Characteristics of Love: Love Encourages
Psalms 22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
Introduction: We are kept by the Power of God day by day. Glory be to His Name as we see another week to learn at His feet
🙏 I pray for His Mercy as we remain faithful and committed to Him at all cost in Jesus name.
📎 The 27th characteristic of God’s kind of Love this week is: Love encourages.
To encourage is to give confidence to someone especially in what is done right, without concentrating on what is done wrong. The whole world lies in wickedness and ready to pierce the heart with sword.
1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
1 John 5:19(NLT) We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.
Unlike those without Christ, the words that come out of everyone that belongs to Christ should save and not kill.
Colossians 4:6(GNS) Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.
Reading about David who wrote our text today, you can understand why he called on his darling ( someone who loved him like Jonathan) to deliver his soul from the sword of dog. A dog is anyone without the Living God through Christ locked outside from the presence of God.
Revelation 22:15(NLT) Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
Hear David when he dwelt in wickedness just as we do now
Psalms 22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
The travails of David started when he killed Goliath. Saul closely monitored to kill him. Those who sang his praise after he killed Goliath their oppressor were no where to be found during his travails. David ran from pillar to post and found himself in Gath, the homeland of Goliath he killed. Hear what he wrote:
Psalms 22:7-8(NLT) Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, “Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!”
Jonathan, the son of his adversary, king Saul who was supposed to support his father, loved and encouraged David and received curses from his father.
Hear what Saul said to Jonathan
1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
Jonathan risked his life by supporting David before his father because of genuine love he had for David.
1 Samuel 20:32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay
Now, Jonathan went back to David with words of encouragement and left him in the hands of God.
1 Samuel 20:42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
We are surrounded by dogs, that is, those without God who are ready to pull down with the words from their lips. Also there are false brethren in churches.
👂Hear Apostle Paul recounting his experience:
2 Corinthians 11:26(NLT) I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not.
🛑 Men by nature become unreasonable when in need or distress. Anyone without constant fellowship with God will loose God’s kind of Love that encourages at all times.
❓Do you remember those misfits that David brought up?
1 Samuel 22:2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
They became unreasonable to David when their loved ones which also included David’s own were kidnapped. No single word of encouragement from them to David.
1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
Only God’s kind of Love encourages in times of distress. Christian couples are to encourage themselves in the Lord Irrespective of what they go through. Valentine’s love pierces the heart of others with hurtful words when things go wrong or in difficult times.
When adversary taunted Hannah when she was childless, Elkanah spoke kindly to her. This should be the role of husband that loves his wife with God’s kind of Love.
1 Samuel 1:6-8 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
There are couples who rundown themselves in difficult times. This kind of love is characterised by valentine or worldly love.
❓Do you encourage your spouse in every aspect?
I heard about a man who asked his wife to resign from her wonderful job due to envy because he earned a meagre salary and felt threatened. What kind of love brought them together as husband and wife?
God instituted marriage for man and woman to complement (makes to complete) one another NOT to compete with one another.
There are also times that we are hard on ourselves as couples based on our expectations carried from various backgrounds into new home. This will not make us see or think on the good side of our partner but live always in criticism. If God dwells on our wrongdoing, no one will be saved.
❓What practical steps are we to take as we walk in love this week?
▶️ Eliminate the poison of unrealistic expectations in your home. Think of one area where your spouse has told you you’re expecting too much, and tell them you’re sorry for being so hard on them about it. Promise them you’ll seek to understand, and assure them of your unconditional love.
✍ Finally brethren, dwelling in God’s word regularly and consistently eliminate human nature that criticises with competitive spirit among couples.
Colossians 3:16(NLT) Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
✋ Maranatha
