The Proof of OUR Love

Do you remember how it felt the first time you fell in love, the first time you wanted to spend every free moment with that special someone, how your thoughts revolved around nothing but that person, just the sound of their voice made butterflies in your belly. Or how about when you had your first child, that desire to protect and nurture your baby, the constant need to know that they were okay even while they were sleeping, the joy of watching them grow, the pride of seeing them learn and mature. What about the love we have for our parents, closest friends and even our pets? 

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

(1 Corinthians 13:1-7 MSG) 

I'm asking about love, because I want to ask a thought provoking question ~ do you love God as much as you love EVERYone and EVERYthing else in your life?  

It's easy to say without a doubt that yes we love God, but where does he come in our life? We tend to put the important things in our life at the front of our list - so does God actually show in the real world the same place as He does on your list? If we put God first on the list, do we start our day with Him? Do we say we love God as much as favorite TV shows, yet we schedule time for our shows but not for God? Is our time with God sound like a laundry list of wants and needs in a short prayer time?

Prayer isn't just a time of petition, it's a time to spend with God, talking to Him - just like you ask your child how their day was at school.  God wants us to take time out of busy days to spend with Him:  talk to Him, tell Him what's on our mind (yes He already knows, but that doesn't mean He doesn't delight in hearing from us), tell Him how much we love Him, tell Him 'Thank You' for all He's done for us. 

Reading God's Word is such an awesome way of getting to know God, talk about falling in love with God all over again!  When we read His Word, it is a love letter to each and everyone of us, it's a reminder of how much God loves us.  Time in the scriptures is time never wasted, we fill our spiritual tank up - we replenish what has been taken (drained) from us by this world.  

Serving others shows God's love - we're called to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  It’s impossible to do this living in our own little world, only attending church for an hour or two each week.  Jesus told us that we would be known by our fruits and He even went further to demonstrate that those who would cast out demons and performed miracles with His name could still NOT know Jesus!  

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

(Matthew 7:20-23 NLT)

Love is an action, we need to show the world Jesus and what better way to share Jesus but by loving the world the way God loves us.

Freedom

Sometimes my heart feels such an overabundance of love and a freedom that I could never explain; that I know it can only come from GOD. He is so good to His children; His Word tells us that when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. (James 4:8 NLT)

So many times I allow myself to be pulled away by this life and to get caught up in this world. It’s that bondage that pulls us away from God, the only time we feel free from those chains is when we can turn it all over to God. He doesn’t want us burdened or beat down, He wants us free, and free from the chains we’ve built link by link - finances, relationships, and the things of this world. GOD loved us so much that He sent His Son to save us from this world and from the burdens we choose to carry.

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (John 8:36 NLT)

Jesus broke the chains that had held us captive; His blood was a sacrifice for us, and through Him we gained His righteousness, that we could never earn, but only by believing in Him.  

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son…” (John 3:16-18 NLT)

So bring your burdens, bring your worry, your anxiety, your fears, your pain, your hurt, your sickness to the Cross, lay them at Jesus’ feet and leave them there – never to pick them back up again.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)

Jesus sacrifice wasn’t about religion, isn’t about rules or condemnation; it’s about love and a relationship. He doesn’t want our guilt, He wants our love and our service, and He wants us to show others the Love of His Father. When we reach out to others and show them the Love of GOD, GOD can use us to bless, comfort and encourage others that need the Father’s love; and right there is where we find our own freedom, blessings, mercy and grace.

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). (John 10:10 AMP)

I heard a saying recently, it said, “Live your life that you need never tell anyone you’re a Christian, because the way you live your life says it louder than your words could ever shout!” That’s the life I want to live, a life that brings GOD all the honor and glory HE deserves, a life that is about my GOD and not just about me.

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36 NLT)

Like Sheep Among the Wolves

In my reading today out of Luke 10, verse 3 caught my attention; Jesus was sending 72 disciples out and gave them this warning:

‘Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.’ (Luke 10:3 NLT)

I started to do a word study on this verse and was brought to Matthew 10:16 in the Amplified –

‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; be wary and wise as serpents, and be innocent (harmless, guileless, and without falsity) as doves.’

Once I got a hold of this verse, I started reading the original Greek and the meanings of the words used. In the original Greek the word ‘ἀκέραιοι’ is used, which is the word for harmless. In this scripture the meaning is translated to ‘unmixed’ or ‘unadulterated’.  So we are to be ‘unmixed into the society around us’. 

We have been told several times by Jesus, that we are to stand apart, to stand out. We cannot shine our light as a beacon unto others if we are living the lifestyles of those around us in the dark world that unbelievers inhabit.

‘So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise’ (Ephesians 5:15 NLT)

‘Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.’ (Philippians 2:14-16 NLT)

This doesn’t mean we are to turn our backs on those, we are to reach out to our neighbors and share the Love of Christ. But this doesn’t mean we are to follow the practices of those who do not believe, instead we need to show them the light that we have in us, the light that Jesus has given us. Jesus has given us joy and peace, and we know from experience that the empty hole the unbelievers are trying to fill, can only be filled with GOD’s love – so we need to reach out to them and share with them that love.

We are not to be naïve and so simple in our thoughts and think that we can join in the behaviors of the world we live in and NOT have the light we carry snuffed out. Our light can be dimmed by the actions of those around us, when we follow the worldy ways and turn from the love of the Father. Some feel when they have sinned, that they might as well keep running from GOD, because HE doesn’t want them or that they don’t deserve the forgiveness and love that GOD has for them. But that’s all a lie of the devil, GOD loves a repentant heart, there is nothing we can do that can turn our Heavenly Father’s love away.

‘The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.  You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.’ (Psalm 51:17 NLT)

We have to use wisdom and caution when we are around unbelievers, that they might not bring us out of the place where we belong, but still able to share our love and light with them with not only our words, but with our actions as well.

‘Behave yourselves wisely [living prudently and with discretion] in your relations with those of the outside world (the non-Christians), making the very most of the time and seizing (buying up) the opportunity. Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you].’ (Colossians 4:6-7 AMP)

We can only gain the wisdom we need through time in GOD’s Word, when we put distance between GOD and ourselves, we cast a shadow on our own lives and thoughts. We need the Word of GOD, like our bodies need food, when we are created as new creations in Christ; we are just babies in Christ. Like a baby requires milk to grow, we require the Word of GOD to grow in maturity in Christ; we NEED the Word of GOD.  Placing the Word of GOD in us, gives us the fuel we need to grow and the strength we need to fight the enemy. The times in my life when I have slacked in my Bible reading, is the times in my life that the enemy was able to attack me.  If we are attacked when we haven’t eaten, we are weaker and less able to defend ourselves. Like the physical, when we haven’t fed ourselves with the Word of GOD, that’s when the enemy will strike, knowing we are weak and less able to defend ourselves.

We are like sheep among the wolves, the wolves don’t want to play with us and become our friends. They want to devour us, we are prey, and we are seen as weak and vulnerable. This is why we must be like serpents, we are to be wise - but unlike the serpent of the Garden (Satan) we are to be harmless – without deception. I guarantee you a sure fire way to stand out in today’s world, is to have integrity and honesty; I’ve seen more people ‘attracted to my honesty’, after I’ve admitted my wrong and asked for forgiveness, than any other time.  The enemy tries to whisper lies and tell us because we are Believers, we are supposed to be perfect and we can’t make mistakes, BUT that would mean that Jesus didn’t need to die on the cross for our sins – because Jesus was the only perfect person, HE was the only one worthy.  So we will sin, we will make mistakes, we will fall down, but what sets us apart is that we know even though we have fallen short of the Glory of GOD, we are not forgotten, we are not down trodden, we are a beloved Child of GOD! After writing down trodden (not a word I would normally use, my brain went blank, so I went to google to see where it brought me next, and I love how GOD uses everything for his Glory, so I’ll end with his Word and this commentary from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary).

Psalm 74:18-23 NLT

See how these enemies insult you, Lord.

    A foolish nation has dishonored your name.

 Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves.

    Don’t forget your suffering people forever.

 Remember your covenant promises,

    for the land is full of darkness and violence!

 Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again.

    Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name.

 Arise, O God, and defend your cause.

    Remember how these fools insult you all day long.

Don’t overlook what your enemies have said

    or their growing uproar.

The psalmist begs that God would appear for the church against their enemies. The folly of such as revile his gospel and his servants will be plain to all. Let us call upon our God to enlighten the dark nations of the earth; and to rescue his people, that the poor and needy may praise his name. Blessed Saviour, thou art the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Make thy people more than conquerors. Be thou, Lord, all in all to them in every situation and circumstances; for then thy poor and needy people will praise thy name.

Day 6 of 21-Day Challenge: Boldness

“And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31 NLT)

BOLDNESS is actually translated from the Greek word, parrhesia (Strong’s #3954): Outspokenness, unreserved utterance, freedom of speech, with frankness, candor, cheerful courage, and the opposite of cowardice, timidity, or fear. Here it denotes a divine enablement that come to ordinary and unprofessional people exhibiting spiritual power and authority. It also refers to a clear presentation of the gospel without ambiguous or unintelligible. Parrhesia is not a human quality but a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

I want that kind of boldness, I want to walk without hesitation and fearlessly stand before man and share GOD’s love. I want to be a laborer that harvests a great number of souls for the Lord (1). I want to be a child after GOD’s own heart.  One day when I stand before our Lord, I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”(2) Until my last breath, I want to fight the good fight, I want to finish the race, keeping my faith and lay a crown before my King.(3)

Jesus died for me, so I can live for HIM. I want to see Brothers and Sisters in Christ standing up for their faith, sharing GOD’s love, true doctrine and not preaching hatred.(4) I want to comfort the broken hearted and take care of the widows and orphans. (5) I want others to see a light shining in me and my family, to experience the joy and peace that this world can never deliver, that only the creator of the Heavens and earth can give. (6) I want to show people that it’s my relationship with Jesus Christ that has made me a new creation, not a religion of rules and hollow traditions. (7) There is a thirst inside every person that can only be filled by GOD, we were made to seek HIM and only by acknowledging Jesus as Lord can we be saved.(8)

That is my challenge for all today, be bold in our faith. Pray for boldness, strength, and the words to speak to non-believers. Ask GOD for encouragement in our boldness; ask GOD to allow you to bless and share HIS love with others. Pray for wisdom that we would follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance and not our flesh. Pray that people not only hear us speaking about GOD’s love, but see us sharing GOD’s love, so that we would be doers of GOD’s Word. Be bold in our faith so that when others see the trials we are going through, they will notice we are standing strong on the Solid Rock and not faltering in the howling winds from the storms of life.  Our faith in GOD and HIS Son, Jesus Christ, has set us free from the bondages of death and sin; so let us live with the boldness that our Savior has given us by HIS righteousness!

1)Matthew 9:37 NKJV

2)Matthew 25:21 NKJV

3)2 Timothy 4:7-8, Revelation 4:10

4) John 3:16-21, 1 John 4:16-20

5) Psalm 34:18, James 1:27

6) Mark 4:21, Romans 15:13, John 14:27

7) Luke 12:21, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Matthew 23:1-33

8) John 4:10-14, 1 Chronicles 16:11-36, John 14:6-7, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:8-9

Fired Up

Are you a believer? Are you a child of God, bought and purchased by the blood of Christ? Are you redeemed and have received salvation through grace and not by the law or good works? If so, then you know you are under the new covenant (blood of Christ) and not the old covenant (Old Testament laws). 

I recently entered a ‘conversation’ that revolved around people who are Believers, but who have chosen to judge or condemn others based on laws of the OT (specifically Leviticus). Laws in Leviticus were very specific on rituals to perform after childbirth, what was allowed to be eaten, and offering sacrifices on an altar, etc. The problem with trying to uphold any of these laws, they must realize they are now selecting to ‘overlook’ Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross!  Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.  One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 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. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”   (Matthew 22:34-40 NIV) 

If we love GOD first and then love our neighbor next, we will never fall out of GOD’s will for our lives. When you are loving; you are not judging, you are not hating, you are not coveting, you are not sinning. When you are busy loving GOD and others, you don’t have time for all the stuff we shouldn’t be doing. Where our focus is, where our thoughts are, that’s where our heart is. So if we focus on GOD, if we are thinking of HIM and others before ourselves, our heart will follow; thus our words and actions will follow.

Religion is a cold and ritualistic burden, that is why I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.“Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”….”Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ (Matthew 16:6, 11-12 NLT) The term yeast was often used in the Bible as an evil connotation, as to what is small, may corrupt the whole. We see that a lot today in terms of laws being created based on minority beliefs and not on the majority's. 

Salvation is not based on rules and regulations; salvation is through grace. Faith cannot be seen and when our relationship with GOD is based on laws, we start to fall into the trap of the Pharisees. Agape love is selfless love (without a personal agenda and what can I get out of this attitude). Law is restrictive and binding, law sees right and wrong and doesn’t have room for love - but JESUS said that LOVE is to be first! Sin is a flesh and worldly desire. Repentance is a heart movement, if a believer sins, they will know they have sinned and they will ‘ache’ in the spirit and want to right their wrong; you can't have repentance if you don't have love. 

One thing that we see in the New Testament that angered JESUS, was the burden the Pharisees were putting on man. JESUS came to earth to save the people, not to burden or condemn them. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either……. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.  Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:13-15, 23-28 NLT)

Our heart is what GOD is concerned with, our heart for GOD! First we must concentrate on the inside, the heart and when the heart is right with GOD, the outside will change to be more like GOD as well!

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them.  As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.  When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”  “No, Lord,” she said.  And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:1-11 NLT)

Here is another example from Jesus that specifically instructs us NOT to judge others….

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?   You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:1-6 NIV)

How can we love others and lead them to Christ if we are condemning them? How can we share GOD’s love when we are burdening people with laws and regulations? I’m not saying go against the Bible; I’m saying we cannot share GOD’s love if we are judging. We are to open our arms and share love; if someone is sinning, GOD will speak to that Believer and deal with them. I’m not saying you should encourage a Believer to sin or even turn a blind eye (I am not talking about sins that HARMS a person). Think prejudice, people have thoughts on piercings, tattoos and both of those are tied into OT Leviticus laws and have nothing to do with modern day tattoos and piercings, but yet people are so fired up over these issues that they are allowing the yeast of the Pharisees to hardened their hearts and cast judgement.

People are getting riled up about the wrong stuff, that have nothing to do with the heart of GOD. Doctrines are being preached that are against the Word of GOD, people are claiming to be christian believers and are preaching hate instead of LOVE! These are the kind of things that people should be riled up about, these are the things that will lead a non-believer away from JESUS, or turn a Believer away from GOD. I can only imagine the tears in heaven over the division in the church and what she has become. As Believers, we are the church, we need to show the world that we are LOVE!! We need to be fired up for GOD and fired up for showing GOD's love for others!!