We hear much about the importance of the word, faith, prayer, praise, the fear of God, obedience, humility, repentance and the need for change in our Christian walk and so we should. But God’s cardinal commands are to love him with all our heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:37-39). Jesus gave us a new command that we love each other as he loves us, by this he said the world would know we are Christians (John 13:34-35). In the great love chapter of the Bible (1 Cor 13:1-13) the apostle Paul taught that without love we are nothing and he emphasized that of faith, hope and love the greatest is love (1 Cor 13:13).

The Greek word for love that is used dominantly in the New Testament is agape (noun); God’s unconditional love and the love that we are called to love with. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, this love is defined for us, take time to meditate on it. The apostle Paul wrote for us that God’s love is in us, poured in by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5) God demonstrated the extent of this love by allowing Christ to die for us (Rom 5:8.

We are called to love with our words (Eph 4:15); words that come from our hearts and are spoken in love. But love has to go beyond our words to actions, our deeds (1 John 3:18); love must be demonstrated, just as faith is not faith without corresponding actions (James 2:17). Think how you can share God’s love today; a gentle encouraging word, a kind spontaneous action.

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In writing the epistle to the Colossians 3:12-13 (KJV) Paul basically exhorted them to put on the character of Christ. To put on means to become. “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”.  

Paul reminds us all as Christians that we are holy, beloved of God and the elect of God. We are only Holy because Christ made us so and to be elect means to be chosen; God chose each one of us and Christ died for us so we could be born again and made Holy.

Paul exhorts us to put on bowels of mercies (this is the greatest compassion we can muster), kindness (this is not just having good thoughts toward someone but goodness in action), humbleness of mind (simply put, this is not having any arrogance about us), meekness (I love this one; this isn’t being a mouse but knowing who you are in Christ and yet being perfectly humble about it), longsuffering (this is patience, especially in the face of adversity). In verse 13 we are told to bear with each other and commanded to forgive.

Wow, tall orders, but in Christ we can do all things (Phil 4:13); he enables as we walk by faith.

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I love Paul’s humility in 1 Cor 2:1-5. He gets to the very crux of the source and power of Christianity. He says I came preaching the Gospel with fear and trembling; speaking only God’s word, not man’s wisdom and not with elegance of speech. Paul dared not insert himself but focused on Jesus; allowing the Spirit to give him the words to share. He gave pre-eminence to the power of the word of God to affect and change men’s hearts and lives. His preaching was accompanied by clear demonstrations of the power of the Holy Spirit; signs wonders and miracles.

To preach, as the word is defined, is simply to proclaim, publish or herald. As the word is preached, the Holy Spirit takes it, reveals it to the sensitive and receptive heart and provides the power for the word to impact, bless and change the receptive listener (1 Cor 2:10). Paul was bold enough to say that as we preach in obedience to God and as directed by the Holy Spirit, then the father will demonstrate his power among us.

God’s word, his power, humility, fear of God and obedience, as exemplified in Paul’s life and ministry, are a recipe for change. We really need to meditate on this and get it down in our spirits.

In Jeremiah chapter 23 we see that Israel listened to the false prophets because those prophets tickled their ears. To have your ears tickled is to hear things that please and appeal to our carnal or fleshly nature. Jeremiah warned of God’s anger with sinful Israel but they would not listen. Do we take heed of God’s word, his whole word or are we selective, hearing only our favorite words? If we want to move on with God and be all he wants us to be he will need to change us and chasten (to discipline or instruct) us with his word (Rom 12:2; Heb 12:5-11).

Often, we pray but the results don’t come or we make decisions and they prove to be the wrong ones. We must hear from God with our spiritual ears not just our physical ears and minds and be changed (Matt 13:14-16; 1 Cor 2:14). We need to humble ourselves and repent (1 Peter 5:6), plough up the fallow ground of our hearts (soften our hearts toward God; Jer 4:3). God’s word can break and change us if we let it (Jer 23:29), but we have to allow this to happen. To fail to submit to God in this way assigns us to the status quo, mediocrity and frustration. To allow God to change us maybe painful, but it leads us on to his highest and best: “above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3: 20-21; KJV). Wow, I want that, what about you? Let’s press into God’s word and let him change us; nothing held back.

“Wait” in the Old Testament can mean waiting hopefully and expectantly. “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me and heard my cry” (Ps. 40:1; KJV). As you all know we often don’t get answers to our prayers immediately. Many times, there is a period of waiting between the amen and the receiving. It is during this time that we must maintain and develop our faith. That is why we need to wait expectantly and hopefully.

There are many verses in the Old Testament concerning waiting on the Lord. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa. 40:31). The prophet Jeremiah wrote in the book of Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 25 that Lord is good to those who wait for him. “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Ps 37:7a); “My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning- Yes, more than those who watch for the Morning” (Ps 130: 6).

As we wait for the manifestation of answered prayer, we must be patient (Heb 6:12) and focused on God’s promises in his word. Staying in the word as we wait on the Lord helps you to focus on God and your answer rather than the problem that needs fixing. Waiting on the Lord will create calm in place of turmoil. Take a few minutes each day to wait on the Lord, praise and thank him for the answer to prayer and experience his peace (Isa 26:3).

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