Love

Pssst 🎧 I’ve Got a Secret for You

By / 3 minutes of reading / , ,

Many years ago, there used to be a TV show called “I’ve Got a Secret.” The point of the show was to find out if four people could ask a famous person the right questions to guess what that person’s job was.

The show had four semi-famous panelists (people) that wore blindfolds. Each week a famous or well-known person would be on the show. The host, Garry Moore, officiated in a light-hearted way to ensure the game was properly played.

The show was a hit, running from 1952 until 1967. And for most of my life, it required me to know every aspect of the show because nearly every new person I met would ask me if I knew about the show. You see, my name is also Gary Moore, and I’ve got a secret.

The Secret

I’ll share my secret with you only if you share it with someone else. I am weary from what I know remaining a secret. So here it is: No one has ever been unloved; this includes you.

You may roll your eyes and think that I’m espousing some threadbare idiom. I assure you that I am not. My secret is that this love is real love, and it is unbroken love, and it continues to this day. Remember that time when you felt completely alone and cried your eyes out? You weren’t alone, and those tears have been kept out of compassion for you. This is true.

If you’ve ever believed anything, believe that Jesus has never taken His eyes off of you. To Jesus, you have always been like a newborn baby – beautiful, full of potential, and you have your Father’s eyes. Jesus even keeps a baby book where he memorializes the ‘firsts’ of your life.

The Truth

Do you think I’m disingenuous?

“You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8

This verse is not just some poetic line; it is factually true. As Paul wrote, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.” (Ephesians 3:18

I have a second secret. The door to be in an eternal, loving relationship with God is Jesus. He is the way to love God back. Jesus is the truth that affirms this opportunity. And surprisingly, Jesus is life. He has the power to not just make you better but to give you eternal life so that you will never be separated from God’s love.

Good News

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” Ephesians 3:18

You have never been unloved. You have never been discarded. You have never been unseen. God has always loved you. That is my secret. I hope you share this good news with your friends and family.

CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Picture of Keith Green.

His Promises Remain

By / 3 minutes of reading / , ,

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood

My Eyes Are Dry by Keith Green.
YouTube of Keith singing this song

You can be twenty years old and have an old heart. Being in love with Jesus, keeping it fresh and eager every morning to learn what God has given you to do that day, is easily lost. A memorable line from the movie “Parenthood” is when Steve Martin, in a moment of frustration, says, “My whole life is ‘have to’s.” So, for three minutes today, lay down your burden and allow me to encourage you in the Lord.

Just because the Bible contains words that were first penned two thousand years ago, and more, does not mean that God’s promises are no longer effective. Those prescriptions have no use-by date. Actually, those promises came from the eternal, one true God. From God’s perspective, His promises were just given; they were written just a moment ago, and they contain all the strength and potency God intended, and they are for you if you are in Jesus.

You may say, “I prayed for my beloved mother, a God-fearing woman, yet she still died too soon.” Do you think that since her passing she has ever had one regret for leaving this wretched world and being forever in the presence of the Lord?

You might say, “I have prayed and sought Jesus to bring my local church back to the way it was when I was young.” I’m with you on that one, but we serve “I AM.” God works in the now, and He is moving us and the world in preparation for the return of Jesus. We can love what we have, but as servants of God, we must keep up with Him. He has an agenda, and in His love and grace, He has included you. We celebrate what God did, but we work in what God is doing.

Does your heart feel old? Do you feel like your life is not the one you saw when you were first saved? Do you feel like your life is all “have to’s?” Then I recommend what Keith Green wrote. I pray that you allow the Holy Spirit, who is already alive within you, to pour fresh oil and wine upon you. The oil is the Spirit of God, and the wine represents the sacrificed blood of Jesus.

Your first love, when you were saved, is not lost in the past. It is right beside you. It has never left. Ask Jesus for freshness, a soft heart, and a hungry soul. He will give them if you ask in faith.

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24

Eseymour at en.Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Faith Is Expressed in Love

By / 2 minutes of reading /

When I was a young Christian, more than once, I’d hear someone in our local church, complain that so-and-so was so heavenly-minded that they were no earthly good. In those early years, I learned to identify people that had ignored the admonition from James,

“Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

James 2:18

Expressed Faith

Something didn’t feel right when I heard those comments. Well, that was because I was ignoring 1 John 4:20-21 NLT, “if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see.”

This leads me to today’s thought, found in Galatians 5:6b NLT, “What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” The answer to thousands of questions about faith is found in those few words.

When asked the question, “What should you be doing with your life?” most people think of occupations, some think of recreation, and a few think of some sort of ministry.” I’ll hazard a guess that only a handful would reply, “I want to allow the faith God has given me to be expressed in my love.” But faith expressed through love is the right answer and the most difficult answer.

Good News

Because we were born in sin, people are wired to harshly judge people and live faithless lives. But we left this way of life behind when, in Christ Jesus, we entered God’s kingdom. I pray that we all remember that if we can’t love someone we see, how can we expect to love God, whom we’ve never seen? And what greater good can come from our faith than to allow our faith to express itself in love? My prayer for all of us is that we are so heavenly-minded that we are of immense earthly good.

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

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False Peace

By / 3 minutes of reading /

Selling Peace

If you’ve spent time on Facebook, you know from their ADs that many companies are trying to sell you “peace.” From spas and Eastern meditation to counselors and clinics, business is booming for the peace merchants. However, true peace isn’t the same as being dead inside.

False Peace

For the vast majority of people, they will never be saved. They will never know what true peace feels like. They are eternally estranged from God. They are like babies that are never touched or coddled. They will enter their graves having never felt the presence of God, the warmth of the Holy Spirit, or the comfort from Christ.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (English Standard Version)

Right now, you may want to take up stones to stone me; I guess the modern thing to do is cancel me. But, before you do, consider these words from Jesus:

“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:14

Few find it. An equivalent statement is, “most people never find life, so they die in their sins.” Therefore, as a Christian, you are the exception; you are graced by God and kept from the eternal punishment awaiting most people. God chose you! So consider the following verses in this light:

“Rebekah… gave birth to twins [Esau and Jacob]. But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.)” – Romans 9:10–12 (New Living Translation)

True Peace

I’m sorry if this is confusing to you. But how can God be God unless “He does whatever pleases him.” (Psalm 115:3) This verse makes perfect sense. God is the highest moral authority. Therefore, what pleases God is of the highest morality. He saved you for a purpose. He chose you, much like adopting parents used to choose their baby. He didn’t consider the good or bad things you had done. He didn’t consider whether your parents were saved or wicked. What pleased God was for you to be saved from eternal punishment.

You are in a very exclusive group of people. The Holy Spirit of God gives you an understanding of spiritual things. He opens God’s Word so that you can understand what His verses mean. You have Jesus, your Savior, that mediates between you and the Father. The very God of all is alive within you. God has given you promises, answered prayers, and healed your wounded heart. You are special to Him.

Good News

Love as God has commanded you. And rejoice, for you are special in His sight.

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

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People Faces Man Women Eyes Head

Do You Need Anybody?

By / 3 minutes of reading / , ,

When I read Romans 12:4–5 today, an old Beatles song popped into my head.

Do you need anybody?
I just need somebody to love?
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love.

I don’t recommend “With a Little Help from My Friends,” but God’s Word has much to tell us about relationships and love.

Relationships and Love

Jesus has assigned us the calling to worship, love, help, and tell. We worship the One True God, are to be known by our love, see every person as our neighbor, and use every opportunity God gives us to tell the Good News of Jesus Christ. That’s what Romans 12:4–5 is all about.

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,
5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:4–5

You may ask, where is worship, love, help, and tell in this passage of Scripture? Well, there’s more in today’s text than may first be evident.

We Are One

“For as in one body” speaks about the Church. Every faithful Christian is a member of the Church, the Body of Christ Jesus. And what do we do in His Church? We corporately love, worship, and praise God.

Fellowship and Function

And “we have many members” speaks of our fellowship and love with other believers. We are to be known by our love. In His Church, we behave as His Family.

Now we are told, “the members do not all have the same function.” This is a core characteristic of a family. Some family members go out into the world to work, minister, and bless. Some members go out into the world to engage the lost through sports, social activities, or educational institutions. We also have members that work within the Church to provide for the needs of the members of the Church. Every member is commanded to see every person as our neighbor, to use their gifts to help their neighbors, and to use every opportunity to tell their neighbors about Jesus.

Perfect Diversity

The opening statement in verse five is astounding – “so we, though many, are one body in Christ.” Here we have a clear call for the body to be diverse. The Church is ethnically, culturally, behaviourally, and dogmatically diverse. Jesus loves all of us and includes all believers in His Church.

Finally, we read, “and individually members one of another.” Every believer belongs to every other member. We weep with those that weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We are all in this together.

We’re All In

In this present world, we have placed our way of life in the hands of Jesus. And we have placed our eternity in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We have no “plan B.” We have just one spiritual passport. We are citizens of the kingdom of God and no other.

Good News

The Holy Spirit put a lot in these two verses from Romans, chapter twelve. There is much for us to meditate on in this passage of Scripture; we need to allow this Truth to renew our minds.

“Do you need anybody?” Yes, you need everybody in the Body of Christ. “Could it be anybody?” Yes, everyone is your neighbor. “I want somebody to love.” Christ Jesus, your Savior, has given you Almighty God and every person in this world to love. Now, let’s all go do that!

Image by 22612 from Pixabay

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pic of a the word "revenge" covering a man's face

Revenge

By / 3 minutes of reading /

I’m about to suck the joy out of your favorite movies, TV shows, and books. I take no great pleasure in my task, but I would fail to teach the whole Bible if I didn’t address this topic: revenge.

I’m going to assume that you are not a serial killer, nor have you “done in” your spouse, best friend, or neighbor. Still, I think you may have a proclivity towards visceral pleasure from stories that use the lead character (protagonist) to deliver a “comeuppance” to an evil person.

Now you may defend yourself by saying that the defeat of evil is always worthy of an act by a believer in Christ Jesus. You may say that everything from “Die Hard With a Vengeance” to “The First Wives Club” is justifiable. This is where we part ways. Do you believe these words of Jesus?

“But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.” Matthew 5:39

According to the footnote for this verse in the “ESV Reformation Study Bible,” in context, this verse means “do not seek restitution in court.” The slap on the right cheek is a backhanded one—an insult as well as an injury.

Nevertheless, when someone adds insult to injury to you, your response should be one of love – love barely notices a wrong (1 Corinthians 13:4-6). This does not mean that we are to tolerate all kinds of evil. Some wars are justifiable. Fleeing domestic violence is justifiable. Bringing a lawsuit against an ungodly law is righteous. However, when it comes to evil against us, we must remember the example that Jesus set for us in His crucifixion.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

Luke 23:34

God’s Word tells us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) and “For we know the one who said, ‘I will take revenge. I will pay them back.’” (Hebrews 10:30) Therefore, with Christ’s example, and God’s Word strongly admonishing us to allow God to deal out justice against anyone that commits even the slightest transgression against a child of His, let’s not secretly feed our desire for revenge by being entertained with stories that glorify it. Oh, and as a believer, God requires us to forgive; remember the Lord’s prayer – “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Sorry about this spoiler. I wrote this for myself but thought it might be good for you, also.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

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Love Jesus with Reckless Abandon

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For a while, when we lived in Florida, we had a mixed Labrador Retriever named Pip. He was all muscle and energy. We had a large fenced-in backyard that was his domain, but a couple of times, we took him to a park where he could just run as fast and as far as he wanted, and he wanted.

He would run so fast at the park that he was just a blur most of the time. He ran with wild abandon in what he must have felt was limitless freedom. That’s how we should live in Christ Jesus. If a pet dog can glory with reckless abandon in the new freedom of a park, how should we act with our true freedom purchased by Jesus and freely available to us? (John 8:36)

Be Reckless Immediately

Oswald Chambers, the author of “My Utmost for His Highest,” wrote:

Never start to say, “Well, I wonder if He [God] really did speak to me?” Be reckless immediately— totally unrestrained and willing to risk everything— by casting your all upon Him…be determined to recklessly abandon yourself, surrendering everything to Him. It is only through abandonment of yourself and your circumstances that you will recognize Him. – Oswald Chambers

Do you think this is “over-the-top?” Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in :

for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.

Romans 9:3

Paul Shocks Again!

Paul’s statement is shocking! We see that His heart was fully set upon Jesus and His purpose. From this, we can see that Paul’s life was a life of abandonment of himself. Abandonment doesn’t mean we should wander the streets unwashed and in tattered clothes while mumbling to ourselves. We should learn from Romans 9:3 that our purpose should only be Christ’s purpose. There’s no room for Jesus and me to both sit on the throne of my heart.

Image by Andreas F. from Pixabay

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Happiness of the poor children. Taken in Chupah district, Gialai province Vietnam.

Love In Communities

1 Comment / By / 4 minutes of reading / ,

I was reminded today about the three loves each believer has by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. These loves are the love of God, love of us, and love of people. Today, I would like us to focus on our love within communities.

Of course, love of us includes love of self; this is Biblically correct. However, love of self extends beyond us as individuals. We find in the New Testament God’s guidance to make us “individuals” into us as a community. We all need others, even introverts like me. For everyone, Jesus expects us to bond together. We should know and be known by our Christian brothers and sisters. We should find solace in them during times of tragedy, strength during hardships, and shared joy in our blessings.

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Peter 4:8-11

Essential Attribute

The essential attribute we find in a community of believers is the consistent, holy lives of adults that love and invest in the children of their community. Kids need safety, and they desperately need to see and experience the broad spectrum of personalities, ethnic diversities, and professions of our communities of God-fearing brothers and sisters.

Kids need to see how we settle disagreements (Colossians 3:13) and build Christ-centered communities. We need to live what the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). We should learn from what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:25-27)

Our kids need to see and experience how to contribute to the community. Kids need to learn how to give without the expectation of receiving, strengthen the brokenhearted, and weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We all need this, no matter how long we have served Jesus.

Communities of Believers

The phrase “It takes a village” has become common vernacular. I’m not sure about the village metaphor. Still, I do know that to raise children to be contributors to the kingdom of God, a Christ-centered community is needed, a community abounding in good works and steadfast dedication to living our new lives in Jesus. The local church should be the center and facilitator of a Christian community, but that’s not always the case.

A community of believers can spring up from a common cause, such as a mission to the homeless, a food pantry, prayer meetings, and any overt expressions of “God’s will” can cause a community to be birthed. There are countless communities of international believers that still avoid the “bigness” of their community; they remain personal. After all, it’s not a community if we can’t speak, pray, teach, worship, and work together.

Live in Several Communities

We are not limited to a single community of believers. God has not called us to be gadflies, but there is no command that I’m aware of that constrains us to a single Christian community. The local church should always be and remain our first community. Still, there are others to which God may guide us. Two that come to mind are “Faith Driven Entrepreneurs.” If you are a Christian small business owner, this is a great community to join and Prison Fellowship (i.e., angel tree).

Good News

So, the good news is that God does not expect you or me to be disconnected from fellow believers. We must pray and seek communities where God has created a place for us. And we should never forget that our local church is our preeminent community in which God desires us to fellowship and grow. And we must commit to what God’s Word says in Romans 12:16, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.“

That’s it. Someday, I hope to join you in a believers’ community!

Photo by Larm Rmah on Unsplash

#Love #Community #LivingForJesus #RockExcavationService

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Happy Pi Day!

By / 1 minute of reading / , ,

Yes, as you’ve probably seen, today is 𝛑 (pi) day – March 14 or 3.14. Pi fits in the category of irrational numbers, similar to the irrational numbers my dad used to expect on my report cards. 

If we turn to the Bible, we find many well-known and vitally important verses found in “3.14.” Here are a few.

God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’’ 

Exodus 3:14 NLT

And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 

John 3:14 NLT

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 

Colossians 3:14 NLT

If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 

1 John 3:14 NLT

I hope you have a fantastic 𝛑 day, and I pray that, as true believers in Jesus Christ, our Lord, we worship the great “I AM” and we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Gramma and grandson making a cake

God’s Still Crazy About You

By / 2 minutes of reading /

A little boy is telling his grandma how “everything” is going wrong.  School, family problems, bullies, and so forth. Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which of course he does. “Here, have some cooking oil.” “Yuck!” says the boy. “How about a couple of raw eggs? “ “Gross, Grandma!” “Would you like some flour then or maybe baking soda?” “Grandma, those are all yucky!”

Grandma smiles and replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way.  Many times, we wonder why he would let us go through such challenging times.  But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good!  We must trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!”

Just think:

  • God is Crazy About You.
  • If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
  • If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
  • He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
  • Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen.
  • He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
  • What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem, not to mention that Friday at Calvary?

Face it, God’s crazy about you!

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