Our greatest gift is love
Dear Marmar, those who follow and visit his blog and fellow co-authors:
I was rushed to the hospital this morning with a worsening respiratory bug and sinus infection, I have been fighting for over two months. The ER doctor told my wife, Karen, that I have to go on a breathing steroid called Prednisone. She said to her, “It is either Prednisone or intubation.”
God isn’t finished with me yet. I still have work to do for His Kingdom.
I wrote this piece under the unction of the Holy Spirit. The Enemy did not want this shared because in it there is a message for all of us, that we can be the enduring faith, hope and love for the Filipino people.
The grace, peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Our greatest gift is love
The people of the Philippines will need our long-term prayers and our practical support. The physical devastation has estimates in news reports as being anywhere from 5 to 10 years for rebuilding. The Holy Spirit has had this Scripture going through my mind for the Filipino people and for all of us called to pray for them.”In this life we have three great lasting qualities—faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love” (I Cor. 13:13, J. B. Phillips New Testament).
Moving forward we as the people of God will need to show the Filipino people these three qualities of faith, hope and love. There will be even tougher days ahead as the death toll mounts, as relatives hear they have lost more loved ones.
In my experience ministering to the Filipino community, I have found them to be a people of enduring faith even in the worst of circumstances. Yet, all of us no matter how firmly rooted in Christ need at times, people to be our faith, our hope and love poured out and running over.
They are a weary people, knocked down but not knocked out. And just as the apostle Paul said to the Corinthian Christians that the greatest quality they had to offer others was love, that is the most enduring gift we can offer – our agape unconditional love. Love that gives. Love that is consistent. Love that magnifies both our faith and our hope in Christ. Love that learns and grows in the seminary of Christ’s compassion.
The Enemy would far prefer we give up and say the task of helping in this hour of crisis and in the weeks, months and years ahead is too great. But this is when all of us need to shine Christ’s love all the more brighter.
Light can defeat the darkness if we embrace it, cling to it and really believe it when waves of doubt and discouragement encompass us. It will be rough. The pathway to sustaining hope for the Filipino people will be long. It is our opportunity to truly show as the song We are one in the spirit says, “And, they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
Let us join hands and hearts in prayer as we reflect upon the words of We are one in the spirit.
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, as we strive to be united, and offer Christ’s outstretched arms of love and abiding comfort to the Filipino people.
Posted on November 14, 2013, in On Christianity, On Circumstances, On Giving, On Life's Purpose, On Loving Others, thoughts, Uncategorized and tagged abiding, agape, arms, believe, Bible, blog, blogging, Christ, christianity, Christians, church, circumstances, cling, comfort, Community, compassion, consistent, Corinthians, crisis, culture, death, discouragement, doubt, embrace, enduring, enemy, faith, family, Filipino, firm, gift, gives, God, God's Word, Grace, greatest, grows, hands, hearts, Holy Spirit, Hope, inspiration, J. B. Phillips New Testament, Jars of Clay, learns, life, love, loving others, magnifies, message, ministering, months, mounts, offer, one, opportunity, people, Philippines, poured out, prayer, quality, relatives, rooted, rough, Scripture, seminary, show, song, spirit, task, the Church, thoughts, Typhoon Haiyan, unconditional, unction, united, unity, weeks, years. Bookmark the permalink. 14 Comments.
Mind's Seat 
Agape love will win all the time….
Amen!
Blessings,
Kevin
When we are down our spirits are tried the most ; But most of all when He speaks to us , to say the words that others need to hear in our down time , you are held in most high esteem amonst all those that hear and do-ith the words you have spoken as you were commanded as yet you were down and tired but trimphed to speak and do what was commanded of you ,, TJAC AGAPE
Thanks for your thoughts and encouraging comments.
Blessings,
Kevin
Thank you friend. God bless you. You’ll be in my prayers as well. God bless you more.
Blessing among the challenges, Marmar. Karen has been accepted for Master of Divinity studies at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. I have been accepted for continuation of my M. Div. studies. I continue work on my Master of Theology thesis from the distance school South African Theological Seminary. Antibiotics and breathing meds. are starting to work.
Marmar, I’ve not forgotten about your mission work. I’ve just been awfully run down. I’ll continue to fight the good fight with the thoughts the Lord gives me to share.
Marmar, you have a great group collected it is my deep joy to know. I would prayerfully like to suggest one more co-author to join us. His name is Douglas Faulkner. You may have seen his testimony in my piece “Ambassador for Christ” https://marmarthunder.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/douglas-faulkner-ambassador-for-christ/, which had an interview he had on the TV Christian talk show “100 Huntley Street.”
Doug continues inspiring others through his journey of faith. He tells me he is now on his fourth book of spiritual prose. He is engaged in a storefront ministry to wounded souls. He is training for the pastorate.
It is because of this shining embracing light Doug shines, that people are drawn to him.
When I shared with him that God had put it on my heart to put his name forward to you to be a co-author he said, “That would be awesome!” Awesome in the sense of the thousands of lives he would touch as he reaches out to others in their suffering and struggles, and in that journey to inspire them all to fight on.
That is the Doug so many know and love.
He’s been having trouble with his email server, but I will give you his email address. It is goldeneagle1@sympatico.ca. If that doesn’t work I’ll let him know.
Well, it’s off to bed for me. So exhausted, but wanted to get this important message out to you.
I’m so glad to be a co-author, so working together we can inspire others in their life’s journey with its times of struggle and also its opportunities.
You, your family, friends and the people of the Phillipines continue in Karen’s and my thoughts and prayers, in the long and difficult journey that is ahead for all of you.
Keep on shining Christ’s light, Marmar. God has an awesome plan for your life! The Lord has his hand upon you. Through this time of great darkness for your people, you will continue to see the fundamental goodness and love that is in millions of hearts throughout our world. It will never make up in any way for the many lives that have been lost. What I do hope and pray is that as so many reach out to so many in need of food, water, clothing and shelter, that many will see that where there is love, the darkness will never win.
The peace and comfort of our Lord Jesus Christ be with the people of the Phillipines, you, your family, friends and colleagues.
Kevin
Already sent him the invitation. Kindly notify him. THanks Osborne.
Hi Marmar
Doug’s computer needed repairs. He has many emails to go through. Did you send him the invitation just today? I have let him know the invitation has been sent.
What’t the latest news in your area about Typhoon Haiyan?
God’s peace be with you and your family today, and in the time to come.
Kevin
Still a lot of works to be done. Thank you for helping gathering support for Philippines. Our house was ruined and my family has moved temporarily in our relative’s house. They are my responsibility now and I’m actually a little worried about our finances. We can’t be a burden to our relatives. I’ve got to find a way to provide for my mother and my siblings. My boss has not paid me yet for my 2 months pay. I’m trying to understand him since he’s having a hard time as well with his finances, but I can’t watch my family go hungry. My boss does not have a clue that I’m emotionally tortured. He and his family is my mission field but I got to protect my own family. I don’t know where to go from here. Just pray for me.
Almighty God, I come to Your throne of grace praying for Marmar, his family and his boss. Lord, please divinely intervene in Marmar’s life, that of his family, his boss and his family and all the people of the Philippines.
Lord, Marmar’s boss has nor paid him for two months. I Timothy 5:18 says a worker is worthy of their wages. Lord, Marmar’s boss is also having trouble with his finances. So, both Marmar and his boss need Your help right now.
Whatever financial problems Marmar’s boss is having help him find a way to solve it for his sake and Marmar’s and that of Marmar’s family.
Lord, this is our opportunity to help Marmar in his time of need. Guide our hearts as we seek Your will in what we should do.
Amen.
Marmar, do I have your permission to let my prayer network know about your need? We as members of the body of Christ need to be there for our brothers and sisters in their time of need. This would not be a hand out. It would be a hand up. It would be an agape gift of love for you and your family if I can rally such practical support to get to you.
I would like to ask my network to help you over this financial hardship with money. How much do you and your family need?
It would help in making this appeal to know why your boss is in financial trouble.
I will only make the appeal if I have your permission.
Please take what I have shared to the Lord. What does He want you to do?
God watch over you, your family, your boss and his family and all the Filipono people there and everywhere.
Kevin
thank you Kevin for the offer. It’s good to know you have a prayer network. My boss has invested his money to another business which is technical support call center. the site is itfixsupport.com. they fix computers through remote. he already spent much for that call center but unfortunately it’s not earning yet. he also has a lot of debts to pay. my family don’t need much, we only need a little just to get started in the city. I dont have a father and I have 4 siblings. My mother is jobless and I dont know how to explain to them why I’m not earning in my job. i need atleast a 100 dollars just to sustain our food. right now i’m looking for another job so i could find us a home.
Hi Marmar
I’m sending a letter out to my prayer partners about your situation. I’ll be copying you on that email and sending you a private email.
Hold on to God. He will see you through this tragedy and somehow He will be using it for His glory. That may be hard to fully see right now. Know that God understands your pain. He hears you as You call out to Him. I have no doubt he is smiling from Heaven at the great love and commitment you have first to your Lord and then your family.
Marmar, God sees the great work you are doing for Him through this blog and the ministry work you do for Him. There is a strong leading of the Holy Spirit to tell you that your Lord loves you and your family with an everlasting love. He holds you all in the palm of His loving hands.
There is no way we could fully understand what you, your family and the Filipino people are going through. What Karen and I do offer is our heart, mind, body and soul to do what we can.
Brother, we stand with you. We love you and your family in the Lord.
Know that we will do everything we can to help in this time of crisis.
The comfort and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and your family.
Kevin
love your neighbour in every present moment of your life. https://sites.google.com/site/peaceinunity/
Yes, indeed. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Kevin