit has changed their eternities and their present lives. We are glad because Ana and María feel more up, thankful, and happier because they now see their lives as wonderful gifts from God.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we ask that through Your immense power, health will be given to the sick and comfort offered to the afflicted. May You, with Your immense love, remove all sin, suffering, and pain from their bodies and punishment from their souls. May they then, liberated by Your love, offer unending thanks to their Redeemer. This we pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Carolina Delgado who is an English teacher and a webmaster and became involved as a volunteer with Lutheran Hour Ministries-Chile ten years ago. Today she primarily works as the social media manager at LHM-Chile.

Known in Chile as Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones-Chile, LHM has a ministry office in Santiago, from which it conducts evangelistic and outreach activities throughout the country. One strategy has been to sponsor workshops, or talleres -- which are led by volunteers -- music workshops, conferences, lectures, English classes, and even a class to learn German! This ministry center also uses brochures about social topics.

In this South American country of nearly 18 million people, LHM-Chile serves as the primary evangelism partner of the new Evangelical Lutheran Church of Chile (IELCHI). Conducting Equipping the Saints (ETS) workshops and distributing outreach literature and topical booklets in places like public health clinics, this ministry center works in conjunction with affiliated IELCHI congregations and mission starts. Additional LHM-Chile activities include youth music programs, elder care programs, holistic women's workshops, and drug abuse prevention programs.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

The Daily Readings for SATURDAY, September 16, 2017

An Urgent Warning to Heaven's Citizens

Opening Sentence

Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, "I dwell in the high and holy place and also with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite."

~ Isaiah 57:15

Confession of Sin

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen

Morning Prayer

Almighty God, as I cross the threshold of this day I commit myself, soul, body, affairs, friends, to Your care. Watch over, keep, guide, direct, sanctify, bless me. Incline my heart to Your ways. Mold me completely into the image of Jesus, as a potter forms clay.

May my lips be a well-tuned harp to sound Your praise. Let those around see me living by Your Spirit, trampling the world underfoot, unconformed to lying vanities, transformed by a renewed mind, clothed in the entire armour of God, shining as a never-dimmed light, showing holiness in all my doings. Let no evil this day soil my thoughts, words, and hands.

May I travel swampy paths with a life pure from spot or stain. In every transaction let my affection be in heaven, and my love soar upwards in flames of fire, my gaze fixed on unseen things, my eyes open to the emptiness, fragility, mockery of earth and its vanities. May I view all things in the mirror of eternity, waiting for the coming of my Lord, listening for the last trumpet call, hastening unto the new heaven and earth.

Order this day all my communications according to Your wisdom, and to the gain of mutual good. Forbid that I should not be profited or made profitable. May I speak each word as if my last word, and walk each step as my final one. If my life should end today, let this be my best day. This I pray in the name of Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen.

~ From a Massachusetts manuscript @ 1705, author unknown

The Lessons

A reading from 1 Kings 18:41-19:8

[The Drought Ends] Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of rushing rain." So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees. He said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." He went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then he said, "Go again seven times." At the seventh time he said, "Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person's hand is rising out of the sea." Then he said, "Go say to Ahab, 'Harness your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" In a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind; there was a heavy rain. Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel. But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; he girded up his loins and ran in front of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
[Elijah Flees from Jezebel] Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

A reading from Philippians 3:17-4:7

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
[Exhortations] I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A reading from Matthew 3:13-17

[The Baptism of Jesus] Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Morning Psalms

Psalm 55 Exaudi, Deus
 [Complaint about a Friend’s Treachery] [To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.]
1  Give ear to my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2  Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my complaint. I am distraught
3  by the noise of the enemy, because of the clamor of the wicked. For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they cherish enmity against me.
4  My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5  Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.
6  And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;
7  truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness;Selah
8  I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the raging wind and tempest.”
9  Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech; for I see violence and strife in the city.
10  Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11  ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
12  It is not enemies who taunt me— I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me— I could hide from them.
13  But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend,
14  with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.
15  Let death come upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol; for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16  But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me.
17  Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice.
18  He will redeem me unharmed from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.
19  God, who is enthroned from of old,Selah will hear, and will humble them— because they do not change, and do not fear God.
20  My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me
21  with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords.
22  Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
23  But you, O God, will cast them down into the lowest pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 138 Confitebor tibi
[Thanksgiving and Praise] [Of David.]
1  I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
2  I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.
3  On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.
4  All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5  They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.
6  For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.
8  The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Psalm 139 Domine, probasti
[The Inescapable God] [To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.]
1  O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
3  You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
4  Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.
5  You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7  Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9  If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10  even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”
12  even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13  For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
15  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16  Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.
17  How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18  I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.
19  O that you would kill the wicked, O God, and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
20  those who speak of you maliciously, and lift themselves up against you for evil!
21  Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22  I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.
24  See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen

Prayer of the Day

Oh Lord God, you are what thought cannot better; you are who thought cannot reach; you are who no thinking can even conceive. Without you, man can have no being, no reason, no knowledge, no good desire, nothing. You, Oh Lord, are what you are, transcending all. Amen

A Collect for Saturdays

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

A Prayer for Mission

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our “Saturday Oldie” is a classic, indeed:
Mahalia Jackson in her famous rendition of
Trouble of the World

Troubles Of The World
Mahalia Jackson

Alleluia! Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed. Alleluia!

Closing Prayer

Oh Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you”; I pray that I and your whole church, the body of all faithful people, will know your peace, and live in harmony and unity, one with another, in accordance with your wishes. This I pray to you, who lives and reigns forever. Amen

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

~ 2 Corinthians 13:13

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Morning Prayer for SATURDAY, September 16, 2017

Almighty God, as I cross the threshold of this day I commit myself, soul, body, affairs, friends, to Your care. Watch over, keep, guide, direct, sanctify, bless me. Incline my heart to Your ways. Mold me completely into the image of Jesus, as a potter forms clay.

May my lips be a well-tuned harp to sound Your praise. Let those around see me living by Your Spirit, trampling the world underfoot, unconformed to lying vanities, transformed by a renewed mind, clothed in the entire armour of God, shining as a never-dimmed light, showing holiness in all my doings. Let no evil this day soil my thoughts, words, and hands.

May I travel swampy paths with a life pure from spot or stain. In every transaction let my affection be in heaven, and my love soar upwards in flames of fire, my gaze fixed on unseen things, my eyes open to the emptiness, fragility, mockery of earth and its vanities. May I view all things in the mirror of eternity, waiting for the coming of my Lord, listening for the last trumpet call, hastening unto the new heaven and earth.

Order this day all my communications according to Your wisdom, and to the gain of mutual good. Forbid that I should not be profited or made profitable. May I speak each word as if my last word, and walk each step as my final one. If my life should end today, let this be my best day. This I pray in the name of Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen.

~ From a Massachusetts manuscript @ 1705, author unknown

Verse of the Day for SATURDAY, September 16, 2017

James 3:13 (NIV) [Two Kinds of Wisdom] Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

Read all of James 3

Listen to James 3

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - Are You Building or Rebuilding Your Temple?

“Let us go the house of the LORD”

~ Psalm 122:1b (NKJV)

September is an excellent time for a Christian to think about building or rebuilding your “body-temple”. 1 Corinthians 6:19 states: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”. Your “body-temple” needs tending just as a garden does to keep it flourishing. So, let's begin building or rebuilding, whichever the case may be.

The first item is the need for building plans. In Jeremiah, it states that the Lord said He knows the plans He has for us, and they are good plans to give us hope and a future. I will go for His plans, how about you? For those of you who are “building” or “rebuilding” why not make this a time to be sure you are walking in God's plan for your life?

Next, we will need the proper supplies to have on hand. Surely, if the Lord gave to us His plans we can certainly trust Him to supply every need “according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus”. God is your supplier.

When Jesus talked about building a house with a solid foundation in Luke 6:47-48a, He said: “When someone comes to Me, listens to My teaching, and then follows it, that is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock”. It is important in life to continue to “build” or “rebuild” your “body-temple” with God's Word so your foundation will “remain strong”.

The most important part of the total building is the cornerstone, and it will be very distinct. Do not allow the builders to reject the one you have chosen! Peter tells us “...the same Stone (Jesus Christ) that was rejected by the builders has become the Cornerstone of your “body-temple”.

The walls of the building are made of a solid structure built as a shield of protection from the outside elements. Paul tells us to daily “put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”, and that is your shield (wall) of protection for your “body-temple”.

The roof is put in place to shelter the building. It played a role during the ministry of Jesus as people were lifted down through holes in the roof to reach Him to be healed. God is your shelter and protection: “He will shield you with His wings”.

As Christians whether you are “building” or “rebuilding” your life, your “body-temple” houses' the Holy Spirit. You keep your foundation strong through your Cornerstone and you trust Him to be your supplier for your needs. For you to stay in God's plan; read and study the Bible. Your duty daily is to put on the whole armor of God for protection. Christians can stay comforted by knowing He shields everyone with His wings.

Lord God, thank You for Your constant presence and protection. Amen.

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny


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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Devotion shared by Ann Brock.
September is an excellent time for a Christian to think about building or rebuilding your “body-temple”.

Un Dia a la Vez - Ángeles a nuestro alrededor

Ningún mal habrá de sobrevenirte, ninguna calamidad llegará a tu hogar. Porque él ordenará que sus ángeles te cuiden en todos tus caminos.

~ Salmo 91:10-11, NVI

Hablar de los ángeles son palabras mayores y la verdad es que no voy a entrar en ese tema de explicarte cómo son. Lo único que puedo decirte es que la Biblia registra más de cien versículos donde los ángeles tuvieron su aparición en diferentes momentos de la historia bíblica.

En el mundo actual, hay personas que dicen que han tenido experiencias con ángeles, que los han visto. Aunque yo no he visto ninguno, sí creo que Dios nos envía ángeles que nos protegen de todo mal y peligro.

En realidad, es importante que te acostumbres a orar y a pedirle a Dios que les ordene a sus ángeles que estén alrededor de nuestras casas, autos e hijos. En mi caso, confío en que a pesar de que no los veo, están siempre conmigo. Además, sé que en muchas ocasiones me han librado del peligro.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - LOVE’S SACRIFICE

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

~ John 15:13 (NIV)

Jesus says the ultimate test of true love is the willingness to die for others—especially your friends. Of course, He personally demonstrated this Himself in giving His life on the cross for you and me. And today He continues to call those who follow Him to make this sacrifice as well. This classic war zone missionary story illustrates the point:

The mortar rounds landed in an orphanage run by missionaries. The missionaries and one or two children were killed outright and several more children were wounded including one girl about eight years old.

The medical staff who arrived to help soon realized that the young girl was the most critically injured. Without quick action she would die from shock and loss of blood.

When explained to the other children that a blood transfusion was imperative, the request for a blood donor met with wide-eyed silence.

Then one small hand went up and a young boy volunteered. He was quickly laid on a pallet, his arm swabbed with alcohol, and the needle inserted into his vein.

Through the ordeal, he lay stiff and silent but continued to sob later turning into steady, silent crying. The medical team kept asking if it was hurting but he would shake his head and continue to cry.

After a while the boy stopped crying, opened his eyes and looked questioningly at the nurse who took the needle out of his arm. When she nodded, a look of great relief spread over his face.

The boy had all along thought he was dying. He misunderstood, thinking that he was to give ALL his blood so the other little girl could live. And she was his friend.

RESPONSE: Jesus calls me today to show sacrificial love—especially for those I consider friends.

PRAYER: Pray that this depth of love will become a reality in the church of Jesus Christ and in your life.

NIV Devotions for Couples - How True Love Behaves

1 John 3:11–24

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

~ 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Television personality Art Linkletter once asked a little girl if she knew what true love was. She thought for a moment and then said, “Love is when your mommy reads you a bedtime story. True love is when she doesn’t skip any pages.”

The apostle John would have agreed. It’s easy to pledge love in the heat of passion or during the quiet intimacy of a Valentine’s Day dinner. But true love has to deal with short fuses, tired bodies, overextended commitments and inconvenient interruptions every day. And yet it keeps on giving.

The church at the end of the first century was wrestling with a philosophic aberration of Christian doctrine called Gnosticism. Gnosticism played up the spiritual nature of humanity and downplayed its physical nature. Some select people believed they had a spark of divinity trapped in their flesh. Only the religious elite had the secret information (gnosis means “knowledge”) that would help them transcend their evil flesh. To them, Jesus was a heavenly visitor who came to this world like a ghostly apparition; he never actually became flesh and blood, for all flesh is evil and a divine spirit would never become human. Salvation consisted of secret chants and rituals that prepared one for release into the transcendent world. Gnostics ignored the physical needs of others and disdained those who did not share their secret inspiration.

John wrote about the true Spirit of God, who helps us know that Jesus actually came in the flesh. The “true love” of God put Jesus into our world, not just to float around like a ghostly figure with meaningless chants and rituals, but to struggle with the world’s problems and difficulties as a person of flesh and blood. Such true love helped those who were cold and hungry and in need of shelter. True love dug in and got dirty.

So it is in marriage. One couple I used to know never figured that out. The wife was addicted to romantic novels and TV soap operas. For her a constant flow of romantically charged passion was the only sure sign of love. When her husband came home from a hard day at his job too tired to court her, or when hours of cleaning or cooking took the fairy-tale bliss out of her week, she couldn’t take it. Eventually she filed for divorce. She’s probably still looking for that make-believe kind of happiness.

The apostle John urged the church to believe in a God who physically came into our world to be with us in our struggles. Furthermore, he calls us to imitate God’s love by investing our energy in the day-to-day messiness of the real lives of others. We need to see others—especially our spouses—with our Father’s eyes, touch them with our Savior’s hands and be inspired by the Spirit’s passion as we act out true love.

Wayne Brouwer

Let’s Talk

• What is the romantic temperature of our relationship? Hot? Lukewarm? Frosty? How does each of us feel about that? Why?
• How do we express our love for one another in words? How do we express it in deeds and actions?
• What do we need to keep in mind in those times when we don’t feel like loving? How can actions move our relationship forward when words become meaningless?