What is love?
I think it is a question we always ask ourselves and how it pertains to our lives and how we can find it. It is that hole that we all feel in our hearts. It is why there is this search for completion, for fulfillment. We try to find it in so many different ways and arenas - drugs, sex, alcohol, power, money, fame, hobbies, jobs, marriage and family. Yet even with all these things, that hole is still there - that emptiness that we can’t seem to fill is still present, getting deeper and deeper. How do we find this fulfillment? How do we achieve this completion?
We find God. He is the answer. He fills that hole, completes that emptiness. How and why? He loves us. His love is pure, whole and True.
In this book, I hope to share what the Bible shows me. It isn’t just a book of history. It isn’t just a book of great stories. I’ve heard it described as a love letter. But in this book, I hope to show you that the Bible is a love story. It is God telling us He loves us and how we can receive that love.
Let’s look deeper. God’s love is available, open and honest yet we are like the girl in the movie, the hero has a crush on, who is oblivious to his heart. We cheat on God everyday like a spouse who takes the love from their wife/husband and gives it to someone who hasn’t earned it or deserved it.
If we look at Jesus, we see the love of God. Jesus said “whoever sees me sees Him Who sent me” (John 2:45). We need to realize, Jesus did not come to bring us religion. Jesus came to show us God wants to have a relationship with us. It is not about rules and regulations or traditions. It is about His love for us and how we can live the best lives we can, while we are here on earth and that we have a place in heaven. He has given us everything and we seem to have a laisser-faire attitude towards how we should reciprocate that. We seem to believe that just accepting Jesus is enough. That now the rest is up to Him. We take the scriptures and say “He is in control” so whatever happens is what is supposed to happen. That is not what the bible says or what it tells us to do. I want this book to be an awakening to our spirits to know how to love Him, remember why we fell in love with Him, how He feels about us and what He tells us to do to live the life He has promised us.
I hope you read this and fall in love all over again or for the first time. I pray your mind and spirit is open to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I hope it makes you reinvest your life and love to Him and to live the life He promised we could have.
I have often wondered why people don’t want to believe in God. Some think that believing in God is a crutch. They think to believe in God somehow makes them weak. We have been taught by society that we should be self-reliant. We can thank the devil for that little lie. He used it on Eve in the garden and it is still working today. Some choose not to believe because they don’t want to change their lifestyle. We as a society don’t want to have to do things that keep us from having “fun”. What is wrong with a little drinking…until we make our selves sick or worse get into an accident or die from liver failure? What is wrong with expressing yourself sexually…until we end up with a reputation as “easy”, getting an STD or an unwanted pregnancy or worse a terminal disease.
Some will use the history of how God has been taught as reason enough. I mean doesn’t God strike us down when we do wrong, doesn’t He make people sick to teach them something, doesn’t He hate sinners? God has not always been taught to be the loving God I know Him to be. How He truly is. This is not just my observation, but it is the Truth written in the Word of God.
Now in the Old Testament, maybe His love doesn’t seem as obvious as it does in the New Testament, but it is there and it is ever present and easy to see if you really look. And by look, I mean study, meditate on it and pray about it. The bible is a testament to God’s love. The only way to truly know that is to look it up yourself, to actually open the bible and read it. Not just when you’re in church and not just so you can say you read a passage or chapter or the whole bible in a year. But to find the answers to life’s questions. It is a reference and guide to how to live a full successful life and eternity.
If we look at the Old Testament, Adam and Eve fell into sin and in that fall everyone after that was also born into a fallen state. Which means that the devil has an ever-present influence in our development and decision-making. Because of that influence God had to show us what was right and how to follow Him. I look at it from a parent’s point of view. When we have children we love on them and give them everything they need but when the child’s will starts to show in behavior and actions that are not good for the child in a physical way and also a moral or behavioral way, we as the parent need to set boundaries to show our children what is appropriate and what is not. What is best for them and what is detrimental.
That is what God was doing for the Israelites, and what He continues to do for us today. God was letting them/us know how we are to behave to live the life He created for us. He was also putting in place the course that would bring about Jesus’ coming. God shows in the Old Testament that there are consequences for our choices. There is life and death in the choices we make. He even tells what to do - choose life! (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Having said all that, I believe for the most part, people who don’t know God, do not really believe that God loves them. They might say that “God loves everyone” but it doesn’t really mean them. They will use the circumstances that go on in the world to prove their point. They see all the death and destruction, from natural disasters and famine and the hate and brutality that people do to each other and the sadness of sickness and death, and they believe that God is out to get us for any mistake.
I also think that there are people who know God “loves” them, but don’t really know what that love means. I hear Christians all the time say they can’t fathom God’s love. They ask how He can love us because we are so unworthy. I believe that barrier is part of the reason people are not seeing all that God can do in their lives and the capacity He has to forgive the most heinous and love them as much as He loves Jesus, much less those of us who think our lives are quite tame.
I also hear Christians minimize God’s love because they think to talk about it, is like saying His love is - as some put it, “Santa Claus” like. The misconception is that those, who don’t like to focus on His love, think those who do are saying it is a “happy, happy nothing bad happens” love. God never said life would be easy. He told us their would be trials and tribulations - not because He was going to send them but because Satan is ever present and looking for those to destroy (1 Peter 5:8). However, I think we need to look at that in a parent’s perspective. We love our children but we still discipline them when they do things that are wrong. We are disappointed in them but we still love them. We can give them things they want but choose things and ways that won’t spoil them. It is our job to teach them right from wrong - to follow Jesus not the devil. God is our true Father and His love is unconditional. He has a plan for each of us that is good but by our choices we alter that path and there are consequences for the paths we choose.
But in Him, we know that He gives us a way to get back on the right path, we just have to choose to do it and know that we are forgiven and loved.
Chapter One
What is Love?
So since we have this “lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6) let us delve into what love is; from man’s point of view and God’s. Through this knowledge we can grow and learn how much God’s love is, what it entails and how we can live by His standards.
The definition of “love” from Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary:
Love …
1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
(2): attraction based on sexual desire (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
3 a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration b: a person's adoration of God.
There are so many types of love that we hear about: erotic, platonic, familial, puppy and romantic. We seem to understand and we can relate to either experiencing or at least trying to obtain at least one of them. But there is a love that is beyond all of these. It is called “agape love”. The dictionary defines it as a “love feast” or being in a “state of wonder”. Christians define it as “unconditional love”. A love that is not subject to conditions, feelings or limitations.
It seems unattainable in our minds that there could be a love like this out there, but there is and it is what we all crave. Adam and Eve had it before the fall and man has been yearning for it ever since. We try and fill it with other passions, desires or addictions. But God’s love is agape love and when you learn the truth about His love and what it entails; you will experience love beyond measure and that hole in your heart will continually fill up.
God is love! (1 John 4:8). God loves all His creation. But if we don’t choose to follow Him, His hands are “tied”. He does not force Himself on us; it is a choice that we have to make.
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God pours out His love into us through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). We just have to choose to walk in It. Galatians 5:6 says only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love shows that we are in Christ.
I hope in reading this book, the fog is lifted and that you see God’s true, perfect and unconditional love is real, attainable and you can walk it.
Chapter Two
Let us start in the New Testament. Here we see God’s love for all His creation. I want to start here because the New Testament demonstrates, through Jesus Christ, God’s love for us and how through His death, burial and resurrection we become heirs with Him and therefore seeds of Abraham and have what was God’s promise to him, which is described in the Old Testament (Genesis 22:17-18).
God is love! What does that mean? We already know what the world says it is…”strong affection for others”. Let’s look at what the bible says love is…
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
LOVE IS PATIENT
Patient …
1: bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
2: manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
3: not hasty or impetuous
4: steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity
5 a: able or willing to bear
Even the world’s definition of patience shows Jesus all over it. Look at what Jesus went through during His trial and crucifixion without complaining, with a calm and patient demeanor (Matt 26:1-22,66; Mark 14:1-15, 47; Luke 18:31-23:56; John 18:1-19, 42). Look at His patience in teaching. Showing the Jews and gentiles alike how to love God and each other by story telling, by miracles, by truths and by example. Answering the same questions over and over again. (Matt 21:17-25, 46; Mark 1:14-8:26; Luke 6:17-9:50; John 5:1-10,42)
2 Peter 3:9 (Amplified)
The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s concept of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extra ordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.
God has a plan for us. His plan began long before he even created Adam, and He will wait as long as necessary to see it fulfilled. Look at the Israelites…they wondered the desert for 40 years. God needed to have those without faith pass on before He could continue their journey to the Promised Land (Numbers 13:29-38). Look how long He waited since the fall of man until He sent Jesus to redeem us. Look at Jesus bearing the humiliation and torture He endured. Can you imagine the pain in His heart when God turned away from Him because of the sin He took upon Himself (Matthew 27:46)? He has waited over 2,000 years and still His ultimate plan has not been completed on Earth. He waits because He loves us. Who can say God is not patient? He waits on every single one of us to make the right decisions. God waits patiently for each of us to come to the realization that we need Him. And He is eager to write our names in the Book of Life.
We are all important to Him. He would like for every single one of us to choose Him and waits patiently for us to make that decision. He sends people to cross our paths to inspire and influence us in righteousness and warn us of our bad choices and the consequences of those choices. But ultimately, it is up to us to choose Him and to choose Life.
Being a parent, I can empathize with His position. How many times do we tell our children to do something over and over and over again? We think to ourselves, how many times do I have to tell them…?! Can you imagine how many times God has said that about you…now multiply it by how many humans beings that have been born and have yet to be born. How impatient would we be? Now imagine how much patience God has to have to deal with all of our bad choices and to wait for us to wake up to righteousness.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 (Amplified)
May the Lord direct your hearts into (realizing and showing) the love of God and into the steadfastness and patience of Christ and in waiting for His return.
Sometimes I believe we think of patience as a bad word. I have even heard people say, “Don’t pray for patience you will be tested with it”. I choose to think that patience brings about a stronger faith. When we have to wait for something the devil uses it to tempt us to jump ahead and do it ourselves instead of waiting on God’s plan or to doubt what God says in His word about our situation.
I used to be an impatient person. I used to stand in a long line and gripe and complain, look at my watch, breathe out loudly in exasperation. But one day I was watching Believer’s Voice of Victory, they were talking about walking in love. It was like a light bulb went off in my head and I truly felt the Holy Spirit move within me. That moment changed my whole way of thinking. I had read it in the bible many times but it took that teaching to reveal to me how important the love walk is. I now try to put others first in my mind. I try to put myself in their place, in their circumstances and try and relate to them as I would want them to relate to me. And I now ask myself, “What would Jesus do?” Do I always get it right? No. Do I still sometimes think if something is what I want or want to do? Yes. But I feel good in my decision to listen to the Holy Spirit to make me aware of this flaw and try everyday to work on it and to pay attention if I fall back into it.
So what can we do to be patient? For myself, I like to start the day off in the presence of the Lord. I like to use a devotional as a focus for that morning’s thoughts. I read passages associated to the topic for the day. I write them down. I meditate on them. Pray about them and how I can incorporate them into my day. Then I pray. This starts my day off with focus and calmness. Now that means that I have to get up early every morning. But I do it, because it makes me prioritize Who I am to believe and trust in and it sets the tone for the day. I also like to say small prayers throughout the day and praise Him every chance I get.
Romans 12:12 (Amplified)
Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer.
Does that mean I never get impatient…umm…I have 2 children in elementary school, of course I get impatient. But that’s okay. I can take a breath and say a small prayer and feel better. I have to remember they are kids and don’t think like I do and don’t do things like I do. Now does that give them an excuse to misbehave and do what they want? NO. But it lets me take a deep breath and calmly respond to what they are doing. And that is the case with everyone I encounter throughout my day.
I try to ask myself - “why am I being impatient? Is it realistic? Is it being productive? Is my impatience making someone else feel uncomfortable?” When I am at the grocery store in the express lane, that is anything but, I need to take a deep breath and quietly let it out and smile. Me being impatient isn’t going to make things move faster and it probably really only flusters or angers the cashier and either gets the others around me riled up too or makes them feel uncomfortable. Is that an example of how Jesus behaves? NO!
Romans 15:5 (Amplified)
Now may the God Who gives the power of patient endurance (steadfastness) and Who supplies encouragement, grant you to live in such mutual harmony and such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus…
We also need to think of this when someone is being impatient with us. Is it easy? Most of the time I would say no. It is tempting to defend ourselves. It is in our (sin) nature to attack those who attack us. But we need to remember we are to be examples of God’s love by showing His patience.
2 Timothy 2:24 (Amplified)
And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace]; he must be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong.
Chapter Three
LOVE IS KIND
Kind …
2 archaic: manner
3: fundamental nature or quality: essence
The Lord told Moses to tell the Israelites how He would bless them…
Numbers 6:24-27 (Amplified)
The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; the Lord lift up His (approving) countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually). And they shall put My name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.
God wants us to know how He feels about us. How He cares for us. What He has planned for us. This is not a secret. This is not for our time in heaven. It is for now!
Isaiah 54:8 & 10 (Amplified)
In a little burst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with age-enduring love and kindness I will have compassion and mercy on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 55:3 (Amplified)
Incline your ear (submit and consent to the divine will) and come to Me; hear, and your soul will revive; and I will make an everlasting covenant or league with you, even sure mercy (kindness, goodwill, and compassion) promised to David.
Do you see the kindness of God? He tells us to come to Him. He tells us that He knows how bad we have been but that His love is not affected by it. That if we come to Him, He will save us. Even those who have chosen Jesus, we make mistakes, we step back. But He shows us kindness. We repent and we are again made clean. Now that doesn’t mean we just go on and sin and repent, sin and repent. We need to make conscious efforts to not sin, but only Jesus is perfect, so God knows that the temptation of sin is there but as long as we are trying to do the right things and realize when we miss it, we ask His forgiveness and He does forgive.
In 2 Corinthians 8:9 it tells us how Jesus, out of His kindness - His love, came to Earth and became a servant for us so we would no longer have to be a servant of Satan. He left the presence of God. He left Heaven to come to earth to live among us. First to teach us about God. His love, mercy, grace and compassion and then to be the ultimate sacrifice for our ultimate renewed relationship with God. He felt pain, sadness and ultimately the separation from God because of His taking on Himself the sins of the world. Why? Because of his mercy (kindness, goodwill and compassion) for us. He suffered all that, so we wouldn’t have to.
We try to teach our children kindness. We as parents are obligated to teach our children how to be like Jesus - our example. We teach kindness by showing our children how to feel for others. Reminding them that we want to treat others the way we want to be treated. And to look for those children who aren’t treated well and make friends with them and definitely not to participate in being unkind. We tell them they should play with any child that wants to play. We asked them how they would feel if they wanted to play with someone and were told they couldn’t. That gave them a different point of view.
Using this with both our children has also taught me that we shouldn’t get our feelings hurt if someone doesn’t speak to us or for us not to speak with someone because they didn’t speak with us first. If we think about it, they are probably thinking the same thing. We should make the first move. We need to be the first to smile, the first to extend our hand in a handshake or our arms in a hug. How much pleasure does it give you to see someone smile at you? Now give someone else that same pleasure. We need to show ourselves full of kindness (friendly).
Isaiah 54:10 (Amplified)
For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.
In my mind, there is never a reason to be unkind to someone. Being unkind to me shows a misconception of superiority. God did not make anyone more superior than the other. We are the same in God’s eyes and we should treat others in that way.
I know that it can be hard, especially if someone is mistreating you, to find kindness in that situation. However, look to Jesus. The Pharisees were trying to kill Jesus, they were constantly arguing with Him about His beliefs and philosophy. At times He was quiet and at other times He spoke calmly without agitation.
Ephesians 6:12 (Amplified)
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
We need to remember that there are influences outside of just what we can see. Our enemy is not the people in our lives but Satan and his cronies whose only goal is to cheat us out of the peace that God has given us. What better way to do it than having us battling against one another. It’s kind of like while you’re watching one hand the other one is stealing from you. We also need to think that, even though maybe someone is being rude, that person may be having issues in their life where they feel out of control or desperate and don’t know how to channel it and it comes out in bad form.
We are not going to be judged on how people treat us but by how we react to the way people treat us.
Matthew 7:12 (Amplified)
So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets.
Remember that we are to be examples of Christ. One reason Christians get such a bad rap is because a lot of times we do not “practice what we preach”. We say we are to love and yet we tear down anyone that doesn’t do/act how we expect them to.
Chapter Four
LOVE IS NOT ENVIOUS
Envy …
1: painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage
Now we could say that envy is also the same as being jealous. In fact in the New American Standard and Amplified bibles it does put envy and jealousy together. We also know that God said He is a “jealous God” (Exodus 20:5) when He was warning the Israelites about serving other gods.
Many people will use that verse in Exodus to back up their belief that God “gets back” at people. So how can we say, God does not envy, if He himself said He is a jealous God? I first want to look at the word jealous. There are several definitions of jealous as “resentful and envious” but the definition that I think God was saying, when describing Himself as jealous was:
“vigilant in maintaining or guarding something.”
He doesn’t want us having any other gods because He is guarding us. He knows what terrible things can happen when we turn from Him and give ourselves over to “another”. God definitely does not envy someone who doesn’t love Him. He knows where their path is leading. He is definitely not jealous of the devil. God knows he has already lost. Does it make Him sad that some people have chosen not to follow Him and in doing so unwittingly follow the devil? Of course. He wants all of us to have the victory He has planned for each of us.
Ezekiel 16:42 (Amplified)
So will I make My wrath toward you to rest and My jealousy shall depart from you [My adulterous wife], and I will be quiet and will be no more angry.
In this world and I would say especially here in the United States, it is hard not to look at what others have and not be envious. Look at all the magazine covers and Hollywood stars. I know I look in the mirror and think, “I wish I weighed what I did in high school instead of what I weigh now since having 2 kids.” “I wish I didn’t have freckles.” “I wish I had curly hair.” And so on and so on.
When we start to feel that way we just need to be sure and not start to become angry and resentful and hateful. It is easy to feel that way, because that is what the devil wants us to do. He was the first offender of this. He was jealous of God and I would say ultimately jealous of us- seeing as how God gave us everything Satan wanted. And it brought him to his destruction. So do you think He wants us to feel good about ourselves, to be fulfilled in what God has given us, to know what we have obtained through Jesus? No, he wants us to be unhappy. Satan helps us find our flaws and weaknesses and exploits them. Remember the devil is out to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) and he will use whatever he can to do it.
Proverbs 14:30 (Amplified)
A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy, and wrath are like rottenness of the bones.
We need to look at others and be happy for their successes. As the old saying goes, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. We can only see the cover and we need to read the book. I know people that are beautiful who think they are ugly. I know people who have all the money in the world and no one to share it with.
My children will ask for things that their friends have or that they see on television or in a store. I try and teach them that we don’t need to look at what others have but be happy with what we have and to look and see how we can bless someone else. At least three times a year, we go through the kids toys and they get to pick what they want to give away. When we have done it with this attitude of blessing someone else, the kids get so excited and they pick out toy after toy to give to others. It is so awesome to see them get excited to want to bless others. Now, when they have friends over, they have started giving them gift bags of toys - they came up with that on their own.
Galatians 5:26 (Amplified)
Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.
Let us look at our own blessings and be thankful and look at how we can bless others and what blessings that may bring to a world that is jealous.
Chapter Five
LOVE DOES NOT BOAST
Boast …
1: the act or an instance of boasting: brag
2: a cause for pride
Psalm 52:1 (Amplified)
Why boast you of mischief done against the loving kindness of God (and the godly), (sinful) man, day after day?
What do we have to brag about? Did we create the universe, the heavens, and every living thing that breathes and lives? No, in fact, given to our own devices we would destroy ourselves, I think that point makes itself.
Every idea is given by God. But it is how we choose to use those ideas that make them good or bad. Fire, the wheel, weapons, medicine, electricity, radio and television. All of these things were birthed from an idea to improve our lives. But people have used them in ways that they were not intended. Fire helped people keep warm and to cook food. But people have abused that gift by destroying property and hurting others. The wheel was created to help us move things and ourselves more easily and quickly. But people become careless and cause accidents. Weapons were used to protect us from our enemies to get food and to protect land and family. But people have used them to kill the innocent. Medicine was created to heal and ease pain. But people have used this knowledge to create drugs that destroy lives either by illegal sale or addiction and others use the technology to take the lives of innocent babies. And radio and television, I believe were given to man to help spread the Word, but just like the others the devil has perverted the minds of men and it has now also become a tool for perversion and hate. This is one of the ways Satan works, he uses the gifts and ideas God has given us and perverts them and distorts them to use against us.
How mighty is God but never boasts of His great power, except to describe His love, His mercy and His grace.
So how can we as men not boast or brag on ourselves? Don’t look at yourself as the answer. This is how Lucifer got himself in trouble. He started to think of himself as more important than he was. So he wanted to be like God. And still even though Satan knows that his days are numbered he boasts of his triumph. Why? Because he wants to take down as many people as he can before his fight is over. How can he do that? By making us trust ourselves and in doing so, turn to him rather than God.
Proverbs 27:1 (Amplified)
DO NOT boast of [yourself and] tomorrow, for you know not what a day may bring forth.
God is our source for good things. If you are smart, you can thank God. If you are a great cook, you can thank God. If you can sing, you can thank God. If you are a doctor, you can thank God. If you are a parent, you can thank God. If you have a home, you can thank God. If you have a job, you can thank God. God made all of us with things that we are good at. We can call these talents or gifts. We can use them for good or we can use them for evil. I know some people who thank God every day for where they are and what they can do. But I also know people who love to brag on themselves and let everyone know where they are and what they do. Yes, the evil can look blessed but that doesn’t mean that they are truly happy or that their fortune will last. As the bible says, what you sow you will reap (Galatians 6:7).
I see this with my kids all the time. When one of them can do something that the other one can’t do as well, they want to start bragging on themselves but in doing so they usually point out how the other can’t do it. As a parent, it is my job to tell them that yes, they may do that very well and even if our brothers/sisters/friends may not do it as well, we at least need to know they are trying and we need to encourage them to keep trying. It is okay to know that you do something well, but try not to compare yourself to someone else. We are all individuals and God has made each one of us special in our own way. That doesn’t mean I think that there should be no competition but it is the attitude taken during those competitions that is more important.
We need to be thanking the Lord everyday for the things we have and can do.
1 Corinthians 1:31 (Amplified)
So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.
We also need to think where boasting comes from, the devil. All boasting/bragging does is help us fall into the trap of arrogance. And when we become arrogant we begin to have a higher opinion of ourselves. And eventually we will depend more upon ourselves to make decisions and less on God.
I have been around people who brag on themselves all the time, everything they do is awesome. It is not really fun to be around someone like that. I know there have been times when I catch myself bragging on something I‘ve done, it leaves me with a weird feeling. I find that I get more satisfaction when someone else compliments me on an accomplishment then when I do it myself.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 (Amplified)
Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches;
But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord. Chapter Six
LOVE IS NOT PROUD
Proud …
1: feeling or showing pride: as
a: having or displaying excessive self-esteem b: much pleased: exultant c: having proper self-respect
Synonyms proud, arrogant, haughty, lordly, insolent, overbearing, supercilious, disdainful mean showing scorn for inferiors. proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness
Romans 15:8 (Amplified)
For I tell you that Christ (the Messiah) became a servant and a minister to the circumcised (the Jews) in order to show God’s truthfulness and honesty by confirming (verifying) the promises (given) to our fathers.
Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus left His throne and place next to God to become a servant to man. He was born in a manger like an animal and died on a cross like a thief. He was always respectful and never expected to be treated better than the lowest servant. He treated people how He wants us to treat others. He is our example - our goal. Being a Christian doesn’t mean we are better than anyone else, but it means we are servants to those who aren’t. Not to be trampled upon but to show God’s love through our servant’s heart and serving actions.
1 John 4:16 (Amplified)
By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the (essential) love: that He laid down His (own) life for us; and we ought to lay (our) lives down for (those who are our) brothers (in Him).
I think everyone of us can find ourselves in a situation where maybe we become proud. Now I think there is nothing wrong in being proud of yourself when you accomplish a goal that you set for yourself. Like a child who learns to tie their shoe and wants everyone to see. Or as a homemaker who finished cleaning out a junk closet. Or as a businessperson who makes a sale or finishes a big project.
Where we need to be concerned about pride is when we believe we accomplish these goals without the wisdom and favor of God. But also as Christians we need to not be proud in that fact. I have seen Christians treat others as inferior to those that have not chosen Jesus. I have even seen Christians show pride in being in a denomination. My point in that is that God did not set up denominations, that was man’s doing. We are to be one in Christ (Galatians 3:28)! If there is any pride we should have, it should be in Christ Himself. Pride in Him for what He did for us.
Just like I tell my children, it is good that we can do something (such as draw a pretty picture or ride a bike) but we need not brag about our accomplishments over someone else’s. You can be proud without being haughty or arrogant. But know that it is the Lord that gives us the ability to do all things.
Even in our faith walk we need to not be proud in how much we know or how far we have come. God has given us all the same amount of faith. But your faith grows by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17).
The more we study the more we know. And I have found out that even the amount of time we have been a Christian shouldn’t make us proud but the time we spend with God is where our faith and strength come from.
Jeremiah 33:2-3 (Amplified)
This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Chapter Seven
LOVE IS NOT RUDE
Rude …
2: lacking refinement or delicacy c: offensive in manner or action: discourteous d: uncivilized, savage e: coarse, vulgar
Synonyms rude, rough, crude, raw mean lacking in social refinement. rude implies ignorance of or indifference to good form; it may suggest intentional discourtesy
As I said before Jesus was always respectful no matter who was in His presence. He did not put on airs. To Jesus everyone, no matter the gender, race, title, profession or economic status was on the same level. He never spoke a word of violence or vulgarity.
Matthew 11:29 (Amplified)
Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
I must say, universally I have seen some rude people. I know of moments, where I have made rude comments to people. But at this point in my life I try and pay attention to the things I say. I try to put other people’s feelings above my own. Am I always successful? Unfortunately no. But I am trying.
We need to think before we speak. Usually people are rude to make themselves feel better. So let’s ask this question; when we gripe at the server because our food took a long time to come out and may be cold, does that make us feel better? How does that make the server feel? How would that maybe change her attitude toward the cook?
What about standing in a long slow line at the grocery store. Does our impatience make the cashier move faster or maybe could that make them flustered and slow the line down even more?
I would also include our comments in regards to other people’s sense of style or looks. Now obviously everyone has different ideas of style. I try to teach my children that even though they may find something ugly or even a food dish they don’t like, it is best to keep those comments to themselves - unless asked. I have seen people wear something that I thought was horrible, however when I have gone back and thought about it, I want to applaud them for stepping out of the box and being an individual. I will say however, when it comes to dress there is a difference in being different than being lewd. I would never think dressing to show off physical attributes to get a sexual response is appropriate in public.
We must always remember we are to treat others as we want to be treated. We must talk to others like we want to be talked to.
Luke 6:31 (Amplified)
And as you would like and desire that men would do to you, do exactly so to them.
We need to remember that people look at Christ through us. We should always act in a way that shows Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:16 (Amplified)
But I obtained mercy for the reason that in me, as the foremost [of sinners], Jesus Christ might show forth and display all His perfect long-suffering and patience for an example to [encourage] those who would thereafter believe on Him for [the gaining of] eternal life.
In some instances we are the only example of Jesus people may have ever see. When people see you they should see Jesus. So how do you want people to see Jesus?
Chapter Eight
LOVE IS NOT SELF-SEEKING
Self-seeking …
the act or practice of selfishly advancing one's own ends
If God was self-seeking, it would be mandatory to serve Him. We would have no choice. He would be a dictator not our Father. God doesn’t want a religion (institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices) He wants a relationship (passionate attachment; communication).
He didn’t create us just so we would praise Him all day long and lavish Him with our adoration. He has the angels for that. He created man to have fellowship with. To give His time and attention to. He tells us to follow Him and wants us to follow Him, but gives us the choice to do so. To love on us and in turn to love Him back.
2 Corinthians 5:19-21 (Amplified)
It was God (personally present) in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against (men) their trespasses (but cancelling them), and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of restoration to favor). So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We (as Christ’s personal representatives) beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor (now offered you) and be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Christ (virtually) to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become (endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of) the righteousness of God (what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness).
As a mother, I don’t love my children so they will love me. It is just inherent. We as Christians need to live life as an example that Jesus set. We need to do things for others not to expect something in return but because 1) God told us to and 2) because it is the right thing to do. We are to bless those that are needy.
When we see someone hungry - we should feed them or find a way to get food to them but always have a prayer.
When we see someone without shelter - we should give them a room or pay for one or find a way to get them to a safe place to stay but always a prayer.
When we see someone sad - we should at the least, give them a hug and a smile but always a prayer.
When we see someone discouraged - we should encourage and always pray.
When we see someone happy - we should rejoice with them and thank God with them.
This is also something I try to teach my children and like everything, when teaching them I also learn myself. Don’t do something for someone so you can get something, do it because it will bless them. But God is so good that inevitably when we bless someone else, we ourselves will get blessed. It just happens. It is how God planned and made it to work out. The world calls it karma but God calls it The Blessing (Proverbs 10:22).
Deuteronomy 16:17 (Amplified)
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you…
Ruth 2:12 (Amplified)
The Lord recompense you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under Whose wings you have come to take refuge!
1 Corinthians 12:7 (Amplified)
But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for good and profit.
Luke 6:38 (NIV)
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Chapter Nine
LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED
Anger …
1: feeling or showing anger
2 a: indicative of or proceeding from anger b: seeming to show anger or to threaten in an angry manner
Joel 2:13 (Amplified)
Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met].
He is the God of peace (Romans 16:20). He could have destroyed this world or the whole human race at any moment; as He did in the days of Noah. But how long was it from Genesis 1 to Genesis 7? Look at the world today, how often is God spit upon? How often do people callously use His name in a profane manner? Instead of getting angry with us and taking out His anger by destroying us…He sent Jesus His one and only Son to love us and show us how to love each other, to suffer and die so we could be made whole; to separate His Son from Him just so our relationship with Him could be restored.
Nehemiah 9:17 (Amplified)
They refused to obey, nor were they mindful of Your wonders and miracles which You did among them; but they stiffened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a captain, that they might return to their bondage [in Egypt]. But You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great steadfast love; and You did not forsake them.
When we are angry with someone are we that merciful? When someone hurts our feelings how fast does that make us angry?
We are always in a position to be better Christians but even more important just being better human beings.
I will tell you that we are born into sin. So if you notice, it is easy to get mad and let it over take us. We have to make the choices on how we will behave in every situation.
I used to be a griper and impatient and think only how things affected me. But I have tried to make a conscious effort to put myself in other’s shoes before I react and speak. I have noticed that it totally changes my attitude and perception of my whole day. It makes me feel better and actually have a better day. We do reap what we sow.
When we let ourselves become angry we open the door for the devil. We can choose to let anger over take us or we can choose to let it roll off our backs.
Colossians 3:7-10 (Amplified)
Among whom you also once walked, when you were living in and addicted to [such practices].
But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips!
Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices,
And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it.
Chapter Ten
LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS
Wrongs …
1 a: an injurious, unfair, or unjust act: action or conduct inflicting harm without due provocation or just cause
2: something wrong, immoral, or unethical ; especially : principles, practices, or conduct contrary to justice, goodness, equity, or law
3: the state, position, or fact of being or doing wrong: as a: the state of being mistaken or incorrect b: the state of being guilty
Hebrews 8:12 (Amplified)
For I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more.
Hebrews 10:17 (Amplified)
He then goes on to say, And their sins and their lawbreaking I will remember no more.
WOW! That is huge! How many of us can say we do that? It is so hard not to hold a grudge. How hard is it not to remember a hurt or wrong? Over and over again, the people of the world have turned their backs on God. Adam and Eve, He gave them life and a perfect home and they turned their backs on Him and believed the lies of the devil.
The Israelites, God saved them from slavery and from an army out to kill them and was giving them a perfect home and yet they still turned from Him to a golden calf they had made themselves and wanted to go back to Egypt to be slaves again because they didn‘t believe God‘s promises.
What about Jesus, those (the Pharisees) who should have recognized Him as the Savior, hated Him and had Him killed. What rejection, what hurt and what a wrong. But instead of throwing our stupidity and ignorance in our faces; God opens His arms to us, just waiting for us to run into them.
Let’s look at someone from the bible who held a grudge and someone who forgave. Haman hated the Jews. Haman was an Agagite and the Agagites and the Hebrews had been at war with each other since the days of Joshua and Saul. Because of his hatred of the Jews, Haman had set out to destroy every single one of them. Because of this hatred and his pursuit of it, his relishing the Jews destruction, Haman himself became the author of his own death (Book of Esther).
Now let’s look at Joseph. Here is a boy who had almost been killed by his brothers but was sold by them to strangers. He was a slave and he became a prisoner (Genesis 37, 39-40). Can you imagine? When he finally saw his brother’s again did Joseph, in his high position, punish his brother’s for their betrayal? No, he blessed them with food and land and his forgiveness (Genesis 41-45). WOW!
Let’s look at Paul. Here was a man, who made it his life’s mission to destroy Christians. As Saul, he condemned Christian’s to death and imprisonment for their faith in Jesus (Acts 7:59-8:2,9:2). Did God strike him down dead? Did God punish him? NO! God gave him a new name and a new path (Acts 9). God made him the biggest champion of Christ known, even to this day.
That is a hard one isn’t it? Not holding on to a hurt. Not holding on to a grudge. It happens and it happens early. When my daughter was in kindergarten she would tell me on different occasions different girls who would be mad at her because she didn’t do something they wanted her to do or played with someone they didn’t want her to play with. Of course with children, in a few hours or the next day, all was forgiven.
But as we get older we tend to keep those hurts and store them in our hearts and let them fester. I think we can all admit that we have been guilty of this at one time or another. I know I have. But the more that I have learned about God’s love and how I can walk in that love, it has really helped me to let go. Plus, we need to remember that the enemy is behind this. First we need to look at the person who has hurt us. Try and think about the motive behind it and maybe the insecurity of the offender. We need to remember what the Word says:
Ephesians 6:12 (Amplified)
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
The devil is the destroyer (John 10:10). He wants us up in arms all the time. He wants us angry and hurt. He knows that it is a way to open a door to him and once he has his foot in the door it will be so easy to open it all the way.
All we can do is forgive. Now I know that it is harder to forget. But eventually if we try, if we don’t focus our attention on that hurt we can choose, and must choose, to forgive and forget. Will it be easy? Probably not. But we can do it with the grace of God. You may not feel any different but eventually you will become aware that you’re not focused on it anymore and that will grow and eventually you will become aware that the mention of it doesn’t bother you anymore. How do we do this? Prayer - telling God you want to forgive and then praying about it. God has given us all the same amount of faith and grace, we choose how much we take and use.
What if you have hurt someone? How should we deal with that? The way Jesus would. Years ago I betrayed a friend by divulging a secret to another friend. After I started re-evaluating my life, I felt convicted about it. I asked God to forgive me and I let my friend know what I had done and how sorry I was and what a horrible friend I had been. My friend never acknowledged what I did so I hope and pray that she forgave me. I asked God to forgive me and my friend to forgive me. That is all I can do. Resolve the situation with God and whoever you may have hurt.
Now what if those people don’t want to forgive you? Well, that will be their choice. But that’s okay. We just need to show love to those people. That doesn’t mean we have to be abused or stepped on, just that we need to continue to show them love. Be polite and let them know you love them and always continue to pray for them. We can pray for their hearts to be softened and for us to be strong in our “love walk”.
We need to remember that the Lord knows our hearts and sees our efforts. So as long as we are doing what we know the Lord wants us to do, we are doing the right thing and that is all we can do. Just like God can’t make everyone love Him, He and we cannot make anyone love us or forgive us either.
Matthew 6:14-15 (Amplified)
For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.
Chapter Eleven
LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL
Delight …
1: a high degree of gratification: joy; also: extreme satisfaction
2: something that gives great pleasure
3: archaic: the power of affording pleasure
Evil
1 a: morally reprehensible: sinful, wicked
Isaiah 65:12 (Amplified)
I will destine you [says the Lord] for the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter, because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen or obey. But you did what was evil in My eyes, and you chose that in which I did not delight.
The Lord is good.
1 Chronicles 16:34 (Amplified)
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!
Everything God touches is good (Psalm 145:9). Everything from God is good (1 Timothy 4:4). Evil comes from the devil and we are daily teased by him to choose his way (Acts 13:10). God is not happy with this because He knows that evil (sin) will only lead to our destruction.
Ephesians 4:29 (Amplified)
Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it.
Psalm 91:10 (Amplified)
There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.
To me this is a very good description of God that I feel gets lost in the reality of life. I feel a lot of times the circumstances that we may experience in life are put upon God totally instead of us looking at what the bible shows, that there is an enemy out to destroy us and in doing so puts all the blame on God. We saw Satan do that in the garden with Eve. Satan persuaded Eve that God was not telling her everything - that He was lying to her. Even Adam tried to blame God because He gave Eve to him. That is what the devil does. He takes the Word and twists and distorts it to help deceive us into believing his version instead of the Truth.
I am always so saddened when God is blamed for an accident, tragedy, sickness or a death. Because we are taught that God is in total control we sometimes believe bad things happen to teach us a lesson.
1 John 1:5 (Amplified)
And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way].
This saddens me beyond what I can say. People will quote Job or even Paul’s “thorn” as proof. However if we closely look at these we need to remember that Adam handed over the authority, God had given him, over the earth to Satan. What does that mean? That Satan was given power over the earth and everything and everyone in it. In Job, Satan said he had been roaming the earth and God asked Satan if he had seen Job and how much he loved God. Satan told God that if Job didn’t have God’s protection he wouldn’t love God so much. And Satan told God to take away what he had. But God told Satan that Satan had the authority over everything around Job. But look and see that because of Job’s faith in God he himself was protected from Satan’s hand and in the end received double of all that Satan took from him.
Job 1:10-12 (Amplified)
Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face.
And the Lord said to Satan (the adversary and the accuser), Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon the man himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
Now what about Paul’s “thorn”. We know that the thorn was a messenger of Satan. Paul was so successful and such a great example of God’s love and grace. Satan is going to try and destroy anyone who is a success in spreading the Good News. But what we need to look at is not necessarily the thorn but what God told Paul when Paul asked Him to take it from him.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (Amplified)
Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me;
But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and [b]show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!
God is saying here, when we as men and women are weak seek God and His grace makes us strong. Where the devil tries to attack us God’s grace protects us. Psalm 91 perfectly illustrates this.
Psalm 91 (Amplified)
1 HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
3 For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
4 [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.
8 Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,
10 There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.
11 For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
12 They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.
14 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.
We are protected by God. How can we deny what the Word says? Just as Jesus told the Pharisees that if He was working with the devil, because He was casting out demons, then it would be Satan working against himself. So couldn’t we say that if sickness and death were from God that Jesus was working against God himself? That wouldn’t make sense would it? The Word does not lie!
Isaiah 53:4 (Amplified)
Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].
Matthew 8:16-18 (Amplified)
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all who were sick. And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases.
Bad things happen as a result of the fall and from the enemy himself. He uses it to weaken our faith in God. But Jesus has defeated the enemy!
Let us look at the things we do everyday. Some of these may not be inherent evil but maybe just not good choices.
We need to watch the things we say:
Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].
We need to watch what we entertain ourselves with:
Job 31:6-8 (Amplified)
Oh, let me be weighed in a just balance and let Him weigh me, that God may know my integrity!
If my step has turned out of [God's] way, and my heart has gone the way my eyes [covetously] invited, and if any spot has stained my hands with guilt,
Then let me sow and let another eat; yes, let the produce of my field or my offspring be rooted out.
Psalm 119:37 (Amplified)
Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity (idols and idolatry); and restore me to vigorous life and health in Your ways.
And we need to watch how we act:
John 13:14-16 (Amplified)
If I then, your Lord and Teacher (Master), have washed your feet, you ought [it is your duty, you are under obligation, you owe it] to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you.
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, A servant is not greater than his master, and no one who is sent is superior to the one who sent him.
Philippians 2:5 (Amplified)
Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
Mark 16:15 (Amplified)
And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].
God sent Jesus to earth in human form so that He could be a true example and sacrifice for us. If He had come in God form, it could be said, that is how He did what He did, said what He said and acted how He acted. He is our example of God’s love toward His children and how through Christ we know how to live and have faith that with His help we can do all things!
Chapter Twelve
LOVE REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH
Rejoice …
to give joy, to feel joy or great delight
Truth …
1 a archaic: fidelity, constancy b: sincerity in action, character, and utterance
(3) often capitalized: a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality b: a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true c: the body of true statements and propositions
3 a: the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality
Luke 10:21 (Amplified)
In that same hour He rejoiced and gloried in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have concealed these things [relating to salvation] from the wise and understanding and learned, and revealed them to babes (the childish, unskilled, and untaught). Yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will and choice and good pleasure.
When we know the Truth there is nothing that should keep us from having joy! We can rest in the knowledge that God is here for us. He knows what we need and want before we even think it (Matthew 6:8). Just as He cares for the birds and the flowers how much more does He care for us(Luke 12)? He not only will take care of us in heaven but here on earth, during our life time here, helping us to live abundantly (2 Corinthians 8:9). These are the truths of the Word. Our lives should reflect that truth, which is what is going to make people want to come to Christ.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (Amplified)
And God is able to make all grace (every favor and [earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].
There is going to be opposition from the enemy, but that is when we have to remember and rejoice in the Truth of what Christ did for us and what that means in our lives, here on earth and for our eternity.
John 8:32 (Amplified)
And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
We need to remember the enemy is out there searching for those to destroy. He will use the Truth of the Word and twist it to serve his purpose. We need to be in the Word continuously so that we know the Truth. Most Christians believe what they believe because that is what they have been taught since childhood. That is awesome when you can be brought up in the Word, but we need to dig into it and see for ourselves what the Word says to us.
Is there ever a reason to tell a lie instead of the truth? Maybe sometimes we feel we might need to say a “little white lie”. But the thing about that is, that it is still a lie. I struggle with this with my children in regards to the traditions and myths of our society. Now I am not going to say how you handle these situations, for myself I have asked people who I feel are true disciples who I have seen to be Godly examples, how they handled it and I pray that the Holy Spirit lead me in wisdom.
Proverbs 28:26 (Amplified)
He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.
We just need to make sure we are not saying things just to keep ourselves comfortable or out of trouble. The truth is always better than a lie. When we lie, eventually it always comes back and gets us. Keep the door closed to the lies of the enemy (John 8:44).
Chapter Thirteen
LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS
Protect …
1 a: to cover or shield from exposure, injury, damage, or destruction : guard b: defend
Numbers 6:24 (Amplified)
The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His (approving) countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden to protect them. Some of you may be asking how does that protect them; sending them out into the unknown to work and toil for everything (Genesis 3:17). If they had stayed in the garden they could and probably would have eaten from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22 & 24), giving them immortality which would have condemned them to an eternity full of sin without the possibility for redemption. That would have left all of us trapped for eternity in an evil state. And in that, Jesus could not have made the ultimate sacrifice.
God guarded Noah, the only man at that time to have His heart. He guarded Him by having Noah build an ark for protection from the coming flood (Genesis 7:1-6:8).
God sent Moses to free the Israelites from Pharaoh. He guarded them by day and night and crushed Pharaoh and his army (Book of Exodus).
He protected David from Saul (1 Samuel 23 & 24). He protected Daniel from the lions (Daniel 6:16-21). He protected Lot from the sin around him (Genesis 19:15-23). He protected Jesus from Herod when He was a child (Matthew 2:13-15). Those are just a few examples of His Glory and His faithfulness to those who follow Him. These are not just children stories or stories from history. They are examples of what He does for all of those who believe Him now, just as He did then. He is our Father! Fathers are supposed to protect and love their children. They teach us how we should be, to make decisions that help us grow and learn. He gave us the law to protect the Israelites from falling into sin and He sent Jesus so save us from it.
John 3:17 (Amplified)
For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
Reread Psalm 91! That encompasses everything God does for us. Those who trust in Him and say “He is my Lord, my refuge and fortress, on Him I rely on and Trust”, God will deliver them from the snare of Satan and law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). We can find refuge in Him. We will be able to watch the destruction of the enemy and those who follow him. His angels guard us from harm; they guard us wherever we go. God says that if we will hold on to Him we will get the best of care. When we trust Him, He will answer when we call. He will be with us always and rescue us from evil and give us a long life and bring us salvation. (paraphrased by me). Hallelujah! How can we read the Psalms and doubt His love for us? How can we look at Jesus’ sacrifice and doubt His love for us?
Luke 4:10-11 (Amplified)
For it is written, He will give His angels charge over you to guard and watch over you closely and carefully;
And on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (Amplified)
Yet the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen [you] and set you on a firm foundation and guard you from the evil [one].
1 Peter 1:5 (Amplified)
Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God's power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.
Chapter Fourteen
LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS
Trust
1 a: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b: one in which confidence is placed
5 : a charge or duty imposed in faith or confidence or as a condition of some relationship
Matthew 27:43 (Amplified)
He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now if He cares for Him and will have Him, for He said, I am the Son of God.
(one of the thieves on the cross to the crowd)
Jesus trusted God with everything. Jesus trusted God’s vision to send Him to earth so that His death would bring about redemption. We have to remember, when Jesus came to earth, He came in the physical body of a man. He was not a god in the sense of Him having or being able to do anything we can’t (except through His faith in God). If that was the case, Him being an example or being put in circumstances that we might go through would be irrelevant, His power as a god would protect Him.
But He didn’t, He came in the body of a man and because of His trust in God; He had the faith and power to do the things He did, to do the miracles He did. That is why God tells us to come to Him as little children (And said, truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]... (Matthew 18:3).
Matthew 19:14 (Amplified)
But He said, Leave the children alone! Allow the little ones to come to Me, and do not forbid or restrain or hinder them, for of such [as these] is the kingdom of heaven composed.)
Children trust and believe their parents to tell them the truth and protect them. God wants us to know that He is the Truth and He will protect us. I like to think about people in isolated countries who are poverty stricken and their lands are full of sickness and death. Why do you think there are so many reports of miracles in those areas? Because when they hear the Word, they believe! They trust it to be true and trust in God to do what His Word says. They trust in the hope that all the horrors they see they can be redeemed from. They don’t have anyone telling them “it didn’t work for them”, “God is teaching them something”, or “that isn’t for today”. They hear the Word and they believe it, trust it and they receive it.
Luke 17:6 (Amplified)
And the Lord answered, If you had faith (trust and confidence in God) even [so small] like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, Be pulled up by the roots, and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.
Mark 11:22-24 (Amplified)
And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly].
Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain (circumstance), Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].
We have to trust and know that what the Bible says is true, which in turn means we have to believe what Jesus said is true.
To find salvation you have to trust that believing in Jesus is the only way. Why would it not be true like everything else that the Word says?
Psalm 91:14 (Amplified)
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].
Chapter Fifteen
LOVE ALWAYS HOPES
Hope …
1: to cherish a desire with anticipation
2 archaic: trust
transitive verb
1: to desire with expectation of obtainment
2: to expect with confidence: trust
God expects with confidence His victory over the devil. Why? Because it has already happened! God knew the outcome before it even played out. But He let the Jews know that hope was coming. He sent prophets and prophecies to give His people hope that He had not forgotten them. That God was there for them and only wanted/wants the best for those who love Him, who choose to follow Him and let Him be all we need. He never gives up on us. No matter how old or how far off the path we may be/get His hope is in our salvation.
1 Peter 1:3 (Amplified)
Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
We can look at it this way, Jesus is our hope! If we do not have Jesus, what are we hoping for? We are living for the moment, trying to squeeze everything out of it we can. We are scared of death and not existing anymore. But when we have the hope of Jesus we know that there is something beyond now. We know that there is something to look forward to besides what we have here. We have a future. The devil wants us to only focus on the here and now and obtain what we can while we are here and that we cannot let anyone get in our way. Satan has limited time and he knows it. But with Jesus we can rest in the knowledge that life doesn’t stop with our physical death but continues on for eternity. And with Hope (earnest expectation) we know that the Word is Truth and what the Lord has promised us we can have!
Jesus is our example. We should be acting like Him. When we are doing what God wants us to do, the enemy will send a storm to try and hinder us from our assignment. Stand firm; do not let the devil have his way. We are soldiers in the army of the Lord...so fight!
Psalm 71:5
For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence.
Chapter Sixteen
LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES
Perseveres …
to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement
What a perfect definition of God’s love for us. God knows that the devil is a constant influence in our lives against the influence of Him. So many people find reasons not to trust God. So many people don’t want to change their habits or behaviors to let God in. So many people think we have to follow rules to follow God and some don’t see the benefit of following God even in the practical sense. This is nothing new but has existed since the serpent came into the Garden of Eden. Yet God persists in His love for us and in our submission into His loving arms.
James 1:25 (Amplified)
But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).
Stand strong. The enemy is going to come at you like a storm - full of force! He is not a wimp. He knows how to use our fears against us to make us afraid to step out on the path God has set for us. He knows how to use our habits against us to become addictions. He knows how to manipulate our feelings to cause us to become selfish, to become hurtful, to become resentful, to become morally loose, and to become hateful and full of spite. But all of those are tools of the devil and cannot stand up and defeat the grace of God. We have choices in this life. We can choose to let Satan use us as puppets to do his bidding or we can become heirs with Jesus and help bring others to God. But remember if we are following Jesus the devil has put a bull’s eye on our backs. But don’t be afraid - be ready. Stand firm.
Ephesians 6:12-19 (Amplified)
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.
Chapter Seventeen
LOVE NEVER FAILS
Fail …
1 a: to lose strength: weaken b: to fade or die away c: to stop functioning normally
student) as not passing
I think the biggest point to make in love never fails is that the devil knew who Jesus was and he thought the best way to defeat Him was actually to just get rid of Him and His influence. But the greatest thing happened through the devil’s own plan…because of Jesus’ death and then of course His burial and resurrection, we were delivered from the snare of the devil. The devil no longer has power over us. We have been delivered. Why? Because God would not let us die. He would not give up on the children who thought they knew better. I always think of the story of the Prodigal Son. His father never gave up on him returning. The bible says But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [fervently] (Luke 15:20). Look at that verse closely…”while he was still a long way off” that meant his father had been looking for him. God is constantly looking for those who He can bless.
Romans 8:27 (Amplified)
And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will.
Just as the shepherd who left the 99 to find the 1, God seeks to find everyone who releases themselves from the devil and seeks His forgiveness and love. He rejoices at every turned heart and every repentant soul. He loves us all!
The world would say sacrifice the few for the many, God says sacrifice none, I want them all! To God none of His creation are collateral damage. To God we are the lost and the saved. He wants the saved to seek the lost and bring them back to Him.
Mark 16:15 (Amplified)
And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].
One way to bring those to Christ is to be an example of Him:
John 13:14-16 (Amplified)
If I then, your Lord and Teacher (Master), have washed your feet, you ought [it is your duty, you are under obligation, you owe it] to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you.
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, A servant is not greater than his master, and no one who is sent is superior to the one who sent him.
Philippians 2:5 (Amplified)
Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
God sent Jesus to earth in human form so that He could be a true example and sacrifice for us. Jesus came with the same weaknesses we have. And He overcame them. That is our example. We do not have to let our flesh control us; we should be controlling our flesh. With Jesus authority was taken away from the devil and given back to us - just how God had intended it from the beginning.
1 John 4 (Amplified)
1BELOVED, DO not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.
2 By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [actually] has become man and has come in the flesh is of God [has God for its source];
3 And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh [but would annul, destroy, sever, disunite Him] is not of God [does not proceed from Him]. This [nonconfession] is the [spirit] of the antichrist, [of] which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world.
4 Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.
5 They proceed from the world and are of the world; therefore it is out of the world [its whole economy morally considered] that they speak, and the world listens (pays attention) to them.
6 We are [children] of God. Whoever is learning to know God [progressively to perceive, recognize, and understand God by observation and experience, and to get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].
8 He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.
12 No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!
13 By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His [Holy] Spirit.
14 And [besides] we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son [as the] Savior of the world.
15 Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.
16 And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.
17 In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].
19 We love Him, because He first loved us.
20 If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.
21 And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother [believer] also.
Chapter Eighteen
WALKING IN LOVE
You could say this is my "motto". But it is not just my motto; it is the prescription God gave us to live our lives by. You and I change the lives we touch. We have the capacity to bring love and laughter and encouragement to those we come in contact with.
God is love! (1 John 4:8) When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God poured out His love into us through the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5). We should be transformed by it. He is there to help us and guide us into who God says we are. But it is up to us to walk it out. Galatians 5:6 says only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love shows that we are in Christ. Jesus said in John 13:35 that people would recognize we are in Him by our love walk.
I really noticed a change in my life when I decided to do just that. The word says to love your neighbor as (you do) yourself. (Matt 22:39) To treat others as you would have them treat you.
God said to love Him with everything and to love everyone around you as you love yourself. He said these commandments summed up the Law and how we are to walk, for if we love, we would obey all the commandments - old and new (Galatians 5:14).
LOVE YOURSELF
First and foremost, in our duty to walk in love, we need to take care of ourselves: spiritually, mentally and physically. We cannot truly treat others with love if we don’t love ourselves first. When we love ourselves, it filters down to and through others. Proverbs 14:1 says the wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down”. I would say that goes for everyone not just women.
We are to love ourselves (Matt 22:39). Have you ever met someone who doesn’t love themself? They may be depressed and have nothing positive to say. Or maybe they seem perfect but think they can’t do anything right. They may think of themselves as ugly and useless. I have seen several examples of people who do not love themselves. I used to be one. I had this feeling of needing to be accepted and wanted. There was an absence of something that I didn’t know I needed. I was the type of person that never wanted anyone mad at me, I didn’t want to hear no from my parents. Not because I was scared of them, just the word, it was rejection. When I got to high school I dated some but never really had that “love” that I was seeking. I had thought I was in love but that person didn’t have the same feelings for me, so there again was that feeling of rejection. I think out of desperation I found the first guy that pampered me and attached myself to him. I was going to be and do whatever I needed to do for this relationship to work. I started doing things that were not me because he did them and I wanted to be with him. We got married and at some point I just couldn’t keep up the charade. My life was getting darker and darker. I was scared everyday that if I wasn’t what he wanted me to be and do what he wanted me to, he would leave me. Well, guess what? He left me anyway. I did not love myself enough to be me and think that was good enough.
We need to remember that God made us in His image (Genesis 1:26). He knew us before we were created. He knitted us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). God knows we are not perfect, he isn’t looking for perfection. He is looking for a relationship - someone to guide into who He created us to be. So we first need to do some self-examining. We need to find our weaknesses and then get on our knees and ask God’s forgiveness for our weaknesses and where we might be missing it. We need to ask Him to guide us in the path He wants us to take. To help us bind those weaknesses and find our strengths. This may be something we have to do daily - but that’s okay. That is what God wants us to do. We can’t truly do the things we need and are expected to do for God, for ourselves and those that depend on and look to us for guidance, on our own. But we can do all things through Christ Who gives us strength (Philippians 4:14).
To get closer to God, to know what God wants us to do, we need to spend time with Him. In fact, so many places in the Word, God is telling us to seek Him. To abide in Him. Psalm 91 says “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty - whose power no foe can withstand. For then…”. We can have stability under God when we live in His presence. We need to MAKE TIME to spend with Him. This is in part what Jesus was saying when He told us to crucify the flesh as Galatians 5:24 says “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions, appetites and desires”. We need to make ourselves get up early or stay up late and take that time to spend with the Lord. We need to get on our hands and knees and pray for all those in need including ourselves. We need to be like Jesus. We need to make time to spend with God. To meditate on His Word, praise Him and thank Him and just rest in His presence. It might be hard at first, to put other things aside but the more we do it the easier it will become. Whenever you have your time with God, it needs to be a time to focus and think and listen. We need to pray, worship and read our bibles and listen for His wisdom. We also need to talk with Him throughout our day. Thank Him for little things like good parking places, finding our keys, making it to the gas station before we run out of gas. We need to ask Him questions that we need answers for even if they seem minor like “why am I having a hectic day?”. This may seem strange but have you ever find that your talking to yourself, maybe that is our spirit trying to do what it knows it should do. Just flip it around and start talking to God instead. Our first priority needs to be developing a relationship with God. It may not happen on day one, but the more we open ourselves up to hear Him it WILL happen. It may not be an audible voice but you will feel it in your spirit and you will know that it is from God. Don’t be discouraged if you slip. Repent and start again. It is never too late.
LOVE YOUR FAMILY
Now our duty after taking care of ourselves, is to take care of our families. Spouses, we need to listen to one another. Encourage each other. Listen to what the other person is saying. Put the other first. We need to tell our spouses we love them everyday. We need to show them respect everyday. We should never be-little them to make ourselves look or feel better. We need to look for and praise the things they do instead of complain about the things they don’t. Just like the old saying goes “you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar”. We should be in the mindset that we are still dating. Don’t let the humdrum of life let you forget why you fell in love. Wives, give your husbands some space when they get home from work before you and the kids bombard him for his attention. Give him a smile and kiss and … time. Make him feel that he gets some pampering just like you give the kids. And husbands, listen when your wife is talking, respond so she knows you are listening. Hold her hand or kiss her without expectations. We need to remember our spouses are supposed to be second behind only God in our attention and affection. Easier said than done - I know, but yet THAT IS God’s proper order of things.
Now take those precious blessings that take up most of our days. Our children look to us for comfort, support and as their teachers. Proverbs 31:26 and 28 says “she opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness; giving counsel and instruction. Her children rise up and call her blessed; happy, fortunate and to be envied.” Our children need our parenting. We need to train them in the ways of manners. We need to nurture them with our hugs and kisses. We need to develop their minds and attitudes. We need to prepare them to be the adults they will become and we need to teach them that God loves them and how to be like Jesus. We need to be there with a high-five when they do good and a rod (Proverbs 23:13-14) when they aren’t. God tells us that if we do not discipline our children we hate them, but by our discipline we show our love for them (Proverbs 13:24). I believe God blessed us with children to give us just a hint of what His great love for us is. We should take that responsibility very seriously.
Society today says that our children are so fragile that a harsh word or swat on the bottom can damage their little personalities for life. Having at one time been a child who got my fair share of spankings, even in high school and am now raising two children, I have to say I find that argument very amusing and actually very sad. I have seen evidence of this kind of philosophy. I have seen children hold their parents and households hostage by their unreasonable demands. I have also seen homes where discipline is given but consistency and follow through are absent. I know, for our family, that because our kids got swats or spankings and reprimands the older they have gotten the less I have to do that. Sometimes of course, I have to go in that direction, but more often than not I can just make them aware of their behavior and it changes.
We have tried to teach our children how Jesus wants us to behave and how sad or happy their behavior makes Him. We have told them that when they do what they know they aren’t supposed to, it makes the devil really happy. Since we have implemented that, our children have started to put this physical world and the spiritual world into something they can grasp. Am I saying this is the way for everyone? Of course not. All I am saying is this is what we have found works for us and our kids. Not by our own wisdom, but by prayer and petitioning the wisdom of God. Children need structure and boundaries. They need to know where the line in the sand is drawn. They will try and cross it but are always looking to their parents to remind them that it is there. They aren’t born with the knowledge of goodness. It has to be taught. Every child knows how to lie and they don’t even have to try - just like we all sin and we had to be taught what being good was. Jesus is where we get that knowledge. So we must teach our children the good qualities that help us to be like Jesus. We need to see ourselves as overseers of the Gospel in our homes. We need to be about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49).
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave us. We could call this being hospitable but I like to call it “walking in love”.
When we put ourselves in that mindset, we will notice a change. Everyone can have a bad day. We start to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. The express cashier in the not-so-express line. The waitress who got our order wrong. The car driving 30 miles an hour in a 50 mile an hour zone. Walking in love is again, what we are commanded to do. We are even commanded to love our enemies (Luke 6:35). We are supposed to love others as God loves us. Love does no wrong to one’s neighbor. In 1 Corinthians 8:1 it says love edifies and builds up and encourages one to grow to our full potential. We should be edifying each other instead of tearing each other down. We should be praying for each other instead of picking out flaws. In Chapter 5:6 of Galatians it says that only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love shows that we are in Christ. I could go on and on and quote scripture that tells us to walk in love. God is love and love never fails.
The Word also says we reap what we sow. If we give love we will reap love. Love is the foundation of everything. We need to open our hearts, abilities and even our homes to those who God brings across our paths. We are to show the love of Jesus through our words but even more so through our actions. We need to practice what we preach. This is an area where Christians get criticized the most as being hypocrites. So by walking in love we are adding to our lives the abundance of God’s love and people will see God’s love in us and we will be a testimony to Him. We should be living examples of God’s love. We must remember that the “love walk” starts at home. First to God, to ourselves, to our families and then to others. Philemon 1:7 says For I have derived great joy and comfort and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been cheered and refreshed through you my brother.
One of the greatest things God gave us was the ability to pray. To intercede for ourselves as well as others. To bring needs, wants and desires to the Lord and ask for His guidance, favor, blessing and strength. God knows what we need and want before we even think them much less speak them, but putting them into words brings faith and allows God to do His work in us and through us. If you cannot help someone through a gift of service, a prayer is just as good, if not better. Philippians 4:6 says do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
We cannot always give money. We cannot always give physical time. But we can always pray.
We need not be discouraged by what we think we should be. We need to embrace what God has given us and become who He wants us to be to Him, to ourselves, to our families and to all who we come in contact with.
We need to look at ourselves not just as husbands and wives and sons and daughters but more important we are God’s children and we are to act and be like Jesus! WE CAN DO THIS! God made us able to do it. Don’t listen to the devil tell you, you can’t, that your not good enough, that it’s too much. We have to remember, the devil is here to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). He will use any thought, any person, any circumstance to tear us down and make us believe we don’t have what it takes. By ourselves, yes the devil is right, but with God we can move mountains (Mark 11:23)!
LOVE WITH YOUR WORDS
One thing that I have learned in my studies is that you can take a scripture and get so many different lessons from just that one. I learn something new everyday. Did you know that Christianity is called the “great confession”.
On the subject of words, we often think about and are taught that how we speak to other people and respond with our words, shows love and an example of how we should act as Christians. But, we don’t often hear about how our words set in motion the circumstances we face.
In Hosea 4:6 God said My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge”. Proverbs 18:20 says A man’s moral self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth and the consequences of his words he must be satisfied whether good or evil. In other words, what we speak is what is in our hearts and we must accept the consequences of the words we speak whether the outcome be good or bad.
God created everything by His spoken Word. God said “let there be light and there was light” etc. Jesus is referred to as The Word. That should mean that words are important.
Psalm 34:13 (Amplified)
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Proverbs 21:23 (Amplified)
He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles.
Proverbs 6:1-2 (KJV)
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth.
Proverbs 12:14 (Amplified)
From the fruit of his words a man shall be satisfied with good.
Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified)
Death and life are in the tongue and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it, for life or death.
Proverbs 25:11 (Amplified)
A word fitly spoken and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 (Amplified)
Be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God.
2 Timothy 3:16 (Amplified)
But avoid all empty talk, for it will lead people to more and more ungodliness.
James 3:10 (Amplified)
Out of the mouth come blessing and cursing.
1 Peter 3:10 (Amplified)
For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceit.
We as believers have let the devil deceive us. He has made us believe that our words have no power. “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.“ - sound familiar. But clearly just from the few scriptures above, that is not the case.
We believers need to start watching our words. We need to quit throwing words around like they aren’t important and start using them like our lives depended upon it - because according to the Word, THEY DO!
Just as James 1:22 says be doers of the Word and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth which is the Word.
All of us at one time or another have made statements of fear, doubt, unbelief and sickness:
“that scared me to death”, “I’m dying to go”, I’m sick and tired”, “I always get the flue”, “I’m losing my mind”, “We never have enough money”. This would also include, to my estimation, generational curses such as saying “heart disease or cancer runs in my family”, “all men die young in my family”, “my grandmother had Alzheimer’s I probably will too”. We call them “figures of speech” you may even call them facts. But it is backwards from what God’s Word says.
Just as Proverbs 18:21 says Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit, we get the results of what we say. If we want health we should confess health, whether we feel healthy or not. If we don’t want a stubborn child, quit telling everyone their stubborn (even if they are). Our words hold the power of life and death, blessings and curses, even our salvation. Even our salvation comes by our words, we have to confess it to receive it. God said it and it was. Why would it be any different in the other areas of our lives?
We are in a spiritual war with Satan and his demons. The devil is a thief, a killer and a destroyer. He wants to keep us down and looking at our circumstances instead of what the Word says about our circumstances.
In this world our words are like the rudder on a boat, setting us on the course of our lives. By our words we either give Satan control of our circumstances or God.
Satan uses our thoughts, distorts them and puts them in our minds. Then as we dwell on them, they go into our spirit and finally they come out our mouths. Everything that is of doubt, unbelief, and discouragement is of the devil. God never talks doubt, unbelief and discouragement to anyone. The Israelites could have made it into the promised land, expect they listened to the bad confessions of the spies instead of what God told them. They believed a false confession. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones to say they could take the land. They believed the word of God, confessed it and did it.
Spiritual power operates in our lives when we take the thought and then speak it. In speaking it over and over again our spirit becomes full of those thoughts until they come out of our mouths without even thinking. Those words can either be full of faith or fear, love or hate, whatever thoughts we have been speaking. If we want to win the battle of the mind, we have to fight thoughts with words. If we will speak the Word, we’ll defeat Satan every time. Just like Jesus did in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10). Faith comes by hearing the Word.
I know that when we don’t feel well or we have issues in our lives we want empathy, we want to vent or let off steam but that is definitely not what we should do. Jesus said call things that be not as though they are (Romans 4:17). It is said so many times in scripture such as Joel 3:10 let the weak say I AM STRONG. When we focus on the Word, when we live from the spirit of faith and total dependence on God, we will conquer impossible situations. So even though we say we have faith - our words counter act that. We need to quit speaking the problem and start confessing deliverance. We as believers should never talk failure, doubt or unbelief. We should talk faith. James 3:10 says out of the mouth comes blessings and curses.
Walk It Out
The Word - the bible - is our example of God taking care of us. Showing us how to act and how to talk. Psalm 23 for example says “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack”, “He refreshes and restores my life”, “I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me” and “surely goodness, mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life”.
Psalm 34:19 (Amplified)
Many evils confront the righteous, but the Lord will deliver him out of all of them.
Psalm 91:3 (Amplified)
For then He will deliver me from the snare of the fowler (Satan and his devils) and from the deadly pestilence (a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating).
Psalm 91:15 & 16 (Amplified)
He shall call upon Me and I will deliver him. I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.
Psalm 103:3 (Amplified)
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.
Psalm 103:8 (Amplified)
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving kindness.
Philippians 4:6 and 19 (Amplified)
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and definite requests, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And my God will liberally supply your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Mark 11:24 (Amplified)
I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that it is granted to you and you will get it.
Jesus said we could have what we say, but we are saying what we have.
Just as our words can give power to Satan, so can our words bring about God’s power. When we speak words of Truth in the midst of the impossible, God’s angels come to help us (Hebrews 1:14). They are waiting on our words. The situation might look impossible but God is the God of the impossible. There is nothing He can’t do. He will deliver us. He didn’t say He might - He said HE WILL!
If we can believe the bible and get our mouths right, then we can get our lives right. Jesus said in Matthew 15:11 and 18 it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, it is what comes out.
Whatever our situation we need to go to the Word. Find scriptures dealing with the subject. Write them down, meditate on them, speak them throughout the day, every day, confess them - put your name in them and don’t give up.
Satan will challenge you. You won’t think your situation is changing or that it is getting worse but stand strong in the face of Satan and refuse to give up. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Give him the same answer Jesus did, “it is written” then tell him what the Word says regarding your situation. Don’t have more faith in the circumstances than you do in God. It is easier to blame God than it is to think you don’t have enough faith in God. Be patient. Look at the Israelites, it took forty years before they were able to enter the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 1:6). Look how long Simeon waited for Jesus (Luke 2:25). And the man at the pool of Bethesda, he was thirty-eight years old before he received his healing. (John 5:7-8). Look at the man possessed by a legion of evil spirits - he had been that way for years (Mark 5). Look at how long it took Hannah before she became pregnant (1 Samuel 1). It took seven years of praying, for exactly what I wanted in a husband, before that prayer was answered - even beyond what I had asked for. Don’t put your time limits on God and then start to worry and lose hope. We don’t receive according to God’s ability - we know He can do all things - we receive according to our faith (Galatians 3:14).
We need to just use the wisdom God has given us. We need to train our mouths to be obedient to His Word. Then, when we need it most, we will find the Word dwelling in us. Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be “followers of God, as dear children…”. Follower in the Greek means to imitate. We are to imitate God as a child imitates his father. When we study Jesus’ life, there are several facts that caused Him to overcome the World, flesh and Satan: Jesus prayed often but He didn’t pray the problem - He prayed what God said was the answer. His conversations and speech always consist of what God said. Jesus never spoke the problem, He never confessed present circumstances - He spoke the desired results.
Galatians 6:7 and 8 says God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Just as much as we love and want all for our children, that is just the beginning of God’s love and wants for us. So by walking in love we are adding to our lives the abundance of God's love and everything He promised us - salvation and the blessing of Abraham (the abundance in all areas of our lives [Psalms 23 & Psalms 91& Ephesians 3:6]) - and people will see God's love in us and we will be a testimony to Him. He said He would supply all our needs.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (Amplified)
God is able to make every favor and earthly blessing come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need, possess enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance every good work and charitable donation.
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (Amplified)
And God Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your resources for sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness and charity. Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous and your generosity as it is administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God.
We also need to remember that faith works by love. If you aren’t seeing God working in your life you might need to check your love walk.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
The Word - the Bible - shows us how to become new creatures in Christ. We need to use the wisdom God has given us. By walking in love, we are adding to our lives the abundance of God’s love and everything He promised us and people will see God’s love in us and we will be a testimony to Him. We should be a living example of God's love. It is like the example we often hear of someone honking and giving the finger and cussing out someone who cut in front of them on the road and when the car passed them they had a icthus (Jesus fish) on the back of their car. What about hearing someone who is demeaning to other people, or complaining about how they are always sick and nothing in their life is going right, or participates in gossiping and then this person is proclaiming God’s grace to an unbeliever. Is that the example God or we want to set? Would someone want to be a Christian by seeing our example?
Can you see how much He loves you? Do you see how He wants to bless you? Now, how can we show our love to God? One of the reasons I felt led to write this book is to defend my Father. Not out of anger but out of sadness. People like to say “God is in control” to explain away things they don’t understand or don’t want to acknowledge. That phrase is used as a crutch.
It is sad to me because it puts God in box and restricts His power. It is a “religious” saying but it is scripturally wrong. Now you might say the bible says He is in control and you would be right but unless you abide in Him and follow what the Word says, you haven’t given Him the authority to intercede or be in control of your life.
We need to remember He doesn’t force His will upon anyone. If that weren’t the case everyone would be saved automatically and not given the choice to do so.
We cannot live how we want to or to follow God’s requirements when we feel like it or to pick and choose which ones we want to follow, then wonder why things are not going the way we want them to. If we are not being led by God - that means living the way He said to live - then we are being led by Satan. If we open the door by our disobedience, Satan will barrel on through and let us blame God for it. The sad thing is - it works! God is blamed everyday for the works of the devil.
We have to remember God is our Father. Just as much as we love and want for our children, that is just the beginning of God’s love and wants for us. He does not want to hurt us. He doesn’t want to punish us. He wants to save us and bless us. The Word tells us to stay in fellowship with Him. That means we have to put on our “cross” or “crucify our flesh” by making time to be in fellowship with Him. If you think about it, when there is something we want to do, we usually make time for it.
Joyce Meyer once said “A believer is someone who believes Jesus and goes to church. A disciple believes Jesus and changes their thoughts and actions to be more like Jesus.” When you love someone, you want to spend time with them, talk with them and get to know them. That is how we should feel about God. That is how He feels about us.
I bought my children a bible that is so awesome. Every story from Old to New Testament puts Jesus in the center. I cry every time I read it to them. They laugh because mommy is crying, but one day they will understand.
This is a passage from The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones:
No, the Bible is not a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It is an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back His lost treasure. It is a love story about a brave Prince who leaves His palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
You see, the best thing about this Story is - it’s true.
There are many stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.
We must never forget that God loves us (John 3:!6)!
Romans 8:31-39 (Amplified)
31 What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]
32 He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?
33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?]
34 Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?
35 Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?
36 Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Yet amid all these things, we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When we realize God’s love for us we can learn to serve God by showing other’s what God’s love looks like. We need to love others with the same love that He gives us (John 13:34-35). Remember we reap what we sow. Sow good seed and you shall reap a great harvest. When we show Jesus through our words, actions, attitude and lives people will want what we have.
Be like Jesus - Walk in Love.
All scripture, unless otherwise referenced are from the Amplified Bible.
All dictionary references are from Webster’s Dictionary.
Passage used from The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones.
If you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life and would like to begin that relationship, it is so easy. Tell Him you need Him, ask Him to forgive you of your sins, tell him you want to be made new in the likeness of Him. You are saved by the blood of Jesus He shed on the cross.
Now out of obedience, find a church, if you don’t already have one, and tell them you wish to be baptized out of obedience to the Word and as an announcement to the World of the life changing decision you have made.
Trust in Him and know He is with you!
Be blessed.
