—MOOctober 31, 1977DFO NO.639

© Copyrighted December 1977 by the Children of God

1. YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID SO MANY TIMES—"LOVE NEVER FAILS."—We're always saying, "If you use love it will never fail, even if it looks like it's failing! If you really do it in love it will not fail in the long run, you'll reap it sooner or later."

2. BUT TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IT SUDDENLY STRUCK ME IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAY.—IF YOU LOVE THEM, YOU'LL NOT FAIL THEM. If it's real love and you really love them you'll not fail them, you'll not fail them. You won't let them down, you won't disappoint them. You won't just go off and desert them and say, "Well they didn't respond." You won't fail them.

3. I THINK SOME OF OUR FRIENDS HAVE PROBABLY FIGURED THAT WE FAILED THEM because we forsook them and deserted them. We said we loved them but we didn't act like it.

4. IF IT'S LOVE THAT'S ONLY GOING TO LAST A COUPLE OF DAYS OR A COUPLE OF WEEKS OR A COUPLE OF MONTHS‚ THAT'S NOT VERY MUCH LOVE. It's the fellows that we've been faithful to and kept at and hammered away at for years there in Tenerife that are finally coming through.

5. SOMETIMES I THINK MAYBE WE GIVE UP TOO EASY because we don't get much response. We don't get results‚ and it just seems like, "What's the use?" Well, maybe we need to keep on trying, maybe we shouldn't give up so easy. "Love never fails!" (1Cor.13:8)

6. WE KNOW GOD'S LOVE NEVER FAILS, He never fails and whatever has been done in His love will not fail, it's going to bear some kind of fruit, it's had some results, some effect. But has our love failed? Have we failed them?

7. CAN YOU THINK OF ANY INSTANCES IN WHICH MAYBE WE FAILED?—Times when we didn't hold on long enough‚ we didn't try hard enough, we gave up too easy?

8. I GOT PRETTY FED UP AT TIMES WITH SOME OF THESE GUYS, to where I wanted Maria to just jilt them, jolt them and dump'em!—But maybe we failed, we gave up too soon. Anyhow, that's what I got this morning, "love never fails."

9. IF IT'S REAL LOVE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FAIL THEM. You're not going to be here today, gone tomorrow, you're not going to let them down. You're not going to fail them if it's real love, you're not going to disappoint them. Because if you do they'll probably become so hardened nobody will ever be able to reach them.

10. IF WE FAIL THEM, IF THEY GO BACK, THEY'LL BE SO HARDENED AND INSULATED THEY'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO BE REACHED again. We say we love them but how much do we love them? What kind of love is it that just tries a little while and gives up?

11. MAYBE YOU'RE THE ONLY REAL LOVE THEY'VE EVER KNOWN, you know? If that love could fail them, what are they ever going to believe in, especially when this love is supposed to be from God!

12. I'M SURE ALL OF US ARE GUILTY IN SOME WAYS with some of them. Sometimes you girls just get fed up with the guy and tired of them.—You just jilt them like a bored lover, instead of being faithful until you see them through. But if it's real love it will not fail, it's God's love.

13. EVEN MOTHERS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO FORGET THEIR OWN. The Bible says, "When my mother and my father forsake me, the Lord will take me up." (Ps.27:10.)—That's real love. Praise the Lord!

14. SOMETIMES I THINK WE'RE TOO IMPATIENT AND WE LOOK FOR TOO QUICK RESULTS, too quick visible effects. If they don't just suddenly kneel down and pray and ask Jesus into their heart and we don't see some kind of a big miracle, why we just get discouraged and give up. But with some people you don't know how much effect you may have had.

15. SOME PEOPLE ON THE SURFACE DON'T SHOW MUCH EMOTION and they don't like to confess what an effect you may have had on them‚ they're too proud. But you may have had more of an effect on them than you realise.

16. THEY MAY HAVE LOOKED TO YOU MORE THAN YOU REALISE. Maybe they were depending on you even giving them more. Maybe they were depending on you not giving up. I think some people have given up on themselves.

17. I THINK IN MY LAST DAYS WITH MOTHER, BEFORE I MET MARIA, I'D ALMOST GIVEN UP ON MYSELF. Mother had practically won me over to where I agreed with her that I was no good, of no account and could never accomplish anything, would never get anywhere, and I wasn't a man of God, I wasn't spiritual‚ I didn't pray enough or read my Bible enough and didn't get down on my knees enough and moan and groan like she did. I have sometimes‚ especially over her.

18. I THINK I'D REALLY GIVEN UP ON MYSELF. I still believed God, I believed in Him, but I'd almost given up that He could ever do anything with me. I could see He was doing a lot with my kids and I was trying to help,

19. BUT I FIGURED MY DAY WAS OVER, and Mother had given up on me, that was obvious.—And it almost looked like God had given up on me because I wasn't seeming to accomplish anything. Mother just nearly persuaded me to give up on myself.

20. THEN MARIA CAME ALONG AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I FOUND SOMEBODY WHO BELIEVED IN ME! I don't know why‚ I mean it was absolutely a miracle of God! There was no reason why she should have believed in me, she didn't even know me, but God just gave her a simple childlike faith in me that the Lord still loved me and could use me and was going to use me.

21. SHE JUST BELIEVED, SHE JUST HAD REAL BELIEVING FAITH like a little child. She just trusted and believed and I didn't dare fail her. I mean God put me where I had to deliver. So I stepped out by faith and depended on the Lord and I delivered, and here we are!

22. "A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM."—IT WAS HER FAITH! I'm sure when we get to Heaven God's going to give her all the credit. (Maria: It's evident that it's all the Lord.) I mean if any credit's going to be given to us humans at all, she's going to get the credit, because before she came along I had just about given up.

23. IT LOOKED LIKE MY LIFE WAS OVER, here I was 50 and I was just sort of living my life in my kids now and promoting them‚ and that was all Mother was doing too—she'd given up on promoting me.

24. MY OWN MOTHER WAS ABOUT THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS STILL TRYING TO DO SOMETHING WITH ME and had gotten me a few little invitations to go to Brentwood Chapel and teach a Bible class and a few other church visits like that. We got Mini Max and Bezeleel out of that. I mean that was a church about as far gone as it could be. I guess they invited me because they figured it was so dead already that nothing could hurt it.

25. SO THERE'S A CASE WHERE LOVE NEVER FAILED, SHE DIDN'T GIVE UP. She believed I could do something for the Lord, and she refused to believe anything else, she never gave up.

26. SHE COULD HAVE HAD ALL KINDS OF REASONS TO GIVE UP, especially with Mother around running me down all the time and ranting and raving at me, practically cursing me out. But she didn't give up‚ thank the Lord! Love never fails, real love.

27. THAT WAS REAL LOVE AND I'M SURE IT WAS A GIFT OF GOD, because I wasn't all that lovable. I don't know why she ever loved me at all‚ and I don't think she knew why either, but it was just the Holy Spirit and the Lord. If it's His love, His Spirit and real love, it won't give up, amen?

28. WE GET A BURDEN FOR PEOPLE SOMETIMES, BUT THEN DO WE LOSE OUR LOVE FOR THEM? If we can lose our love for them‚ it wasn't really love in the first place. How can we lose real love for someone?

29. (MARIA: BUT YOU DON'T ALWAYS CONTINUE TO HAVE SUCH A STRONG BURDEN FOR THEM?) No, not even the Lord does. Even the Lord says, "My Spirit will not always strive with man" (Gen.6:3), but it strives an awful long time.

30. (MARIA: YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM SOMEBODY ELSE OR SOMETHING ELSE IN PLACE OF YOU if you have to leave them or get occupied loving others.) If you can't, you'd better try to have something or someone for them, as long as they're open, as long as they receive it. Now, if they slam the door and say, "Go away and leave me alone! I don't ever want to see you again! I don't want to hear any more!"—that's different.

31. AS LONG AS THEY'RE STILL LISTENING, I BELIEVE THERE'S STILL HOPE. As long as they still want to see and want to hear, they still listen.—They might argue, they might say they don't believe, and all that—it may not seem like they're doing anything—but as long as they keep listening, there's hope. In a way, as long as they keep listening, they're receiving.

32. WE ALMOST GAVE UP ON ONE MAN I'M THINKING OF RIGHT NOW, BUT WE KEPT ON TRYING. I figured as long as he didn't turn against us and throw us out, he was receiving us. And I told Maria one time: If he's receiving us, he's receiving Jesus, even though he won't confess it—hard-headed old Jew!

33. HE'D NEVER GIVE US THE SATISFACTION OF KNOWING IT, BUT DOWN IN HIS HEART HE MUST HAVE BEEN RECEIVING somehow, because he was receiving us and he was fighting with almost the whole world in our defense. He must have fought off the forces of hell to let us stay there in spite of all the criticism and opposition we were getting. So he was really receiving us. As long as he kept letting us come back‚ he was receiving us.

34. THE LORD SAYS, "HE THAT RECEIVETH YOU RECEIVETH ME." (Mt.10:40.) Sometimes we need to remember that, that even though it doesn't look like they're receiving anything, if they're still receiving us and receiving what we have to say, they're still listening, maybe they're receiving more than we realise. They just don't want to give us the satisfaction of knowing it. They're too proud to admit it. But let's not fail them, let's not disappoint them, because then that could really hurt their faith. It's the old thing‚

35. IF THEY CAN BELIEVE THAT YOU LOVE THEM‚ THEN THEY CAN BELIEVE THAT GOD LOVES THEM. But if they get disillusioned and disappointed and lose faith that you really love them and they don't believe you love them anymore, they can also lose faith that God loves them. Right?

36. THESE SOULS ARE VERY PRECIOUS, THEY'RE VERY FRAGILE AND THEY'RE VERY DELICATE, tender and important, so let's be awful careful that we don't disappoint the Lord.—That our love doesn't fail. We need to be careful we don't let it fail, amen? Praise the Lord! Amen Lord, thank You for that little thought You just brought to us.

37. HELP OUR LOVE NOT TO FAIL, LORD, not to be the kind that fails. In Jesus' Name. I'm reminded of that story I think I've told before.

38. A YOUNG BOY INSISTED ON GOING OUT IN THE NO MAN'S LAND OF A BATTLEFIELD TO RESCUE HIS BROTHER who had been wounded lying out there between the trenches. His officer forbade him to go, saying‚ "It's certain death‚ you can't go out there! You're bound to get shot‚ you're bound to be wounded!" He said, "I forbid you to go."

39. THE BOY SAID, "I'M SORRY BUT I'VE GOT TO GO BECAUSE HE EXPECTS IT OF ME." When he got there he himself fell in the same shell hole, also wounded, but his brother said‚

40. "I KNEW YOU'D COME, I KNEW YOU'D COME!" And when they finally rescued them both, the first boy had died, and the brother that had run out to try to rescue him or at least be with him when he was dying said to his officer, "I told you so, he excepted it of me, I had to go." And then as the story goes, I believe he died too.

41. YOU JUST CAN'T DISAPPOINT SOME PEOPLE, THEY EXPECT IT OF YOU and if you don't live up to their expectations‚ they're apt to lose faith and heart and courage and everything. There're some people we just dare not fail, or they are apt to get discouraged and go back, and then we've done all our hard work fruitlessly.

42. WELL, I DON'T THINK WE EVER GIVE OUR LOVE TO NO AVAIL, we at least give them a chance. They know and feel the love of God and they have their opportunity and we show them love, but maybe sometimes we give up prematurely.

43. SO DON'T GIVE UP TOO SOON. MAYBE THEY'LL COME ACROSS EVEN WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT. Like Amundsen, "Don't rescue me prematurely!"—only in these fellows' case, better said, "Don't quit rescuing me prematurely!" Maybe we need to think about it like that sometimes.

44. THANK YOU LORD FOR A PLACE WHERE WE CAN BE AWAY FROM THE NOISE AND CONFUSION OF THE CITY where we can have some privacy and walk about and get some fresh air and sunshine, Lord, and some exercise as well as work well in a quiet atmosphere, Lord, peace and quiet. Thank You Lord.

45. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE, Lord, all of our staffs, all the little folks who do all the things that need to be done to make our own work possible. Bless them for it, give them a feeling of real satisfaction that they're really accomplishing something, Lord, even doing small things because it releases us to do big things.

46. BLESS THOSE, LORD, WHO ARE THY LEADERS AND SO RESPONSIBLE AND HAVE SUCH GREAT BURDENS. Lord help them to take them seriously before Thee constantly, seek Thy face and guidance and realise how important they are and how much the whole world depends on them, the direction we're going.

47. THANK YOU FOR HOW YOU'VE LED US, LORD, YOU HAVE NEVER FAILED. You have continually given us guidance, direction, revelation, vision, everything that we needed, Lord.

48. WE HAVE TRIED TO STAY "TRUE TO THE HEAVENLY VISION", LORD. We've tried not to disobey it. We've tried to give it and pass it on and tried to explain what it means, and they have obeyed, Lord. (Ac.26:19.)

49. THY CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD ARE REAPING THE RESULTS OF WHAT YOU SHOWED US, LORD, and what You designed and You ordered.—No credit to us except that we just have tried to be a faithful messenger from You. Some of these things seem crazy, they sound crazy even to us sometimes, Lord, and they look crazy and we can't even understand them sometimes, yet they always work out, Lord, there's always some meaning in the long run, and they always bear some good fruit. Thank You for it, Lord.

50. THERE ARE MANY THINGS YET THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND‚ BUT WE KNOW THAT YOU'LL SHOW US in Thy time. In the meantime we have to just trust Thee and obey, Lord‚ whether we understand it or not. Thank You Lord!

51. SOMETIMES IT'S BEEN BLIND OBEDIENCE, BUT YOU'VE NEVER FAILED TO BRING SOMETHING THAT HAS OPENED OUR EYES and shown us that there have been good results in some way, some fruit, some effect, thank You Lord! We cannot deny, Lord, it's Thy work around the world‚ Thou art the one that's built the house and kept the city, not us.

52. IT'S MIRACULOUS, LORD‚ HOW OUR KIDS HAVE HAD SUCH FAITH and been so obedient and accomplished so much and had such terrific fruit! Thank You for it Lord. Bless them and continue to make them a blessing.

53. CONTINUE TO KEEP US IN STRENGTH AND HEALTH‚ LORD, AND SECURITY THAT WE MIGHT CONTINUE TO HELP them as much as we can as long as we can, all of us. Bless in all the details of administration, Lord‚ in which these are encumbered, and the business, finances, everything Lord, bless them. Continue to bless and provide, Lord, and protect, that we might carry on Thy service.

54. THANK YOU FOR THE FAITHFULNESS OF THESE HERE, LORD, THESE WHO HAVE STOOD BY US, some for many years now‚ and been loyal and faithful and continue to love us, Lord, in spite of our own weaknesses, in spite of our failures, in spite of what a mess we are sometimes‚ Lord, they still love us anyhow. This has been so proven, Lord, recently.

55. HOW THEY COULD STILL LOVE US, LORD, WE DON'T KNOW we don't understand, but they do. They're still here, Lord, still helping and loving, gently tenderly caring for us and our needs, Lord, our comfort. God bless them for it Lord! We know You will and we know You have and will continue to do so, Lord, because they have honored Thy Prophet‚ Lord, in spite of his many shortcomings.

56. THANK YOU LORD FOR PULLING US THROUGH. We learned a lot of lessons, Lord, and we believe and hope we won't have to repeat them. You've helped us again to realise how totally dependent we are on Thee, that You're the One who really does it all and we're nothing‚ we just have to depend on You‚ Jesus.—And we do, Lord‚ we do.

57. "EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE, THEY LABOR IN VAIN THAT BUILD IT." (Ps.127:1.) So Lord, we're labouring with You but not in vain because we believe You're building the house and it's Your house, we're building it the way You want it built‚ thank You Lord!

58. "EXCEPT THE LORD KEEP THE CITY THE WATCHMAN WATCHETH BUT IN VAIN." (Ps.127:1.) But Lord, we believe that You are keeping the city and therefore we're not watching in vain. We also must watch, Lord, but not in vain‚ because You're helping and keeping us. We thank You for it, in Jesus' Name. Such a miracle‚ so many miracles, Lord! Everyday is a miracle! Every life is a miracle Lord!

59. THIS WORK IS SUCH A MIRACLE, LORD, IT COULDN'T BE OF MAN, it had to be of God, had to be of You‚ Lord. If it had been of man, Lord, it would have come nought. But because it has been of You, Lord, no man has been able to stand against it. In spite of many trying to stand against it, Lord, all have been defeated! Thank You Jesus! (Rom.8:31.)

60. WE'RE STILL MARCHING ON, STILL GROWING, still going further, still evangelising more, still winning more Lord, still spreading that Truth more and more everyday. Nothing can stop us, Lord, as long as You're with us! So keep us with You, Lord.

61. KEEP US CLOSE TO YOU and help us to stay close to You in Thy will, Lord, and obedient, following moment by moment. Every moment keep our hearts right with You, Jesus, our motives right, our will right, and everything right with You.

62. IT'S ALL FOR THY GLORY TO PLEASE THEE, Lord, and to serve Thee and obey Thee and because we love You Jesus, because of how much You've loved us. No credit to us, Lord, and we have no excuses. We just thank You for Your love, Lord, how much You loved us. You didn't fail us, Lord, You didn't give up on us, even though we looked like a hopeless case.

63. YOUR LOVE DIDN'T FAIL US, LORD, HELP OUR LOVE NOT TO FAIL OTHERS‚ not even to fail any member of our staff, Lord‚ who looks to us for love and for our word of encouragement and inspiration. Help us not get so busy that we forget the little people, that they need lifting up too. Even though they're living right here with us‚ Lord, they need a word of love, a word of encouragement, a word of appreciation. Help us never to neglect them Lord, in Jesus' name.

64. HELP OUR LOVE NOT TO FAIL ANYONE, not even our own‚ Jesus. You've not failed us‚ Lord, help us not to fail others. In Jesus' name‚ amen. Give us a good night's sleep, praise the Lord. Well, we could have a big prayer meeting and everybody pray and everything, but I guess the Lord already knows all our needs. Anyhow, that's the way I feel about it, praise the Lord!

65. WE JUST DON'T DARE FAIL THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE APT TO GET DISCOURAGED. Even in chastisement, we've got to love them up. Like in "Lashes of Love," we've got to love them up to let them know we still love them "lest they be discouraged and turned out of the way." We just can't fail them: They expect it of us! (Heb.12:12-13.)