Love

Love

 

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

When people say, "Why don't we live together?  Why do we need to be married?  I love you.  Why do I need a piece of paper to show you that love?"  If you define love as a feeling, that's right.  Biblically, if somebody says, "I love you, but I don't want to marry you."  What they mean is, "I don't love you that much."  There's no way around that. 

 

A person who says, "I love you, and I want to marry you," loves you more than the person who says, "I love you, but I don't want to marry you."  Biblically, love is a commitment.  It's what you most want, and you know that.  When somebody says, "I don't need a piece of paper to show that I love you," yes you do! 

 

Love is simply a decision to serve somebody and be committed regardless of your feelings and how that person acts.  The person attracts you, there are a lot of things that you like about them, you have fun together, and that takes you to the door.  At a certain point, the door will not open until you simply make a decision that you are going to love this person.  Your feelings will always come and go.  A lot of people don't get married because they're sure that if this is the one, "My feelings will never ebb.   I will just know that it's the one because I'll never have any problems.  I'll never look at that person and feel, Ugh!  I'll always feel like giving myself to them."  

 

You will wait until Hell freezes over if you wait for that.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Watch Out!

Watch Out!

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller and the scripture is Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'

 

For years I've had people come to me as a pastor saying I've got a problem with sex, but I've never had anybody come to me saying, "Pastor, I've got a problem with greed."  Jesus says that's why you've got to watch for it.  It always hides from you.  There are greedy people around, but nobody thinks it is them. 

 

Juliet Shore says in her book The Overspent American that we're always hanging out with people who make more than we do.  Therefore, nobody feels materialistic or that they make too much.  Nobody feels they spend too much money on themselves.  Only 1/3 of American households who make more than $100,000/year agree with the statement 'I can afford to buy everything I really need.'  Two thirds of all American households making over $100,000/year feel they do not make enough to buy all the things that they really need.  

 

The most wealthy people in the most wealthy country in the history of the world believe they can't afford everything that they really need.  Watch out!

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining