In the Beginningagain

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with family and
friends the birth of Jesus Christ. Now it is onward and forward getting
ready for the New Year. One of those great New Years goals/resolutions many
of us make is to read through the Bible. So with this topic in mind let me
share Bible reading and paraphrasing of this time honored venture.
Hmmm.. so where should I start? How about in the Beginning.

In the Beginningagain?

A while back our pastor gave a sermon on getting to know God by reading our
Bibles regularly and systematically.

During this very good sermon our pastor joked that the most read books of
the Bible are Genesis and Matthew, because our inspired intentions in
January to read through our Bibles fades once we are through Genesis, and
Matthew. (Leviticus has killed many a Bible study )

I must be honest and say I have followed this failed study plan many times
and not until 2003 did I completely read my Bible from cover to cover.

So this brings me to the title of today’s thought. I am in the
Beginning-Again (Beginningagain) in Genesis where it all.. BEGAN.


So in the Beginning God created the world. To summarize, it took 6 days to
complete this daunting project, there was DAY and NIGHT and finally on the
7th day he rested. During those first 6 days, the sun and stars, the land
and all the creatures of the sea and the land were created, and .. man…
then … WOMAN cuz it was not good for man to be alone else he would just
watch tv all day, and never learn teh blessing of a honey-do list. Now
after each of the 6 days of creation, God declared it was good, and when
Eve was created from a spare rib he was not using anyways.. Adam declared..
HELLLO BEAUTIFUL!! With this God commanded "be fruitful and multiply".. in
response to this command.. Adam quickly started working on his times
tables.



Next, God delegated the naming of animals to the Senior Garden Engineer...
Adam. I must imagine this process had more than a few moments that could
only be described as strange.

Other strange moments as seen through the mind of this strange cartoonist
happened (maybe) when the 'NEWNESS' of this new world made no sense. For
example, Adam agonizes to others over his missing childhood memories, and
what's a mother and what's a father? The scriptures have always held many
mysteries that man can only pray to grasp with God’s help.. AND this was
true when the Bible’s first manuscripts were read.

Then there was the Beautiful Garden of Eden created for man, and in the
center of the Garden was theTree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which Adam
and Eve were forbidden to eat of its fruit.. So next enters ‘ The Snake’
aka Satan, and the snake tempts Eve that eating fruit is a good thing, she
does, and offers it Adam and he eats too. In my defense of Adam, though he
did disobey God (being a married man myself) I am sure that refusing food
from his wife would have only resulted in marital thin ice. Of course being
on thin ice with your wife NO MATTER HOW THIS SCARES US MEN.. pales in
comparison to going down in history as the man who first sinned.




So they both eat the apple, and all of a sudden they feel a draft, and
realize they are naked. They felt more uncomfortable in the draft than a
1960s hippy at Woodstock. Now this is a different draft of course, but
neither the 1960s hippy, or Adam & Eve enjoyed facing that awkward dilemma
of what to do next. The hippy headed for Canada Eh!, and Adam & Eve
realized they were naked with no visible means of support, and no one to
blame but themselves..

I will leave this story for today with this message.. Toon in the coming
days for more stories of how the World Turns and other great feats of God.

May you have a great day, blessed by God in great ways.

WOMEN.. the fairer sex?

Women, the fairer sex? I don't think they are always so fair. I mean that
whole honey-do list thing to me seems UNFAIR!.. but.. don't tell my wife I
said so.

I was writing this email on a quiet Sunday morning a while back after
talking with my wife about life while sipping coffee. It was a good time
where we solve the world’s problems in less than 3 cups of coffee. While
enjoying this moment I say to my wife.. “I think some muffins would make
this a perfect morning.” Without hesitating Mary says.. “Then make some.” I
reply.. “You are missing the point, I want YOU to make muffins.” While this
is just playful banter the end result is.. I DID NOT GET NO MUFFINS.

I like to share often about marriage, and this mystery called love from my
first hand ‘survivor’s island’ perspective. From the husbands deer (or
dear)in the head lights look when he is in trouble but honestly does not
know why, to the emotional rollercoaster world of wives.



Guys like action movies, while Gals like tear jerking chick flicks where
love is in the air and all live happily ever after.
Gals want men to be sweet and romantic lavishing gifts of flowers and cards
of heartfelt love .. while Guys want pizza, chips, beverage with a clear
view of the TV while watching the game of the week with their honey loving
every minute of this ‘quality’ time together.
Gals are looking for their prince charming, and Guys want swim suit models
that love Jesus.



So from this complex picture I am painting it becomes painfully obvious a
compromise is in order.

My wife is one of the best people I know and I love her to death… but while
she tells me she grew up in the town of Columbia Heights.. I wonder if that
is Columbia Heights Minnesota, or VENUS.

On the other hand, my wife knows I grew up in the little town of Cable
Wisconsin, but wonders if I lived most of my formative years in a cave near
the city dump raised by bears... and … that my mom only had a couple of
years of influence on me after rescuing me from the above mentioned
bears. To this.. I have no comment except that I am a Packer fan and would
not be seen with either Chicago or city dump bears… since they are one and
the same..

BUT I DIGRESS!

This of course is shared again to celebrate the point that men and women
are different and VIVA LA DIFFERENCE!

Besides the obvious truth that women are easier to look at than gruff old
hairy men, woman bring balance to our lives where else life would be.. a
men’s dormitory. And.. in return men offer to the fairer sex someone
readily available to open jars making us feel manly men powerful and
semi-useful in the kitchen.

Ok, so far I have shared only paragraphs of silly ‘but painfully true’
stereotypes celebrating men and women existing in marriage. The truth is
the differences are what make marriage great.

There is that beautiful middle ground where we need each other, and when a
man cherishes his wife, and a woman loves and respects her husband it is a
beautiful union where life can flourish.





The best years of my life have been my married years to Mary. Her mother’s
heart for our kids, and her support of me is a treasure.. and life would
NOT be the same without her. I believe the same holds true in Mary's loving
apprection of me though we will always have our moments of exasperation
with each other over the above exaggerated stereotypes.

My prayer today is that those of us who are married celebrate this great
gift in life even when her loving glances turn to stares, and his warm
smile is out of place.





Blessings

Ant Farms and Worker Bees!

All for one, and one for all! The ants go marching one by one hooray!
hooray! The marching of the little people is what makes this world
work. You see there are presidents, kings, superstar athletes, CEOs of
major corporations, and then there is me. There are men of great strength,
Hollywood celebrities, super models, great authors, and there is me.

So where do you fit into this world? Are you a superstar or just an worker
bee? Do you run a major corporation or are you just part of life's ant
farm? Truth is I like it here on the farm. Just another face in the sea of
faces.. and you know what they say.. all ants look alike. The Ant Farm of
Christ.. all one farm of many ants.

I have not polled any ants or bees, but I think the message they have is
being about the business that needs to be done, and not being jealous of
the queen bees or other foreman of your ant farm staff.

So how does that fit in with the body of Christ? Selfless service and
simply doing what needs to be done no matter if you are the next Billy
Graham, the next church janitor, or a mechanic! Whether you are the head
of a corporation, work in the mail room, or waiter at the local pie
shop. What if you are a mom buried with the responsibilities of caring for
your preschool children, or a teacher of 4th graders, or a senior widow
woman slowed by old age? All one body of many parts, and all parts
important.

The list of possibilities go on and on.. and so do I, BUT what if each of
us were this selfless? What if we really believed this life was only a
stepping stone to eternity in Heaven then what would it matter the
recognition, what would it matter our bank account balance? What if we were
each faithful in the moment to our neighbors in need, and not worried about
our status and recognition in this life? What a life this could be if we
were all happy living in God's ant farms or being His little worker bees.

Ok you can stop cringing. GOD'S BUGS? what a high calling! LOL! Maybe the
bar should set a bit higher. I mean, the classic Hymns if we were bugs may
be The Ants Go Marching One By One, Hoorah! or the Flight of the Bumblebee.

Reality is to be true to who God made you. This makes God smile, and leads
you to be happy and where you can then get the most out of this life from
this day forward. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in
Heaven.

Got Grace ?

I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn’t be the right place. After all, I couldn’t possibly be welcome here. I had been given an invitation several times, by several different people, and had finally decided to see what this place was all about.
But, this just couldn’t be the right place. Quickly, I glanced down at the invitation that I clutched in my hand. I scanned past the words, “Come as you are. No jacket required, ” and found the location.
Yes, I was at the right place. I peered through the window again and saw a room of people whose faces seemed to glow with joy. All were neatly dressed, adorned in fine garments and appeared strangely clean as they dined at this exquisite restaurant.
Ashamed, I looked down at my own tattered and torn clothing, covered in stains. I was dirty, in fact, filthy. A foul smell seemed to consume me and I couldn’t shake the grime that clung to my body. As I turned around to leave, the words from the invitation seemed to leap out at me………”Come as you are. No jacket required.”
I decided to give it a shot. Mustering up every bit of courage I could find, I opened the door to this restaurant and walked up to a man standing behind a podium. “Your name, sir?” he asked me with a smile. “Richard W. Causey,” I mumbled without looking up. I thrust my hands deep into my pockets, hoping to conceal their stains. He didn’t seem to notice the filth that I was covered in and he continued, “Very good, sir. A table is reserved in your name. Would you like to be seated?”
I couldn’t believe what I heard! A grin broke out on my face and I said, “Yes, of course!” He led me to a table and, sure enough, there was a placard with my name written on it in a deep, dark red.
As I browsed over a menu, I saw many delightful items listed. There were things like, “peace,” “joy,” “blessings,” “confidence,” “assurance,” “hope,” “love,” “faith,” and “mercy.” I realized that this was no ordinary restaurant!
I flipped the menu back to the front in order to see where I was at…. “God’s Grace,” was the name of the place! The man returned and said, “I recommend the ‘Special of the Day.’ With it, you are entitled to heaping portions of everything on this menu.”
You’ve got to be kidding! I thought to myself. You mean, I can have ALL of this! “What is the ‘Special of the Day’ I asked with excitement ringing in my voice.
“Salvation,” was his reply. ” I’ll take it,” I practically cried out. Then, as quickly as I made that statement, the joy left my body. A sick painful ache jerked through my stomach and tears filled my eyes. Between my sobs I said…”Mister, look at me. I’m dirty and nasty.
I’m unclean and unworthy of such things. I’d love to have all of this, but, but, I just can’t afford it.” Undaunted, the man smiled again. “Sir, your check has already been taken care of by that Gentleman over there,” he said pointing to the front of the room. “His Name is Jesus.”
Turning, I saw a man whose very presence seemed to light the room. He was almost too much to look at.
I found myself walking towards Him and in a shaking voice, I whispered, “Sir, I’ll wash the dishes or sweep the floors or take out the trash. I’ll do anything I can do to repay you for all of this.”
He opened His arms and said with a smile, “Son, all of this is yours if you just come unto me. Ask me to clean you up and I will. Ask me to take away the stains and it is done. Ask me to allow you to feast at my table and you will eat.
Remember, the table is reserved in your name. All you must do is accept this gift that I offer you.”
Astonished, I fell at His feet and said, “Please, Jesus. Please clean up my life. Please change me and sit me at your table and give me this new life.” Immediately, I heard the words, “It is finished.”
I looked down and white robes adorned my squeaky clean body. Something strange and wonderful had happened. I felt new, like a weight had been lifted and I found myself seated at His table.
“The ‘Special of the Day’ has been served,” the Lord said to me. “Salvation is yours.” We sat and talked for a great while and I so enjoyed the time that I spent with Him. He told me, me of all people, that He would like for me to come back as often as I liked for another helping from God’s Grace.
He made it clear that He wanted me to spend as much time with Him as possible. As it drew near time for me to go back outside into the “Real World, ” He whispered to me softly, “And Lo, I am with you always.” And then, He said something to me that I will never forget.
He said…”My child, do you see these empty tables throughout this room?” “Yes, Lord. I see them. What do they mean?” I replied. “These are reserved tables… but the individuals whose names are on each placard have not accepted their invitations to dine.
Would you be so kind as to hand out these invitations to those who have not joined us yet?” Jesus asked. “Of course, ” I said with excitement as I picked up the invitations. “Go ye therefore into all nations.”
He said as I turned to leave. I walked into God’s Grace dirty and hungry. Stained in sin. My righteousness as filthy rags. And Jesus cleaned me up. I walked out a brand new man…robed in white, His righteousness. And so, I’ll keep my promise to my Lord. I’ll go. I’ll spread the Word. I’ll share the Gospel… I’ll hand out the invitations. And I’ll start with you. Have you been to God’s Grace? There’s a table reserved in your name, and here’s your invitation….
“Come as you are. No jacket required.” “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9
So if you’re feeling like no one loves you, you’re not worthy, no one wants to be your friend or you don’t want to live any more. Take heart because there is someone who wants you know you, REALLY know YOU. HIS name??? Jesus Christ. Jesus has been with you every day of your life, only you didn’t know it. I’m here today to tell you that there’s a table with your name on it and Jesus wants to share dinner with you. All you have to do is accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Ask HIM to forgive all your sins and believe that HE died for your sins and the Door Will be Opened to you. Join us because we love you. Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. Your choice, your destiny. Where will you spend eternity? Smoking or Non-Smoking?

Author Unknown

The Bell

Someone took a lot of time setting up this message.
If you have trusted Jesus as your saviour, this is what you are.

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?


Keep this bell ringing...pass it on
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...
Numbers 6:24-26

Can I make it to Heaven ?

One of the greatest gifts of God to each of us is the placing of a divine plan for our lives deep within us. God has his generalized plan for humanity and a personal plan or mission for each of us. You, me, the butcher, baker, and even the candlestick maker have a divine purpose scripted on our hearts by the Creator and it is a plan just for us. More incredible is the fact that God has equipped us to carry that plan out and in so doing, help establish his kingdom right here on earth and bring great glory to his being. What a wonder! What a blessing! What a responsibility!




It doesn’t matter who you are, where you have been, and what you have done. That divine purpose still exists inside you and with a little effort and a lot of faith, you can discover it. Start with prayer, asking God through the Holy Spirit to reveal his divine plan for your life. Be persistent in your asking; be vigilant in waiting for an answer; and be confident that the answer will come.



Also, keep in mind that it is never too late to get started on the dreams God has for you. God created you to accomplish extraordinary things and no matter how old you are, how sinful you have been, or whatever afflictions you may suffer from, God can and will use you because that is one of the primary purposes you were created in the first place. Listen as Jim Graff speaks clearly to this issue:



God uses ordinary people – with all their flaws and problems – to accomplish extraordinary dreams. You and I don’t have to wait until we have it all together, achieve a certain degree of fame, earn a specified amount of money, get a better job, or meet the right person. Instead, we can start today to embrace who we are and how God made us, knowing that he will use us. From this knowledge, wellsprings of confidence water our hearts. That confidence allows us to see our dreams and visions as God’s road maps to significant lives.



A significant life – that is what God created you for. Make a consecrated commitment right now to lead a life of excellence in cooperation and divine partnership with the Holy Spirit. The life of excellence is what Jesus demonstrated for us and it is that same kind of life to which each of us is called. Sure, we may foul up things from time to time, but God is right there with us offering a hand to pick us up, dust us off, and send us on our divinely appointed way.



As said earlier, it matters not where you have been. In fact, your past failures and problems may be part of your qualification for the task God has for you to perform. I worked for many years in the field of addiction prevention and treatment. The most effective professionals ministering to those suffering from addiction were those people who were former addicts themselves. It is this foundational philosophy upon which Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are built.



If you think your past sin(s) prevents you from carrying out your purpose for God, you have been lied to by the Master of Deceit himself. Satan would like nothing more than for you to continue walking around half-alive, depressed, despondent, and spiritually paralyzed. That’s why that little voice tells you time and time again that there is no way God will ever use you. Granted, he may use others but you, you’re a lost cause.



Listen my friend – God saved you and God will use you. The God Christians worship is not a God of wasted effort. God never does anything without a reason, a plan and a purpose. If you are saved, you are to be used. You are destined to be God’s instrument for something special. If you doubt what I am saying, go to Scripture and conduct a detailed study of Paul’s life.



Paul, formerly known as Saul, was there when Stephen was stoned to death. He even held the coats for the men who pelted the first Christian martyr. Saul was the most persistent and ardent persecutor of the early church. By the world’s way of reasoning, you would never expect that God would use Saul to spread the faith across the Mediterranean World. But that’s exactly what God did. God, thankfully, doesn’t necessarily think as the world thinks.



If God can use Paul, he can surely use you.



In China I knew a wonderful believer named Mr. Zhou (not his real name.) Now in his 60’s, Mr. Zhou was a successful businessman and used much of his income to support the efforts of the house churches in his Province and also to support young pastors in training. He also spent most of his free time training Chinese missionaries to live and work in Muslim countries. Mr. Zhou had many business interests in the Middle East and often used his stores for employing young Chinese missionaries.



What makes Mr. Zhou’s story so fascinating is how it is similar to that of Paul. Back in the chaotic years of the Cultural Revolution Mr. Zhou was a young man and a leader in the Red Guards. His specialty, as he put it, was ferreting out Christians and torturing them. He often beat them horribly, put dunce caps on their heads and signs on their backs, and then marched them through the city streets while a gathering mob hurled insults, bricks, and bottles at them.



Later, when in his late 30’s, Mr. Zhou found Christ through the efforts of a pastor he had once tortured. Now Mr. Zhou does God’s work out of a sense of love and service. God used Paul and God used Mr. Zhou.



If God can use Mr. Zhou, He can use you.



Once you finally accept the fact that God can use you, wants to use you, and will use you, it is then time to get to work. Many times sincere believers put themselves in a holding pattern, waiting for specific directions from God as to what their ultimate purpose is. Yes, we do need to discern what our ultimate purpose is and with prayer and patience we will do just that. Yet in the meantime there is plenty that we can do. No matter where you live I am certain of one thing: there are people living there who are in need of something and who are suffering. More than likely there are already groups of Christian servants working to meet some of those needs. Find out about these groups and find a way to get involved. The real question is not so much what you should do. The real question once you know in your heart that God wants to use you as his compassionate servant to a hurting world is, “Are you available?”



Only you can answer that question.



Hopefully, you are, indeed, available. You are gifted for service my friend. And no matter what form that service may take, you can rest assured of one absolute certainty: the Holy Spirit will empower you not only proceed, but succeed. He will make sure you not only survive, you will thrive.



My primary purpose in writing this article is to encourage you to understand and accept the reality that God put a potential and purpose in you before you were born and, further, he still wants that purpose to be realized. Stop looking back at the past and instead, step forward into the service that God has for you. You cannot change the past but know this: whatever happened is history in God’s eyes and in God’s heart. As a Christian you have been forgiven so turn your eyes forward instead of keeping them riveted in your rear view mirror.



Do all that you can to let this truth sink deep into the depths of your heart: where you are going, what is in your future is far more important that what’s behind you. Scripture tells us that with God, all things are possible. So if it seems your dreams have died, let the Lord resurrect those dormant dreams and allow those dreams to drive you and motivate you to be all that you can be for the glory of God and the sake of others. Joel Osteen, on of God’s gifted encouragers, speaks clearly about this:



You may feel that you are at an empty place in life today. Not much is going your way. You’ve been through severe difficulties. But God wants to restore you, to encourage you, to fill you with His hope. He wants to resurrect your dreams. He wants to do a new thing.



Continually remind yourself that you have a gift on the inside. You are talented. You are creative. That’s exactly why the enemy is trying to push you down, to keep your gifts, your creativity, your joy, your smile, your personality, and your dreams from ever seeing the light of day. He would love for them to lie dormant your whole lifetime. Thank God, it’s not up to your enemy: it’s up to you.

As mentioned earlier, it may well be that your past mistakes – the places in life where you erred the most – that will qualify you for a particular service in God’s kingdom. During my years working in ministry and social service in Dade County, Florida I witnessed this spiritual truth played out time and time again. Brad, a former homeless crack addict found the Master, found sobriety, and then founded a crisis intervention center for street addicts who had overdosed on drugs. Many lives were saved through the efforts of Brad and the outreach workers he trained.



Marsha, a one-time prostitute and talented pick-pocket wound up in the Emergency Room, severely beaten and strung out on heroin. Through the efforts of a hospital chaplain she obtained treatment for her addiction, became involved in a local congregation, and after several years of sobriety, helped start a program that provided business clothing and interview skills training to women who desired to leave her former profession.



Scripture reveals that God is a master of the art of reclamation. In today’s popular television vernacular, he is a maestro of the “total makeover.” If you doubt my word, read it for yourself. Scripture reads like a regular rogue’s gallery of offenders. John and Paula Sandford describe this aspect of God’s character:



God’s children, in whom He has done mighty things, have come from checkered careers. Moses was a murderer. Look what Jacob did with Esau and Laban. Abraham tricked King Abimelech. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed. Peter denied Jesus three times. John and James fought to be the highest. Paul went to Damascus breathing murder and threats. Our checkered careers, our utter sinfulness and degradation, our falling into all manner of vain seeking, become by the grace of God on the cross and in the resurrection the inevitable writing of wisdom on our hearts. Our hurts and sins have become our schooling and preparation. Would that we could learn purity the easy way. Praise God that His mercy is such that He turns the depth of our sin into the strength of ministry. We are not proud of our wrongdoing, but the sweet grace of God is such that in the end we thank Him for it. Our sins have become our training for high calling rather than our disqualification.



As the years have passed, my journey of faith has grown simpler in many ways and one of those ways involves having both awe and reverence for how God chooses to do things. As the above quotation from the Sandfords implies, no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. Further, no matter what our past indiscretions might have been, none of us are so damaged that he cannot use us in some way in carrying out his will here on earth. Coupled with the aforementioned sense of awe and reverence , this awareness leads me to a profound sense of gratitude.



Think about it.

1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.



4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.



8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.



13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.