The Law Fulfilled in Love 2-22-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I give You my thoughts and my desires, here at the beginning and throughout this day. … “And He said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come forward.’ Then He said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; He was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored” (Mark 3:3-5). You are more loving than legalistic. You care much more about honoring people than honoring the rules. It’s not that You were lawless, for You came to perfectly fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17). But Your way of fulfilling the law was fulfilling the heart of our Father expressed through the law—the law of God intended to help us, not harm us; to bless us, not curse us; to free us, not enslave us. That way of honoring the law of God while living it out in love infuriated those with legalistic mindsets and religious spirits. They looked for ways to accuse You (Mark 3:2). And then they looked for ways to destroy You (Mark 3:6). But You were never intimidated or afraid. And You never backed down from doing good and ministering love—whether on the sabbath day or any day. You used the principle of the rule of sabbath to express the principle of the heart of the Father in the sabbath: “And He said unto them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath’ ” (Mark 2:27-28). Lord, teach me Your law, but also teach me Your ways of fulfilling Your law in love. Help me have our Father’s heart even as I honor our Father’s law. Let me know what is written but also let me hear what You say. Your ways are much more about relationship than religion. You call us to “be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Teach me what that means. Teach me how to live my life and minister Your love in that way, in Your way. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for us in Austin this weekend at our Healing Prayer Conference with Dan Van Nice Ministries. The Holy Spirit moved deeply in our hearts, especially in the deep places of our spirits, souls, and bodies through inner healing and deliverance, which will manifest itself in every area of our lives. I pray the same for you! Please save the date of March 19th for our Celebration Evening in Lexington of all the Lord has been doing through our ministry this exciting season. Come and see; come and hear our vision and calling; come and be a part! Consider contributing for our Silent Auction to support our ministries. Please send me a note if you'd like to help. Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org