Love is not a feeling it's a choice

If we read Genesis 1:28a and 31a. It says God blessed them(Adam and Eve) and all whatever He created was good. It means whatever God created on the Earth was holy, free from decay and nothing was cursed.
But in Genesis 3:6 and 7 tells us The first man and woman sinned. The result from sin revealed God's love and God cursed the land and allowed man to toil and care his surrounding as a part of training for the uplifting plan of God's redemption because man's love was replaced with selfishness.
God gave His son Jesus for us, who is our healer and redeemer
His work gave evidence of His divine anointing
Love, mercy and compassion were revealed in every act of His life
The same son gave His spirit to us and made us His dwelling place.
Hebrew 13:8 says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever .
Today Jesus needs our body to show the same love to the needy
1 Corinthians 6:19 says you are the temple of Holy Spirit
Do you think God will give us His gift and fruit for His kingdom?
What type of love God wants to show others?
Read Luke 4:18, "The Lord's Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers,
Jesus tendered His heart
Jesus took man's nature
Jesus approached to them in love
How did people react to Him?
They were attracted towards Him
They were encouraged by Him
They loved Him
what about you, do you call yourself the temple of Holy Spirit?
Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.
I repeat my previous question, Do you think God will give us His gift and fruit for His kingdom?
Yes!, it means there is a demand of taking care of our body
It means taking care of body, soul and spirit.
Above scripture tells us He has given His spirit that means his own nature to us
Right!
I will show you one example-
When my son was born, he was born with some of the nature of mine and Arun. As he grew he talked and behaved like us, because he was having fellowship with me and Arun.
You are born again, you are the dwelling place of God, it means God is having fellowship with you
If you allow God, you will have His nature but remember, maturity is a process
Say -Maturity is a process!
Take a moment and Examine your self-
Have you tendered your heart?
Have you taken His(Jesus) nature?
Do you approach people in love?
Will you allow Him to transform you with His nature?
Say - yes!
What is His nature?
Read Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,temperance: against such there is no law.
Do you know there are not 9 but 12 flavors of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Read Revelation 22:1-2, The angel showed me a river that was crystal clear, and its waters gave life. The river came from the throne where God and the Lamb were seated.
Then it flowed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the river are trees that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations
Read Ezekiel 47:9-12, Wherever this water flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish, because it will bring life and fresh water to the Dead Sea. From En-Gedi to Eneglaim, people will fish in the sea and dry their nets along the coast. There will be as many kinds of fish in the Dead Sea as there are in the Mediterranean Sea. But the marshes along the shore will remain salty, so that people can use the salt from them. Fruit trees will grow all along this river and produce fresh fruit every month. The leaves will never dry out, because they will always have water from the stream that flows from the temple, and they will be used for healing people
After reading these scriptures from two different books, we can see for sure that God is concern about our body and nature and He has 12 kinds of different flavor(quality) of His spirit
Are you ready to explore God's nature?
Let's begin with love!
Who will teach you to love?
Read 1 Thessalonian 4:9
Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other
Love is well abused word in today's society, which speaks mostly carnal ways
We can define love this way
Agape - God's Love which is unconditional
Eros - Husband wife Love
Storge - Family Love
Ph ilia - Brotherly and friendly Love,
Who will teach you love?
Say - Holy Spirit
Remember - Gifts are given but Fruits are developed
In natural if you decide to plant a Fruit Tree what will you do?
1. Choose a Fruit Tree
2. Choose a Location
3. Prepare the Soil
4. Plant
5. Stake, Mulch, Feed, and Water
6. Maintenance
It means pruning your fruit tree at planting and taking care of it during the first 4 to 5 years
Then it can set the structure and growth pattern of your fruit tree.
That shows us clearly that maturity does not come overnight. Even as maturity is not sudden, so also is the fruit of a tree or fruit(quality) of a person
It will be produced naturally and spontaneously. Gifts of the Holy spirit is the result of your faith but fruit of the Holy spirit is the result of your action. It takes time to grow. It is your product.
Jesus spoke about the man's character
Read Matthew 7:16-20
You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.
It is very easy to say some one I love you but it is very hard to love some one.
We have to show
1. our love towards God-
Malachi 3:8, says You people are robbing me, your God. And, here you are, asking, "How are we robbing you?" You are robbing me of the offerings and of the ten percent that belongs to me
If you cannot give to God it shows you do not trust in Him. Where is your love for God!
2. our love towards man-
when someone is favoring you or doing as per your will you feel all joy and love and happiness, what about when situation goes little not favorable?
We react annoyed, and even we stop praying for our brothers rather we speak adverse about them
Where is your love for people gone!
3. our love towards Holy Spirit-
Read Galatians 5:19-21, The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Are you infected with any of theses sicknesses?
You need to find out yourself, where do you stand today,
Your love towards Holy Spirit will lead you to make yourself pure and holy before God
Your right standing with God will make all evil to run from you and you will experience God's mighty hand upon you as it was with Elijah
Read 2 King 18:30-38, Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood." "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
Notice the word altar, ruin and Israel,
Let me tell you today, if you are ready to prepare your self as an holy altar of God, His fire is willing to consume all troubles from you but you have to come to an agreement with the spirit of God
God is ready to teach you His love
Are you ready to learn?
Are you ready to make love your choice?
Pray
"Lord, may I bear good fruit for your sake.  Help me to reject whatever will produce evil fruit.  And help me grow in faith, hope, love, sound judgment, justice, courage, and self control."
In Jesus' name
Amen

Better Solution!

Last term when we were preparing the report cards, one of the Primary teachers did some mistakes in filling the report cards. She was told by the head of primary section to get it photocopied from outside and again fill the reports. It was quite tough for her, she complained that she was not aware of that column that is why she put a tick. What I remember the whole issue resulted into bitterness, hatred and hopelessness.
I wish the head of primary would have used the white-out on this situation.
What would you do, when you find someone’s mistakes towards you?
Let us read Mat 6:12, 14-15.
"Forgive us the wrongs that we have done, as we forgive the wrongs others have done us. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
God has given a wonderful white-out to all of us.
“It is Jesus millennium product”.
He has given it to you and me freely. Brand name of this product is forgiveness.
He uses that on our mistakes and He wants us to do same. But many times we are failed to apply it and try to use force of eraser or blade to remove the mistakes, which finally results into a scar.
But white-out is a better solution, it will remind you with brightness and you will not be ignorant of the past.
Say-I won’t be ignorant of the past
Say-White out is a better solution!
Every now and then I see our students keep repeating the mistakes, if we analyze these, we clearly see 3 different levels
1. They broke the rules unknowingly, because of their growth level
2. They broke the rules because of their ill brought up
3. They broke the rules because they were moving out of the school
Whenever anything happens in my life or in the lives of my near ones, I always take time to study and learn the pattern of life, through the students of my school. God’s kingdom is not at all less in any way than a school.
Say-I am learning
Say-White out is a better solution!
All of our actions come from a basic human survival instinct, which in real sense is, love for ourselves
Ask your neighbor, how much do you love yourself?
Many times when we look back and see how we did in the past, we always think, if I had known it; I could have done things differently in the past.
From this perspective, will you say, that was not wrong!
Definitely not! Wrong is wrong, but there can be explanations and reasons for that
However, it is important to see why you did and what you did so that you can have self forgiveness because if you do not forgive yourself it will block your personal progress
Say- It is time to let go off the burden of the past.
Say- White out is a better solution!
We are all learning and growing and we act in agreement with whatever stage of growth we are on at the time. We all have shames and guilt in our past lives. As children, many times we were judged but not explained the reason for our punishment.
That results into growing the negative approach. This negative approach will lead us into deeper wounds which are not in alignment with the word of God. God calls us unique, peculiar and blessed and apple of His eyes.
Say-I am apple of God’s eye
Say-White out is a better solution!
Let us read Romans 12:17-19
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay”, says the Lord.
I like two words in this passage a lot and that makes me full of joy of the Lord. These two words made me from sinner to righteous
These two wonderful words are wrath and avenge
What! Wrath and Avenge, how can these words be wonderful
Bible says God wants all of us to come to the knowledge of God; He wants all of us to be saved. Once I was a sinner and under the wrath of God and I was troubled in my life but notice the wrath and punishment of God brought me into His kingdom. Because of my troubles I began to search God. It means wrath of God is not anger with hatred, but it is with restoration. That’s why Paul wrote, Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay”, says the Lord.
What about your anger? Is it mix with restoration or separation?
Say- God is able
Say- White out is a better solution!
From God's perspective- Nothing is hidden from Him and yet He is always ready to forgive us and He forgets our sins, remembers them no more
Let us Read Hebrews 8:12
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Say-God remembers my sins no more
Say-White out is a better solution!
Most forgiveness issues have three levels
1. Outwardly- we just say forgive or forgiven but does not really mean from the heart
2. Feeling based- sometimes we ask for forgiveness or we forgive  people because of our emotions, but truly not
3. Conviction from Holy Spirit- true and only repentance is through Holy Spirit. When God convicts us, there is always restoration. There may be no restoration between the people but still you will settle peace between you and God.
Many a times when someone does mistakes, people see him as someone unworthy. Like nothing can be done now, God’s wrath will fall upon and this person will die, or will go to hell. All hell and demon scripture become alive for that person
Legally a person, who is under the trail of the court, cannot be declared criminal until the judge declares it. Now there is a good report, our Judge Jesus doesn't hold our sins against us. He has forgiven us.
Say-I am on my way to heaven
Say-White out is a better solution!
Remember Learning to live for God doesn't happen overnight. It’s a journey
Making mistakes is a leaning .process, as we learn; we increase in awareness and grow
There are no mistakes from the viewpoint of our creator. He gives us the experience to lead others
Let us read Hebrews 12:1-3
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up
Be glad about your progress, you're growing and seeing your life improved each day little by little. Salvation Is of God’s love for you and how his Spirit living in you will guide, protect, love, forgive, and love you again.
Say- God has given a wonderful white-out to all of us.
Say- Jesus millennium product is a better solution!
Pray and ask God to forgive you from all your past hurts, pain and release every person unto God. Be ready to receive an abundant life

White-Out is a Better Solution!