Repaying kindness – After a life of charity, she died without even money for a burial; now loved ones hope to raise enough for a service to pay respects – By MIKE TOLSON, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Jan. 30, 2010, 7:21AM

If you have been in any Christian Churches, chances are you have heard the term “walking in love.” But what does it mean to walk in love? Where have we received the definition for it? And do we really know love? According to God’s Word, God IS love – 1 John 4:7-9 says:

See, the problem is that we have looked to the world and all that is in it for love that satisfies emotional and physical needs. We have watched movies and TV shows or read fictitious books that have tried to layout good love and romance scenes that definitely appeal to the emotions and flesh, but never seem to measure up in real life – why?

The truth about a real love walk – one that fits into a man and woman relationship or into walking in love toward other people – has no basis in emotion or flesh/physical. Real love starts when our hearts are changed and transformed by what God created love for – it’s why He is love! The great thing is that when you read about Sister Maggie’s life story, what jumps out is that she knew or at least must have know about this love walk that God has ordained for us because of the perfect example she set by her work. 1 Corinthians 13:3, says:

See, Sister Maggie could have done all the works that she did and gave all she had to take care of those less fortunate or needing whatever she had to give, but without love – the Love of God – I honestly do not believe we would have heard of her or seen this article. Why? Lack of love does not compel others to step forward and call to give a person like her a proper, respectful and paid in full burial. If she did all that she did and did not have love, no one would have done anything this respectful. The State or local government could have handled things and there would be no one there to pay respect to her – she would have been just another person that no one had anyway to contact family to let them know of her passing. But Sister Maggie was different! She had the Love of God! What does that look like? 1 Corinthians 13 goes on in vv. 4-8 to say:

Look at v.4 – it says, “Love suffers long and is kind….” The first step to walking in the Love of God is exactly where Sister Maggie would start – suffering long and being kind! Suffering many times is associated with dealing with the negative, but in God’s Word it means and comes from a root meaning to forbear or to have fortitude, being patiently enduring. What is the old saying…good things come to those that wait! And kind here really does not need defining, but God’s Word says that to be kind is to show oneself as useful in a manner or morals of goodness, gracious and being kind. The act of being patiently enduring and showing oneself as useful in a manner was exactly what was described here in Mike Tolson’s article. Its positive proof that Sister Maggie had the love walk working in her. And if she had this love walk working in her, then we know that it was God who was working in her. Why? Remember what 1 John 4 said? Well, if God is love, then it’s obvious that we could place God’s name everywhere in 1 Corinthians 13 that the word “love” appears – so it would read:

What wonderful Truth we receive when our hearts get full of this! When we realize that our loving, Heavenly Father is love and that He is all that 1 Corinthians 13 says He is, its hard NOT to walk in love toward anyone, especially if He lives in and through you, by the gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus, through the Holy Ghost! And look at the awesome, mighty promise, that we can ALWAYS lean on no matter what, in verse 8 – “GOD NEVER FAILS!” If He never fails and we have love in us, then He is in us! And that means we never fail! Sister Maggie never failed in her walk because she had love living in and through her. It was her calling and the calling of all those that are Christians!

We should be encouraged and take time to meditate on those things accomplished by God through Sister Maggie who was yielding and walking in the love of God. We do this by walking out and allowing God to perfect and deliver His love through us as detailed by 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. If you are a Christian, then just pray over yourself that the love of God, as designed by God and detailed in His Word, would work in and through you every day. As you do this the fruit of love will shine through in all that you are called to do. It all begins with the first step in your love walk.

And that is The Truth!
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Madoff’s stolen statue returned — with a ‘lesson’

Love all? Even Bernie Madoff? Love Bernie? Why would anyone do that after what he has done to everyone else? Why would the consideration even be given to have anything toward Bernie except anger, hatred, disgust, or any other contempt toward a man such as this? One reason – because Jesus said so!

In Matthew 5:38-40 (New King James), Jesus says the following:

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

The first and biggest thing we must establish as Christians that are of The Truth of God’s Word is that God’s Word is soverign and trumps all other things, including our mind, our will, and especially our emotions. During events and issues like this with Mr. Madoff, its amazing how many turn to their emotions instead of the Word of God – and yes, I’m talking about Christians!

Secondly, let’s look at what Jesus has instructed in context of what happened with Bernie’s statue. Jesus specifically says, in verses 44 and 45:

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

I think we can all agree that what Bernie did has cursed many people’s and company’s finances and that Bernie has spitefully used many people and company’s finances for his own personal gain. Those are the facts, but look at what The Truth of God’s Word says – what are we to do to and for individuals like this? We are to “bless those that curse you” and “pray for those that spitefully use you.” Bless and pray for Bernie? Does he deserve that? What kind of God do we serve that commands that we “bless” and “pray” for someone like this?

Notice what Jesus says in verse 45 – “He (God) makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” What Jesus is saying here is that regardless of good or bad, just or unjust, right or wrong, God still gives His best for all to partake in because His love is available to all. Who are we to judge or say who should get what or how they should be treated when there is no partiality with God? It seems, to your mind, will and emotions, almost unfair that God would allow His best to still be available to a person like Bernie, but if God was a God that only loved the loveable, He would have never sent his Son, Jesus, and things would have been drastically different for all of us!

The Apostle Paul states in Romans 5:8 (New King James):

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That love, a love that turned its back on the sin within us for the sake of saving us, recreating us, and bring us back to right standing before God, is the same love that should be in and through us that helps us to see how and why we should “bless” and “pray” for a man like Bernie. It takes nothing of God or of what Jesus did to react and respond out of your body and out of a sin nature to look for ways to get your “jab” in on him. Any ole’ sinner who does not know Christ can do that! But it takes living out of the recreated, changed Spirit of God that lives within you to tap into the Love of God and of His Son to “Bless” and “Pray” for Bernie.

What’s interesting about this is that regardless of the person, God is that kind of God that He makes all of His best, His goodness, and the same salvation and life changing experience available to everyone, even to the point of them breathing their last breath! Recall what happened at Calvary when Jesus was crucified with the two criminals. We don’t know what these two criminals did, but it must have been bad enough to label them criminals. But let’s pay more attention to the way that these two spoke to Jesus and what Jesus’ response was to them. One criminal blasphemed Jesus and mocked Him saying and acting excatly as Jesus’ false accusers had acted. The other criminal rebuked the blasphemer and then humbled himself to ask for Jesus to just remember him in Heaven – this criminal even went as far as to call Jesus his Lord, which means he had given his life to Him in the midst of this criminal’s death. And notice that Jesus told this criminal that that day he would be with Jesus in Heaven! Remember, these were criminals and the one who had petitioned Jesus had even said that they were being justly punished for their deeds which they freely chose, but with just one change of heart, one turn to recognize Jesus as who He was to this criminal, God’s love was so great to save him, regardless of his past! THAT is the power of God’s love! That is the love we are to not only know and share among other Believers but we are to give towards ALL, regardless!

And that is The Truth!

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