#multiplies

X∞Multiplies / Yellow Magic Orchestra (1999 Remaster)

NIGO®: MULTIPLIES! Japanese Exclusive Futura “The Century Of Iconography” (2004) Location: Exhibition At The Aoyama Bape Gallary

Service Door

“ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways.” 1Cor 13:11GWT

One pastor-teacher, I’ve had the privilege of hearing, told of his difficulties pastoring. When things didn’t go ‘his way,’ he’d yell, throw tantrums, try to convince people his way was best. His church membership never acquired maturity. Amidst a total church break-up, God began dealing with Jack about his childhood. Abuses, alcoholic parents— dysfunctional parenting caused him to ‘serve God to please God,’ always needing to remain in control. He discovered, he chose ‘ministry’ rather than his parents’ alcohol. 

Complete spiritual bankruptcy occurred, forcing his pastoring resignation. Broken, God began rebuilding him through the books of John. There he found unconditional love— not earning love. Before his premature death, he’d become an awesome lover of God and people.

Reaching spiritual maturity is often affected by prior abuses, molestations, bullying, spoiling, etc. and our reactions. Why we expect people to progress from born again to spiritual maturity overnight puzzles me. Just as physical maturity doesn’t happen overnight, neither does spiritual maturity. 

Our ‘get ‘er done’ mentality leads us to draw on our personal gifts, charisma, ideas, programs, service and knowledge of scriptures, in our Christian life. Each person must become completely spiritually bankrupt, before God can use us. Otherwise we’d try to live for God out of our own resources. This lead to a day of being totally depleted. God wants us to be constantly renewed. 

Why is spiritual maturity so difficult to achieve? The foremost ingredient is a walk of “LOVE.” Starting with loving God— not serving God. “Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. …the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself,’” Mt 22:37-39NIV. 

Most baby Christians first question— how can I serve and please God? NEWSFLASH! You can’t! God loves you by His choice. He desires your LOVE in return! True service occurs as a result of love, not a desire to please.

Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” Jn 13:35NLT. Real love for God multiplies into a love for other people. 

Apostle John wrote a wealth of spiritual maturity found in 1Jn 4. Highlighting V19-21NIV “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

Jesus gave three commandments— love God, love people, forgive. Spiritual children love themselves first. Maturity comes from loving God first. Loving God produces enough maturity to fulfill loving people and forgiveness. You’ll also find a natural outcropping of service from loving God. But be careful or you’ll be fooled by the temptation to go through the service door first. It’s your choice. You choose.

PRAYER: Abba Father, thank You for loving us. Hatred and dislike are so prevalent and easy. Yet You chose for love to be the first. Help us to love as You have loved us, in Jesus’ name I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux

A famous song from the early days of YMO. In the early 1980s, the end-of-the-century mood was prevalent, but I could sympathize with the fact that this era was rather called ``the good times'' and that he sang about a woman who ``turns broken boys into toys''. It's Yukihiro Takahashi's song. His pop sensibilities are wonderful. In an interview with a magazine, he said that the classical composers of the past were “living in happy times,” but we are always in happy times.

Nice age(YMO: multiplies) テクノポップ