Love is Pure...and a great word from a Dominican Republic Team Member

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.

1^st Commandment “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:1-3).

Love Command: Love is Loyal

2^nd Commandment “You shall not worship idols” (Exodus 20:4).
Love Command: Love is Faithful

3^rd Commandment “You shall not take the name of the LORD in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

Love Command: Love is Reverent

4^th Commandment “Keep the Sabbath holy” (Exodus 20:8).

Love Command: Love is Intimate

5^th Commandment “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).
Love Command: Love is Respectful

6^th Commandment “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).
Love Command: Love is Harmless

Our 7^th 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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