Long Island Church of Christ

09/15/2026

Respectful Love Is Gentle and Courteous Toward All

I have made the mistake of judging people and presuming I understood their motives. I interpreted an action, reached a conclusion, and later discovered that I was wrong. Those moments humbled me. I had to apologize, ask forgiveness, and own my presumption rather than dismiss what I had done. I’ve learned that respectful love does not assume it knows another person’s heart.

The Holy Spirit reminds me in Titus 3:1–2 that I am called to be submissive and obedient to authorities, “ready for every good work,” maligning no one, being peaceable and gentle, and showing consideration toward everyone. This becomes especially powerful in a culture where political disagreement, social media, workplace tension, and even church conflict can train me to view people as opponents.

The old me wants to presume motives: Why did they say that? They obviously meant… But I am a new creation. The Spirit in me teaches me to slow down, inquire more deeply, listen, and allow God’s Word to triumph over my assumptions.

Respectful love does not mean enabling abuse, ignoring injustice, or pretending sin is acceptable. Gentleness is not weakness, and submission is not permission for someone to control or mistreat me. I can establish godly boundaries and speak truth while still refusing contempt, slander, retaliation, and presumption.

What an opportunity God gives me! When someone rubs me the wrong way, instead of becoming an obstacle to God’s peace, I can facilitate it. I can ask before assuming, listen before judging, and understand before condemning.

God values me enough to call me His saint and His light in this darkness. I do not need to overpower anyone to prove my worth. Christ has already established my worth. Respectful love lets His peace, gentleness, and consideration shine through me.

09/14/2026

Live With Respect; Live at Peace

“If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.” — Romans 12:18, BSB

The Holy Spirit teaches me that peace begins with taking responsibility for my part. I cannot control another person’s attitude, but I can surrender my bitterness, presumption, malice, and need to win. The old me may crave controversy or use anger to protect my insecurity, but the Spirit helps me respond from my secure standing in Christ.

Living at peace does not mean approving sin, tolerating abuse, or becoming codependent. The words “if it is possible” acknowledge that reconciliation is not always within my control. Respectful love may require me to speak the truth, confront injustice, establish wise boundaries, or seek protection—without hatred or revenge.

At work, I can disagree without humiliating anyone. At home, I can listen before defending myself and apologize when I cause harm. In political conversations, I can refuse contempt and remember that my allegiance to Christ is greater than any ideology. Peace does not require me to abandon conviction; it requires me to express conviction with the character of Jesus.

God values me too deeply for me to surrender my heart to constant conflict. He has called me to be a saint and a light in a combative world. Because Jesus has given me a peace the world cannot manufacture, I do not have to prove myself by defeating others. I can shine through calm courage, truthful words, healthy boundaries, and respectful love.

09/13/2026

“for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:27 NIV
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Today after service, Imani Allen decided to follow Jesus and giving her life to Him through baptism! We are all very happy! If you would like to know more about The Gospel be sure to go to our website LICOC.org ✝️
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09/11/2026

Protective Love—Loving God and People

Lord Supper by Gerard TougheySermon by Rob Young

09/11/2026

God Has Protected Me

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.” — Psalm 32:1–2, BSB

I am doubly blessed—not because I have never sinned, but because God has forgiven my transgression, covered my sin, and no longer counts my iniquity against me. These words describe the seriousness and breadth of sin: missing what is right, crossing God’s boundaries, and deliberately turning from His ways. Yet God’s grace is greater than every expression of my rebellion.

God’s covering is not the unhealthy concealment that allows abuse, injustice, or destructive behavior to continue. He brings sin into His light so that it can be confessed, forgiven, and removed. He protects me from condemnation and shame without pretending that my choices do not matter. His love confronts what is destroying me while guarding my dignity and leading me toward restoration.

Because I am forgiven, I no longer need to hide behind lies, excuses, blame, or a carefully managed image. I can be honest about my failures without allowing them to define me. The old me wants to conceal sin or redefine it according to culture, but the Spirit within me helps me agree with God and walk in truth.

Healthy self-love means seeing myself as God sees me: accountable, deeply valued, redeemable, and called to holiness. I do not excuse sin, nor do I punish myself endlessly for what God has forgiven. I stand in awe of the God who knows everything about me yet chooses to cleanse and protect me. As His saint and light in the world, I can now offer others the same truthful, restorative, shame-free love I have received.

09/10/2026

Protective Love Builds Up

“Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.” — Ephesians 4:29, BSB

Protective love makes me consider what my words will build before I speak. Unwholesome talk is not limited to profanity. It includes gossip, ridicule, crude humor, angry insults, manipulative silence, and even truthful information shared with the wrong people or for selfish reasons.

The Holy Spirit instructs me to speak what is helpful for building up the person in need. This does not mean overlooking sin, enabling destructive behavior, or remaining silent about abuse and injustice. Grace speaks truth, establishes necessary boundaries, protects those being harmed, and seeks restoration rather than humiliation.

My words also affect everyone listening. When I criticize a coworker, demean my spouse, mock someone online, or repeat another person’s failure, I teach others how to treat that individual. Those words may travel far beyond the original conversation. Protective love asks, “Would I want these words repeated? Will they bring healing, clarity, and grace?”

The old me may want the temporary satisfaction of exposing someone, winning an argument, or landing a clever insult. But I am a new creation. The Spirit helps me reject words that tear down and choose language that reflects God’s patience with me. Because God values me, corrects me with love, and calls me to be holy, I can offer that same grace to others. In a culture filled with outrage and contempt, wholesome speech allows me to protect people, strengthen relationships, and shine as a light in the darkness.

09/09/2026

Am I Stirring the Pot or Covering It?

“Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.” — Proverbs 10:12, BSB

I must ask myself whether my words are calming conflict or stirring the pot. Hatred keeps an offense circulating. It retells the story, exaggerates the details, recruits allies, and uses another person’s failure to embarrass or isolate them. Protective love takes a different path: it refuses to turn someone’s transgression into gossip, entertainment, or am******on.

Covering a transgression does not mean pretending it never happened. Love addresses wrongdoing honestly, privately, and gently, with the goal of repentance and restoration. If someone is being abused, threatened, or exploited, covering with love means protecting the vulnerable and seeking appropriate help—not concealing the offender’s behavior. Love covers shame; it does not cover up continuing harm.

At school, online, at work, or in church, I may feel the old me wanting to expose someone who hurt me. The Spirit calls me to resist retaliation. Before sharing the offense, I should ask: “Am I seeking wise help, or am I trying to damage this person’s reputation?”

God knows every one of my transgressions, yet He offers mercy and calls me His beloved child. That fills me with awe. Because He values me and is sanctifying me, I do not need revenge or public approval. I can speak truth, establish healthy boundaries, defend anyone in danger, and still refuse to humiliate the offender. As a saint and a light in a dark culture, I cover others with the same restorative love God has shown me.

09/08/2026

Protective Love Restores Gently

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” —Galatians 6:1–2 BSB

Sin does not merely produce bad behavior; it can trap and enslave a person. When someone is caught in sin, the Holy Spirit does not call me to embarrass, condemn, or discard them. If I am walking by the Spirit, my purpose is restoration. The Greek word for “restore,” katartizō, describes repairing what is damaged or carefully setting something back into its proper condition. This is the work of protective love.

Protecting someone does not mean concealing abuse, overlooking injustice, or shielding a person from necessary consequences. It means protecting their dignity while bringing the truth into the light. I can establish firm boundaries, involve appropriate authorities, and defend anyone endangered while still seeking the sinner’s repentance and restoration.

I must also watch myself. My heart may enjoy feeling morally superior, spreading another person’s failure, excusing their behavior, or becoming entangled in the same sin. The old me may crave gossip, control, or approval, but the Spirit teaches me to remain humble, truthful, and gentle.

Healthy self-love means recognizing my limitations. I can help carry another person’s burden without assuming that I am their savior or becoming codependent. Jesus is the Savior; I am simply His servant.

God considers both the wounded person and the struggling sinner worth pursuing. When I help someone stand again without compromising truth, I fulfill the law of Christ—the law of sacrificial love. God’s holiness produces restoration, and His love makes me a safe light in a dark world.

09/04/2026

Able to Encourage with Hope as My Anchor

Hebrews 10:23-25 (BSB)
Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The Holy Spirit calls me to participate actively in the life of the church. Before I can encourage others effectively, however, I must hold resolutely to the hope I profess. My confidence is not anchored in favorable circumstances, political stability, personal success, or the reliability of people. My hope rests upon the character of God. He who promised is faithful, even when I experience disappointment, opposition, or suffering.

Because hope anchors me, I can intentionally consider how to spur others toward love and good deeds. This is not permission to criticize, manipulate, or shame them. Biblical encouragement begins with my example. I cannot sincerely challenge others to serve while I remain uninvolved, or urge them to persevere while I continually withdraw. I encourage most powerfully when I am already loving, serving, forgiving, and remaining faithful.

The old me may want to isolate myself when relationships become uncomfortable or when church life does not meet my expectations. But I am a new creation. The Spirit teaches me that gathering with other believers is not merely about what I receive; it is also about the hope, encouragement, and strength God wants me to give.

Jesus is coming, and that approaching Day gives urgency to my relationships. Someone near me may be discouraged, tempted, grieving, or quietly losing hope. Therefore, I will remain present. I will speak courage, demonstrate love, and practice the good deeds I encourage in others. Because God is faithful, hope becomes my anchor—and my anchored life can help someone else keep holding on.

09/03/2026

Living Hope Through Jesus’ Resurrection

“His great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope...” —1 Peter 1:3, BSB

There is no lasting hope in my flesh. Because sin brought death into the world, my body is perishing, and the old me naturally pursues desires that also lead toward death. Yet God, in His great mercy, has completely changed my destiny. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He has given me new birth into a living hope.

Jesus did not merely survive death—He conquered it. Because He rose, I know that death will not have the final word over me. I will rise because Christ arose. My future is not a repaired version of my former existence. It is life 2.0: resurrection life, untouched by decay, sin, abuse, injustice, political turmoil, or the failures of this world.

God has prepared an inheritance for me that can never perish, become corrupted, or lose its beauty. No person can manipulate it away from me. No broken relationship, workplace conflict, cultural pressure, or personal failure can cancel what God has reserved in heaven.

Biblical self-love means valuing the new life God has given me rather than surrendering myself to destructive desires, codependent relationships, or the approval of others. Sanctification means allowing the Spirit to redirect my attention from the dying promises of the world to God’s enduring Word.

Even while I wait, I am not unprotected. God’s power shields me through faith. I am His valued child, called to live as a saint and shine with resurrection hope in a culture overshadowed by death.