8-24-20 THOUGHTS

If we read God’s word expectantly, we find all kinds of little jewels that make us a bit better.
I do a sermon called “The Three Lives Of Me”.  I’m ME as I see me, I’m ME as you see me, and I am ME as God sees me.   These ME’s ought to [be] close to the same guy!  
If you were in need or great trouble, wouldn’t you hope that your friends would stand up for you?
That they would testify good things about you?  

I’m using a very famous story below, but I’m not even including the famous part.  The “great faith of the centurion” is the key in this story.  It seems there is a great jewel to be mined in the introduction.

Luke 7:1-5    When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.  2  And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.  3  When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. 4  When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, "He is worthy for You to grant this to him; 5  for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue."

When this centurion needed help...  HE GOT IT!   Folks stuck their necks out, so to speak, and said unsolicited “He is worthy for You to grant this to him”!  
I want to live my life this way.  So that my loved ones would stand for me in a pinch!..  
Don’t you want the same?

I note the reason that they were willing to do that is that this centurion “LOVED & BUILT”!   Sounds like he was a REAL MAN!  A stand up guy who put agape love into play in his life?    Is that the way you read it?  

An old preacher friend used to say metaphorically that “when he came to the gates of heaven, he hoped there would be a crowd of folks already there who would say in unison “Let him in....”

So how do we live our lives?  Would those you work with be surprised that you ever went to church?  Or would you have folks clamoring to testify good things about you in time of need?
I must note the centurion’s love for his slave!  It was indeed an ACTIVE LOVE wasn’t it?
So our thoughts this morning are buried in the introduction.  Find the jewels Church!

My Prayer:
Oh God, teach us to examine ourselves continually in order to correct ourselves with your word.. May our desire be ever to please you and not ourselves.  Help us to love one another with a pure heart fervently.  Guide us ever to active love.  
In Jesus precious name                    Amen.