This week we continue our series on the 10 Love
Commands. Again, if you are just joining, I direct you back to the beginning of
the series on March 22, 2012 (http://purejoyinternational.blogspot.com/2012/03/love-is-loyal.html).
Here are the previous commandments we have covered. Remember
the first four commandments are about how we should love God (and our spouse if
married). The last six are about how we are to love our neighbors and our
selves.
1st
Commandment “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:1-3).
Love Command: Love is Loyal
2nd
Commandment “You shall not worship idols” (Exodus 20:4).
Love Command: Love is Faithful
3rd
Commandment “You shall not take the name of the LORD in vain” (Exodus 20:7).
Love Command: Love is Reverent
4th
Commandment “Keep the Sabbath holy” (Exodus 20:8).
Love Command: Love is Intimate
5th Commandment “Honor your father and your
mother” (Exodus 20:12).
Love Command: Love is Respectful
6th
Commandment “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).
Love Command: Love is Harmless
Our 7th Commandment is “You shall not commit
adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
The Love Command is: Love is Pure
If our love toward another and our self is going to
be pure, it means guarding our minds
(hearts). We need to be careful to not say, do, or present ourselves in such a
way that it would cause another to stumble or to struggle immorally. It means I
will not tell off- colored jokes or make off-colored sexual statements and/or
dress in a fashion that would cause temptation for another. It means I will put
no vile thing before my eyes.
Can I just get on a soap box for a moment…I believe
with all my heart that sexual sin is already and will continue to be one of the
most destructive sins to the body of Christ in our life time. Because of secular
media and a world that promotes tolerance, we wink at sexual sin. The sexual sins
of homosexuality, pornography, child molestation, rape, sex before marriage,
etc., are at an all-time high. What has this world come to when adults, not to
mention teenagers, are texting pictures of their personal private body parts to
one another? REALLY! If there was ever a time for us as believers to STAND UP
and say God NEVER intended for LOVE to look like some of the things we have
made it and call it, NOW is the time! It starts with you and me not
going out and condemning people but living out God’s LOVE toward others and
ourselves and speaking truth into their lives in LOVE!
Is your love pure
toward others? Listen to the words you speak to others this week, check your
heart, and look at your motives: Is your love pure? Are you preventing off-colored jokes or telling them? Are you
encouraging proper dress or wearing improper dress? Are you speaking truth and
God’s love to others or is your conversation laced with sexual innuendo around
others? This list could get endless.
Also, a big warning to married couples in ministry! The
enemy wants your home because people are watching you. Get some accountability
in your lives, please! And stay away from emotional adultery because it is just
as destructive as or more so than physical adultery.
Ok, I’m off that box now (Whewww).
Dominican News…
I have quite the sweet
conversation to share with you regarding Dominican and one of our team members.
But before I do that let me update you in knowing that we have 25 of our
missionary women sponsored as of today. We are three weeks out so please get in
those prayer closets and see if God wants you to be giving toward this trip. If
He does He will speak to you. If you are in a place to listen, you will hear
from Him whatever He directs you to do.
Ok, get yourself a cup of
coffee and enjoy.
I received the following email
from a team member this past week. And you will see my response to her. If you
are one of the missionary women reading this, enjoy and look forward to this
team that will be coming. If you are a team member, see the heart of your
fellow team member. If you are a Friend and Supporter of Pure Joy, then welcome
to the intimacy of the ministry from the inside out.
Faith writes….
Vickie,
I wanted to tell you this last night but just was afraid I didn't have
the right words. I want you to know how God has changed me already in
preparation for the mission trip.
I have to admit that I'd been hit or miss in the past at studying my
Bible and just spending time with the Lord without other noise in my life was
practically non-existent. When you asked us to make sure we were spending time
with Him daily, I started to do that. It was hard at first to find time in my
busy life, between diaper changes, buying groceries, cooking, cleaning house,
washing clothes, church activities and all those obligations that were already
on my plate. But I immediately began seeing a difference in the way I think,
the way I talk, the way I act... and the ability to hear the Lord speaking to
me brings tears to my eyes. My husband has started reading his Bible too and
asked me to get him a version that was easier to understand because the KJV he
has, well you know... Anyway, for his birthday this month, I got him a new
Bible and for the first time in our almost 40 year marriage, he is reading his
Bible too. God has made me aware of some things in my life that need to change.
If you expected perfect people going with you, I'm afraid you'll have to kick
me off the team! I'm a work in progress but I assure you there has been
progress already. I've written and re-written the things God plans for me to
say so many times that I hope it will make some sense when I'm through but I'm
just trusting that God is in charge of it... I have vascillated (?sp) many
times wondering if what God is telling me is for me or for the women coming to
DR!
Vickie’s response to Faith…..
It brought tears to my eyes, literally! I want these women to
understand that we are all on a journey and this really puts it in perspective!
It is also a testimony to how when we are just being what God wants us to
be...it touches others lives naturally and we don't even get it! Which is the
point! I have heard it quoted “the fruit tree in the back yard isn't waking
anyone up at night grunting as it grows and produces fruit. It just produces
the fruit naturally because it is a fruit tree and that is what they do.” A
good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree can't bear
bad fruit and a bad tree can't bear good fruit. You will know them by their
fruit. (Matthew 17:7) ….Meaning when you bit into it, when you spend time
intimately with them, etc.
I love you, Faith, and I love watching your love for Him grow! You are
why this ministry is called an inside-out ministry. We are just as excited to
be ministering to the women that are going as we are those that we will be
ministering to.
Have a great weekend, Sister!
I hope that you were as
encouraged by Faith’s honest heart as I was. I shared with Patty (staff member)
that I really wanted you as missionary women who are reading this blog weekly
to see Faith striving after God for that ‘talk’. When you read that paragraph
it is the essence of God’s word when Paul states, “When I am weak, He is strong.”
When I read that whole section I just saw God at work in a person’s life, not
her weakness of trying to figure it out but that of striving after God! And if
you know me very well, you know that I loved that!!!
Hope everyone enjoyed the
writing last week sent in by Kelly on the Vicks super ointment! Ha, ha, ha! I
still am waiting to hear from some more of the missionary women from DR on some
stories or fun facts about DR and Haiti and surrounding areas.
Love you All,
His,
Vickie
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