Love 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love suffers long and is kind

Love does not envy

Love does not parade itself

Love is not puffed up

Love does not behave rudely

Love does not seek its own

Love is not provoked

Love thinks no evil

Love does not rejoice in iniquity

Love rejoices in the truth

Love bears all things

Love believes all things

Love hopes all things

Love endures all things

Love never fails.

Rather than looking for others to love us like that, let’s express the love of Jesus by showing this love to our family, our friends, and our world.

Pastor Jim

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In His Hands

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

Job 12:10

“In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?”
There are certain truths that, if we took hold of them, and allowed ourselves to be taken hold by them, would transform the way we live, and as a result, the world we live in. This is one of those truths. If we really believe that the breath of all living things is in the hand of God, our lives will show it.

Believing this should transform your view of God. A God who holds the breath of all living things is both powerful and personal. Perhaps rather than viewing Him as one who at any moment might take our life, we should consider Him as a surgeon, whose hand is actually keeping our hearts beating, so we can know Him and uncover His purposes for our lives. A life surrendered to this…

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More Or Less 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

Job 11:6
“…Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.”

Scattered throughout the book of Job are some of the most amazing truths about God and His treatment of man. Here, Zophar reveals something about the way God deals with sin in the life of the believer. We know, because of the great love God has for us, He will chasten us when we misbehave. The chastening is not only punitive, but is designed to bring us out of sin, before it destroys us. We see in the story of the Prodigal, God will allow everything we trust in to fall apart, in order to bring us to our senses, so we might return to Him. That being said, notice what Zophar declares,

“Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.”

In His infinite mercy, God does not give us, His children…

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Complaints

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Job 10:1
“My soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.”

Even a casual reading of the book of Job will reveal that this man is enduring intense suffering. His pain is both physical and emotional and has been intensified by he accusations and attacks he received from those he presumed to be his friends. It seems like Job has reached the boiling point and cannot endure it any longer. Under the pressure of his circumstances he determines to “Give free course to his compliant.” In other words, the guardrails are being removed and Job is giving himself license to freely complain about his circumstances.

While we can empathize  and even relate to Job we also understand that complaining about what is going on will not bring about any positive changes in him or his circumstances. We know that complaining will get his eyes off the Lord and will cause him to be even more fixated upon his trials. We know that complaining will act like a fog, affecting all those who are around him and will cause others to want to avoid being with him. We know that complaining even has the ability to infect others and turn a people of faith into a people of doubt and discouragement.

It is important that we do not let circumstances determine how we will live but determine to trust and honor God regardless of what is thrown our way. Even if you are surrounded with hardship, be sure not to give free course to your complaint but instead replace murmuring with rejoicing and fix your eyes upon the Lord.

Jim

 

Spiritual Gifts 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.”

Natural gifts, while given by God, are quite different from Spiritual gifts. If you have been given athletic, scholastic, or artistic gifts, you should use those for the glory of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom. However, spiritual gifts are an entirely different subject. Paul writes concerning the supernatural enabling God gives to the believer, for the furtherance of the Gospel, and the growth of the church. There is a great variety of these gifts, but they all serve the purpose of equipping the church to more effectively reach the world for the Christ. Before listing these gifts, Paul gives a few principles for how they work.

“There are diversities of…

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In Between 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

Job 9:33

“Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.”

In the midst of all his suffering, Job comes face to face with his own sinfulness. He realizes he is guilty of violating the laws of God and asks,

“. . . how can a man be righteous before God?” Job 9:2

As he evaluates himself, and realizes the righteousness of God is so great, it is impossible for him to adequately cleanse himself. He speaks of any attempt at removing his own sin as a foolish endeavor,

“If I wash myself with snow water, and cleanse my hands with soap. . . ” Job 9:30
It is at this point he realizes the hopelessness of his cause. He recognizes the only hope for humanity is if someone could stand in the gap between sinful man and a holy God. Someone…

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Look Back

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Job 8:8
“For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers”

Not everything Bibdad the Shuhite had to say is worth listening to, but he has unlocked a very valuable treasure with this statement. He encourages Job to look back upon the lessons the generations before us have learned as we seek to chart out our course forward. There are others who have said the same thing in a different way.

Italian philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”Einstein is credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” And it was Solomon who wrote “There is nothing new under the sun.” However we choose to say it the reality is that there are very important lessons that must be passed from one generation to the next.

While the world we live in is different than it has ever been the rules set in place to keep order have not changed. Regardless of how many people occupy the planet or how quickly information is acquired, gravity still causes things to plummet toward the surface of the earth and water still freezes at 32 degree Fahrenheit. Righteousness, like the rules of science do not change from generation to generation. If we want to learn to navigate our way through life it would do us well to become familiar with the timeless lessons of the Word of God that are both tried and tested.

Jim

 

Communion 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

1 Corinthians 11:22

“What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God…”

Paul is addressing one of the most important practices of the church and the individual. He will instruct them regarding partaking in communion. Rather than seeing this ordinance as a necessary, and even holy part of their church life, the Corinthian Christians had turned it into a way to honor the wealthy, thus neglecting the poor. It was a common practice in the early church to feast together before communion. In Corinth, they invited the wealthy to eat first and only after they had their fill did the poor get in line. In some cases, the food was gone and the rich were drunk. Suffice it to say, this was not an acceptable practice. Paul is writing to correct their behavior and to instill within them a proper…

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What Are Words For? 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

Job 7:11

“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”

As a child, I learned a simple proverb designed to help when someone said something unkind, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” As the years passed, I found, for many, the wounds caused by unkind words are much greater than anything a kick or a stick could ever inflict. The closer the relationship, the more painful it is when the sword of the mouth cuts deep. This seems to be especially true in marriage relationships. It is common for a couple to be upset with one another, and lash out with unkind words. The hurt caused by letting insults fly, may take weeks to repair. In some cases, a person never seems able to get…

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Who Is Afflicted 

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Job 6:14
“To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”

Life is filled with opportunities to minister to hurting people. Sometimes these hurts are caused by the unfortunate and unavoidable circumstances, other times they are self inflicted. Regardless of the cause we are all surrounded with opportunities to “strengthen the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.”

In the midst of his pain filled trial, Job gives an insight that will help each of us do a better Job “comforting the fainthearted and upholding the weak.” He pleads with his friends to show him kindness.

One of the chief character traits in the life of Jesus was his compassion. He was not quick to be judge and jury of a person’s actions but to show forth His loving kindness and care. We see this on multiple occasions. We observe Him stretching forth His hand to touch a leper, providing food for the hungry masses and extending mercy to the woman caught in adultery. It is clear that although Jesus knew their sin, He wanted to emphasize His grace.

Imagine what it must have been like for Job. He lost his family, livelihood and health. His wife who had been his companion is so overcome with grief that she begins to become filled with bitter anger. Now his friends who came to comfort him put him under the microscope and begin to examine his every action. Instead of seeking to come alongside and build him up they determine their role is to correct his actions.

While I understand there is a time for correction and even for rebuke it is also important to remember it is the task of the Holy Spirit to convict and correct and the role of the believer is to love. The more we show kindness to the hurting the greater chance they will have of being freed from the miry clay that is bogging them down.

Jim