Happy Sunday!
Hope you enjoyed your week.
Bishop Thomas touched on the next section in 1 Corinthians 13. Verses 5-7 say this about LOVE, "It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up". (GOD’S WORD Translation) Perhaps that explains why this passage is so widely used in wedding ceremonies. What a wonderful love it describes!
There was a big wedding this past week, maybe you heard about it? The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Many of the reporters called it a "fairy tale wedding", "the wedding of the century", and "the wedding every girl dreams of". I can't speak for every girl but, I think most people attending weddings are hoping that the couple experiences "perfect love". They are hoping that the couple will be polite, unselfish, understanding, patient, and faithful. They are hoping that it works! They are believing that "true love" really does exist and that this couple will finally prove it!
I got two points while watching the wedding and I'd like to share them with you. Point number one: Don't Quit! When I awoke Friday morning at 4:26 am(Arizona Time) the couple was already married and exiting the church. I asked my daughter, "who made the dress?" I was told that it was crafted by the late designer Alexander McQueen's fashion house. What an honor! Sadly he did not live to see it! He committed suicide last year! You never know what will happen tomorrow, SO DON'T GIVE UP TODAY! One of my favorite poems is "Don't Quit". The two last stanzas say,
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
The second point I got from the wedding was, WE WERE MADE FOR WORSHIP! We were made to worship! When we don't worship The True and Living God, we tend to worship humans and things. When was the last time you got up early to celebrate Jesus? When was the last time you braved a crowd to see Jesus? When was the last time you bragged about the wonderful things he's done for you? When was the last time you made GOD smile?
TRUE LOVE is not a fairy tale! TRUE LOVE does not cost more than 30 million dollars! TRUE LOVE has been extended to us all. Throughout the scriptures, the writers used parables and letters to try to explain how much we are loved. One commentator wrote that the Love that God has for us, "can only be hinted at and poorly described using any earthly terms". God's love is Infinite!
Even though your invitation to the Royal Wedding was lost in the mail, I have good news for you. You have been invited to the greatest wedding of all time! Revelation 19:7-9, "I heard what sounded like the noise from a large crowd, like the noise of raging waters, like the noise of loud thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, has become king. Let us rejoice, be happy, and give him glory because it’s time for the marriage of the lamb. His bride has made herself ready. She has been given the privilege of wearing dazzling, pure linen.” This fine linen represents the things that God’s holy people do that have his approval.
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the lamb’s wedding banquet.’ ” He also told me, “These are the true words of God". (GOD’S WORD Translation)
In John 14, Jesus says, "When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am".
Hope to see you at the wedding...don't forget your hat! Love Cynthia
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